Counselor's Notebook, January 2021

MASCA

Counselor’s Notebook

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

Vol. 57, No. 5

January 2021

MASCA, MSAA and Teachers21 Join Forces to Launch Guidance Director Certification Program

The Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) is pleased to be entering into a pilot partnership with the Massachusetts School Administrators Association (MSAA) and Teachers21 to create a new and exciting pathway for school counselors seeking either certification as a supervisor/director of guidance or credential in

January 2021 Awareness Dates Get Organized Month National Mentoring Month National Thank You Month 1 Emancipation Proclamation Anniversary 1 Global Family Day 17 World Religion Day 18-22 No Name-Calling Week 18 Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service

school counselor leadership. Currently there is no specialized program anywhere in the state to provide school counselors with specific training to be a certified guidance director K-12 through DESE. The MSAA Leadership Licensure Program (LLP) spans one year (June - May) and prepares aspiring administrators for Initial Licensure in Massachusetts as Principals/ Assistant Principals (PreK-6; 5-8; 9-12), and Supervisors/Directors.

The program also partners with Fitchburg State University which allows candidates the option to pursue a CAGS in Interdisciplinary Studies if they so wish. The program typically includes two full weeks in the summer and ten weekends (typically Friday 4-9:30 and Saturday 8:00-4:00).

Participants in the guidance leadership track will complete one additional weekend module in January 2022 that will be designed by school counselor leaders in conjunction with Teachers21 staff and taught by a MASCA approved instructor. The purpose of this module is to ensure that the guidance director leadership participants will have access to current research,

best practices, resource sharing and cutting edge leaders. Specific topics covered in that module will include equity awareness, advocacy, identifying and closing gaps, social emotional programming and the role that school counselors play in ensuring all K-12 students graduate career and college ready. The syllabus for this module is currently in development and will be ready in late spring 2021.

For more information about the fees and this unique opportunity please click here. You can also contact the LLP at LLP@mssaa.org or Bob Bardwell, MASCA Executive Director at executivedirector@ masca.org.

Inside this Issue: Directory.....................................2 Meeting Mental Health Needs ...3 Mentors Matter...........................4 2021 Conference goes Virtual......5 MASCA Leadership Nominations..6 Professional Development...........7 Virtually Engaging Students.........8 MA Model..................................10 Scholarships...............................11

MASCA 2020-21 DIRECTORY GOVERNING BOARD: Kerry Bartlett, Chair kabartlett@hudson.k12.ma.us School / Career Counselor, Hudson High School

COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Jeremie Bateman, Awards and Publicity Committee jbateman@lexingtonma.org School Counselor, Lexington High School

April Megginson, Assistant Chair amegginson@bridgew.edu Assistant Professor of Counselor Education

Ruth Carrigan, Conference Committee Ruth.Carrigan@whrsd.k12.ma.us Director of School Counseling Whitman-Hansen Regional High School

Bridgewater State University Barbara Meyer, Past Chair b_meyer@stoughtonschools.org School Counselor, Stoughton High School

Ed Connor, Fiscal Oversight Committee econnor@dean.edu Executive Director of Admissions, Dean College

Ed Connor, Board Member econnor@dean.edu Executive Director of Admissions, Dean College

Juliette Coatsworth, Government Relations & Advocacy Committee juliette.nori@gmail.com School Counselor, Foxborough Regional Charter School

Laurie Dickstein-Fischer, Board Member ldicksteinfisc@salemstate.edu Assistant Professor & Program Director for School Counseling, Salem State University Johanna Smith, Board Member smithjoh@lynnschools.org School Counselor, Lynn Vocational Technical Institute Megan Krell, Board Member mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu Associate Professor, Fitchburg State University Jeremie Bateman, Board Member jbateman@lexingtonma.org School Counselor, Lexington High School Jennifer McGuire, Board Member jmcguire@uppercapetech.org School Counselor/Teacher Leader for Guidance Upper Cape Cod Technical School

