School Counseling Services

As we kick off the new school year, we want to acknowledge the critical role you play in the lives of our students. Your efforts to foster emotional well-being, academic success, and social connection are more important than ever.

This month, as students settle into their routines, it’s a great time to focus on building relationships and creating a supportive environment. Consider hosting “getting to know you” sessions, promoting social-emotional learning activities, and encouraging students to set goals for the year ahead.

Additionally, we’d like to highlight resources available to support your work in the coming months:

• Bullying Prevention Strategies: Start early by educating students about respect and empathy. Consider facilitating discussions or workshops on recognizing and preventing bullying.
• Self-Care for You: Don’t forget to care for yourself as well. Make time for self-reflection, peer support, and mindfulness to maintain your well-being throughout the school year

As always, we're here to support you! Reach out if you need resources, ideas, or just a listening ear.

School Counseling Services holds monthly Leadership meetings with our Elementary Cluster Facilitators, Middle School Lead Counselors and High School Directors. In our newsletters, we will summarize the agenda topics and discussions!

Elementary Facilitator School Counselors had the opportunity to connect with several presenters. There was a presentation on Random Moments in Time/Medicaid as well Threat Assessments. Facilitators also engaged in conversations about the start of the year and needs moving forward to support all elementary school counselors.

During our first Leads meeting of the 24-25 SY, we heard from a variety of guest speakers for topics such as Random Moments in Time, Threat Assessment, Gifted Services, Dominion Hopsital and Inova Kellar Center. Our Leads also spent time providing some feedback on the new Second Step Bullying lessons as well as helping to demo Course Planner.

During our fist Directors Meeting of the 24-25 SY, there were a number of guest speakers for topics that included, Threat Assessment updates, Random Moments in Time, Inova Keller Center, Phoenix updates, DE updates, and information about The North Star School and ALT Education School. We also spent time on a Course Planner demo and review session.

During our September meeting, our CCAs discussed Job for a Day and recieved training on adding events and visits into SchooLinks! We also shared information on hosting special events in the buiding, military informaiton and shared some new resources such as the CCA Annual Calendar and Toolbox!

The Office of School Counseling took great pride in hosting The College Fair on September 22nd at Stone Bridge High School. With enthusiasm and dedication, we welcomed an impressive assembly of 135 representatives from esteemed colleges and universities across the country. These representatives engaged with families, extending a warm invitation to explore their diverse academic programs.

Thank you, Amanda Baranek, SCS Program Assistant, for all your hard work and dedication to planning this incredible event! The College Fair was a huge success!

We were so excited to be offering two new additions to our College Fair! We hosted an information session to include the top Virginia schools (GMU, JMU, UVA, Vtech) where they shared admissions information and facts about their school! Concurrently, we offered a sensory-friendly option for students who may benefit from a quieter, less crowded fair!

The College Fair garnered an extraordinary response, drawing in over 3,500 enthusiastic participants. This overwhelming turnout is a testament to the shared commitment of students and their families to charting a path toward higher education and a brighter future.

We would like to extend our appreciation to everyone who supported our College Fair this year! We are so fortunate to have you all part of our team!

Thank you to the following School Counselors, Directors of School Counseling and Career Center Assistants for your support this week! From checking in vendors, students, fielding questions, and helping direct traffic, we could not have done it without you! Thank you all!

On September 17th, CAMPUS took 120 first-generation college bound students to the University of Virginia for our first college field trip of the school year! Students engaged in an information session provided by the admissions office followed by a student-led tour to see the library, classrooms and more!

Please be sure that all students are caseloaded to their school counselor! You will not be able to see your student's work and progress in SchooLinks without being assigned in Phoenix! Please work with your Director or Administrators if you need support!

Below is the message sent out to families for an upcoming

SchooLinks College Application Manager (CAM) Information Session.

Attend the SchooLinks College Application Manager webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 6-7 p.m. to learn how this platform can support your senior as they apply for colleges.

The webinar will be held simultaneously in English and Spanish and can be accessed via the links below:

• English College Application Manager Webinar
  
• Spanish College Application Manager Webinar
  
  

The SchooLinks College Application Manager supports your student’s college application process by:

• Tracking Application Progress: Your student will easily be able to monitor the progress and requirements for each college application they submit. They will have a clear overview and timeline of college application tasks.
• Requesting Application Materials: Your student can conveniently request that their application materials, such as transcripts and letters of recommendation, be sent directly to the desired institutions. This feature simplifies the process and ensures that all materials reach the institutions promptly.
• Organizing Application Materials: The College Application Manager allows your student to efficiently organize all the necessary college application materials.

It is important to remember that while College Application Manager is an easy way to keep track of all the college application steps and materials, it is not an application portal. Students will need to submit applications using the methods offered by the colleges to which they are applying. One application method used by many colleges is the Common App. College Application Manager integrates with Common App so that students can complete college applications and track application materials all in one place.

