Planning a Successful End of the Year

The end of the school year is approaching. Give your future self a gift by doing some prep work as the year comes to a close. These Confident Counselors are sure to tie up loose ends and so some smart prep to walk in ready the first day. What do you as you end the school year?

Get Set for Next Year

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I like to help out my future self by tackling my end of the year to do list. You think you’ll remember but you don’t. Coming back to an office ready for me to start my work is such a godsend. I can’t emphasize enough how much it helps!

– Rebecca at Counselor Up

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I use some of the downtime at the end of the year (mainly after students leave for summer break) to start implementing all the tasks on my “To-Dos for Next Year” list. Throughout the school year, I keep a running list of anything that pops up that I have an idea on how to do better the next time around. In late May and June, I start reviewing this list and prepping materials to put my ideas into action for the following year.

For more tips and tricks for making your end of the year successful, see my post on this topic, 10 Year End Counseling Tips.

– School Counselor Stephanie

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I tie up all loose ends before I leave for summer. I tackle everything on my to-do list so that when I come back, my mind is fresh and ready for the new school year. It is so easy to put it off because you are burnt out, but the next year runs much more smoothly if everything from the previous year is complete.

I purge all materials that I will not need for the upcoming school year and set my office (and myself) up for success in the next year.  I make a list of all the things I would like to accomplish quarter 1 of the next year and accomplish all that I can before I take a self-care summer break.

I think it is of utmost importance to take a break and take care of myself for a bit so that I can be my best self when school starts again.

– Mrs. Bell the Crafty Counselor

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I track how I’ve spent my time all year via Google Drive, and late spring is when I gather all that data together and write my Annual Report (an idea I saw on Marissa Rex’s website several years ago).

My Google Drive pie charts also provide me with a visual on the proportion of time I’ve spent on, say, direct interventions vs. sitting in meetings, helping me advocate for my position and prioritize next year’s activities. The data helps administrators and staff really understand how much this job entails.

– Laurie Mendoza, School Counseling Files

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Kate from EduKate & Inspire has a great post on a needs assessment she does at the end of the year using Google Forms.

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