Counselor's Notebook, December 2012

MASCA

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

VOL. 49, NO. 4

DECEMBER 2012

Happy Holidays from MASCA! Those Three Little Words

By JENNIFER LISK MASCA President

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f you work in the education field, you have heard these words countless times. If you are a parent, you have heard them even more. Often, these three words are used as a too quick answer or an excuse. Sometimes, though, these three words can lead to the best educational experiences a person can have.

“I don’t know” when used as an excuse to not really answer a question or to be deliberately vague does not further anyone’s learning experience. All of us have had a student in our office where you draw on all of the counseling skills that you have to try to change that verbal shrug into a conversation. I would venture that all of us have also had a student who isn’t willing to try something because they might not succeed at it.

This concept of embracing “I don’t know” did not come easily to me. As someone whose brain is wired to achieve

JENNIFER LISK well in many of the ways that schools expected you to, I usually did know the answer. Being introduced to the work of Carol Dweck in graduate school was eyeopening to me. Her work distinguishes between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. Looking at students (and ourselves) through a growth mindset expects growth and improvement based on dedication and effort rather than being “smart”

or “not smart.”

That dedication and effort oftentimes requires saying “I don’t know.” It is knowing when to ask for help and recognizing that it is not a sign of weakness to do so.

It is knowing that you will often learn more from asking a question than staying silent. It is knowing that we all have strengths and weaknesses.

I recently read an article from the local NPR station that talked about a teacher who started expectations for an AP class with this same message. While it wasn’t easy to do because many of these students had been praised continually for knowing the answers, it made a difference in her students.

I encourage you to model this for your students. Encourage them to use “I don’t know” to help themselves become better students and citizens. ■

Honors for Fredrickson (Reprinted from UMass Amherst: The Magazine for Alumni and Friends, Fall 2012)

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n 1958, the year after the launch of Sputnik, the federal government decided that one way to overtake the Soviets in space was to better prepare students in math and sciences. The National Defense Education Act was created to fund college education programs and prepare school counselors to guide students into the disciplines essential for a robust space program.

At the time, Ronald H. Fredrickson was a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1963 he joined the faculty of the UMass Amherst School of Education and became a leader in the

preparation of school counselors and counseling research. “I was always interested in answering the questions ‘So what? Are we doing any good? And what are the outcomes of our efforts?’ ” he says. He pursued this interest and helped build recognition for the importance of school counselors.

Fredrickson, who retired in 1992, fortified his work with research. In his 29 years of teaching, Fredrickson laid the groundwork for founding the Center of School Counseling Outcome Research.

The center, the nation’s only one of its kind, will bear his name after a couple,

who wish to remain anonymous, made a $100,000 gift to the center. The Ronald Fredrickson Center of School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation celebrated its tenth anniversary in October.

John C. Carey, director of the center, says the gift will strengthen the center’s ability to disseminate its research to practitioners around the country . . . . “This gift ultimately will help improve the education of thousands of students whose counselors will have knowledge of best practices,” says Carey. ■

MASCA Spring Conference Keynoter Mandy Savitz-Romer, Ph.D.

Cook to lead extended workshop

• Lecturer on education and director of the Prevention Science and Practice (PSP) program at Prospect Hill Academy Charter School • Co-author of Ready, Willing, and Able: A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success (Harvard Education Press, April 2013)

JILL COOK n the nearly ten years since The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs was originally released, both education and the school counseling profession have evolved.

The Model, consequently, has been revised and enhanced to reflect current education practices.

You can learn about the scope of changes by attending Jill Cook’s Extended Workshop Session on Monday at the MASCA Spring Conference.

Cook, Assistant Director of ASCA, oversees the ASCA resource center and book acquisitions. She also coordinates the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) and the School Counselor of the Year program.

