Monday, October 31, 2011

Dine & Discuss

   In efforts to increase parent involvement, I decided to offer a Dine & Discuss Luncheon! This involved inviting kindergarten parents to come eat lunch with their child while they learned more about RESPONSIBILITY. A permission form went home asking parents to RSVP and bring a brown sack lunch with them on the day of the luncheon. Parents filled out a RESPONSIBILITY SURVEY with their child as they ate lunch. Luckily, two school counselors from our Counseling Team agreed to help out! The lunch took place in the Kindergarten classroom. After lunch we played a game of RESPONSIBILITY BINGO. We had time to play two games and winners received prizes. Before leaving parents completed an evaluation. A table was set up full of info regarding RESPONSIBILITY. We included articles and chore charts.
   We got great feedback from our evaluations! We plan to use their helpful comments to make our next Dine & Discuss even better! Next time, we plan to hold the luncheon in the gym for more space. We also decided we will send the students back to class after lunch and spend more time with the parents discussing the topic. This decision was based on the parents' requests!  We were so excited to see parents so engaged in their child's education! I'm excited to plan and make improvements for our next Dine & Discuss!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Tabby Tips

   Take time to leave kids a friendly note! It only takes a few minutes, and they will love it! After I meet with a student, I will sometimes leave them a note letting them know I enjoyed spending time with them. I sometimes remind them what we worked on and what they can practice during the week. Many times I have asked them to practice a skill and then ask them about it later and they have forgotten! These notes are great reminders!
    There are so many free stationary printables you can find on the internet. I will sometimes find stationary at a garage sale (a social worker's supply store!) I also try to find bargains after holidays. This month I am using stationary that I bought on sale after LAST YEAR"S Halloween! (LOVE LOVE LOVE finding resources at a clearance price!) I also was lucky enough to buy discounted Halloween pencils last year! I often times leave a pencil with the note! Do you leave notes? How often? Please comment!
   

Monday, October 24, 2011

Getting Started!

Well I finally did it! I started my own Blog! This is so exciting! I love following other blogs and getting the chance to connect with other School Social Workers. I have learned so much from blogs that I decided it was time to create my own! Sooooo.......thanks for visiting! I hope you come back and follow along on my journey as an Elementary Social Worker who is eager to continue to motivate, inspire, teach, collaborate, learn, share, praise, think positive, and strive to be the best Elementary Social Worker I can be!