page background

TASC LONE STAR DISTRICT 18 NEWS

LOCAL LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND YOU!

TASC LONE STAR DISTRICT 18 NEWS LOCAL LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES FOR YOUR STUDENTS AND YOU!

From the Coordinator:

Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year! If you are receiving this newsletter, YOU are part of District 18 of the Texas Association of Student Councils (TASC). I hope that your year has started off well and your Homecoming was a success or is soon to be. Getting your students involved with other schools is one of the ways best ways to grow your students' leadership skills and is an opportunity that student councils often have that other school clubs don't. We hope that you will seriously consider getting your students to participate in our D18 events this year as well as the state events.


This edition of the newsletter will address the following:


DISTRICT 18 FALL CONVENTION--November 20, 2024

TASC MIDDLE LEVEL CONFERENCE--November 4-5, 2024

DISTRICT 18 WINTER RETREAT--January 11-12, 2025

TASC ADVANCED LEADERSHIP WORKSHOPS (Lakeview--Jan 4-5, 2025; Mo Ranch--Feb 7-9, 2025)

DISTRICT 18 SPRING CONVENTION--March 1, 2025

DISTRICT 18 ADVISOR OF THE YEAR--Please nominate ASAP

WEEKLY GIFT EXCHANGE


If you are a brand new advisor, you may find this information on the website helpful: https://tasc.memberclicks.net/new-advisor-starter-kit


We look forward to seeing you at the District 18 events this school year!!


Sincerely,


Chris Helkey

Event Information

District 18 Fall Convention--Open to ALL District 18 Member Schools (Middle and High Schools)

Our first district-wide event is our FALL CONVENTION which will take place on Wednesday, November 20th from 10a.m. to 2 p.m. Check-in for schools is at 9:30 a.m. Students will have the opportunity to participate in icebreakers and we will also be having some interactive small group sessions which will give students the opportunity to work with students from other schools. We are hoping to have a community partner come and speak and we may be doing a District community service project for this as well. Schools that register will be sent information on this project. This is an affordable workshop at only $20 per person (advisors and students). The cost includes lunch. Our first vice president school, Luling High School, is planning this event. It will take place in various buildings at Luling High School. Schools may send checks or bring checks with them to the event. The registration form can be found here: https://forms.gle/rYwH36GcCtBek1Fg6. Registration for this event is due on November 12th.


Please make sure that you are up-to-date on your TASC dues which give you access to both state and district events.

When?

Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024, 09:30 AM

Where?

218 East Travis Street, Luling, TX, USA

location_on Open maps

District 18 T-shirt

San Marcos High School, our Spirit Director, is working on a new design for our District 18 t-shirt. We will be voting on our new design at our Fall Convention on November 20th.
Event Information

TASC Middle Level Conference

This is the state conference for middle level students. Students from around the state come together and listen to motivational speakers, break out into workshops, participate in icebreakers, etc. State conferences are always exciting for kids. You must be a member of TASC to attend this event. More information and registration can be found here: https://tasc.memberclicks.net/middle-level-state-annual-conference

When?

Monday, Nov 4, 2024, 06:00 PM

Where?

Waco Convention Center, Washington Avenue, Waco, TX, USA

location_on Open maps
Event Information

District 18 Winter Retreat--January 11-12, 2025

The District 18 Winter Retreat is an overnight event for District 18 schools. Participants get to do high and low ropes courses, participate in a night time scavenger hunt, and work with other schools. They will also do several icebreaker songs, of course! This is a favorite event for many of the students. Cost for this event is tentatively $90/person. This includes several meals, the workshop, workshop materials, and overnight accommodations. Many schools plan in advance to attend and do fundraising to help fund a portion of their students' fees. Registration for this event is forthcoming and will have confirmation of the price.

When?

Saturday, Jan 11, 2025, 08:30 AM

Where?

The John Newcombe Tennis Ranch, Mission Valley Road, New Braunfels, TX, USA

location_on Open maps

TASC Advanced Leadership Workshops

TASC hosts advanced workshops for students to attend. Information can be found at the state website here: https://tasc.memberclicks.net/advanced-leadership-workshops. These workshops are like mini-versions of the summer workshops. They are a great follow-up to summer, but can be attended by anyone. The number of participants is limited, so make sure you know the registration dates and don't wait too long! Lakeview will be January 25-27, 2025 this year and Mo Ranch will be February 7-9, 2025. Schools usually choose the workshop closest to them or the one with the more convenient dates. Some schools even take different students and go to both workshops!

TASC DISTRICT 18 Spring Convention

District 18 will be hosting a Spring Convention. At this convention, elections take place for the following school year and students also participate in leadership activities. This workshop will take place at Canyon Lake High School on Saturday, March 1, 2025. More information on this event will be available in future newsletters.

State Reports

Individual schools can get recognition from TASC for your work on your individual campuses. You can qualify for awards in the following categories: Pride & Patriotism, Drugs, Alcohol, Safety, & Health (D.A.S.H.), Energy & Environment, Community Service, and Outstanding Student Council. Those schools receiving recognition in all 5 categories are awarded a Sweepstakes award. These awards are a great way to prove to your administration how much you are doing on your campus. An overview of these programs can be found on the state website here: https://tasc.memberclicks.net/state-report-forms-overview . Members of the Executive Board are always willing to answer questions regarding state report forms and the state often offers online sessions as well.

District 18 Advisor of the Year

It is time to choose our District 18 Advisor of the Year. There is a quick turnaround for this, so please nominate soon. You can nominate here: https://forms.gle/KSCu3MRJXApYHGyF7. In order to qualify, an advisor must have brought students to a district event during the '23-'24 school year. Nominations will be accepted through October 30. We will then vote for our AOY and turn in the name by November 6.

Weekly Gift Exchange

A tradition in Texas is for student councils to participate in the "Good Sportsmanship League". This simply means that student councils from both schools meet at midfield prior to football games to exchange friendship tokens. These should be positive messages for the other school and not negative. Schools sometimes give baskets of candy or other little goodies and sometimes even donate to charity in the name of the opposing school. I wanted to just make sure that our new advisors are aware that this is one of the many activities that student councils do. For some pictures of this in action, you can check out the Smithson Valley Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/stuco_sv/

Texas Association of Student Councils
This is the link to our state association. The website includes information about state events and projects as well as the report forms used for council recognition.
Christopher Helkey
As TASC District 18 Coordinator, I am here to assist you in anyway that I can with advice or to direct you to assistance if I cannot provide it. The officer schools would love to see you participate this year in all of our events!! If you have any questions regarding any of the District events, please email me at christopher.helkey@comalisd.org .