Cook has represented ASCA on several boards and advisory committees, including The Prevention Researcher, The Iris Center, The Red Cross Disaster Mental Health Partners, the Personnel Shortages Coalition, Partners 4 Education, and the National Research Center for College and University Admissions. Currently she is Chair of the National Consortium for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

A former music teacher, middle school counselor, and assistant principal in North Carolina, Cook earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in school counseling from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has completed postgraduate work at Appalachian State University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. ■

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2

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

HEALTH AND SAFETY: NEWS & VIEWS 2012 – 2013 OFFICERS

From Cradle to Grave

PRESIDENT JENNIFER LISK Medway High School, Medway, MA 02053 Tel. 508-533-3228 x 5107 • Fax 508-533-3246 E-mail: president@masca.org PAST PRESIDENT MICHELLE BURKE Beverly High School 100 Sohier Road Beverly, MA 01915-2654 Tel. 978-921-6132 x 11107 E-mail: mburke@beverlyschools.org PRESIDENT-ELECT THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA 02325 Tel. 508-531-2640 E-mail: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARY JACQUELINE BROWN East Somerville Community School 42 Prescott Street, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6517 • Fax 617-591-7906 E-mail: jbrown@k12.somerville.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGH MARISA CASTELLO E-mail: castelloma@sps.springfield.ma.us KATHLEEN SCOTT E-mail: scottk@amesburyma.gov VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARY CARRIE KULICK-CLARK Braintree High School 128 Town Street, Braintree, MA 02184 Tel. 781-848-4000 ext 2273 • Fax 781-848-7799 E-mail: jd02375@aol.com VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARY JOHN MARCUS Dean College 99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726 E-mail: jmarcus@dean.edu VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORS TBA VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS MEGAN KRELL, Ph.D. E-mail: mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES JOSEPH D. FITZGERALD, Ed.D. 5 Progress Street, Weymouth, MA 02188 Tel. 781-264-3426 E-mail: jdfitz1831@gmail.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DONNA M. BROWN Adjunct Professor, UMass Boston P.O. Box 366, 779 Center Street Bryantville, MA 02327 Tel. 781-293-2835 E-mail: executivedirector@masca.org TREASURER ASHLEY CARON 25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072 Tel. 508-212-0676 E-mail: ashcicero@hotmail.com SECRETARY JENNIFER McGUIRE Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532 Tel. 508-759-7711 x 247 • Fax 508-759-5455 E-mail: jmcguire@uppercapetech.org MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR DEBORAH CLEMENCE P.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641 E-mail: membership@masca.org COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITOR SALLY ANN CONNOLLY 19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923 Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154 E-mail: sallyconnolly@att.net

DECEMBER 2012

By SALLY ANN CONNOLLY MASCA Counselor’s Notebook Editor

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esearch continues to show that nitrates, which are found in cured meats, adversely affect health.

Dr. Suzann DeLaMonte, Brown Medical School neuropathologist, and others have found “a strong association between nitrates and neural effects. Nitrates, when heated, form the amino acid nitrosamine, which impairs how cells interact with insulin.” (Deborah Kotz, “Is Alzheimer’s disease akin to type 3 diabetes?” The Boston Globe, October 8, 2012, 10G) Researchers also continue to find a probable link between nitrates and diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.

Families alone cannot be relied upon to foster good eating habits. Recently, I nearly gagged when I overheard the conversation of two caregivers. Because the preschooler being discussed was a “picky” eater, that day for both lunch and supper the child would be getting her favorite food, hot dogs.

Educators need to step in. First and foremost, nitrate-laden processed meats such as hot dogs, bologna, salami, and bacon should be removed from all school menus. ■ -----------------------------

Persistent marijuana use linked to IQ decline “Persistent cannabis users who started using the drug before age 18 show an average IQ decline of 8 points and other signs of impaired mental functioning by age 38, according to world-first research emerging from the University of Otago’s long-running Dunedin Multidisciplinary Study.

The Study has followed the progress of 1000 Dunedin-born people since their birth in 1972 /73 and is one of the most detailed studies of human health and development ever undertaken.”

— Madeline H. Meier et al., University of Otago, “Persistent Cannabis Users Show Neuropsychological Decline from Childhood to Midlife,” http:// www.otago.ac.nz/news/news/otago036606.html, Accessed August 31, 2012.

