Message from the President Sharon Bey, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

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1 Message from the President Sharon Bey, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD 1300 school counselors, great atmosphere, world famous shopping, networking opportunities, nationally renowned speaker, skill building sessions, great vendors, CREST winners, HB5 information, Counselor of the year finalist and semi-finalists, an opportunity to renew, relax, and rejuvenate, you at the Texas School Counselors Conference - PRICELESS! I hope you were able to attend our annual School Counselor Conference in Houston s premier Galleria on February Bryan Dodge our guest speaker at the general session on Monday was engaging, entertaining and inspirational. Bryan gave us tips on how to handle negative situations in a positive way. He taught us how we can achieve a work and life balance so that we can have more quality time at home. Bryan emphasized the life-changing difference that goal-setting can make so strongly that he offered to send a free copy of his book to everyone who sent him their goals. Also on Monday, I was honored to introduce the hardworking volunteers that make up the Texas School Counselor Association s Board. On Tuesday, Shelly Ramos, Director of Academic Standards and Services at the Texas Education Agency, presented much anticipated information on the new graduation plan plus endorsements, and addressed our questions and concerns. Forty six schools across Texas were congratulated as CREST winners for their excellent Counseling programs and dedication to their students. We were all thrilled that we had one previous TSCA School Counselor of the year, Monica Dominguez, from Dr. Sue Shook Elementary School in El Paso honored in Washington DC as a finalist for the ASCA School Counselor of the year, and two semi-finalist s Esmeralda Armendariz from Walter E. Clarke Middle School in El Paso and Jamie Farber from Northwest High School in Justin. Texas was well represented! TSCA received two awards at the ASCA conference this past July. One was for being the largest division of the American School Counselor Association and another for having the highest increase in membership. These awards were presented to Executive Director, Jan Friese to hang in the TCA office. I would like to thank all of you who came and helped make our conference a memorable event. I am also thankful for the support we receive from all of our membership, and I welcome your ideas and comments on ways that we can serve you better. I urge each and every one of you to get involved in our committees and continue to advocate for our wonderful profession. Human Rights Contest Deadline Extended DeLynn Brennan, Plano ISD Good news for the students of Texas! Our 2014 Human Rights Art Contest has been extended from March 1, 2014 to April 15, The topic is All different All equal. There are monetary prizes for the first and second place winners in each category: Elementary- Primary (K-2), Elementary-Intermediate (3-5), Junior High/Middle School (6-8), and High school (9-12). Please check out our website for the contest form. The 2013 form has been on the website but the new topic and requirements should be available now. The form gives you all of the requirements as well as the information about sending it in. We are looking for creative minds to share in our advocacy for equal treatment of all people. If you have any questions, please contact DeLynn Brennan at [email protected]. TSCA Newsletter March 2013, Vol. 24, Issue 1 A Division of the Texas Counseling Association Texas Counseling Association 1204 San Antonio, Ste. 201 Austin, TX The Voice of the School Counselor ia a publication of TSCA. Publication of editorials, letters or advertisements does not emply endorsement by TSCA Issue Theme: Leadership Nominations now open for Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader See inside for more details 1

2 What s in Your Leadership Toolbox? Dr. Sylvia A. Lopez, Dallas ISD The definition of leadership is describe as a person who has the ability to lead other people. School counselors are in a unique position to lead on their campus. Counselors need a leadership toolbox of skills to be able to lead others effectively. Leadership skills are not innate, but are developed through experiences by leading a group, working with individual differences, and self-confidence. A toolbox full of different tools is only a box of tools unless you know the correct tool to use. As a leader, you must seek ways to learn, grow, and keep improving. In order to get the job done, one must learn to choose the right tool while working with a team or the school administrator. Six tools to add to your toolbox when leading other people are: LISTEN Tool: Listen to your team. It s important to know each member of your team to figure out what strengths they bring to the group. This skill requires listening, understanding, and accepting. If your team feels valued and