Manjula Karamcheti, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access Committee karamcheti@wwgradschool.org Director of Equity and Student Support Woodrow Wilson Graduate School of Teaching and Learning Tyeshia Weir, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Committee weirt@springfieldpublicschools.com School Counselor, RISE Academy Helen O'Donnell, MA Model Committee helenod@att.net Retired School Counselor Kerry Bartlett , Member Services Committee kabartlett@hudson.k12.ma.us School / Career Counselor, Hudson High School Barbara Meyer Member Services Committee b_meyer@stoughtonschools.org School Counselor, Stoughton High School Megan Krell, Nomination and Bylaws Committee mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu Associate Professor, Fitchburg State University Dina Sibilia, Professional Development Committee sibilia@wsps.org School Counselor, West Springfield High School

Find out how you can become a MASCA leader. Go to: https://masca.wildapricot.org/ How-to-Get-Involved

Christine Shaw, Research and Evaluation Committee shawc@merrimack.edu Associate Professor of Practice, Education & Community Studies, Merrimack College Jennifer McGuire. Technology Committee jmcguire@uppercapetech.org School Counselor/Teacher Leader for Guidance Upper Cape Cod Technical School APPOINTED POSITIONS: Bob Bardwell, Executive Director & Membership bardwellr@monsonschools.com Director of School Counseling, Monson Public Schools

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Julia Cahill-O'Shea, Secretary j.cahill-oshea@hwschools.net School Counselor, Hamilton- Wenham Regional High School Jean Atwater Williams, Web Administrator & Counselors Notebook Editor atwaterwilliams@gmail.com Dina Sibilia, Professional Development Coordinator sibilia@wsps.org School Counselor, West Springfield High School LIAISONS: Laurie Dickstein-Fischer, Counselor Educator Liaison ldicksteinfisc@salemstate.edu Assistant Professor & Program Director for School Counseling, Salem State University Lisa Weinstein, DESE Liaison LWeinstein@doe.mass.edu MA Dept of Elem & Sec Education Megan Krell, Emerging Leader Liaison mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu Associate Professor, Fitchburg State University Alisha Saini, Graduate Student Liaison asaini@lesley.edu Graduate Student, Lesley University Zac Songer, Graduate Student Liaison Zacchary.Songer001@umb.edu Graduate Student, UMASS Boston Julia Stone, Graduate Student Liaison jstone10@springfieldcollege.edu Graduate Student, Springfield College Helen O'Donnell, Retirees Liaison helenod@att.net Retired School Counselor Jennifer Just McGuire, Social Media Liaison jmcguire@uppercapetech.org School Counselor/Teacher Leader for Guidance Upper Cape Cod Technical School EMERGING LEADERS April Brunelle abrunelle@bostonpublicschools.org School Counselor, ech Boston Academy Dan Goldsbury danielgoldsbury@gmail.com School Counselor, Edwards Middle School Maria Maloney maloneym@monsonschools.com School Counselor, Granite Valley Middle School Kayla Schutte kschutte@tewksbury.k12.ma.us School Counselor, Tewksbury Memorial High School

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Meeting Mental Health Needs During Covid-19

By Bob Bardwell, MASCA Executive Director worker and school adjustment counselor representative. MASCA and these organizations represent thousands of student support educational professionals across the Commonwealth.

January usually is a time for folks to set goals and resolutions for the new year while putting the past year behind them. I think that we can all agree that 2020 will be one that we would just assume forget.

Even though there is much hope with the recently released vaccines, the road to recovery and return to a somewhat normal life is many months and possibly years away. I am certainly glad that educators will be among the first to be eligible to receive the vaccine.

Last month I wrote about the results of the MASCA and DESE Town Hall that was held on November 17. It should be no surprise that one of the greatest challenges we heard during that meeting was the concern about mental health of our students, colleagues and families.

As a follow up to the Town Hall, several MASCA members stepped up and wanted to be part of a focus group to continue the discussion about the needs of school counselors and how to best support our students during these challenging times.

I am most grateful to Chamonix Adams, Catherine Chiu, Cynthia Esielionis, Andrea Encarnacao, Luz Mederos-Dorleans, Maria Maloney and Chris Soverow, who generously gave of their time late on a Thursday afternoon to further discuss the next steps MASCA should take to address these concerns. Their insights, observations and reflections concerning the mental health and challenges that our students and families are experiencing no doubt represent the vast majority of concerns that you also share. While I already knew much of what they were sharing, I needed to hear it again with such passion and a sense of despair to actually be moved to do something about it.

