This message was sent to ##Email## June 4, 2020 Home  |   Membership  |   Conference  |   Support  |   Publications  |   Contact Us Subscribe  |   Archive  |   Advertise      NYSSCA UPDATE Race Issues and Anti-Racism Resources ASCA Race Conversations: As race and equity issues continue to be at the forefront of the news, it's important for school counselors to be prepared to talk to students about race issues and anti-racism. Get resources. The ASCA board and staff understand the gravity of the current climate and have issued this statement. Save the Date!! Innovation thru Collaboration! NYSSCA 2020 Conference NYSSCA Registration, Call for Programs and other details available now!! Share your thoughts on Reimagining NYS Education NYSUT There are two teachers on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Reimagine Education Advisory Council. They are both NYS Master Teachers. Dr. Stephanie Conklin is a high school math teacher at South Colonie CSD, the LEA for Greater Capital Region Teacher Center. Martin Palermo is a chemistry teacher at William Floyd School District, home of the William Floyd Teacher Center on Long Island. Together, they have created a survey for teachers, school counselors, parents, administrators and other school personnel that they plan to use to inform the work of the Reimagine Education Advisory Council. The survey is quick and easy to complete, check it out. Please share this survey with your respective constituencies. FAFSA Completion EdTrustNY EdTrustNY has created a FAFSA Completion one-pager for counselors and supervisors that can be distributed to seniors and parents to help with the FAFSA process. Here are the links to the English and Spanish versions. Feel free to distribute to your networks. Staying Connected: Your Stories NYSED Sharing Your Stories Connections in Education during the Coronavirus Crisis As educators navigate unprecedented obstacles with limited resources and guaranteed uncertainty, New York State educators lead the nation in their acceptance of this challenge. Throughout our state, administrators, teachers, and school counselors have demonstrated their extraordinary dedication, support, and commitment to their students and our children. From teacher parades for students to food and technology deliveries for families, New York's educators have risen to this challenge! Submit Your Own Stories We encourage you to share your story. Your story might be a one-page account, a video or even pictures showing us how your school, your students and your community are staying connected. Please visit our Submit Your Story page for additional information. Federal Grant — School-Based Mental Health Services Program ASCA Please see the following grant announcement from the Federal Register. The US Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2020 for the School-Based Mental Health Services Grant Program. Eligible applicants are State Education Agencies (SEA) and the purpose of the grant is to increase the number of school-based mental health professionals (e.g., school counselors, school psychologists school social workers) in school districts. Applicants must address the need for these professionals in their state and must propose a plan to increase the recruitment strategies of these professionals to address staffing shortages in the state. A total of $10 million will be competed, the average award is expected to be between $1.5 million and $2.5 million. The deadline to apply is July 13. This is a great opportunity for school counselor leaders to collaborate with graduate preparation programs and the state department of education to propose innovative ways to increase the numbers of school counselors in your state. See the full announcement and other details to apply here. Coronavirus News & Guidance for School Counselors NYSSCA Check out our website for updates and future zoom meetings. Click on the graphic for the latest updates. Recordings from our Innovation through Collaboration school counselor support meetings and our In-School to Distance Learning Level Meetings are available on this webpage.    AROUND THE INDUSTRY Middle school counselor's insights on the student pandemic experience NPR A school counselor, Kim Tran (ph), reflects on how the pandemic is affecting her middle school students. Tran is responsible for the social and emotional needs of her students, and that can be difficult when she can't check in with them in person. But through text and video calls, she's figured out how to assist middle schoolers through the pandemic. In her sessions, the question she hears most might surprise you.  READ MORE Stimulate this: How school counselors will help save our post-pandemic future Forbes School counselors are on the frontline of supporting our nation's young people as they move through their educational journey, but access to these supports is wildly unjust and inequitable and this has serious implications on the availability of post-secondary planning. While the American School Counselor Association recommends a ratio of 250 students per counselor, according to Department of Education statistics, the national average is 430-to-1.  