appreciated, they will continue to work with you as a leader. A successful leader encourages others to voice their opinions. TEAMWORK Tool: It takes a team to accomplish a task. It would be extremely difficult to plan and deliver a school wide initiative without a team effort. Building an effective team takes time and trust. Members of your team must believe that the work is significant and worth doing. ACTION Tool: Ideas that are created require action or the ideas are just a dream. Every day, come to work ready to make a difference. As school counselors, be visible and accessible to meet the needs of your students, staff, or parents. Carry a notebook and a pen with you at all times as you walk from one area of the school to another. Teachers, administrators, or students will stop and ask something of you. Be prepared to write it down and take care of it sometime during the day. It s important to provide feedback when asked to do a task. This creates a trustworthy relationship with your colleagues. RESULTS Tool: It s all about results! Always know where you are and where you are going. Focus on being proactive and accountable to your teams. Leaders learn from the experiences and wisdom of others. Failure to obtain the positive results that you are wanting to accomplish is not failure, but an opportunity to grow and learn. HEART Tool: This tool of leadership is caring. Without caring, leadership has no purpose. The work of a counselor can touch the hearts of many. A counselor can help build a positive and inspiring school culture by leading with kindness, compassion, and passion about the work that is done on a daily basis. A toolbox of leadership skills means nothing without heart. PLAN Tool: Plan your day or your day will manage you. Come each day prepared and ready to start your day. The first hour is the best time to set your priorities and focus on what is important to accomplish. Try not to pack all your activities so closely together. Leave at least 5 to 10 minutes between activities in order to wrap up one activity before you start a new one. At the end of each day, take 10 minutes to clear your desk of paper clutter and move any unfinished tasks to the next day s calendar. When you lead a group, always have an agenda and choose someone in your team to be the note taker. Review the purpose of the meeting and what you plan to accomplish. At the end of the meeting, leave time for questions. Finally, do a quick review of what was discussed and what needs to be accomplished before the next meeting. Add these six tools to your leadership toolbox. They can help you lead others to accomplish great things at your school. Build your team, listen to others, be passionate, take action, get organized and plan for positive results. Your leadership as a school counselor is important. It will help you advocate for your students and your school counseling program to your administrator, staff, community, and parents. Take the lead and make a difference! 2 Leadership Matthew Smith, Humble ISD What is Leadership? If you re anything like me, when you see the word Leadership, many thoughts come to mind. Google gives synonyms like: Direction, Supervision and Control. As I began thinking on this word, my mind quickly went back to the personality trainings that our group has been conducting over the past year. We work with individuals who want to better understand themselves in order to more effectively work with those around them. You may be familiar with the DISC personality assessment, which works to show our most natural leanings regarding personality. I may be Dominant, Influencing, Steady or Compliant, or in reality, a combination of the four. My strongest personality leanings define the way that I approach my day, and in a larger sense, my life. Each one of us is a unique blend of these personality traits, and our individual leadership style is most effective when it is rooted in our unique strengths. Whether I m more people or task oriented, or prefer a fast versus slow pace, these qualities can help me in working with my teammates around me. I often hear the words opposites attract and I believe this can be especially beneficial when working with others in a group. When each member brings their own gifts, with the hopes of contributing to the cause, true synergy can occur. This results in an even greater product than once perceived. Speaking of how opposites often attract, occasionally my wife and I have differing opinions related to our children, or our work, or something as simple as which restaurant to go to on a Friday night. When frustrated because we are so different, my dear wife will often say, If each of us were the same, one of us wouldn t be needed. How true that has been in my home life, and also my work life. I have learned throughout this process that I do not need to try to mirror other leaders around me in order to be effective, but instead, build on my true self in order to reach my maximum potential in working with others. That is what leadership means to me.

