 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Sign
up for monthly
prevention news!
News of Hope email. |
 |
|
|
|
|
Welcome
to Sept, 2006 "News of
Hope"
WELCOME
BACK TO SCHOOL ...
Everyone is finally back and
into school mode. Plenty busy,
if not overwhelmed at the start.
As everyone gets settled in,
students will settle into
cliques and we adults into our
patterns and habits.
During the year, you are certain
to see the youth that are
struggling, are misfits, angry,
sullen or withdrawn. I urge you
to stay in touch and in tune
with your school counselor,
school psyhcologist, alcohol and
drug coordinator and/or whomever
can intervene early to catch a
troubled child and give them
every chance at success this
year.
This month's newsletter is about
school counseling - the
importance of the counselor's
role and ideas to best utilize
his/her expertise in the support
of parents and students. Let's
make this as proactive a year as
possible!
SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER CONTENTS
. Survey Shows Too Many
Parents Lack Contact With School
Counselors
. Underrated School Resource:
School Counselors Provide
Unparalled Support to Teens
. Why Middle School
Counselors?
. ASCA Participates in
Bipartisan U.S Senate Briefing
Addressing Mental Health in
Schools
. School Counselor Funding in
California to Dramatically
Increase
SEPTEMBER PHOTOS above:
Photo 1: We are proud to share
that LEGACY OF HOPE is featured
in the September-October 2006
issue of GRAND Magazine.
Photo 2 & 3: Preston High
School Freshman Orientation with
teens and parents - Kingwood, WV
and Staff Development workshop
"Thrive, Don't Just
Survive"
Check
out GRAND MAGAZINE
Photo
4: Recent Interview on MOM TALK
Radio - WLVJ 1040 AM in South FL
- Great stuff for Mom's with
kids of all ages! MOM
TALK Radio interview
|
|
| Survey
Shows Too Many Parents Lack
Contact With School Counselors
A new school
year can bring a host of
unexpected stresses and
challenges, but research shows
that a school counselor's
involvement in a student's life
can make a difference. The
school counselor's role is to
act as the first line of contact
for parents and students for
assistance in academic, social,
or personal development. Despite
this fact, a new survey released
by the American School Counselor
Association (ASCA) shows that
more than one-third of parents
report they have had little or
no contact with their child's
school counselor in the past
school year.
With students heading back to
school across the country, ASCA
is encouraging parents to
proactively communicate with
their child's school counselor
at least three times a year to
best steer their child's
success. "It's important
for parents to establish and
maintain regular communications
with the school counselor to
better understand their child's
challenges and address any
concerns that could impede
success," said Judy Bowers,
President of the American School
Counselor Association.
In an effort to help busy
parents communicate more
effectively with their child's
school counselor, ASCA is
offering four
"Back-to-School" tips
to improve parent-counselor
dialogue:
-Understand the expertise and
responsibilities of your child's
school counselor.
-Meet or contact your child's
counselor at least three times
during the school year.
-Discuss your child's challenges
and concerns with the school
counselor.
-Learn about your child's school
and social connections from the
school counselor.
-Work with the school counselor
to identify resources and find
solutions to problems.
Learn more about the rold of
School Counselors in Susie's
book "52 Ways to Protect
Your Teen" |
|
___________________________________________________________
Underrated
School Resource: School
Counselors Provide Unparalled
Support to Teens
|
Excerpts from
52 Ways to Protect Your
Teen
School counselors are
much more than just
academic schedulers,
college application
coordinators, and job
placement advisors for
our teens.
School counselors
make a significant
contribution to the
academic success of our
children, especially the
many from problematic
homes. The large
majority of school
counselors I (Susie)
work with at schools and
conferences make an
effort to stay informed
about current social and
mental health issues.
They implement programs
that deal with the
emotional needs of youth
including: coping
skills; peer mediation;
anger management;
counseling for grief and
parental divorce;
current trends in
alcohol and drug abuse;
domestic violence and
abuse; teen pregnancy;
gangs; adolescent
sexuality; suicide and
depression; counseling
the gifted; guiding the
disabled; and stress
management.
If a trend is brewing in
teens today, school
counselors have probably
seen it coming or heard
of it first!
Let's face the two
serious needs in school
counseling nationwide,
and take action to help!