This webinar is hosted by the LCPS Office of School Counseling in partnership with SchooLinks. In addition to the College Application Manager, SchooLinks helps students discover their interests and strengths, explore colleges and careers, and create individualized plans that best reflect their post-secondary goals. If you have questions about SchooLinks, please contact SchooLinkshelp@LCPS.org or see more information on the LCPS website.

Thank you to all our amazing school counselors for participating in our August 15th Course Planner training! We are excited for Course Planner to launch around January! We will have another training opportunity during our November PD days to continue our Course Planner work!

Thank you for all your hard work, commitment and dedication to building and maintaining a comprehensive school counseling program! We appreciate you all taking the time to complete components, attend work sessions and, consulting with us to ensure that schools are working towards that comprehensive program.

Please see below for updated deadlines for several STAR System Components!

The Use of Time is a primary component of a comprehensive school counseling program! This is a great tool to use to advocate for how school counselors spend their time and ensure that 80% of their time is dedicated to Direct Student Services.

All School Counselors will document their time for one full week (5 days) in both the Fall and Spring. School Counselors can utilize either the Web Application or the ASCA 5-Day Use of Time Template.

School Counselors can pick any full week from the following weeks:

• October 7th-October 11th
• October 14th-October 18th
• Please Note: if you select this week, due to the holiday on October 14th, please select an additional day the following week.
• October 21st-October 25th
• November 11th-November 15th
• November 18th-November 22nd

School Counseling Services will send additional information regarding the Fall Use of Time!

This school year, SCS will offer two monthly work sessions for school counselors to attend for a quiet location to complete any components. Sarah O'Brien will attend each session to provide consultations and support counselors will any questions regarding building a comprehensive school counseling program.

Tuesday, October 15th, 8:30-12:00pm

• Admin 104A
• PoweSchool #24451

Monday, October 28th, 8:30-12:00pm

• Admin 104A
• PowerSChool #24452

Monday, November 11th, 8:30-12:00pm

• Admin 104A
• PowerSchool #24454

Monday, November 25th, 8:30-12:00pm

• Admin 104A
• PowerSchool #24455

Military Connected Counselors will have their first meeting of the 24-25 school year on Monday, October 21st, 2024 at Admin, Room 100B. We are looking forward to seeing you all!

Please register in PowerSchool #16838

Good luck to any school who submitted their Purple Star Application this September! We are excited to continue to add more schools to our Purple Star Designation List!

Welcome to the 24-25 school year! Our team within Virtual Loudoun looks forward to collaborating with staff from across our district to support students with their virtual learning opportunities. Below is a linked slide deck detailing an overview of Virtual Loudoun Online (VLO), Virtual Distance Elementary (VDE for students in grades 1-5) and Virtual Distance Learning (VDL for students in grades 6-12).

First, Laura.Hicks@lcps.org is the now-titled Principal of Virtual Loudoun, encompassing the three branches: VLO, VDL and VDE. Please see updated information below for each of the three programs.

Virtual Distance Elementary (VDE) has returned for the 2024-25 school year! We are excited for our new staff additions:

• Ms. Heather.Hurley@lcps.org, VDE Specialist
• Mr. Eric.Schneider@lcps.org, VDE School Counselor
• Ms. Tina.Wall@lcps.org, VL Registrar (and Attendance Secretary for VDL + VDE)

Previously, Heather was the Instructional Software Specialist with the Department of Teaching and Learning. Eric was one of the school counselors at Briar Woods and has worked with VLO as a part-time counselor with our summer Term 3. Tina comes to Virtual Loudoun as the previous Registrar with Smart’s Mill MS, replacing our newly retired Darlene Ong. Tina will work to support VLO, VDL and VDE both as a Registrar and Attendance Secretary.

• Our school year is off to a great start with several days of PERFECT attendance for our entire Virtual Distance Elementary community!

• For any late enrollment requests, please review this INTERNAL TO LCPS informaiton: Late Enrollment for VDE

For any questions, please contact VDE School Counselor: Eric.Schneider@lcps.org

Virtual Distance Elementary Website

• We've been navigating some late enrollments and getting everyone's schedules settled! We've also begun some outreach in some cases for collaborative support from home school staff and are so grateful for everyone's help!

• For any late enrollment requests, please review this INTERNAL TO LCPS informaiton: Late Enrollment for VDL

For any questions, please contact the VDL Team

Brianne.Foster@lcps.org- VDL School Counselor (Grades 6-11)

Cynthia.Fillman@lcps.org- Director of School Counseling For Virtual Loudoun (Grade 12)

Virtual Distance Learning Website

Important upcoming dates and deadlines (see our VLO Program Calendar webpage):

• Our Term 1 session successfully opened on Tuesday, September 3 with a firm deadline to close at 11:59pm on Friday, December 13th with FGs posting to course history on Friday, December 20th.