3 Bright Idea Daily Career Program Dr. Leon Kilpatrick, Dallas ISD Sometimes planning and implementing a college/career fair for students is not an easy task. This is especially true for school counselors who have testing and other noncounseling responsibilities. The primary purposes of a Career Day are to provide students with information about various careers and explore their career interests. Each day during the semesters, the school counselor takes the lead in organizing basic job information about various careers to be shared with students. To implement the DCP, the school counselor should follow these steps: 1. Share information about careers daily during the morning announcements 2. Include in the announcements basic job information about each career such as level of education needed, average salary, and required concentration courses. If possible, get students involved by appointing students or student organizations to make career announcements. 3. Invite students who want to know more about specific career(s) to schedule an appointment to speak to their counselors. 4. Make available to students various career resources on the computer, and provide them with hard copies. Using the DCP would also be a great opportunity to expound upon the HB5 career endorsements. How these steps are implemented may depend on the school s grade level. The DCP requires planning and collaboration. Each part should be modified to make it age appropriate for your students. College and Career Awareness in the Elementary School Shared at the TSCA Conference Emily Winters, Grand Prairie ISD During the Vice Presidents presentation at our recent TSCA conference in Houston, several of your fellow counselors shared some of their bright ideas about how to implement college and career awareness in the elementary school setting. Their ideas are below. Thank you to everyone who attended the session and contributed their excellent ideas! College Spotlight Wall: Write to universities to receive college pennants and posters to display in main hallway or use paper cutting machine to create pennants for every university represented by school staff. Have staff members sign their university s pennant or sign with their name and the year they graduated. Fall Into College: Create trees with paper and have students/staff make leaves with information about colleges and universities (colors, mascots, main areas of study, important facts). College and Career Zone: Use handouts from universities and local colleges to transform a spare room, portion of a hallway, or area of the school library into a college zone. Parents, students, and visitors to your campus may look over information at their leisure. Graduation Year Banners: Create large banners for each grade level to sign showing what year they will graduate from high school. Laminate banners and move each year to new hallway as students transition to new grade level. College Recognition: Outside of classroom doors, teachers will display the college/ university they graduated from and/or create a display in their classroom. Adopt a College and/or College Student: Each class adopts a college to research and creates a poster about the school and/or each grade level adopts a college student who is a former student of the school/district and corresponds with college student like pen pals to learn about college life. Show Me The Money! Being a Member Pays Off! Allison White, Granbury ISD While being a member of TSCA has many perks, one of these is the scholarship opportunities that are available. Each year TSCA awards scholarships to graduating seniors and individuals working on a graduate or continuing education program in school counseling. The following Molly Gerold scholarships are available: One $2, scholarship for a graduating senior who is a child/grandchild of a TSCA member, Five $1, scholarships for a graduating senior from a school whose counselor is a TSCA member, and Up to four $ scholarships for graduate hours toward a degree or continuing education in school counseling. Scholarship applications must be postmarked by April 15, To access the scholarship applications, go to the TSCA homepage at txca.org/tsca. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and there is a direct link to find scholarship information and applications. Good luck as you prepare and submit your applications! Counselor Resources National Office for School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA) nosca.collegeboard.org This site promotes the value of school counselors as leaders in school reform, student acheivement, and college readiness. 3

