Counselor Academy 18-19

Counselor Academy 2018-19

Eleven years ago we offered the first Counselor Academy to help districts write their articulated, sequential school counseling program. The ASCA Model was relatively new at the time and the state legislature was just putting counselors back in the Iowa Code. The Administrative Rule was written to require districts to have a K-12 school counseling program. 

A lot has happened since then. The ASCA Model is on its third edition, there are new ASCA standards and education in Iowa has evolved. Using the ASCA Model, the Iowa Framework for School Counseling Programs, the Iowa definition of College and Career Readiness and the MTSS Framework, participants will write, update, refine and implement an ASCA Model for their district/building school counseling program.

Because of the importance and interconnection of this work, an administrator is asked to accompany the counselors for, at a minimum, days 1 and 4. Of course, they are welcome to attend the entire academy.

To register and get more information  - please use this activity number:

CN010092111901

Iowa School Mental Health Conference

understanding minds. changing lives.

"Dr. Michael Lindsey of NYU's Silver School of Social Work sees signs of debilitating trauma throughout black America. He points to two key reasons for this. First, mental illness is unfairly stigmatized in these communities, just as it is throughout American culture. Second, cultural definitions of strength and courage are dictated by efforts to work against institutional ills such as discrimination. How one reacts to these ills, coupled with the community's response to said reaction, adds a lot of tension other Americans don't necessarily have to deal with." 6th Annual Iowa School Mental Health Conference  Theme: Culturally Competent School Mental Health October 16, 2018 Iowa Events Center Des Moines, Iowa  Dr. Lindsey will be discussing how to use culturally competent school mental health as an integral part of a school/district safety plan.  We look forward to you joining us! http://bigthink.com/videos/michael-lindsey-mental-health-challenges-for-the-black-community Register with early bird special at: https://www.pleasepassthelove.org/2018-ismh-conference

ISCA Conference - Proposals!!

ISCA CONFERENCE!!! SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSALS!!
We are now accepting proposals for the 2018 ISCA Conference to be held November 4-6 in Altoona. The 2018 theme is Go the Distance – Stepping into the Future and we look forward to building a program schedule that highlights the inventive and original programs and resources that will take Iowa counselors and their students into the future. 
Click here to Submit a Proposal

This is a wonderful opportunity to share innovative ideas, strategies, or programs with school counselors throughout Iowa. Last year’s conference was attended by more than 650 school counselors. We’d love to hear your ideas – submit a proposal today!

SEL Resource - FREE!!!

I recently learned of a fabulous resource for elementary social - emotional learning that is FREE!!! It is from Sanford Harmony - check it out!! https://www.sanfordharmony.org

ISCA Membership

Missing memberships!!

At the ISCA Board meeting, we looked at the list of missing memberships. The ISCA membership year now runs from January 1 to December 31.  This means if you wait to renew at the time you register for the conference your 2018 membership will still end December 31, 2018.  Renew now to maximize the benefit of your membership and to take advantage of the information, learning opportunities, and more throughout the year.

We hope, if this pertains to you, that this was an oversight and that you'll take a minute to renew today.  You can renew online at www.iowaschoolcounselors.org/Join-ISCA  For a listing of ISCA benefits visit http://www.iowaschoolcounselors.org/Member-Benefits

Memberships not renewed by May 1 will be changed to lapsed, will be removed from the ISCA mailing list, and access to the Members Only section of the ISCA website will be turned off.

If you are planning to attend the conference this November, renewing your membership now will pay for itself.  If you are not a member at the time of conference registration you will need to join at that time to receive the member rates to the conference.  

School Counselors - Financial Aid

High School Counselors - consider this a challenge!!

American Student Assistance this month published a report, “School Counselors & College Financial Fit,” which outlines findings from a nationwide survey of high school counselors regarding their “capacity to advise students about financial considerations for education options after graduation.”

Key findings include:

• Survey results confirmed that school counselors understand and accept their role in advising students on college financing as part of a college planning process but often don’t have the training or support to do so.

• Eighty-eight percent agree that financing college is a major concern for their students, and 92 percent say they bear some of the responsibility to discuss college affordability with their students but also believe that family members, college financial aid offices, and teachers play a role.

• Only 55 percent of counselors had formal training on the financial aid process and of this group, the majority received this training at a conference or on the job. Of that 55 percent, only 26 percent received training in their bachelor’s or master’s degree level counseling program.

• Only 11 percent of counselors say they are always aware of their students’ financial circumstances when having discussions about college affordability. Another 52 percent say they are often aware of their students’ financial circumstances.

• Less than 20 percent of counselors say they are extremely comfortable discussing the financial aid application process with students and parents, while over twice that (48 percent) say they are extremely comfortable talking about the college application process.

• Counselors believe academic fit is a more crucial consideration than financial fit when discussing college options with students and are more likely to dissuade a student from attending a school that is a poor academic fit than one that’s a poor financial fit. Counselors also have a slight bias toward recommending four-year colleges over two-year colleges.

• School counselors don’t have a true understanding of how much debt students are taking on to fund their education. Only 17 percent of respondents could accurately pick the average amount of student debt students are accumulating.

• When reflecting on their own experiences applying to college, 66 percent said they had to take on student loans to pay for their own education, and 70 percent of respondents said that their own high school counselors were not able to guide them through the process of financing college because they weren’t knowledgeable about the topic of financial aid.