I left that meeting with a feeling that we need to do something now, that we can no longer wait to address these challenges. We also need help to reach the thousands of students and families who are struggling with all sorts of issues, least of which is getting students to engage remotely. Counselors are so used to fixing things and giving students hope, but the pandemic often prohibits our ability to make a difference. We find ourselves in

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Robert Bardwell Executive Director, MASCA places we may have never been before.

Since those two meetings, I have had three subsequent meetings and numerous email exchanges with various DESE staff to discuss how we can help meet these needs and provide support and resources to our colleagues and ultimately our students and families with whom we work. I am happy to report that DESE has several online resources and upcoming trainings available which you should check out if you have not already done so: • • •

DESE Mental/Behavioral Health main webpage A 2021 Youth Mental Health First Aid Training – coming in spring 2021 To sign up to be notified when additional sessions are scheduled and/or to make a request for a session to be held for your district, click here.

I also have discussed our concerns with a broader coalition of student support professional organizations that meets regularly. The group consists of the Massachusetts School Nurses Organization (MSNO), Massachusetts School Psychologists Association (MSPA), the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium (MASMHC) and a social

An immediate response to this need will be a zoom professional development program on Tuesday, January 19 from 3:004:30. The event called Engaging the disengaged: A candid discussion about students who are unavailable, offline or out of view, features Karen Gross who recently released her latest book, Trauma Doesn’t Stop At The School Door (which by the way, will be the book for the spring #MASCAReads Book Club on March 24) and John Crocker, Director of School Mental Health & Behavioral Services, Methuen Public Schools. Karen will share ways to help educators understand the physiological and psychological reasons why so many of our students are struggling with remote learning while John will share specific strategies that school counselors can implement to support these disengaged students. We will also leave time for participants to share other strategies or concerns that they have encountered during this time of remote or hybrid instruction.

This event will be free to MASCA members but will cost $10 for guests and non-members. Feel free to invite colleagues and other educators who may be interested in attending. Registration must be completed here on the MASCA website and the zoom registration link will then be sent upon successful registration.

While this one event and those that DESE is supporting will not instantly get your students to log in or suddenly turn in their missing assignments, but the hope is that it will give you ideas and resources that will give you strength and encouragement to support your ongoing efforts.

May your 2021 be filled with peace, happiness and good health and may it bring some sense of normalcy back to our school communities, students, colleagues and families. I hope to see you on January 19 when we continue these important conversations.

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Mentors Matter

by Tyeshia Weir, MASCA Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Committee Chair

As a School Counselor, being a mentor seems like one of the natural roles to take on with my students. If I think back to my childhood, there are so many women and men who played an instrumental role in my development. Whether it be my interest in attending a HBCU, staying out of trouble when it came knocking, empowering me to use my voice, or just simplifying providing opportunities to strengthen my skills. Whatever the interaction, the outcome would continue on through adulthood. Even as a professional woman, I still have mentors and relish in their expertise and passion.

Those relationships gave me the freedom to grow and the confidence to ask questions and seek help when needed. For many students, relationships are key. Relationships provide a sense of authentic connection that can help break down barriers to support our most vulnerable students.

The late Rita Pierson’s quote “Every child deserves a champion,” (from her TED Talk) can be heard amongst dedicated educators throughout the country. Those who assume the role of mentor have the power to inspire others. Children don’t always listen, but they are watching. My mentors were a part of my village. The strength and love of those who were a part of my village filled my cup.

Beyond the warm and fuzzy, there is a ton of research that shows the tremendous impact mentoring has on students academically and social emotionally. Every student deserves someone who is rooting for them.

There are many ways school counselors can be that person or provide the space for student mentoring to happen. When we have students in our school that feel supported and connected to others, particularly 4

propriate measures should be taken that would allow students to interact with mentors from the community outside of their respective schools.

Families should also be included in the conversation. Families could provide counselors with valuable information to use when matching mentors.

adults, they are more likely to do better. A student who has a mentor is more likely to see an improvement in grades, attendance and the overall school culture. As students navigate challenging times and uncertainty, mentors can provide consistency and support. By committing their time and energy mentors can become assets in one’s life.

School counselors can provide mentorship to students by implementing programs in their schools.