4 4 ASCA School Counselor of the Year Program Honors Texas Counselors Tammi Mackeben, Socorro ISD Each year the America School Counselor Association (ASCA) sponsors the School Counselor of the Year program. This year Texas was well represented in the list of honorees. Three Texas school counselors were among the top. Esmeralda Armendariz, middle school counselor at Capt. Walter E. Clarke Middle School, Socorro ISD, El Paso, Texas and Jamie Farber, high school counselor at Northwest High School Northwest ISD, Justin, Texas were named semifinalists. Esmeralda and Jamie were the TSCA Middle School and High School Counselors of the Year respectively. Monica Dominguez, elementary school counselor at Dr. Sue Shook Elementary, Socorro ISD, El Paso, Texas was named a top five finalist. Monica was the TSCA Elementary School Counselor of the Year. Monica, Lynda Shuttlesworth (TSCA Past President) and Rosie Vega (Principal, Dr. Sue Shook Elementary) traveled to Washington, DC January 29th through February 1st to be recognized, educate law makers and advocate for professional school counselors across the nation. On Thursday, January 30th, Monica, Lynda, and Rosie met with Senator Ted Cruz and Senator John Cornyn. Monica discussed issues affecting not only the city of El Paso, but the state of Texas. She discussed concerns students face such as dealing with deployment of family members, border violence, and immigration issues. Lowering counselor to student ratios was a topic Monica addressed in her meetings with both Senators. She also educated both senators on the role of a school counselor and the impact school counselors have on students and community. After meeting with the senators, Monica noted, It was an amazing opportunity to meet with our state senators and discuss the importance of a comprehensive school counseling program and the positive impact school counselors make on improving students academically and socially. Monica also sat on a College and Career Readiness panel with Washington congressional staffers. She stressed the importance of promoting college and career readiness at the elementary level. On Friday, January 30th, Monica visited the Department of Education and met with the Director of the Office of Safe and Healthy Students. She also met with the Hispanic Coalition. Monica and Jamie were both recognized at a black tie gala at Union Station on Friday evening. Although the festivities are over, Esmeralda, Jamie and Monica will continue to advocate for school counselors in Texas and across the country. Since the gala, Monica has set on a panel with ten other school counselors from across the world to talk with college students working on master s degrees in school counseling. She has also provided information to a senate committee regarding students with ADD/ADHD, from the school counselor s perspective. Monica summed up her experience so far by stating, It has been an honor and a privilege to represent students and school counselors in Texas and nationwide. To be able to promote the importance of school counselors and the role they play in student achievement and personal development has been an incredible opportunity. Congratulations again to Esmeralda Armendariz, Monica Dominguez and Jamie Farber! Texas has many outstanding school counselors. Don t forget to nominate exceptional school counselors for the TSCA School Counselor of the Year award. Visit txca.org/tsca for more information. A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way John Maxwell Monica Dominguez poses with Texas Senator Ted Cruz during her recent visit to our nation s capital Show Me The Money! Being a Member Pays Off! Allison White, Granbury ISD While being a member of TSCA has many perks, one of these is the scholarship opportunities that are available. Each year TSCA awards scholarships to graduating seniors and individuals working on a graduate or continuing education program in school counseling. The following Molly Gerold scholarships are available: One $2, scholarship for a graduating senior who is a child/ grandchild of a TSCA member Five $1, scholarships for a graduating senior from a school whose counselor is a TSCA member Up to four $ scholarships for graduate hours toward a degree or continuing education in school counseling Scholarship applications must be postmarked by April 15, To access the scholarship applications, go to the TSCA homepage at txca. org/tsca. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and there is a direct link to find scholarship information and applications. Good luck as you prepare and submit your applications!

