Good-bye June

June is almost over. Wow, hasn't it passed quickly? I have made a few trips to school this summer. I went down a couple of times to help with some testing data which had to be finalized during the month of June. My next couple of trips were to work on my office. My husband and I went down last Saturday to paint it. I sure appreciated him spending his day off tackling that with me. I made two trips this week to put thing in place and things on the wall. The paperwork that had accumulated needed to be sorted and/or discarded as well. I worked on the desk and it's contents along with the credenza and hutch. It is all almost finished. I had hopes of getting it comopletely ready for my return on August 1st before this month was over. I'm very close. I think one more trip and I'm there. That trip may be Saturday morning. It looks very different already than it did a week ago. The previous counselor was there two years, she took my place when I left after being there two years. She passed away from an inoperable brain tumor. We had become friends before I left and it has all been very sad and trying. I wanted to make a change in the office so that it looked really different. I thought this might help students and staff as well. I think I've succeeded. The walls have gone from an off white to a bold green. The windows now have a pretty yellow, floral topper and I've moved in an extra file cabinet and some furniture. I can't wait to get it finished and pictures posted.

Summer Break

Summer break has begun. Last week was spent with my daughter and grandson. We were together nearly everyday. During the evening I had VBS. I got to help in the 3rd-4th grade boys classroom. They were all really great! The week before that was my actual first week off. I spent some time with family, enjoyed the holiday weekend and lounged around a lot in hopes I'd get rested up and be ready to jump in again this week. It worked! I have done some decluttering around the house. It's amazing how quickly the general clutter grows throughout the school year. I cleaned out my closet. It's not completely organized, but clothes I've been hanging on to for way too long are now gone. Today I worked on my craftroom. The leftovers of many projects were scattered here and there, many scraps of fabric and office supplies were just everywhere.

I am going back to my previous school this next year. The school where I began as a school counselor. That is where I was when I started this blog. The administration is very supportive, encouraging and kind as are most of the staff from maintenance, secretaries, cafeteria and teachers. I'm excited to be returning. Last September, we were at a flea market/trade days. I found an amazing deal on some coffee cups. I bought a whole big box! I thought for the price they'd make great Christmas gifts. I have a Silhouette and thought they would be perfect to put initials on in favorite or school colors along with some hot cocoa/coffee/tea or save for teacher appreciation week to do the same and fill with candy. However, the year came and went, teachers at the school weren't close, though there were no rifts between them. It's just how the atmosphere was. As hard as I tried I couldn't change anything. The way things went with my office and the school in general, I chose to just leave the cups at home and save them for another time and group of coworkers. I knew I was going to be leaving by December. I turned my resignation in the first part of January, after returning from Christmas break. Now that I'm going back to were I started as a counselor, I can't wait to decorate the cups and give them out! Now it's just a matter of when. My husband came home today, took one look at the newly cleaned craft room and the box of cups. His words were, "Maybe you'll get to actually give those out this year." I replied, "You can count on it!"

I've not only been working on things related to home, but also things related to work. I've been plugging things into my calendar so it's already there when I report (August 1st). I've been looking at ways to improve things such as my testing routine (organization, training of staff and volunteers, timelines, etc). I've been researching organizations for assemblies in an effort to promote a positive environment at school. There is always so much to do. Summer will pass by oh, so quickly, I'm sure. Enjoy everyone!