Link between indoor tanning and skin cancer confirmed “Indoor tanning is associated with a significantly increased risk of both basal and squamous cell skin cancer. The risk is higher with use in early life (<25 years).

This modifiable risk factor may account for hundreds of thousands of cases of non-melanoma skin cancer each year in the United States alone and many more worldwide. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence on the

harms of indoor tanning and support public health campaigns and regulation to reduce exposure to this carcinogen.”

— “Indoor tanning and non-melanoma skin cancer: systematic review and meta-analysis,” British Medical Journal, http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/ bmj.e5909, Published October 2, 2012.

Extra sleep pays off A study in Pediatrics (November 2012) shows that only twenty-seven extra minutes of sleep per night can make a schoolaged child “brighter and more productive the following day.”

“Kids who slept that extra amount each night were less impulsive, less easily distracted, and less likely to have temper tantrums or cry often and easily. By contrast, losing just shy of an hour’s worth of sleep had the opposite effects on behavior and mood.”

— Denise Mann, “A Little Bit of Extra Sleep Pays Off Big for Kids,” WebMD Health News, http:// children.webmd.com/news/20121015/little-extrasleep-pays-off-kids, Accessed October 15, 2012.

Obesity problem grows Two nonprofit organizations report that “nearly half of adults in Massachusetts— 49 percent—are projected to be obese by 2030 if the current trajectory continues.”

— Kay Lazar, “Rising obesity rate could drive up Bay State’s health care costs,” The Boston Globe, September 24, 2012, G11. ■

3

Standing Room Only

By JAN TKACZYK, M.Ed., CAGS MASCA Past Executive Director

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arents love to attend sports events and musical recitals at our schools.

Unfortunately, their enthusiasm does not extend to educational programs concerning substance abuse prevention, study skills, and career awareness. In fact, family attendance at student-focused meetings may be difficult to achieve.

The stories of diminished parent/family involvement in students’ education continue. Busy schedules, economic and time constraints, and cultural issues are still major barriers to strong school-family connections. Technology is a big help, but nothing can replace in-person communication whose purpose is to focus on improving student success.

Effective communication is a two-way street. We need to reach out and we must provide opportunities for parents to reach in and get involved. Advisory boards, volunteering, and helping to coordinate parent programs are just a few of the ways parents /guardians can become active.

JAN TKACZYK Let’s take a look at the initial steps to increase parent engagement and improve two-way communication. Where parentschool collaboration has improved, I’ve seen the implementation of the following four steps.

Step 1: Surveys Survey your parents and families to determine the following: • What is currently working to make them feel included?

• What are they currently involved in that empowers them to feel connected to the learning community?

• What programs add value and what do they think should be added?

• What are the barriers that prevent their participation?

An easy way to facilitate a parent survey is to include it at orientation when students are entering grade one, five, or nine. Provide time for them to complete the survey and turn it in before leaving.

Include the survey as part of the welcome packet for all new families. You can also add a survey when sending out report cards by regular mail, student, or e-mail.

Ask those already participating in advisory boards, booster clubs, and special events to provide parent-to-parent testimonials. These can be included in a twosided flyer to encourage increased participation. Include these in your packets for all parents.

Parent /Guardian testimonials allow other potentially interested parties to hear firsthand about the benefits and rewards of participating in school counselingrelated activities. They can share how easy it was for them to join in and personally invite new parents to come on board. They can promote the school counseling program from a vantage point that is up close and personal.

Step Two: Programs Parent Programs are a terrific opportunity to both connect with parents /guardians and to provide them meaningful information and support. And what a terrific way to connect them with important agencies and resources in your community.

You can easily begin by offering two programs a year. Your surveys will inform you on high priority topics.

Your understanding of time and transportation barriers will allow you to maximize attendance by addressing these issues as much as possible. Some topics parents may be interested in include: Internet and social media awareness, substance abuse prevention, legal issues for courtinvolved youth, college/career readiness, and grade level transition. Your survey will guide you.

Schedule your programs in conjunction with sports events, student musical /

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

theatrical performances, and community events held at the school. Whenever you have the possibility of a strong family presence, use it to your advantage and get in front of them!