5 A Job Well Done Allison White, Granbury ISD As the end of the school year quickly approaches, why not take the time to honor those counselors, administrators, counselor educators, advocates and legislators that strive to provide our students with the most effective programs possible. Each fall, TSCA awards outstanding elementary, middle/junior high, secondary, and multi-level counselors. In addition, TSCA awards outstanding campus administrators, legislators and counselor educators, supervisors, and advocates. There are numerous advantages to nominating these individuals. It is important to recognize the hard work and excellence one develops within their counseling program. It also provides you the opportunity to advocate for a specific program and to highlight the amazing achievements that have been accomplished. Finally, who doesn t want to reward deserving individuals? Knowing the end of the school year is near, time becomes a factor. Between testing, counseling sessions, and that never ending pile of paperwork, where do you find the time to nominate? Luckily, the application process has become streamlined and is less time consuming than ever. Not only is the application process shorter, but it can even be submitted electronically. Follow these steps to locate the nomination forms: 1. Go to txca.org/tsca 2. Highlight the tab marked Counselors on the left side of the page 3. Scroll down and click on the Awards tab 4. Under Professional Recognition Award click the word document titled Professional Recognition Award While the above listed awards honor established individuals and programs, the Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader award is given to an outstanding up and coming counselor and leader within the profession. This individual will serve on the board and will have the opportunity to continue serving on future boards as an officer or committee chair. This award can be found by following the above steps and clicking on the word document Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader Nomination Form. Please take the time to nominate these deserving individuals. The deadline for the Professional Recognition awards is September 15, 2014 and the deadline for the Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader award is May 1, We look forward to receiving your nominations! Texas School Counselor Association Board Lynda Shuttlesworth, Plano ISD The selection of officers is very important to our association. Our vision is to be the voice of the Texas school counselors. The mission of TSCA is to support Texas School Counselors through leadership, advocacy and professional development. We promote our values of leadership, professionalism, accountability and collaboration. If this is your vision, mission and values, then you may want to volunteer to join other passionate leaders in the organization to guide the future of counseling in Texas. If you are interested in getting involved with TSCA by serving on a committee, please contact Lynda. [email protected]. This spring you will have the opportunity to cast your vote and elect new officers for The following are the members that were nominated and have agreed to serve: President Elect: Dr. Sylvia A. Lopez - Director of Counseling Services, Dallas ISD I look forward to running as President-elect for a wonderful group of school counselors of the Texas School Counselor Association. It will be my honor to continue to serve school counselors across this great state of Texas. I have served on the TSCA board for 6 years as TSCA senator. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to our profession as professional school counselors. TSCA Senator: Janise Pries -Director of Guidance and Counseling, Ysleta ISD In her seventh year as Director of Guidance and Counseling for Ysleta ISD in El Paso, Janise G. Pries is passionate about making a difference for her fellow counselors. In addition to her full time job, she and husband Kim have written six books for counselors - a series entitled A School Counselor s Guide to... Janise teaches the Counselor Alternative Program for ESC Region 19 continued on page 6 5

6 TSCA Annual Conference CREST Awards Elementary School Level CREST Winners High School Level CREST Winners 6 continued from page 5 TSCA Board Lynda Shuttlesworth, Plano ISD Middle School Vice President: Clara Smith- Middle School Counselor, New Braunfels ISD I have been a Counselor since 2006 in both High School and Middle School. But Middle School is where my heart is. Before counseling I taught in Middle School for 18 years. I work in Canyon Middle School in Comal ISD. I am interested in the Middle School VP position first and foremost to be an active part of an organization that supports Professional Counselors and Advocates for Children. I have been eager to become involved in decisionmaking and process-setting that will support and empower all counselors. Elementary Vice President: Sheila Lashley -Elementary Counselor, Fort Worth ISD My name is Sheila Lashley and I am the Elementary School Counselor at Lily B Clayton Elementary for Fort Worth ISD. I have been a school counselor for 12 years and take pride in being an advocate and educator for the students and families, working closely with school staff, partnering with the community to provide leadership opportunities for the students, and mentoring new elementary counselors in FWISD. I would welcome the opportunity to continue to serve my fellow counselors and broaden my leadership experience if I am elected to the role of Vice President for TSCA.

