A “welcome back” letter to families is a great way to reach out and reconnect at the beginning of the school year.
The point of my letter isn’t to provide a lot of information about the school counseling program (although I do include a copy of my counseling brochure). Rather, it is to reach out to parents and remind them that I’m available if they have any concerns.
I have a handful of students that I try to see early on, but it is not practical to touch base with all of my past students within the first few weeks of school….It’s important that parents are fully aware of the status of the counseling relationship between you and their child. Sending a welcome back letter works great!
One of my primary goals is for my students to not need to see me for individual counseling. If I were to automatically see all of my previous students, I would be sending the message that they need to see me.
Instead of seeing them individually, I make sure to connect with them less formally…usually during lunch/recess or arrival/dismissal. I don’t disappear on them. They see me regularly, just not in a one-on-one setting. They know I’m here for them, but hopefully they know that they are able to handle some of their problems by themselves as well!
Do you do anything to welcome your students back? I would love to hear what you do in the comments below!
Leave a Reply