Older students can be trained to serve as mentors to younger students. Students in upper grades can mentor younger students and allow them to ask questions about their experiences and classes. Linking students with similar interests can prove to be a valuable experience.

Student mentors also play an important role in encouraging their mentee, especially if the student is working to overcome school related obstacles. School-based mentoring can be done in small groups or oneon-one. At many schools, lunch time is an ideal time to get students together, that way they don’t miss any academic content. Programs that allow students to be matched with community members also allow for students to be supported in and out of school. Of course the ap-

Whether it be school- based or within the community I would encourage everyone who has the time to make the commitment to seek opportunities to mentor local youth.

Healthy relationships are powerful and can be life transforming.

Mentors make such a difference in the lives of their mentees. When mentoring takes place both parties benefit. Mentors learn just as much from mentees.There are many national and local programs that can help you get started with becoming a mentor, or establishing a schoolbased program.

Why Mentors Matter: 1. Every child deserves a champion.

2. Mentors have valuable skills others may benefit from.

3. Mentors can help a student improve their academic trajectory.

4. Mentors can positively influence a child’s self esteem and confidence.

5. Mentors inspire, empower, and encourage youth.

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MASCA Conference 2021 Goes Virtual!

By Ruth Carrigan , MASCA Conference Chairr

Due to the ongoing COVID -19 Pandemic, MASCA has decided to take its annual conference virtual. While this was not our original plan, we are excited about the opportunities this will provide us. In the past, have you been disappointed that sessions you were interested in ran at the same time? Well, with a virtual conference you will be able to attend sessions on the days of the conference or watch the recordings at a later date.

Updated information, reduced conference rates, and program sessions will be available in the next few weeks. If you have already registered, we will be in touch soon regarding the changes.

We hope you will make plans to attend the 2021Massachusetts School Counselor Association’s Annual Conference, on April 4th and 5th. This will be a great opportunity for you to connect virtually with other school counselors across the state for excellent professional development.

You do not want to miss this conference! Go to MASCA.org for registration details. A complete listing of all breakout sessions and instructions for earning professional development points or graduate credit will be posted soon. Don’t miss out on this opportunity for counselor-centered professional development and valuable networking opportunities. Contact Ruth Carrigan, Conference Chair, at Ruth.Carrigan@whrsd.org if you have questions.

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Allison Edwards Opening Workshop Session 15-Minute Counseling Techniques that Work Monday, April 5th – 3 PM

Julia Taylor Conference Keynote Speaker Mental Health Literacy Tuesday, April 6th – 8 AM

QUICK FACTS: • A private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts college founded in 1879

• 30 majors and 60+ minors/concentrations leading to bachelor’s and master’s degrees

• Serving about 2,000 traditional undergraduate students

• Student/faculty ratio is 12:1, with an average class size of 20 students

• 85% of first-year students reside on campus

• Approximately 99% of first-time students receive some form of financial aid

• 131-acre New England campus located just minutes from downtown Boston • Over 97% of recent graduates employed, in graduate school, or in service

• Offering a wide array of extracurricular activities, including 15 NCAA Division III athletic teams

(800) 669-0686 or (617) 333-2210 1071 Blue Hill Ave., Milton, MA 02186 | curry.edu | adm@curry.edu

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SEEKING SELF-NOMINATIONS FOR MASCA GOVERNING BOARD MEMBERS ARE YOU INTERESTED IN...?

Having a vote on the MASCA Governing Board Serving as a voice for school counselors Becoming a leader for our professional association Collaborating with other school counseling advocates nationwide

SUBMISSION INFO

Interested candidates should submit the following to Megan Krell at mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu

by Friday, February 19th at 11:59pm: Resume Names and Email Addresses of 10 MASCA Members who support your nomination

ELECTIONS

Electronic voting will open on March 22, 2021 and end Tuesday, April 6th at 12:00pm.

SERVICE TERM

Elected board members will serve a three-year term beginning on July 1, 2021.

NOT SURE YET??

Come to a Board Service Info Session! Hear what it is like to serve on the board, and get your questions answered!