Step 3: Resources Not everyone will be able to attend afternoon, evening, or weekend programs. Provide resources on your website, parent flyers, and blast e-mails. Parents need help with everything from information on local mental health facilities to the ins and outs of social media, from college/career planning and financial aid to signs of bullying.

Make your school counseling website a valuable location for this information, and you will be educating your families in many important ways.

Webinars are another way to reach out to parents who have difficulty coming to the school for programs. This does not necessarily mean that you will have to produce webinars. Take advantage of those that are developed by your local agencies and have the link on your web page.

FAQs on your website help parents quickly gather basic information. They are also a time saver for both you and the parent/guardian. Your voicemail message can encourage them to click on this section to determine if the information they seek is located there. But remember, returning phone calls the same day or no later than twenty-four hours goes a long way in demonstrating the importance in building parent connections.

night each week, the school counseling office stayed open until 7:00 p.m. Parents were given the schedule and asked to make appointments ahead of time. Two school counselors were assigned each week. Their workday that day was from noon until 7:00 p.m. instead of 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

They still worked the same number of hours, but in a way that was more accommodating to all parents /guardians.

Any time that wasn’t scheduled for parent meetings was used for home phone calls.

It was critical to collect process, perception, and outcome data during the pilot

phase. The results were all positive and made it clear that parents were not only impressed with the school counselors’ willingness to meet their needs but also making excellent use of this new option.

I hope you find these ideas useful.

Reach out to your parents to hear what they need. Provide them what they need using technology, existing programs, and some ingenuity. Collect data along the way.

Remember: Evaluations are essential if you want to determine value and success of all your efforts to include parents in their students’ educations. ■

Step 4: Flexibility So, you’ve done all of the above and still feel that you are not connecting with as many families as you would like. Now is the time for “outside the box” thinking.

Flex hours are being applied by many school counseling departments to meet the needs of working parents, those without school-age children, and those who can’t be there during normal school hours.

Here is one school’s application of this idea: First, they gathered the results from their parent survey showing that parents would like to meet with their student’s school counselor, but were not available during the typical office hours. They then shared this data with the principal and the teachers union, along with a strategy that could address the issue.

Permission was granted to test-pilot the new hours for one marking period and to advertise with all constituents. One DECEMBER 2012

5

MASCA Website Update Reminder from MASCA

By JOE FITZGERALD, Ed.D., MASCA Technology Committee Chair

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Check your membership expiration date on the mailing label of this issue of CN. Renew your membership at www.masca.org.

JOE FITZGERALD

t the recent MASCA Fall Conference, I received a good dose of technology just by talking with our webmaster. He took me on a little tour of a feature of the MASCA website that has the potential to be useful for all of us.

We have a section of the website called “Forums,” and it has topics already there that can be written about. I started (and never finished) one on retirees and lifelong learning. I did not realize that I could write articles that might be of interest to retirees or those planning to retire.

Once you log in with your member username and password, you need to go to the Resources tab on the Home page, and when the dropdown list appears, click on Forums. The Index tab on the Forums page lists the general areas that make up the forums at the present time.

The beauty of this feature is that you can become a contributor in any of the areas. It is a typical word processing page and easy to navigate. You can reply to various articles or add a topic and write your own article.

Currently, topics include: Advocacy, MA Model, Tools Counselors Use, Professional Development, MA Counselor Licensing, Graduate Students, Resources for Retirees, Site Questions and Answers, and Take Five.

Recently, I finished a short paragraph on technology educational opportunities for retirees in the Resources for Retirees forum. When I went back to the Home page and to Resources-Forums-Index-Resources for Retirees, my short edit was there under the Educational Opportunities topic that I originally put there.

This is a relatively new feature that will be only as good as the contributions made by you, our MASCA members.

Read, write, or respond in Forums. We welcome your participation. ■

Stay informed.

Visit MASCA’s website regularly.

www.masca.org 6

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

THE INTERN’S TALE College-opoly: The College Game

By AMY MELLOR, Master’s Student in School Counseling, Bridgewater State University

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he college application process is a stressful time for students, parents, and counselors alike. The phrase, “I didn’t think my freshman and sophomore year were important,” seems to be uttered by more and more seniors each year. Trying to help students put as much effort into their beginning years of high school as they do their final years, is an issue that many school counselors deal with each academic year.

