The mission of the South Dakota School Counselor Association is to unite,

support, and empower school counselors.

Our Vision:

The South Dakota School Counselor Association supports and unites school counselors through advocacy, leadership, and collaboration. SDSCA empowers our members through professional

development opportunities, ethical support, and resources to promote student success in the academic, career, and social/emotional domains.

Website: http://www.sdschoolcounselors.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDSCounselors/
Twitter: @SDSCounselors

Hello School Counselor Superstars!

I know October is an incredibly busy month for us! Homecoming is over, the cold weather is coming, and we are in the full swing of the school year.

Make sure you don’t get so busy with your job that you don’t take the time to take care of yourself! SDSCA has some exciting opportunities coming up this month to promote professional development, self-care, and networking opportunities! Make sure and read to the bottom so you don’t miss anything!!

SDSCA Counselors Connection 2022

SDSCA is excited to host Counselor Connections on October 21st, 2022, on the SDSU campus. Join fellow school counselors from across the state for a professional development opportunity that is tailored to school counselors. Content areas will vary by presenter but may include Counseling Theory, Career Development, Research & Program Evaluation, or Wellness and Prevention, just to name a few!

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-counselor-connections-tickets-388768796937

Hotel: There is a block of rooms at Country Inn & Suites in Brookings for us! 10 King Rooms & 10 Double Queen Rooms, we have reserved these at the state rate. To reserve a room please call 605-692-3500 and reference our block code: 1022SDHIGH. This block of rooms will be held until October 1st – so please do make your reservations early!

Counselor Collaboration Meetings!

What are School Counselor Collaboration Meetings?

This is a time for school counselors to collaborate on anything they need to collaborate on. There is no formal agenda; attendees pick what they would like to discuss and collectively, the group collaborates on the topics brought to the meeting.

Will the meetings be recorded?

To allow school counselors to freely discuss and collaborate, meetings are not recorded. However, notes are taken during meetings with links to correlating resources.

Is continuing education offered?

Yes, attendees who would like to earn 1 continuing education contact hour per meeting may do so by completing a short activity at the end of each virtual meeting.

When are the Fall School Counselor Collaboration Meetings?

October 20th, 2:00 pm-3:00 Central Time Zone- Click Here to register

November 15th, 2:00 pm -3:00 Central Time Zone- Click Here to register

*Join Flandreau school counselors Kari Lena-Helling and Chelsea Molden to talk about Hope Squad- a peer-to-peer suicide program.

December 12th, 10 am-11 am Central Time Zone- Click here to register.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

SDSCA Book Study

Back by popular demand!

Help For Billy: A Beyond Consequences Approach to Helping Challenging Children in the Classroom

By: Heather T. Forbes

Hosted By Sara Holmberg Starting October 24th

The goal of this book study is to provide educators with the tools necessary to explore how childhood trauma negatively impacts the social, emotional, and behavioral functioning of children within the school system. Through discussion questions and reflection, participants will be challenged to examine and collaborate with others about a new approach for working with children who have a history of trauma; and explore different methods of school models, classroom strategies, regulation, and the teacher-student relationship.

This book study will be hosted on Google Classroom and will require discussion posts.

Follow this link to register https://www.eventbrite.com/e/help-for-billy-a-beyond-consequences-approach-to-helping-children-tickets-429187761147

*** All educators are welcome to participate. Please feel free to share with others in your schools/districts.

Each month, board members will be sharing a favorite activity or lesson. This is an activity I have used with grades 2-12. It is great way to get kids up, moving and thinking!

Type: Warm-Up, Focus

Purpose: A simple game that requires focus and teamwork.

Procedure:

1. Have the class stand in a circle. (Or, I have done this as a partner activity.)

2. Count off around the circle “1, 2, 3”. (“1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, etc.”)

3. Do it again, but this time all the 1’s will be replaced by a snap of the fingers. (“snap, 2, 3, snap, 2, 3, etc.”)

4. Do it again, but this time also replace the 2 with a clap. (snap, clap, 3, snap, clap, 3, etc.)

5. For the final round, 1 will be replaced by a snap, 2 will be replaced by a clap, and 3 will be replaced by a stomp. (snap, clap, stomp, snap, clap, stomp, etc.)

NOTES:

After a few rounds of practice, this can be played in “elimination mode” – if you make a mistake you must sit down. Play until there is a final showdown between the last 2 standing students!

This game can also be played in small groups instead of one large circle.

To make the game more challenging, start the pattern on a different student each time.