When: Tuesday, January 12th 3:30-4:30pm Where: Zoom Hosted by: Nominations & Bylaws Committee Chair, Megan Krell and MASCA Executive Director, Bob Bardwell REGISTER HERE 6

Nyal Fuentes, college and career readiness coordinator at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, - and long time MASCA member - was recently named this year’s recipient of the Mitchell Chester Award. The award recognizes an employee who exemplifies the characteristics of the late Commissioner Chester, including a commitment to educational equity; courage and determination; being driven by data, evidence, and research; and kindness. In announcing the award, Commissioner Riley said Nyal “serves as a leader at DESE and in the field. He brings intellectual curiosity to his work and a focus on helping students succeed.” The person who nominated Nyal described him as all of those things, in addition to being “funny and kind and a joy to work with.” Congratulations, Nyal,

from all your MASCA colleagues!

To see a complete listing of MASCA's Electronic Professional Development Opportunities, please go to: https://masca.wildapricot.org/ Electronic-PD

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Check Out MASCA's Latest Electronic PD Offerings Managing Screen Time for More Meaningful Living and Learning During COVID and Beyond - January 6, 2021 at 7:30 pm MASCA, in partnership with MassPTA, is proud to support this much needed PD opportunity. Remote schooling during the pandemic has been a unique experience for educators and parents (to say the least!). In addition to more screen time at home, we saw more technology than ever appear in our kids’ education. So, what do we need to consider making sure our kids don’t get lost in the digital world?

This webinar invites families, educators and communities to think critically about educational technology! Featuring Emily Cherkin, Lisa Cline, and Dr. Criscillia Benford, this discussion will help families better understand and analyze EdTech to meet their families’ needs. Moderated by Jean Rogers, Director of the Children’s Screen Time Action Network, this webinar promises to prepare families for a new year that makes the best of tech and nontech learning opportunities. Here are some items we’ll cover: •

The myth of personalized learning: No replacement for a high-quality teachers; apps can show whether a student gets and answer right or wrong, not whether they have learned a concept.

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Educators may be unaware of the algorithms that often are manipulating kids.

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Technology cannot high-quality educator.

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How can we use tech to produce, not consume?

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How educators and families can come together for healthy solutions.

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Remote learning doesn’t have to be online learning. What do we mean?

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How do we maintain important connections that help students thrive.

Register here.

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Board Service Info Session - Tuesday , January 12 - 3:30 - 4:30 pm Are you interested in learning more about what it is like to be a voting member of the Governing Board? Do you think you want to run for office? Do you have general questions about MASCA? Then this session is for you. Register here.

Concussion: The Basics and Helping Students Successfully Return to Learn - Wednesday, January 13 - 3:00 - 4:30 pm Attendees will learn up-to-date knowledge regarding concussions and brain injury. The training emphasizes how a team approach can enable the student to continue his/her education during and after recovery in a manner that acknowledges existing neuropsychological challenges, minimizes symptoms, and maximizes learning under these circumstances. Additionally we will dive into newer challenges our students are now facing, having to return to learn in a virtual school environment and offering tips and tools that may help during these unprecedented times.

Register here. There is a $10 cost for MASCA members but you can invite your school nurse or administrator to join you for free.

Engaging the Unengaged: A candid discussion about students who are unavailable, offline or out of view Tuesday January 19 - 3:00 - 4:30 pm Are you frustrated that your students are not participating in or finding success with remote learning? Are you struggling to connect effectively with you students despite your added efforts to reach out through email and text? Are your students failing classes at rather higher than normal rates? Are your students falling through the cracks during these challenging times?

Then this program is for you, featuring Karen Gross, who recently released her latest book, Trauma Doesn’t Stop At The School Door and John Crocker, Director of School Mental Health & Behavioral Services, Methuen Public Schools. Karen will share ways to help educators understand the physiological and psychological reasons why so many of our students are struggling with remote learning while John will share specific strategies that school counselors can implement to support these disengaged students. We will also leave time for participants to share other strategies or concerns that they have encountered during this time of remote or hybrid instruction.

This event is free to MASCA members but will cost guests/non-members $10. Upon successful registration the zoom meeting link will be shared with registrants. Register here.