How does a school counselor solve this dilemma? In my case, the counselor asks the intern.

One of my supervising school counselors in the office asked me to help develop a curriculum that could be used with freshman classes as a part of a School Counseling Core Curriculum. The curriculum needed to illustrate the challenges and competitiveness of getting into college and address the importance of all four years in high school.

After finding myself struggling to pull a creative idea out of the recesses of my brain, I turned to my peer interns in my practicum course. Collaboratively, we brainstormed the idea of making a game that would be fun, interactive, and educational. Monopoly was brought to the table. It was decided that the parallels between buying properties and finding economic success to getting into college were close enough that students could connect with the game.

Motivated by the idea and desire to create an original game, I began the process of creating College-opoly. It started with a blank PowerPoint slide, a list of colleges frequently attended by our school’s student population, and a printout of the original Monopoly game board.

Seventy slides and more hyperlinking than I had done in my entire academic career later, College-opoly had come to life.

Logistically, students must play four rounds (much like the four years of high school) and acquire enough credits and a high enough GPA in order to graduate, be accepted by one of the schools on the board, and, thus, win the game. Community Chest and Chance cards are on the board to either strengthen or weaken the student’s college application by raising

DECEMBER 2012

or lowering their GPA and adding more extracurriculars to their application. Students are also eligible to acquire AP credits in their junior and senior years (third and fourth rounds).

I created this game to be enlightening.

I wanted students to grasp the seemingly intangible idea of why it is important to

work hard and do their best every year in high school.

Did I achieve my goal? The verdict is still out. However, my hope is that the freshmen I work with now will look back when they are seniors and think, “I had fun playing that College-opoly game. Now I get why I played it in the first place.” ■

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School Counseling: A Developing Journey

By THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. MASCA President-Elect

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THERESA COOGAN

hen you stop and look at the timeline, you realize that the field of School Counseling is actually very young, much like many of the fields within the counseling profession. The field of School Counseling, however, has experienced continual changes, which have, in part, contributed to growing confusion of the unique and critical role a School Counselor plays in the PreK-12 schools.

The field grew out of a need for vocational counseling to better prepare our youth for career plans while they were in primary and secondary school. It began as an ancillary service added on to teachers’ duties and eventually grew into the stand-alone profession with its own graduate-level professional training program that we know of now.

Throughout all of these role changes, the title and duties continued to evolve.

Our state organization, MASCA, works tirelessly with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and many schools throughout the Commonwealth to clarify the role of the Professional School Counselor and to demonstrate why counselors are an integral component to the success of students and our community.

A brief history The following will provide a brief exploration of the history of the field of School Counseling in American public education in order to help us appreciate the journey School Counselors have been on. My hope is that this will provide clarity as we continue forward.

Let’s start in 1907 in Michigan with Jesse B. Davis, an educator and principal, who is known as the first person to establish a school-wide guidance program. He focused on providing lessons about vocational and moral guidance to all grade levels to accompany the curricula being taught in his schools. Using a large group delivery system, his program would push into English classes for one period per week.

Two years later and closer to home in Boston, we see Frank Parsons’ contributions focused on vocational counseling, primarily with immigrant youth who needed to obtain jobs quickly. His goal was to identify core elements about an individual’s personality that he called “traits” and match them with occupations available in the early 1900’s. The initial vocational counseling service provided was often one-directional advice passed down to the student or youth.

Today, School Counselors get to know students holistically and assist them through the decision-making process, thus helping them to learn life skills that they can transfer into other areas. Al-

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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

though the content area of vocational / career counseling is still as critical today as it was during our formative years, the process and role of the counselor are vastly different.

The years 1916 and 1917 saw two key pieces of legislation passed that significantly impacted and improved our public education school systems. The U.S. child labor laws in 1916 made it mandatory for all children to complete at least elementary education as a way to prevent misuse of child factory workers. The following year, The Smith-Hughes Act mandated continual focus on vocational guidance in public schools, following in the efforts of Jesse B. Davis nearly ten years earlier. A cornerstone of our profession was being cemented; these events established the clear bond between vocation and school guidance that would be a key foundational element in this profession.