7 Forty Six Schools Receive CREST Award Pat Freberg, Retired from Needville ISD Forty Six schools from across Texas were recently presented with the distinguished CREST award during a luncheon honoring them at the School Counselor Conference, hosted by the Texas School Counselor Association, in Houston, Texas. CREST stands for Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas and recognizes outstanding school counseling programs. This year s recipients included the following schools: Ann Richards Middle School...Dallas ISD Beaty Early Childhood School...Plano ISD Bill Sybert School... Socorro ISD Boude Storey Middle School...Dallas ISD Captain Walter E. Clark Middle School... Socorro ISD Clara Love Elementary...Northwest ISD Col. John O. Ensor Middle School... Socorro ISD Deer Park Jr. High... Deer Park ISD Dillard McCollum High School... Harlandale ISD Harpool Middle School...Denton ISD Haun Elementary...Plano ISD Hendrick Middle School...Plano ISD Hightower Elementary...Plano ISD Hillcrest High School...Dallas ISD Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary...Dallas ISD Irma Rangel Young Women s Leadership School...Dallas ISD J.L. Long Middle School...Dallas ISD JP Starks Math, Science and Technology Vanguard...Dallas ISD John Adams Middle School... Grand Prairie ISD John Drugan School... Socorro ISD John F. Kennedy Learning Center...Dallas ISD MacArthur School... El Paso ISD Mansfield Lake Ridge High School...Mansfield ISD McNair Elementary...Denton ISD Moises E. Molina High School...Dallas ISD Montwood High School... Socorro ISD Obadiah Knight Elementary...Dallas ISD Paso Del Norte Elementary/Middle School... Socorro ISD Polytechnic High School...Fort Worth ISD Preston Hollow Elementary...Dallas ISD Richland High School...Birdville ISD Scoggins Middle School...Fisco ISD Sgt. Roberto Ituarte Elementary... Socorro ISD Shannon Learning Center...Birdville ISD Skyline High School...Dallas ISD Snow Heights Elementary...Birdville ISD South Oaks Cliff High School...Dallas ISD Spc. Rafael Hernando Middle School... Socorro ISD Sunset High School...Dallas ISD Thomas Jefferson High School...Dallas ISD Vista del Sol Elementary... El Paso ISD W.H. Gaston Middle School...Dallas ISD W.W. Samuell High School...Dallas ISD Wedgewood Middle School...Fort Worth ISD Western Hills High School...Fort Worth ISD William M. Anderson Elementary...Dallas ISD For more information on the CREST award go to txca.org, click on division, click on TSCA and then go to CREST. Keynote Speaker Bryan Dodge delighted TSCA members with his remarks! Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader Darlene Davenport, Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Each year, TSCA nominates one or two school counselors to be TSCA s Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader(s). These counselors should be outstanding school counselors who are active in their local chapters. The counselors who are chosen will serve on the TSCA Board for the year After having served on the TSCA Board, it is recommended that they continue to be involved in TSCA as officers, committee chairs, or members. Please nominate yourself or someone you know who would be a good candidate as an Emerging Leader for Fill out the information online or your nomination by May 1, 2014 to Darlene Davenport TSCA President-Elect Canyon Arbor Way Houston, TX [email protected] 7

8 Texas Counseling Association A Division of the Texas Counseling Association 1204 San Antonio St, Ste 201 Austin, TX Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 182 Austin, Texas President Sharon Bey President-elect Darlene Davenport Past President Lynda Shuttlesworth Secretary Tammi Mackeben TCA Director Diana Villarreal TCA Senator Sylvia Lopez Elementary VP Emily Winters Middle School VP Nelda Garcia High School VP Diane Lowe Counselor Supervisor VP Dr. Leon Kilpatrick Counselor Educator VP Dr. Charles Crews Treasurer Laura Bannerman Parliamentarian Betty White By-Laws/Ethics Chair Dalia Gonzales Communications/Technology Chair Scott Kessel CREST Chair Pat Freberg Human Rights Chair Delynn Brennan Member Services Chair Jessica Harris Professional Recognition Betty White / Allison White Professional Scholarships Betty White / Allison White Emerging Leader Matthew Smith April 15, 2014 TSCA Scholarships deadline May 1, 2014 Jesus Juarez Emerging Leader nominations June 29 July 2, 2014 ASCA Annual Conference September 1, 2014 Professional Recognition Award nominations November 12-15, 2014 TCA 58th Annual Professional Growth Conference: Dallas, Texas 8