Winter Book Club - The Self Care Prescription: Powerful Solutions to Manage Stress, Reduce Anxiety & Increase Wellbeing - January 28 - 7:00 - 8:30 pm Join us for our quarterly book club meeting. We all need some help with self-care and author Robyn Godin, PhD will join us for part of the discussion. Even if you cannot read the entire book before January 28 you are encouraged to join us. Register here.

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Career Activities Corner: K-12 College and Career Readiness Activities Reach Higher MA Working Group #1: Careers and Citizenship for All hosts this Career Activity Corner to encourage infusion of a career development strand into your school counseling curriculum. You are invited to submit K-12 lessons with identified standards alignments, interdisciplinary curriculum links, measurable student learning objectives and implementation outcome data to Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D helenod@att.net

Virtually Engaging Students and Families: Tour Some Bitmoji Classrooms Interest in Carrie Chevalier Vickers, CCR bitmoji classroom is the Dec. CN inspired an outreach for tours of school counseling bitmoji classrooms, how they are created, what counselors are including, and helpful development hints and resources. Share your sites and explain how you inspire your students to “drop into” your virtual school counseling office, explore your offerings, and use the virtual resources that promote academic success and post high school preparation. Always speaking of data, how do you track visits?

and Career Centers newsletter • Red Chalkboard: Linked to upcoming events: Virtual College Application Week!

• Dunder Mifflin Hiring Sign: Linked to current part time job postings for students • Notebooks on bookshelf: Linked to MASCA, college and military virtual visit dates and sign-ups and the Career & Technical Education information for freshmen students in our Career and Technical Education Explore process

Zoo. • links to a virtual sketchpad, a fluid simulation site, a virtual spirograph • Students can to listen to rainforest sounds in the background of working, meditating, etc.

• A GoNoodle video to assist with bringing your energy level down and a couple of mindful breathing video • a self-affirmation video to boost a student’s mood and remind them to love themselves.

• a link to the schools counseling department website where there are many more resources for students to use.

Link to classroom with no bitmoji’s https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1o rOSQSUTwiqbQsUqcH1dHqWv7HcmHl 3ytcd5jHVOxJE/copy#slide=id.p

Bitmoji Calming Room Contact: Carrie Chevalier Vickers, cchevalier@cpsge.org College & Career Readiness Counselor, Chicopee Public Schools Career & Technical Education Virtual Counseling Office

• College & Career Search: linked to instructions and information on how to search for colleges and careers using MASSCIS and MEFA Pathways • Financial Aid: Linked to Scholarship Google Classroom • Dog: Linked to pictures of my dog Nova :) • Health Science Academy: Linked to live Health Science Academy information for students and families • Make an Appointment: linked to my email address to make an appointment with me • Newspaper: Linked to the College

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Contact: Elizabeth Gonzales,

School Counseling Graduate Student, Fitchburg State University egonza12@student.fitchburgstate.edu “I created a bitmoji calming room for my pre-practicum supervisor’s school counseling program. I watched tutorials and did some research on the best ways to make the bitmoji room useful and engaging to students. I came up with calming music/sounds, live animal cameras, calming art activities, mindful breathing videos, and self-affirmation videos. It took a very long time to make, but I was happy with the results and proud that I was able to create it for them.” Elizabeth

Gonzales

Room includes many calming strategies: • live video of a tropical reef and of the elephants at the San Diego

Resources to create the bitmoji calming room: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1jaAGQ4GFcai-a9lRRtxxB0YgldCn-lzkbyEQItPQTpg/edit#slide=id. g8c55761906_0_2179

Hayley Kelley, School Counseling Graduate Student, Fitchburg State University hayliekelley@gmail.com

Rachael Weinhold, School Counselor, Murdock Middle High School, Winchendon rweinhold@winchendonk12.org

My practicum project: Assisting the (continued next page)

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Bitmoji Classrooms (continued from previous page) only HS counselor help students and families virtually access information, “I proposed creating a virtual office (that) was incredibly helpful to me as a student to have almost every piece of information and resource at my fingertip, err… mouse click.” Hayley Kelly

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You need patience, since it is time-consuming work Have contents links and office template ideas (ex: introduce counseling team and interns; provide school information abd link to make appts. or send an email; table of contents; BACK button to return to the main page; links for postsecondary virtual tours and application resources; college/career planning and mental health resources; link to student MEFA Pathways, Naviance, MassHireCIS, or Career Cruising

platform, etc, Publish your office to the web to allow full screen presentation, not just a google slides viewer.