In the 1930’s, Edmund Williamson provided us with the first guidance-related theory connecting job analysis and individual differences. Although similar to Parsons, Williamson looked at the matter from within a school setting. The roots of the field were becoming firmly planted in the American education system as we were continuing to hone the services offered.

Now we had a theoretical model to inform the practice as well.

In 1958, the United States government wanted to engage our public school systems by identifying gifted students in the areas of math and science, so that we could continue to be competitive in the “race to space.” The result was the National Defense Education Act (NDEA).

To meet the initiatives and goals of the NDEA, a new full-time position was created for public schools called a “Vocational Guidance Counselor.” No longer would this be an ancillary service added onto teachers’ duties. The role focused primarily on vocational planning and matching the students’ academic goals with that plan as needed.

Also during that time, Warren Benson, head of the guidance section of the Massachusetts Department of Education, proposed that NDEA funds be sent directly to public schools in the Commonwealth, rather than being funneled through newly created offices within the state government.

This focus on schools and direct service to the students was a key factor for the creation of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association — the state professional organization of this new field in American public education. MASCA DECEMBER 2012

became one of the state divisions of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) in 1960 and has been a strong voice for the field ever since.

The present and the future Even in the 21st century, School Counselors continue to face challenges and struggles around role ambiguity issues.

Some still see the role of the School Counselor as being more closely connected to its original form focused on vocational guidance, with clerical and advising work peppered throughout.

That role description retired decades ago. The Professional School Counselor of the 21st century has expanded in breadth and depth of skills, services, and training.

We are now critical school personnel who are trained to assist students with career, academic, and personal / social related issues through both prevention and intervention efforts. We recognize that all of these areas impact students’ abilities to be successful in the school environment; and with an understanding of developmental growth among children and adolescents, we strive to assist each student to meet his or her potential.

The field of School Counseling has

grown leaps and bounds from where we started a little more than a century ago.

We have • undergone at least two formal name changes, shifting from “Vocational Guidance Counselor” to “Professional School Counselor” in 1980; • established and developed a professional organization unique to this field: ASCA on the national level and our state division of MASCA; • transformed what the role is, along with the daily responsibilities and requirements for licensure; and • contributed to the larger need to have a Counselor Education training field to appropriately prepare practitioners for this work.

I am very proud to be a member of MASCA. I encourage you to get involved and support the field of School Counseling.

Please join us in continuing to grow the voice of this profession throughout Massachusetts and the country, so that everyone knows what it means to be a Professional School Counselor and the numerous ways PSC’s make all of our schools better places for our children to succeed. ■

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Bullying in Schools: Legislative Update

By SHANNON DORAN MASCA Advocacy Committee Chair

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s many of you know, Sirdeaner Lynn Walker was the keynote speaker at the recent MASCA conference. In 2009, her son, Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, took his life in response to bullying. With determination to keep other children and parents from having to experience this same tragedy, Sirdeaner came to the conference to share her moving story, big heart, and undeniable wisdom. Her courage and compassion inspired listeners to persist with even greater resolve in the important work of eliminating bullying in schools.

In honor of Sirdeaner’s moving journey and the important work that she and GLSEN are doing to address this issue, it feels especially appropriate to provide an update on House Bill 3584: An act relative to bullying in schools. This proposed legislation is intended to bolster anti-bullying legislation that was passed in 2010. Specifically, it is designed to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place

SHANNON DORAN for those groups of students who have historically experienced higher incidences of bullying: LGBTQ students, students with disabilities, and other disadvantaged students.

The good news is that this piece of legislation has come very far in the legislative process. This past May, H.3584 was combined with a compatible bill, Senate Bill 219, to become H.4063. This revised bill appeared in the Journal of the House Clerk, which is referred to as “the first reading.” It has also made it through

MASCA Membership The Massachusetts School Counselors Association (MASCA) is dedicated to providing information and services that will support the counseling profession.

