At the beginning of the school year in August, the thought of December feels so far off.  But Labor Day turns into Halloween, which turns into Thanksgiving, and then you’re on the slippery slope to Winter Break (can you tell school staff live for those glorious days we have off?).

I remember loving Christmas vacation as a kid.  Spending the days playing outside in the snow, sledding, waiting with bated breath for Santa’s arrival.  Most kids look forward to Winter Break but the kids I work with, home is often not a safe place.  The anticipation of spending 2 long weeks at home causes a lot of our kiddos to fly off the handle.  This time of year is a busy one for me, as the school counselor: helping students just make it through the day, attempting to sooth fears, making safety plans, and in-between putting out the fires, I might get to enjoy a classroom holiday party or two.

I worry about our students during this time but I also know I need these two weeks to relax and recharge; that means letting things go that I can’t control, like our students’ lives.  My plan is to spend quality time with my wonderful husband, hit a Pilates class everyday, and play outside with the dogs as much as possible: snowshoeing, walking, and skiing so that I can go back to school rejuvenated.

Wishing everyone a relaxing and wonderful holiday season!

For those of you who are die-hard Pongo Experience fans, there is a new icon you can put on your iPhone (I’m assuming you can add a Pongo Experience icon on other Smartphones but apologize for not being completely sure???), iPod Touch, or iPad home screen that will immediately take you to the blog.  It’s kind of like an “app” but it’s really just a shortcut to a webpage.  If you already have a Pongo Experience icon (with a turquoise background) on your home screen, you will need to delete that one and set-up this new one as the web host has changed.

So, here’s how you do it:

1. Go to http://pongoexperience.com.  If you see a screen that looks like this, go to the bottom of the page and go to the Full Site.

2. Make sure you are on the full site, which will look similar to the picture below.

3. Hit the (+) button which is down at the bottom on an iPhone and an iPod Touch.  On the iPad, it’s at the top.

4. You will be asked if you want to Add Bookmark, Add to Home Screen, or Mail Link to this Page.  Hit Add to Home Screen.

5. A screen will appear where you can edit (shorten) the icon name (TPE, PE, or Pongo Blog for example).  Once you’ve shortened the icon name to your liking, hit Add.

6. The Pongo Experience icon will now show up on your home screen as a quick and easy way to access The Pongo Experience.