1. Raise awareness of
state and national
legislators, county and
district
superintendents, parents
and voters to the
importance of funding
more school counseling
positions, rather than
less. Raise your own
voice! Help make it
clear that educating a
child from today's
complex and challenged
families is more than
just meeting academic
standards. We must
provide sufficient
psychological counseling
services in school to
children whose minds are
overwhelmed by the
dysfunction of their
families.
2. Recruit more
people into the school
counseling profession by
making the position more
appealing and more
respected. Many of
the best and most
experienced counselors
will be reaching
retirement over the next
few years. To draw
dedicated and caring
individuals into
counseling, schools and
school districts must
commit sufficient funds
to hire enough
administrative help so
school counselors can do
what they became
counselors to do:
counsel kids.
School counselors and
the life-changing
programs they create on
school campuses continue
to make a difference,
opening up futures, and
saving teen lives. So,
get behind your school
counselors. Acknowledge
them! Advocate for them!
Contact
Susie about Counselor
Staff Development Day
|
|
|
 |
Why
Middle School
Counselors?
Middle school is an
exciting, yet
challenging time for
students, their parents
and teachers. During
this passage from
childhood to
adolescence, middle
school students are
characterized by a need
to explore a variety of
interests, connecting
their learning in the
classroom to its
practical application in
life and work; high
levels of activity
coupled with frequent
fatigue due to rapid
growth; a search for
their own unique
identity as they begin
turning more frequently
to peers rather than
parents for ideas and
affirmation; extreme
sensitivity to the
comments from others;
and heavy reliance on
friends to provide
comfort, understanding
and approval.
Middle school counselors
are professional
educators with a mental
health perspective who
understand and respond
to the challenges
presented by today's
diverse student
population. Middle
school counselors do not
work in isolation;
rather they are integral
to the total educational
program. They provide
proactive leadership
that engages all
stakeholders in the
delivery of programs and
services to help
students achieve success
in school. Professional
school counselors align
with the school's
mission to support the
academic achievement of
all students as they
prepare for the
ever-changing world of
the 21st century. This
mission is accomplished
through the design,
development,
implementation and
evaluation of a
comprehensive,
developmental and
systematic school
counseling program.
Middle School Counselors
Implement the Counseling
Program by Providing:
School Guidance
Curriculum
Academic skills support
Organizational, study
and test-taking skills
Education in
understanding self and
others
Coping strategies
Peer relationships and
effective social skills
Communication,
problem-solving,
decision-making and
conflict resolution
Career awareness,
exploration and planning
Substance abuse
education
Multicultural/diversity
awareness
Individual Student
Planning
Goal-setting/decision-
making
Academic planning
Career planning
Education in
understanding of self,
including strengths and
weaknesses
Transition planning
Responsive Services
Individual and small
group counseling
Individual/family/school
crisis intervention
Peer facilitation
Consultation/collaboration
Referrals
System Support
Professional development
Consultation,
collaboration and
teaming
Program management and
operation
Middle school students
are characterized by
rapid physical growth,
curiosity about their
world and an emerging
self-identity. Through a
comprehensive
developmental school
counseling program,
counselors work as a
team member with school
staff, parents and the
community to create a
caring, supportive
climate and atmosphere
whereby young
adolescents can achieve
academic success. Middle
school counselors
enhance the learning
process and promote
academic achievement.
School counseling
programs are essential
for students to achieve
optimal personal growth,
acquire positive social
skills and values, set
appropriate career goals
and realize full
academic potential to
become productive,
contributing members of
the world community. The
professional middle
school counselor holds a
master's degree and
required state
certification in school
counseling. Maintaining
certification includes
on-going professional
development to stay
current with education
reform and challenges
facing today's
students. Professional
association membership
is encouraged as it
enhances the school
counselor's knowledge
and effectiveness.
|
|
|
|
ASCA
Participates in Bipartisan U.S
Senate Briefing Addressing
Mental Health in Schools
In today's schools, students are
faced with tremendous stress,
from bullying to the aftermath
of natural disasters, to testing
requirements. In Washington D.C
a panel of experts discussed the
roles, responsibilities, and
impact of school-employed mental
health service providers.