Joining MASCA not only keeps counselors connected and informed but also strengthens the guidance profession as a whole.

MASCA Membership Benefits: • Your support of MASCA initiatives, which include professional development and advocacy for all counselors • Subscription to the Counselor’s Notebook, mailed to you monthly when school is in session and available online • Reduced rates at fall and spring conferences • Subscription to the MASCA e-mail list for timely updates and information • Access to online database of all MASCA members • Opportunities to participate on a variety of MASCA committees Apply online and pay by credit card or by check. To renew or to join, go to:

www.masca.org 10

the second reading; the bill was presented to the House during formal session. At the time this article was written, records show that H.4063 was recommended by the House for a third reading. This is the stage of the legislative process where House Representatives from across the state gather during formal session to debate bills and vote on whether or not it should proceed through the legislative process.

If the House approves the bill during the third reading, it will have to pass through the very same process in the Senate before it can reach the desk of the governor and get signed into law. Unfortunately, the legislative process takes time, and this legislative cycle ends in January. Since lawmakers will only be meeting in formal session for a very limited amount of time between now and the next legislative cycle, only a few critical bills will be brought for a vote during this time.

If you believe that this is an especially critical issue, please visit http://www. malegislature.gov and type “H.3584” in the search field. If the History field says that the bill is still in the House, contact your local House Representative. If the bill has made it to the Senate or Senate Clerk, contact your local Senator. Tell him or her why this bill is important according to your experience, school data, and any research you have on the subject.

Whether this bill passes during this legislative cycle or not, the fact that this bill made it this far bodes well for this legislation if it should be resubmitted for consideration during the next legislative cycle. Therefore, if you are particularly passionate about this topic, please contact advocacy@masca.org to get in cue to organize advocacy on behalf of this cause. If you would like more bullying prevention and intervention resources to augment the work you are already doing in schools, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education webpage is an excellent place to start: http://www.doe. mass.edu/bullying. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

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Architectural Building Engineering Business Management Construction Management Criminal Justice Technology NEW! Cyber Security Technology Digital Recording Arts NEW! Electrical Engineering Technology Game Development and Simulation Programming Health Care Management Information Technology Interior Design Mechanical Engineering Technology Network Engineering and Computer Servicing Software Engineering

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Bachelor of Science Degree Automotive Service Management

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DECEMBER 2012

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Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEWBURYPORT, MA PERMIT NO. 96

IN CASE OF NON-DELIVERY, RETURN TO: Deborah Clemence P.O. Box 805 East Dennis, MA 02641

Your membership renewal date is indicated by year and month on your address label above.

To renew your membership, go to MASCA’s website, www.masca.org.

MASCA Governing Board 2012-2013 Executive Council

Appointed Members

Jennifer Lisk

President lisk@medway.k12.ma.us president@masca.org

Donna Brown

Executive Director execdbrownmasca@gmail.com executivedirector@masca.org

Michelle Burke

Past President mburke@beverlyschools.org

Ashley Caron

Treasurer ashcicero@hotmail.com

Theresa Coogan, Ph.D.

President-Elect theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu

Jennifer McGuire

Secretary jmcguire@uppercapetech.org

Jacqueline Brown

VP Elementary jbrown@k12.somerville.ma.us

Deb Clemence

Membership Coordinator membership@masca.org

Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D.

Professional Development Coordinator pdchair@masca.org helenod@att.net

Marla Schay

Directory Editor schaym@mail.weston.org

Ron Miller

Technology Coordinator ronmill@gmail.com webmaster@masca.org

Sally Ann Connolly

Counselor’s Notebook Editor sallyconnolly@att.net

Marisa Castello Kathleen Scott Carrie Kulick-Clark

VP Middle/Jr. High castelloma@sps.springfield.ma.us scottk@amesburyma.gov VP Secondary jd02375@aol.com

TBA

VP Administrators

John Marcus

VP Postsecondary jmarcus@dean.edu

Megan Krell, Ph.D.

VP Counselor Educators mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu

Joseph Fitzgerald, Ed.D.

VP Retirees jdfitz1831@gmail.com