What's Going On: Welcome from the GSCA President
Thank you for having confidence in me to lead GSCA for 2010-11. I am honored to serve in this capacity.
In looking ahead to the important work that will need to be completed, I would like to remind everyone of our purpose----“Connecting Counselors…..Supporting Students.” In alignment with this purpose GSCA has created a strategic plan with five major priorities. You may familiarize yourself with the priorities by downloading the strategic plan.
We can all agree that over the past couple of years education has faced historic challenges and school counselors are not immune. Increased caseloads, furlough days, layoffs, doing more with less are just a few challenges counselors face daily in their schools. GSCA is aware of the concerns and continues, efforts to advocate for the professional school counselor and all that you do for the students and families you serve. In the face of these adverse times GSCA has remained committed to our members and the profession. Professional alliances and advocacy are now more critical than ever.
GSCA has been working tirelessly over the past few months on several initiatives to enhance our profession.
- In April, I attended the Georgia Association of Educators (GAE) Representative Assembly. Several school counselors from across the state were in attendance as well. I took this opportunity to explore the possibility of having a Standing Committee in GAE specifically for school counselors. This is the first step in utilizing our affiliation with GAE to help school counselors across the state.
- March 7-9, I attended the ASCA Advocacy and Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC. While there I had the opportunity to sit down with the education representatives for several of Georgia’s U.S. Senators and Representatives. Information on our association, challenges we face in our schools and several other topics where discussed.
- Also during the month of March, former Government Relations Chair, Dianne Thompson and I held a meeting and extensive conversation with a key lobbyist in the state. We obtained valuable information and critical suggestions to help GSCA have a stronger voice on the political front. GSCA will request meetings with various government personnel to discuss the school counselor’s role in student achievement.
- GSCA has formed an Advocacy Committee under the leadership of Julie Hartline, Advocacy and Public Policy Chairperson. This committee has held an initial meeting to discuss the organization’s advocacy initiatives for 2010-11. Additionally, they will present an advocacy workshop at annual conference.
- May 14-15, 2010, the annual Leadership Development Institute was held at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. 50+ school counseling leaders participated in the training necessary to complete specific tasks for the organization and members over the course of the next year.
- GSCA will enhance our website so that it can be used as a resource for school counselors. Shellie Caplinger and Stacey Miller are your Information Technology Co-Chairs for 2010-11. They have created a plan to populate our website with lessons plans and resources to help the school counselor deliver comprehensive programs in their schools.
- We are pleased to announce that GSCA will publish three Beacons, our official publication, with the focus being on best practices. I know you all are doing great things in your schools, so hopefully you will consider submitting a best practice article to the Beacon.
- Finally, GSCA has launched Facebook and Twitter pages to keep our members connected via social media networks.
These are just a few GSCA activities focused on the professional school counselor. GSCA is the only organization dedicated solely to promoting and supporting the school counseling profession. I encourage you to join GSCA in the efforts to improve the quality of our profession, thus impacting the lives of students.
Membership is $50 from July 1, 2010 -June 30, 2011.
Don’t forget our Annual Conference on November 3-5, 2010, in the great classic city of Athens. Back by popular demand is Adolph Brown for our opening keynote. Susie Vanderlip from Legacy of Hope will provide an invigorating and powerful closing keynote. Early Bird registration fee will be $140. Our theme for this year is Empowering Students to Imagine • Believe • Achieve. Imagine the possibilities; believe in themselves and all that they can accomplish; achieve at their greatest potential both academically and personally.
GSCA will continue to focus its efforts on excellence and equity for all by advocating for and supporting school counselors and the students they serve. What will you do? An organization with a large membership base has a stronger voice. Join GSCA, become active and help us to help you!!! Remember at the end of the day we all have a common vision….Helping to prepare today’s youth to be tomorrow’s leaders. Thank you for all that you do every day to empower students to imagine, believe, and achieve.
Demetria Williams
President, Georgia School Counselors Association
2010-2011
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What's Going On: New Web site Features
We have just launched the newly designed, member friendly GSCA web site. I encourage you to go check it out and familiarize yourself with the site and how to locate new features and resources that you can utilize throughout the school year. Please contact the Executive Office with any questions.
New features of the web site:
- More user-friendly- guaranteed to enhance the member experience
- Virtual Sharing Room with members-only resources broken down into easy to nagivate portals:
- Tools for Working Smarter, Not Harder
- Resources By Grade Level
- Resources By Region
- Forum
- ASCA Model
- General Links
- Portals are further broken down by the type of resource it contains:
- Classroom Guidance
- Small Group
- Schoolwide Interventions
- Parent Communications
- Handouts/Reproducibles
- Tools for Working With Individuals
- Web Resources
- Improved content delivery- you can now share your resources with fellow counselors with absolute ease!
- Consolidated information on ASCA's Ethical Guidelines
- Position statements on public policy
- Calendar with information on other counseling-related professional development opportunities
- Access to Beacons, Journals and archived Counselor Connections
- Last but not least... you've asked and we've listened: GSCA is now on Facebook and Twitter! Click the icons at left to join the conversation
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What's Going On: Conference Registration Now Open!
Join us November 3-5 as GSCA takes A Classic Conference to The Classic City! With two renowned keynote speakers, eight in depth pre-conference sessions, and over 69 workshops with 175 of some of the best experts in the field, this event is not to be missed!
Click here for more information and be sure to register soon- Early Bird Registration ends Friday September 17, 2010!
*Please note: you must be a current member in order to receive the member rate
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School Counseling Community News: Put School Counselors Where They're Needed
Put School Counselors Where They're Needed: On July 1, 2010, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) introduced the Put School Counselors Where They're Needed Act, legislation that would provide funding for additional school counselors in high schools with high drop-out rates.