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Resources •

Helpful Hints: •

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teacherspayteachers.com, pinterest.com, remove.bg/upload, and Hello Teacher Lady’s step-bystep guide.

“Bitmoji Craze for Educators” Facebook group (Note: 550k members and the information on there can be overwhelming.

I suggest joining and using the “search” option to look specifically for counseling offices/ resources and go from there.

Link to Google Doc How to create a bitmoji: https:// www.wikihow.com/Use-Bitmoji How to get started with your virtual classroom: https://

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www.helloteacherlady.com/ blog/2020/4/how-to-create-avirtual-bitmoji-scene-in-google-slides-or-powerpoint Customizable classroom background template: https://www. kapwing.com/resources/bitmoji-virtual-classroom-template/ Remove background image clutter: https://www.remove.bg/ upload

Additional Resources: LOOM Training Videos courtesy of Carrie Chevalier Vickers: BITMOJI Presentation - Part 1 BITMOJI Presentation - Part 2 Video of my Classroom: BITMOJI Ms. Chevalier

MA Model Committee News

2020-21 MA Model Committee: Helen O'Donnell (Chair), Cynthia Esielionis, Megan Bizaro & Brenda Richardson Call for MA Accountability Report Cards (MARC and MARC Jr.) (See scholarship info bottom right.)

MARC’s promote school counselor accountability and keeping stakeholders informed about the impact of the school counseling programing. As you plan your academic year, do not forget to celebrate your successes. Plan now to identify needed documentation and data for compiling your 2-page MARC/ MARC Jr. document that summarizes targeted program interventions, compiled data findings, impact of the initiative, and identified continued action plans. Colleagues my expand previous MARC/MARC Jr. documents with expanded data to show continued growth and success over time The goal of these awards is to encourage study of the ASSESS component of MA Model 3.0 and the application of the data-based program assessJANUARY 2021

ment. Submission deadline 3/17/21 for Spring presentation. Information about developing MARC/MARC Jr. can be found in archived CN MA Model articles: March, April, Sept, and Dec. 2018 Graduate Student MASCA MARC/ MARC Jr. Recognition: Emerging school counselors in graduate programs are encouraged to submit their capstone MARC/MARC Jr. projects for rubric review and MASCA Recognition. Submission deadline 3/17/21 Registration open for 2020-21 virtual 2nd semester MA Model 3.0 Institutes $450 registration fee (early bird $425 – register by Dec. 30th).

MA Model Introductory Institute MA Model 2: Next Steps Counselors in K-12 Classrooms Earn 45 pdp’s OR 3 Grad credits (for

additional $295 from Fitchburg State University) for successful completion of coursework.

MASCA RECORDED PD: MA Model 3.0 series $25 for MASCA members with opportunity to earn *10 PDP’s • MA Model 3.0: Hot Off the Press • Words into Action: Define, Assess, Manage, Deliver (4 sessions) • Bonus Session: Planning, Delivering and Assessing Multi-Tiered Instruction Register online at MASCA website . *To earn 10 MASCA pdp’s view and briefly summarize 6 sessions and complete/submit the MA Model 3.0 SelfStudy Audit in the MA Model 3.0 Appendix.

Inquiries: contact Helen O'Donnell at helenod@att.net

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IMPLEMENTING MA MODEL FOR COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAMS:

by Helen C. O’Donnell, Ed. D, MA Model Trainer, MASCA MA Model Chair and MA Model 3.0 Co-Chair , Cynthia Esielionis, M.Ed., MA Model 3.0 Co-Chair, School Counseling Coordinator, Ayer Shirley RSD This Counselor’s Notebook (CN) series began in Sept 2017 to inform colleagues about steps and strategies for implementing the MA Model 2.0 and ASCA Model 3.0. With the spring 2020 endorsement of MA Model 3.0 and June 2019 release of ASCA Model 4.0©, previous MA Model resources are being updated.

A library of updated CN articles organized by theme will be posted on the MA Model section of the MASCA website soon. .

What guides the development of your school counseling curriculum?