• School counselors should be included on progress reporting emails from our VLO teachers to students and their adults every two weeks: September 13th & 27th, October. 11th & 25th, November. 8th & 22th, and December. 6th.
  

• The drop deadline for this session is Friday, October 27th. If a student wishes to drop their VLO course, they should have their adult email VLOSchoolCounseling@lcps.org to make this request.
  

• For Virtual Virginia (VVA) enrollments, please review items #4 and #5 on this internal VVA document and outreach directly to Laura.Hicks@lcps.org with additional questions.
  

• We are looking forward to adding new courses to VLO, including FADA for math and Environmental Science for the Term 2 session with registration opening on Monday, December 2nd.
  

• An important change in the 24-25 school year is the mandatory attendance of in-person PSTD sessions for HPE 10 with Driver Education and in-person VADETS testing. This is in alignment with VDOE guidance.

For any questions, please contact VLO Counselor School Counselor: Allison.Isom@lcps.org

If you need an understanding or refresher of the details of Virtual Loudoun Online, don’t forget about the “Virtual Loudoun Online 101: For School Counselors” Schoology course. Here’s a DIRECT LINK to the course for anyone who has not yet joined.

We appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with home school staff for students’ best support!

There are 2 more RP trainings available in PowerSchool that are specifically for counselors

Monday, October 28th: 8:30-3:30pm

• Admin Room 102 A/B
• PowerSchool #23008

Monday, November 18th: 8:30-3:30pm

• Admin Room 102 A/B
• PowerSchool #23009

Our two RP Facilitators service 3 regions each, and typically provide the following RP services:

1. Facilitating classroom circles to build/strengthen community and/or focus on specific topics or needs
2. Facilitating weekly groups with students who have common needs/challenges
3. Facilitating Restorative Conferences for students in conflict (can be preventative or responsive).

Based on previous experiencs, we recommend reaching out sooner than later to address these various needs. If you have already been RP trained, they can also support you in your RP endeavors.

Please reach out to Gary Ricci, RP Specialist (gary.ricci@lcps.org), Ryan Khatcheressian, RP Facilitator (ryan.khatcherssian@lcps.org), or Monique Haislip, RP Facilitator (monique.haislip@lcps.org) for any potential RP needs.

All noivce and new to LCPS school counselors are paired with a school counseling mentor. The pairs meet regularly to discuss the items on the checklists. Below are the level specific checklists that can be utilized during mentoring sessions.

School Counselors are a "No Sub Required" position unless:

• School Counselors are absent for 11 consecutive days.
• Counselors are absent for 11 consecutive days
• In this case, a Long-Term substitute (LTS) may be hired
• School Counseling Services supports HRTD with placing substitutes
• School Counseling Services does help HRTD find candidates for LTS
• The earlier the notification for a LTS, the better the chances of securing a substitute
• If you will require a LTS, please set up an email away message during your leave
• If you need a LTS for the 24-25 school year, please fill out this form in addition to letting HRTD/SubCentral know
• It is not a guarantee you will receive a LTS

School Counseling Services is excited for the additional PD days this school year! We love to have more opportunities to see our school counselors! We will have required sessions in the morning and optional asynchronous options in the afternoon.

Please see the October 4th Professional Development Plan for more details.

Below is a link to the 2024-2025 Professional Development List. This is a fluid document and will be updated to include PowerSchool links and any changes to trainings. Please continue to check back for updates! Any updates will be highlighted to show the change!

The STAR School Counselor is an amazing opportunity to recognize one of our school counselors for being Student-Centered, Thoughtful, Agents of Change and Relationship Builders. Please consider nominating a counselor from your own school, within your cluster, or at a different level! We share these recognitions with building principals so they see how amazing you all are!

In our monthly newsletters, we would love to be able to highlight, recognize and celebrate all of our amazing school counselors and the incredible things you do for your students, school and community! Please consider submitting any events, activities, celebrations, etc each month! This is a great way to showcase your counseling program, share valuable resources and to let other schools know what your students are up too! We will continue to have our STAR School Counselor Recognition each month! Please consider nominating someone in your school, cluster, or another school counselor in LCPS!

Our House System is starting strong in building connections and positive energy this year! We have House animal art displayed in the halls and we recently celebrated Cool Spring's 35th birthday. Our houses built a beautiful birthday cake display, and students and staff can learn how to say Happy Birthday in many languages!

Our students created these amazing bulletin boards! In the top photo, our 5th graders signed their names and wrote what they like to talk about! Our 4th graders whore about making friends and kindness! Students have been using the board to find others who have something in common with them and to learn new things about others! The bottom picutre was created by our 2nd grade students who shared some ideas and topics for students to discuss at lunch! They wanted to ensure that students always had someone or something to talk about at lunch!