READ MORE How schools can prepare for a very different kind of school year EdSurge While we are facing a lot of uncertainty about what school will look like this fall, it is virtually certain that, when the 2020-2021 school year begins, teachers who have always had diverse levels of student performance in their classroom will be looking at even greater diversity. Depending on each student's circumstance, some students will have grown academically, while others will have fallen further behind their peers.  READ MORE Easing the transition back to school for students with disabilities District Administration Magazine Although schools in many states will remain closed throughout the summer due to concerns about COVID-19, many districts are preparing to reopen their campuses in the fall or even earlier. A big challenge that districts will face in the upcoming school year is transitioning students with disabilities back to the school setting, says Robin S. Ballard, a partner with Schenck, Price, Smith & King, LLP, in Florham Park, N.J.  READ MORE High school student prep for online final exams U.S. News & World Report To slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, most high schools have chosen to remain closed for the rest of the academic year. Another difficult decision that school officials have grappled with is how to handle the issue of final exams. While some high schools have canceled finals altogether, others are weighing whether to administer them online.  READ MORE Poll: Teachers, parents wary of returning to schools without COVID-19 vaccine Education Week When and how schools will reopen is just one consideration for decisionmakers: A new poll suggests they should also consider whether teachers and families feel safe returning to buildings closed to contain the spread of the coronavirus.  READ MORE Will federal emergency relief funds help alleviate K-12 education cuts? By Bambi Majumdar (commentary) Ohio, Georgia, California, and Kansas were some of the first states to announce massive budget cuts in K-12 funding, and others will almost certainly follow soon. COVID-19 has led to a deep economic downturn that some say is worse than what Americans faced during the Great Depression. To date, over 38 million people have filed for unemployment aid. K-12 budget cuts in districts across the country will result in laid-off teachers and other workers. The education of a generation is at stake, and vulnerable children and families are facing higher risks.  READ MORE Focusing on students' health Teaching Channel The overall wellbeing of a child can make or break their academic success. While there are many factors that can sway a child's performance in the classroom, numerous studies emphasize the significant connection between health and academic performance.  READ MORE Survey shows big remote learning gaps for low-income and special needs children NPR Four out of 10 of the poorest U.S. students are accessing remote learning as little as once a week or less, according to a new survey from ParentsTogether, an advocacy group. By contrast, for families making more than $100,000 a year, 83% of kids are doing distance learning every day, with the majority engaged over 2 hours a day, the survey found. The nation's schools shut down in-person learning in mid-March, and only a few states, including Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, have experimented with opening classroom doors since then.  READ MORE With tech, the class of 2020 graduates on screen and via streams EdTech Magazine Pearson Online Academy will celebrate graduation this year the same way it always does: virtually. The online global school’s students and families plan to gather on June 16 via Adobe Connect in a ceremony that will include Camtasia-edited video segments, PowerPoint presentations and student speeches recorded on smartphones.  READ MORE Pandemic flips CTE models, but not without challenges Education DIVE When schools suddenly skidded to a halt this spring due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, career and technology educators had to come up with innovative ideas fast. Much of the curriculum in districts nationwide shifted to a distance learning format, but while online videos can demonstrate proper welding techniques, for example, they are no substitute for handling a welding torch and practicing techniques in real time. Construction, cosmetology, health care and culinary arts are no different.  READ MORE Falling into the gap year The New York Times It was only November when Hannah Book, 18, a high school student in Bryn Mawr, Pa., was accepted to her first choice, Emory College in Atlanta. "I got accepted early decision," she said. "I was really excited, and my mom and I jumped up and down. I felt like all my hard work had paid off in that moment." But that day, when she had clarity about her future, now seems worlds away.  READ MORE NYSSCA Today Connect with NYSSCA Recent Issues | Subscribe | Unsubscribe  | Advertise | Web Version  Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469-420-2601 | Download media kit Hailey Golden, Senior Education Editor, 469-420-2630 | Contribute news New York State School Counselor Association P.O. Box 217 | Leicester, New York 14481 | Contact Us  Learn how to add us to your safe sender list so our emails get to your inbox. 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063