The briefing, "Removing
Barriers to Learning: The Role
of School-Employed Mental Health
Service Providers,"
addressed how these
professionals- school
counselors, school
psychologists, and school social
workers- eliminate barriers to
learning by helping students
improve academic achievement,
develop interpersonal and
social/emotional skills and
prepare for positive
postsecondary opportunities.
"Research has shown that
students who receive
social-emotional support and
prevention services do better in
school," said Richard Wong,
executive director of the
American School Counselor
Association.
"School-employed mental
health providers are specially
trained in school system
functioning and learning, as
well as mental health, and focus
on how students' behavior and
mental health impacts their
ability to learn and be
successful in school. These
professionals have a positive
effect on academic outcomes and
social/emotional welfare."
The American School Counselor
Association (ASCA) supports
school counselors' efforts to
help students focus on academic,
personal/social and career
development so they achieve
success in school and are
prepared to lead fulfilling
lives as responsible members of
society. ASCA provides
professional development,
publications, and other
resources, research, and
advocacy to more than 18,000
professional school counselors
around the globe.
For additional information about
the briefing, or this topic,
please contact Ashley Carlton at
acarlton@wpllc.net.
|
| |
School
Counselor Funding in California to
Dramatically Increase
 The
American School Counselor Association
applauds the recently approved
increase in funding for school
counseling in California. State
Secretary of Education Alan Bersin
announced a bipartisan budget
agreement to allocate $200 million
originally proposed by Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger in his May Revision.
During recent weeks, ASCA and its
members in California had worked with
Governor Schwarzenegger and key
legislative leaders in the state for
approval of full funding.
With the $200 million funding, schools
will be able to hire approximately
3,000 credentialed school counselors
statewide. This will bring down the
student/counselor ratio to 500:1 in
middle schools and 300:1 in high
schools. The new funding will bring
the current California ratios of 966:1
closer to the national average of
488:1.
The increase in school counselors will
allow schools to help every student
pass the California High School Exit
Exam, meet requirements and complete
applications for college, plan for
meaningful careers, and overcome
personal and social developmental
problems that may create barriers to
learning.
Although ASCA applauds the budget
allocation, it is cautiously
optimistic about the impact it could
have. "Money alone doesn't solve
the problem," said ASCA President
Barbara Blackburn. "The funding
was a good first step, but the state
must now demonstrate its commitment by
hiring trained, qualified and
certified school counselors and by
directing funds to implementation of
comprehensive developmental school
counseling programs. If this increased
emphasis on school counseling brings
the results we expect, California can
be a model for the rest of the
country."
Explore LEGACY programs
to motivate long-time and new school
counselors |
 Susie
Vanderlip listed with BOCES - Arts and
Education- NY
For New York
schools: Take advantage of BOCES
support when scheduling Susie's LEGACY
OF HOPE assembly in your school.
BOCES support is available in the
locations:
Capital Region
Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery
Questar III
Ulster
Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex
Champlain Valley
For more information, visit the BOCES
- Arts in Education - NY website
__________________________________________________________________________
 LEGACY
OF HOPE SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES AND
CONFERENCE KEYNOTE
Dramatic,
thought-provoking and life-enhancing -
Theatrical one-woman presentation
addressing emotional intelligence and
how to make good choices. Addresses
real-world teen concerns including
alcohol and drug abuse, excess stress,
teen pregnancy, gangs, AIDS,
depression, bullying, self-harm,
suicide and violence.
Encourages
teens to get help for emotional
turmoil BEFORE it leads to destructive
alternatives.
LEGACY OF HOPE - is
THIS THE YEAR to make a lifelong
difference?
Also, please forward this newsletter
to friends, colleagues, parents, and
others who might find this information
useful. Help us carry our message of
hope and healing.
If you are
receiving this newsletter
forwarded from a colleague or
friend, and would like to
continue to receive it, please
email us at susie@legacyofhope.com
with subject subscribe.
Contact Susie
__________________________________________________________________________
"If
we are to teach real peace in this
world, and if we are to carry on a
real war against war, we shall have to
begin with the children."
-Mahatma Gandhi
Wishing you well,
All of us at LEGACY
Susie Vanderlip - Ken Vanderlip
- Veronica Garcia
800-707-1977
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
