129. Your First Counselor Newsletter of the Year

Carol: You're listening to the Counselor Chat podcast, a show for school counselors looking for easy to implement strategies, how to tips, collaboration, and a little spark of joy.

I'm Carol Miller, your host. I'm a full time school counselor and the face behind counseling essentials. I'm all about creating simplified systems, data driven practices, and using creative approaches to engage students.

If you're looking for a little inspiration to help help you make a big impact on student growth and success, you're in the right place. Because we're better together.

Ready to chat. Let's dive in.

Carol: Hey there counselor friends.

I'm Carol Miller and welcome back to another episode of Counselor Chat.

This is a show where we tackle all things school counseling with practical strategies, a little heart, and maybe a few iced coffees along the way.

Well, today we're diving into a super simple but super powerful tool for connecting with your staff, your students and your families.

It's your first counselor newsletter of the year.

Now, before you hit pause because you're thinking another thing to do.

I'm already drowning in referral forms and cafeteria duty.

Trust me, stick with me. I promise that this one's worth it.

And whether you're a first year counselor or you've been in the game long enough to remember when we still use transparencies,

a well crafted monthly newsletter can really showcase what your program is doing.

It can help build visibility and advocacy.

It really improves communication with staff and families and it can even reduce those what do you do? Again,

questions that we've all heard at some point.

So let's talk about what to include,

how to send it and why it really matters.

And yep,

I'll share a little tip for where you can grab a shortcut if you're already overwhelmed. You ready? Let's go.

So let's start with the meat and potatoes or tofu and quinoa if that's more your vibe.

And here's what I recommend including in your first newsletter of this school year.

First, a quick intro.

Let people know who you are.

Even if you've been there for years.

A friendly intro goes a long way. And that might include your name,

your role, with a quick reminder of what you actually do.

A bit of personality. Like, hey, I'm a school counselor, I'm a lover of garden tomatoes and the proud owner of a cat named Joe who thinks he's my intern.

And if you're listening,

Joey's sitting right by me right now.

So the next thing to include is what's happening in the counseling department.

I mean, give a Snapshot of what you're up to this month.

Classroom lesson topics,

Any small groups that are starting up new initiatives like maybe a kindness campaign,

peer mentoring or career exploration.

I mean this helps teachers and families understand that school counseling is more than crisis response.

Also include some upcoming events or important dates.

Keep it brief but let folks know what's coming up.

It could be some school wide SEL events,

some observances like Suicide Prevention Month or Attendance Awareness month,

referral deadlines for small groups,

your availability if it shifts with testing or PD days.

And then you could also include a short helpful article or tip.

I mean this is the heart of the newsletter and choose a topic that fits the month like easing back into school anxiety,

building routines,

fostering friendships and share one or two paragraphs of advice,

encouragement or insight.

I mean you don't need to write a dissertation here,

just something practical and relevant that supports staff and families.

And once again,

keep it short because people, they don't want to read lengthy article, they want it short and to the point.

I also like to include a monthly quote or a theme because a short quote goes a long way, it adds some warmth and it can help frame your work for the month.

For example,

start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can from Arthur Ashe.

I mean, it's a nice little touch that makes your newsletter feel more polished and intentional.

All right, now,

once you have it written, what do you actually do with it?

Well, my friends, you have a few options. You can email it directly to staff.

I mean this is probably the easiest.

Drop it off in your school email system with a subject line like Counselor Corner, September Update or October Update,

whatever month you're on,

what's happening in the counseling office or my personal favorite, you might be wondering what I actually do do.

And then attach a PDF, paste it into the body, or link to a Google Doc. Whatever works best for your audience.

You can also do that if you have emails for your school,

your families. You can also email it to them as well.

Same thing.

We have a program called parentsquare.

My principal will attach it to her email and it'll go off that way.

But you can also post it in your digital spaces like Google Classroom, Schoology, Seesaw,

or another kind of classroom space. If you have it,

you can put it on your counseling website.

You could send it in your schools week memo or even print a few copies to hang and teach your lounges or send home in backpacks.

Whatever option you choose, remember, visibility is key.

You don't want to spend 30 minutes crafting the perfect update just for it to live in the forgotten abyss of someone's inbox.

Now, here's why it matters.

Here's the thing.

Newsletters are about more than updates.

They're really about advocacy,

connection and visibility.

I mean, when teachers and families see what you're doing,

they're more likely to refer students who really need you.

They stop seeing you as the person who check in when kids cry and they start seeing you as an essential part of your school's success.

Plus, having a written record of your work helps you for when it's time for evaluations,

program reporting, or advocacy conversations with your admin.

It's small,

it's consistent, and over time it really adds up to big impact.

Now, if all of this sounds really great, but you're like, hey Carol, I don't have time to write all that and manage my tier two groups and prep for my empathy lessons for fifth grade.

I mean, I totally get it. And that's why I actually created a set of editable monthly counselor newsletters that you can grab in my TPT store.

I will include the link in the show notes and each newsletter. It includes a really short seasonal article,

a space for what's happening in your counseling department,

a spot for upcoming events, and a quote that ties into the theme of the month.

And those things, they're all fully editable so you can change them if you don't like them.

And if you're a member of Perth's Counseling Content Club.

These are also already included in your membership.

You can pop in your info, tweak anything you like, and boom. You've got a beautiful, professional looking newsletter in minutes.

I mean, it's not a pitch, my friends, it's just something I made to make your life a little easier.

And so here are my final thoughts.

Here are your counselor chat homework that I have for you. And don't worry, there's no rubric.

But here's what I want you to do. I want you to pick a date that you're going to send your first newsletter.

I want you to include those five core pieces, your intro, your updates, your events, your article, and a quote.

I want you to choose your delivery method, whether it's email,

post or print.

And remember, you're not bothering people,

you're inviting them into your program.

When we share our work, we elevate our role.

When we stay visible, we stay valued. And when we communicate consistently,

we become an integral part of the school story.

So go ahead my friends, and hit send. You've got something important to say and they need to hear it.

Well, that's it for today's episode of Counselor Chat. I hope this episode gave you a little push to finally make your newsletter happen and let me know. Tag me or drop me an email.

And hey, if you're using the edible editable versions from my TPT store.

And hey, if you're using the editable versions from my TPT store or from Perks, I'd love to see how you personalize them.

Until next time,

I want to remind you that your words, your updates, your presence, it all matters.

Keep shining, counselor friends.

Until next time. I hope you have a great week.

Bye for now.

Carol: Thanks for listening to today's episode of Counselor Chat. All of the links I talked about can be found in the show notes and at counselingessentials.org podcast. Be sure to hit follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast player.

And if you would be so kind to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it.

Want to connect? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram at Counseling Essentials. Until next time. Can't wait till we chat.

Bye for now.