• Counselors do not have the ability to talk in-depth with all students about planning for college because high student-to-counselor ratios limit time spent with each student. Over half (54 percent) of the counselors in the study have a ratio of more than 300 students to one counselor at their schools

Suicide Resource

After a Suicide Toolkit

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center has released a new edition of its "After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools" with updated information on topics such as memorialization, social media, and contagion, plus expanded resource lists, a new tool to help with decision-making about memorials, and examples of how different communities have addressed specific issues in responding to a suicide death.

Proteus - Help for farm families

Proteus is a 501(c) 3, that assists individuals that have conducted some form of farm work within the most recent two years, or have parents that that have been employed in this area. What we do is help qualified applicants discover and obtain a career that suits both their skill sets and interests. While enrolled we provide financial as well as mentoring services to help get them from a life of poverty and uncertainty to one of consistent income in a vocation that is more than a place to simply get a paycheck. As you can assume, we do have qualifying factors that must be met in order for acceptance, primarily the aforementioned farm work along with income are the two items we look at.  The funds we provide is all grant money and nothing we give has to be returned. Common assistance provided include; tuition assistance, stipend ($5/class hour in a vocational program), grocery, rent and vehicle repair assistance and any other form of financial barriers the client is facing can potentially be provided. Proteus is here to keep the client focused on their specific career goal as we strive to empower, not enable, them to live a life of sustainability.  As each person is unique, so is the approach taken in how to ensure their success. If school is not the best option, we have a variety of measures available to get them work experience as well as assistance with creating resumes, applying for jobs and interview skills needed to shine with potential employers.

I realize this may be a lot of information to take in and I would be happy to set something up to further explain the positive aspects Proteus can provide in helping students prepare for a career that is right for them. Please let me know if this is something you would be interested in learning more about and I will be happy to oblige.

Thank you,

Patrick Taggart

Regional Director

1548 South Gilbert Street

Iowa City, Iowa 52240

Ph: 319.248.0178 ext. 2400

Toll Free: 800.397.9675

Fax: 319.248.0182

www.proteusinc.net 

  

Ideas in the news...

Extra Care: Supporting Students Impacted by Opioid Crisis

Teachers in Manatee County School District are taking part in a new initiative, Handle with Care, which involves notification from law enforcement when a child has been involved in a traumatic experience. The generic notification from law enforcement to the school district protects the privacy of parents and children, but ensures educators are aware of the need to exercise extra care when supporting their students. Drug Free Manatee devised the program after seeing a tripling of students entering foster care due to the opioid crisis within their county (McKinnon, Herald Tribune).  

Bus Drivers Join Battle to Fight Opioid Epidemic

School bus drivers in Snohomish County recently received training on what to look for when someone might be overdoing on opioid drugs.  Provided by an opioid outreach specialist with Snohomish County, the training gave guidance on possible symptoms, and also provided an opportunity to have question answered. District driver trainer, Jonna Critchett, recognized how the multi-year relationships established between drivers and students allows them to spot changes that might indicate a problem with a student (Stevick, HeraldNet).

Scheduling and Test Coordination

Counselors are abuzz on social media on the two topics they work on in the early spring—scheduling students for next year, and coordinating spring testing in their buildings.  While both of these duties have long been associated with counselors, this pairing is not without its controversy. School counselors argue that their role in scheduling—combined with the task of making schedule changes in the fall—is far more clerical and logistical, taking away from the more counselor-centered tasks of academic and personal advising. While all school counselors have had training in test interpretation, the building of testing schedules and the assigning of faculty and students to specific testing rooms is largely seen as an administrative task that keeps counselors from supporting students and focusing on student development (O'Connor).  

Prioritizing School Support Systems and Staff

With safety and mental healthy concerns being in the spotlight in school news, school counselors and other staff members supporting students outside of the classroom cannot help but remind people how underfunded their positions have become in schools. In this NPR article, you can get a snapshot into a school counselor's day while she tries juggle her 500 plus student load. It's no wonder that students may not always get the attention and services they need when counselors have such a heavy load (Lombardo).

Resources from Please Pass the Love

understanding minds. changing lives.

March and April are statistically the highest months for suicide completions.  Please share this poster with educators to be hung in every classroom giving students more access to get HELP.  The poster can also be found on our website: www.pleasepassthelove.org

Position

Delaware Elementary, a K-5 building in Southeast Polk Schools is looking for a school counselor because of a retirement. This is a great opportunity!!!

Suicide prevention bill

Last Thursday, Gov Kim Reynolds signed the Suicide Prevention/Postvention Bill. This has direct impact on our schools and those working with students. This is also an opportunity for you to be proactive with your administration to get plans in place.

Basically, this requires school districts to adopt protocols for suicide prevention and postvention and the identification of adverse childhood experiences and strategies to mitigate toxic stress response. The protocols shall be based on nationally recognized best practices.

By July 1, 2019, the board of directors of a school district shall require annual, evidence-based training at least one hour in length on suicide prevention and postvention for all school personnel who hold a license, certificate, authorization, or statement of recognition issued by the board of educational examiners and who have regular contact with students in kindergarten through grade twelve. The content of the training shall be based on nationally recognized best practices. 

By July 1, 2019, the board of directors of a school district shall require annual, evidence-based, evidence-supported training on the identification of adverse childhood experiences and strategies to mitigate toxic stress response for all school personnel who hold a license, certificate, authorization, or statement of recognition issued by the board of educational examiners and who have regular contact with students in kindergarten through grade twelve. The content of the training shall be based on nationally recognized best practices.