A note from the Director’s Desk

Happy November, Vikings! In our office, November brings early college deadlines and the end of the first quarter of school. Can you believe it already? We hope that all students are achieving (and perhaps exceeding) their goals this quarter. If you are happy with your results, great! Keep it up! But, if you are disappointed or feel you can do better, now is a perfect time for a check-in with your counselor. Your counselor will provide you with tips to be successful. Counselors are also a resource for sharing information to help you achieve your goals. Be sure to speak to your counselor when it comes to strategies for academic success!

November is also National National Career Development Month, as designated by the National Career Development Association (NCDA). In addition to academics, career development is another one of the three domains of school counseling. Along with social-emotional learning, these three domains are the building blocks to promote high student achievement. Helping students identify their personal strengths and career interests is a large part of our work with all students from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, themes of thankfulness and gratitude are in the air. I’ve included a video at the end of this newsletter that explains the positive impact gratitude can have on us. I really like the concept of the gratitude journal to show our progress.

And speaking of gratitude, sometimes life puts us in places where it’s hard not to feel it. Over the weekend I met a remarkable person whose life’s work is all about gratitude. Ilene Fox carries on her late husband Allan’s work through Realize Harmony, his creative vision. In his book, “Doodles, Volume One” he writes,

Wouldn’t it be great if the feelings of love

that we have during the holidays

followed us throuhgout the year?

If we had a ceasefire on hate all year long? Forever.

All it takes is making the choice.

Forgiveness. Start by forgiving yourself.

Mistakes are how we learn, so live through them,

say “thank you”, and forge ahead.

When we let go of the need to make a point…

When we let go of the need to defend our point of view…

When we simply let go…

We open the door for love.

You can see Allan’s gratitude doodle below. May you all enjoy a peaceful Thanksgiving holiday.

Lorrie Director, Pre-K-12 Director of Guidance