Click here for more information.
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GSCA Community News: Past President Advisory
Past President Advisory Chair
Jenny Lacy
Greetings to membership. The past presidents of GSCA are active and ready to support you in these challenging years. Many of our past presidents are serving on the GSCA conference team as well as the leadership team. Our expertise is invaluable to our leadership and our organization. Many of our past presidents are still in full time positions and many are retired. If you need to call on us for any advice or concerns please let me know. We have a rich history and a love for helping children in our state. We support Demetria Williams and her leadership team and know the importance of being a member of GSCA. This is an organization that can help you feel knowledgeable and ready for action in your schools. Support and join GSCA.
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Best Practices for Enhancing your Counseling Program Through Technology: Blogging
Nicole Bergner, nicole_bergner@gwinnett.k12.ga.us
Archives Chair, 2010-2011
Most schools, no matter how small, have a webpage that parents and students can access for current school-related information. A majority of these school sites have separate pages dedicated to their counseling department. Though the concept of having “real time” information readily available for those with computer access is a valid one, many of the pages are not as effective in relaying information as they could be. Many sites are designed and maintained by a single Webmaster. Since all of a department’s documents and information have to go through this person first, there may be some delay in when information posts or the procedure that you must follow to make a submission to the website may be a convoluted one. These and other obstacles may leave your counseling page outdated and underdeveloped.
An easy and effective way to circumvent the Webmaster is to start a counseling blog that can be accessed from a link on your school’s homepage or by URL directly. Blogs may have started out serving a different purpose in techno-land, but now they represent an easy way to get a free website with predesigned layouts. You do not need any programming experience to have a blog—just pick your layout and start typing! To get started, go to a site that offers free hosting and page layouts (try blogger.com or wordpress.com). Instead of waiting for the Webmaster, you can update your blog immediately with documents, links, and photos to keep your community continuously armed with valuable resources.
Blogs can:
- be as simple or as complex as you need
- can feature other school-related blogs linked to your main blog (i.e. grade-level, scholarship, and/or self-help blogs)
- give you to the freedom to allow students contribute to the counseling page. For instance, a group of students can sort through scholarship applications and post information on a blog dedicated to applying for and earning scholarships
- can serve as a powerful public relations tool when your department posts schedules and calendars that account for your time.
An added benefit of having a blog is that all of your documents and events will be saved on an external server, which not only allows for easy reference in the future, but also safeguards your intellectual property against most computer malfunctions and crashes. Blogs, resultantly, are able to serve as not only as your department’s go-to resource, but as your department’s own digital archive as well.
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Resources: Cyberbullying Goes to Congress
Dr. Phil recently joined forces with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives about the effect cyberbullying is having on American kids. It's been a problem almost since the Internet was invented... but now studies show that online harassment and bullying is getting worse.
Click here for more information
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Resources: GED vs. Diploma? Stay in School
For some students, earning a GED seemed like the next best thing to a high school degree. But a new report from the University of Chicago finds that a GED holds little value in helping students succeed in today's competitive job market.
Click here for more information
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Conference Preview: Workshops
Patricia M. Merritt
diz_pat@moultriega.net
1st Vice President
A GREAT BIG THANKS goes out to each of you who submitted program proposals for the 2010 Fall Conference. We are providing quality workshops and programs that focus on the academic, career/vocational and personal/social development of students. GSCA Fall Conference is one of the most dynamic and respected conferences in Georgia because of the efforts of counselors like you who work tirelessly to provide relevant and meaningful programs for others. You will leave this conference with new knowledge, innovative ideas and new ways to empower students.
The Fall Conference will be held at the Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, Wednesday, November 3rd – 5th. This is one conference you don’t want to miss! We will be there “Empowering Students to Imagine, Believe, and Achieve." See you in beautiful Athens, Georgia.
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Conference Preview: Pre-Conference Workshop Presenters
Caroline Figiel and Danny Jones
Caroline Figiel and Danny Jones combine their experience as parents, educators, writers and entertainers. They have written and produced children’s music and storytelling CDs that have motivated families’ dinner conversations and school curriculum. Through their personable approach of “kidspeak”, humor, sound educational strategies, catchy tunes, and energy, they have the unique ability to reach children as well as adults, in a “down to earth” and “edutaining” way. Two well known educational publishers, Heritage/Lorenz Music and Marco Products, have created music and character education curriculum based on their work emphasizing bully prevention and intervention. Their storytelling CDs have been featured at the visitor’s center in Jonesborough, home of the National Storytelling Festival and their CD, “Teacher’s Toolbox”, which teaches early childhood skills through interactive music, was reviewed by “The School Library Journal” as “top notched”. "Shake and Bake" is their newest release which focuses on nutrition and fitness and has received good reviews from the USDA as well as various state health departments and school nutrition
associations.
Caroline and Danny perform their interactive concert of stories and songs throughout the country. Their keynotes and workshops for parents, librarians, counselors, nutritionists and teachers of special needs, pre-school, elementary, middle school, and high school age children provide topics that can be incorporated into the classroom and home as well as faith based organizations.
Because of Caroline and Danny's unique combination of education, creativity and entertainment, museums and family attractions have contracted their services to create “edutainment opportunities”. They have designed programs, audio tours and written activities and music for Ripley’s (as in Believe it or Not) Aquariums, The Ga. Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta, Bodies the Exhibition, Titanic International, The Edgar Allan Poe Museum and various museums and visitors centers throughout the country.
For information on workshops, concerts and recordings, contact,
770-365-3763 figiel@bellsouth.net
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To feature your company or submit a Best Practice article for The Counselor Connection, please contact the Executive Office at admin@gaschoolcounselors.com or 770-971-6002.
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