We are excited to welcome our new interns (Emily Cochran and Nancy Langberg) to our MTE counseling team. We are also proud of our students for creating smart goals for their personal/social development.

Seldens counselors hosted Welcome Wagon lunches the second week of school to welcome students from each grade level who were brand new to Seldens Landing. This gives them an opportunity to learn about other new students and do an interactive activity learning the names and faces of school personnel.

The Counseling Department of our school ran a brief, introductory 'New Student Group,' welcoming brand-new-to-Belmont-Ridge students in grades 6-8 with a focus on providing information about the school, facilitating connections, and fostering friendships. We recruited existing members of our National Junior Honor Society to help lead the groups; they came up with their own great ideas to break the ice and get our new students sharing about themselves and what they are looking forward to this school year. The NJHS students took our newest Riverhawks on tours, helped with lockers, offered some advice and tips, answered questions about teachers and classes, and so much more. It was a joy to watch our students demonstrate inclusion, leadership, mentorship, and active listening skills. We concluded the group with a large breakfast get-together in the cafeteria with more than 60 students in attendance, and it has put many smiles on our faces to see our students with their new friend groups!

Looking forward to an exciting school year!

Watson Mountain Middle School officially opened its doors to 534 students in 6th grade! Our counseling team is excited to open LCPS' 100th school!

Meet Willard's Unified Mental Health Team!!

We started the year off right at Lightridge with a Paint and Sip session at Lark. So fun getting to see how creative the staff is. You will always find the Bolt Counselors dressed up on spirit days, and when they have questions, they just seem to line up on the couch in Christi Campbell's office. For Back to School night, our new Program Mgmt Culinary Cooking class made homemade individually wrapped chocolate chip cookes with adorable labels for our "Cookies with the Counselor" flyby with parents. Prior to BTSN, we welcomed approximately 300 parents for our Parent Transition to High School program led by Greg Olcott and Jenny Calderone (rockstars!). Opening day was a blas with this crew as we roamed the halls, met kids, saw exciting things happening in the classroom and helped aclimate staff and students to our new bell schedule.

Dr. Elizabeth Whitehead, School Counselor at Smarts Mill Middle School, is a lucky new mom of two, to her beautiful boys, Braxton and Brooks! We hope everyone is doing well and we can't wait to welcome you back so soon!

October 10th, 2024, 8:30-10:30am, Admin 104C

November 21st, 2024, 8:30-11:30am, Admin 104B

December 12th, 2024, 8:30-10:30am, Admin 420

October 17th, 2024, 8:30-11:30am,Admin 104J

November 21st, 2024, 8:30-11:30am, Admin 104B

December 13th, 2024, 8:30-12:00pm, Admin 102 A/B

October 18th, 2024, 8:30-3:30pm, Admin 104A

November 15th, 2024, 8:30-3:30pm, Admin 104A

December 13th, 2024, 8:30-3:30pm, Admin 102 A/B

There is still time to apply for the VDOE and the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services microgrant opportunity, with $500,000 available from existing funds to support to the implementation of Executive Order 33. Individual schools can seek up to $5,000 or school divisions may elect to apply for up to $10,000 to support multiple schools.

These microgrants will support educating families in removing barriers to education, specifically focusing on cell phone addictions and mental health challenges related to social media. Schools may create parent education programs to support chronic absenteeism, bullying and hazing.

Grant proposals will be accepted through October 3, 2024, and schools awarded the grant will implement it between November 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025.

Care Solace is a care coordination service to help students, staff, and families find mental health and substance use treatment matched to their needs. Care Solace’s multilingual and culturally sensitive Care Companion™ team is available 24/7/365 to quickly connect individuals to community providers regardless of need. Please utilize this helpful resource to support your work. Please do not make a referral (warm handoff) in care solace if you have not yet attended the training.

As you navigate the platform and resource, please let me know if you have any questions or need further assistance.

Loudoun County Public Schools is offering a wonderful resource for all staff and parents/guardians through www.parental guidance.org. You can learn more about this initiative by clicking here.

These free resources include easily accessible video-based courses on difficult parenting topics, individualized parent coaching for any LCPS staff or parent/guardian, on their schedule in their home, and weekly interactive webinars for families. You can watch this video about the services available. The website is available in English and Spanish. You can provide families with the direct link or direct them to the LCPS UMHT site.

Thank you for taking the time to read through our August and September SCS Newsletter! We appreciate you reviewing the entire newsletter :) Please consider adding your name into the Newsletter Raffle to earn some fun prizes!

Email: sarah.obrien@lcps.org

Location: 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, VA, USA
Phone: (571) 252-2480
School Counseling Services Website