END goals: Establish your student-outcome results, the END goals, before building and restructuring your grade level curriculum map. END goals identify student learning targets that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART) plus address each MA Model strand: Academic, Workplace Readiness/Career, and Personal /Social (SEL). Your lessons and unit of instruction should focus on helping students achieve the identified end year targets.

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What are your student end year targets? Ex: Grade 9 end goals: All students will pass all Gr. 9 coursework (EWIS benchmark).

All students will achieve daily, ontime school attendance to demonstrate employability readiness All students will participate in CCA activities and be developing their MyCAP.

Standards Alignment: When designing multi-tiered curriculum units and lessons to help students achieve END goal targets, establish SMART student learning objectives (SLO’s) that are aligned to MA Career Development Education (CDE) benchmarks, MA College and Career Advising and MyCAP Frameworks, ASCA

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Mindsets and Behaviors for Academic Success, and CASEL Social Emotional Learning Competencies.

See MA Model 3.0 appendices A, I, B, C. Measuring Success: •

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How are students more academically successful and Future Ready as a result of your curriculum, programs and services?

What data-supported evidence do you have to support your answer to this question?

Assessing the impact of your school counseling curriculum is so essential for program accountability that data was prioritized as the theme of the 2nd section of the MA Model. Focus your data collection on gathering evidence of student learning to document achievement of unit and lesson learning targets and SLO’s. To be strategic and purposeful when identifying relevant data for assessment, reflect on these questions; WHAT types of data assess student outcomes and WHAT type of data documents student success and achievement?

With limited instruction delivery time, HOW to efficiently collect data? WHO should contribute to outcome data? WHAT are useful data tools to facilitate assessment?

Sources of data should be inclusive using both program assessment data plus DESE’s Data Warehouse data (EDWIN, EWIS, PROFILES, DART) to access extensive district, school, grade level and individual student data.

Helpful assessment tools include DESE’s Continuous Learning Cycle which provides an on-going process to analyze collected data and, if needed, adjust implementation strategies to more successfully achieve desired outcomes. To monitor program impact change, identify baseline data and apply the % change formula: pre score - post score x 100 = % change pre score

Remember, evidence and data analysis results are subject to interpretation. Ex: Your March data documents that 92% of the Gr. 9 students are on track to achieved the stated END goals listed above.

That is an admirable success rate.

However, a different interpretation is that 8%. of the students are NOT meeting those benchmarks.

What are the barriers to success?

What Tier 2 and 3 Interventions should be implemented to assist ALL students to be successful?

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

MASCA Scholarships Ronald H. Fredrickson Professional Development Scholarship Fund for School Counselors This fund awards up to $1000 annually to support school counselor professional growth covering partial or full registration costs for school counseling related professional development opportunities and initiatives.

Two $600 awards are available for partial or full payment of identiied PD opportunity. REGISTRATION FEE ONLY. In addition four $100 awards available for action research on your practice as evidenced by submitting a MA Accountability Report Card (MARC or MARC Jr.)

LOUISE B. FORSYTH AWARD This award covers the cost of MASCA conference registration (travel and accommodations not included) for MASCA members.

Help your students get ready for college Free college planning tools and resources College Planning Calculator Financial literacy info Scholarship Search

Plus, your students can enter a $1,000 monthly sweepstakes.*

Get started at salliemae.com/collegeplanning Borrow responsibly We encourage students and families to start with savings, grants, scholarships, and federal student loans to pay for college.

Students and families should evaluate all anticipated monthly loan payments, and how much the student expects to earn in the future, before considering a private student loan. * No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received. See official rules at SallieMae.com/SweepstakesRules.

SALLIE MAE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MODIFY OR DISCONTINUE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND BENEFITS AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE. CHECK SALLIEMAE.COM FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE PRODUCT INFORMATION. Š 2019 Sallie Mae Bank. All rights reserved. Sallie Mae, the Sallie Mae logo, and other Sallie Mae names and logos are service marks or registered service marks of Sallie Mae Bank. All other names and logos used are the trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries, including Sallie Mae Bank, are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America. SMSCH MKT14454 0819

The mission of MASCA is to promote excellence in the school counseling profession by advocating for, connecting, supporting, and empowering school counselors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts through leadership, collaboration, and professional development.

Visit us on the web at www.MASCA.org

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