The PIC February 2023
Practical Ideas for Counselors
South Dakota School Counselor Association
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
I’m Going to the School Board!
Those typically aren’t very comforting words. Show of hands: how many of you have attended a school board meeting in the past year? 2 years? What about 5? Now, how many of you have ever presented at a school board meeting? I’m imagining less hands were up for the second question.
Why am I asking you this? Why is the school board so important? Don’t they just sign checks and decide who gets expelled? Believe it or not, your school board is one of your biggest stake holders so it’s important to fill them in on what you do! Not to mention Teachers have standards that are widely known and talked about whereas not many people know that school counselors also have standards we need to follow. How do we let them know? Do we just send them an email? Let’s be honest…those get buried. Showing up for your profession is just as important today as the day we switched from guidance (yuck) to school counselors!
“Okay, Synnora, but how do we do this?!’ Never fear, I have a few ideas!
Attend a school board meeting. My very first school counseling job was when we came back in the fall of 2020. Talk about a fun first year! Before school was even in session, I showed up to our school board meeting. One of the members, halfway through the meeting, said ‘I’m wondering who this person is,’ and I got to introduce myself. It was super intimidating, but I was there! I also thought it was funny that they hired me but didn’t know what I looked like.
Present some data. My second year as a school counselor I moved to a new school district and attended a wonderful training called The Use of Data for Student Success organized by Andrea Albrecht at the state. This training opened my eyes to the importance of not only collecting data but showcasing it. What’s the point of collecting data if we aren’t sharing our findings? Data is meant to be used to drive our interventions.
That year I tried something new called Minute Meetings where I met with every student in the school for about 1-3 minutes asking questions about them and the school (about 5-7 questions total). I did this twice: once in the fall and once in the spring. Then, last April, I presented my results in what Hatching Results calls a Flashlight Presentation. These presentations shine a spotlight on one area that you’ve been working on, they’re quick, and they’re memorable. I really enjoyed showing the board what the results were and talking about how to improve those results and they seemed very receptive to it. I intend to do the same this year!
Talk about your goals/brag about yourself. The idea of the school board can be so scary to some people (yeah…me too…) but once you do it once, it will set the tone for who you are as a professional. Show what you’re capable of and what you’re working towards for the betterment of their school. The more visible you are, the less they can ignore you! How often do you set goals and halfway through the school year forget about them and since you didn’t tell anyone else you’re fine with just ignoring them? Telling stakeholders about your goals can help to keep you accountable to them.
Attend a school board meeting. Yes, I put this in here twice. Be like Nike: Just Do It.
ASCA’s position statement on school-family-community partnerships states: “School counselors have an essential and unique role in promoting, facilitating, and advocating for collaboration with parents/guardians and community stakeholders. These collaborations are an important aspect of implementing school counseling programs that promote all students’ successful academic, career and social/emotional development.” Having a seat at the table for the school board meetings is just one piece in the collaborative puzzle that is helping the school and it’s stakeholders work as a unit. You are an important piece to that collaboration, so get out there and dazzle them!
Reconnect with URself: A School Counseling Self-Care Approach
North Central Chapter President, Jackie Braun, presented at NSU's self-care presentation.
Celebrating National School Counseling Week 2023
Aberdeen Central School Counseors Kick off #NSCW23
For our first day we had a Staff Jeans Day where if you wore college gear you got to wear jeans. We also made college certificates for each of the teachers, highlighting where they went to school, and degrees earned to show how they "Dreamed Big" and how students can also!
~Shannon Knuppe, Karlie Cooper, Rylie Stadel
Have a Good Day Bingo!
Michelle Pliska of Garretson did a bingo challenge to celebrate the week.
NSCW Statement
Sue Bubbers and Heather Botha of McIntosh submitted this proclamation that they shared.
Register now for the 2023 SDCA Conference!
SD School Counselor Association Awards: Nominate the best of the best!!
Are you working with an amazing School Counselor who has successfully implemented new programs?
Do you know a School Counseling colleague who makes their school a better place
by doing the work they are passionate about?
Would you like to recognize them?
Three of the five SDSCA awards are specifically geared toward Professional School Counselors. Recipients of these awards will receive a SDSCA membership for the 2022-23 membership year. Our School Counselor specific awards are:
- the Orv Schmieding Award
- the Outstanding Professional School Counselor Award
- the Rising Star Award
Our other awards include the Special Contributions Award and the Administrator Advocacy Award.
Use this link for online nominations: https://forms.gle/YQsdr3XinuuKJv8k8
To learn more about the following awards, the qualifications for each, and/or to nominate a deserving School Counselor, please click HERE. All materials from the on-line nomination supplemental recommendation letters can be sent to sdsca.awards@gmail.com.
***********Nominations are due March 6th.**********
These awards will be presented at the SD Counselor Association conference in April 2023 located in Sioux Falls.
**Also looking for 3-5 individuals to sit on the Awards Selection Committee – duties would include scoring nomination applications per the rubric and assisting in selecting winners. Contact Kari Lena-Helling if you are interested!**
Two South Dakota School Counselors Recognized as Nationally Certified
The National Certified School Counselor certification recognizes counselors who demonstrate specialized knowledge and skills in school counseling. This certification shows that one has met national standards of practice through rigorous education, experience, and supervision. The following school counselors reported to the South Dakota Department of Education that they became National Certified School Counselors in 2022:
• Abby Danko, Baltic School District
• Krista Groeneweg, Harrisburg School District
Congratulations!
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR SCHOOL COUNSELORS
The Use of Data for Student Success Workshops
Due to popular demand from last year, the Use of Data for Student Success workshops will be offered again, featured in June and October 2023. The two-day workshop covers how to transform a school counseling program to positively impact ALL students and features presenter Dr. Julie Hartline, co-author of The Use of Data in School Counseling: Hatching Results (And So Much More) for Students, Programs, and the Profession. Administrators and school counselors are invited to attend. As supplies last, registered participants who attend the workshop will receive a copy of the text. See the attached flyer for more information. Questions? Contact Andrea Albrecht.