Please Plan Ahead

Can you believe it is November 1st?!?November tends to be a crazy month in the world of school counselors.  Some students have finished your early action/ early decision college applications and many of you are in the midst of applying and completing the components needed for your December 1st, December 15th or January 1st deadlines.  Add to the college application aspect of my job, the academic pressures for those students who struggled during 1st quarter and the ongoing personal issues that students have throughout the year, but which are often exacerbated heading into the holiday season and it is busy.  The bottom line is it's pretty hectic normally... but this year it is going to be even more crazy for me and I need you to be aware of that as well so that you can plan ahead for general things you might need.

I will be OUT of the building quite a bit this month for various meetings and opportunities.  I am really excited about these chances, but I hate that it means I won't be around in the way that I would prefer.  For example, I was selected to present at the All Ohio Counselor's Conference - a statewide conference for all counselors - this will have me out of the building on Thursday and Friday this week.  The following week I will be traveling to visit the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. This trip will allow me to learn more about the USNA and the nomination/ appointment process to all service academies, but it means I will be gone Tuesday through Friday (the 8th through the 11th).  During the trip to the Naval Academy, I will have very limited access to email and I will probably not be able to blog either.  The other days that I will be out of the building are much shorter.  For example, I will be out for a meeting at central office on Thursday the 17th and going on the field trip to the Delaware Area Career Center on Friday, the 18th.  

There will be a note on my door each day and if you have an emergency you can always see another counselor, but my hope is that for things like college applications and academic progress, you can try to aim to see me on the days when I will be around.  If you stop by and I am not available, don't forget - if you leave a pass for me I will find you.  And if you just have a question that you want to e-mail to me feel free to do that anytime and I will respond as soon as I can.  Thanks for understanding and being flexible.