 Next Week is Kentucky Safe Schools Week, “BE A SAFETY STAR,” Oct. 17- 23, 2021
Kentucky Safe Schools Week, sponsored by the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS), will be Oct. 17-23. This year’s theme – “Be a Safety Star” – will focus on spreading kindness, treating others with respect and abiding by safety rules and support.
The KCSS website includes a variety of teaching aids on school safety using the Safe Schools Week theme: “Share,” “Treat,” “Abide” and “Rise.” The toolkit contains resources such as lessons, videos and interactive websites. Resources also are available for school administrators, parents and the community.
Create a Brag Board for Kentucky School Counselors Using Flipgrid
Create a quick video highlighting some of your successes this year through Flipgrid!
If for some reason the link provided does not work for you, join by using the following join code: 7ac3c169. I'd love to share your stories and celebrate your awesomeness.
School Counselor Use of Time Survey
School counselors,
On Monday, your superintendents received a survey about how you spend your time. It is very important that you be a part of this process and share your data. You also may choose to forward this information to other stakeholders in your district that need it.
If you are looking for examples of how to collect your own use of time data, here are two:
Here is the information that school districts received:
Required Superintendent Survey Senate Bill 8 (Re: School Counselors)
Please visit the School Counselor Survey launch page to complete the required survey regarding number, placement, funding and duties of school counselors. Each district is required to download, fill out and submit an MS excel workbook or Google sheet reporting this information for every counselor in the district. Further instructions are available on the School Counselor Survey launch page. The survey is due Nov. 1, 2021.
This survey is required by Senate Bill 8 from the 2020 Regular Session which amended KRS 158.4416(3)(e), and states: “No later than Nov. 1, 2019, and each subsequent year, the local school district superintendent shall report to the department the number and placement of school counselors in the district. The report shall include the source of funding for each position, as well as a summary of the job duties and work undertaken by each counselor and the approximate percent of time devoted to each duty over the course of the year.”
Please email Damien Sweeney with any questions.
 Join Us for the Statewide Kentucky Education Cooperative Counselor Cadre
Join the Statewide Kentucky Education Cooperative Counselor Cadre for sessions designed with your needs in mind. Please contact your co-op for more information as we get closer to each event.
The sessions will include:
- Nov. 12: Learn from Damien Sweeney about the Kentucky Best Practices for School Counselors
- Jan. 11: Learn from panelists about how school counselors can support students in the LGBTQIA+ community
- Feb. 8: Learn from the following presenters:
- Brett Zymoski (Ohio State University): Data-driven School Counseling
- Lacretia Dye (Western Kentucky University): Building Comprehensive School Counseling Programs with Hands-on Activities
- Heather Bushelman (Boone County): Social-emotional Learning
- Miriam Silman (Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities): Integrated Mental Health
- June 10: Learn about ways to plan for next year with building administrators and teachers (speaker to be announced)
KDE Seeking Nominations for 2022 U.S. Presidential Scholars
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is seeking nominations for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. This is not a scholarship; however, all scholars will be honored for their accomplishments during the National Recognition Program, held in June in Washington, D.C.
Presidential Scholars will be guests of the commissioner of the U.S. Department of Education during the National Recognition Program and enjoy an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with government officials, educators and other accomplished people. To commemorate their achievement, the scholars are awarded the U.S. Presidential Scholars medallion at a ceremony sponsored by the White House.
Each school may nominate two high school seniors: one male and one female. Schools and districts are encouraged to nominate students who, while demonstrating outstanding scholarship, might not otherwise be nominated through the current ACT/SAT or arts recognition processes.
For the arts component, students must participate in the National Young Arts program. In addition to the general nominations, schools and districts also are asked to nominate additional students to be included as candidates for excellence in career and technical education (CTE). Please take a look at this link to learn about suggested CTE criteria.
It may be helpful to consider the following questions:
- What about the student makes him or her stand out as having outstanding scholarship?
- What special challenges or hurdles has this student overcome while still achieving success in academics, technical education or in the arts?
Students who apply should complete the first page of the application form. The second page must be completed by a counselor or teacher who is most familiar with the student. Please email the completed application for the male and female candidates from your school to Kathie Anderson by Oct. 29, 2021. KDE will select and submit the names of 25 students to the national selection committee who will determine the winners.
United States Senate Youth Program
The 2021 United States Senate Youth Program materials are ready for distribution through email. Counselors interested may email Donna Melton.
The U.S. Senate Youth Program is open to high school juniors and seniors who are currently serving in a schoolwide, district, regional or state leadership capacity in a student government, civic or educational organization.
Two student leaders from each state will receive a $10,000 college scholarship and a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., where they will meet special guests from all levels of government. The opportunity is funded entirely by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
Upon the counselor’s request, application information will be emailed to counselors and/or school officials. Note that all testing must be overseen by a qualified proxy, even in virtual learning situations. Answers should not be discussed among students, teachers and/or any school officials.
All completed applications and tests must be returned with a postmark no later than Oct. 31, 2021.
 Getting the Facts – KHEAA’s College Planning Tool
Are you looking for a way to help your students and their families better understand the costs of college and how to pay for it? The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority's (KHEAA’s) Getting the Facts college planning tool gives students and families a personalized breakdown of college costs and estimated financial aid for up to six colleges across the country. This is a great resource for high school students in all grade levels.
To get their personalized report, students can follow the Getting the Facts link in their MyKHEAA account to get started. If they don’t have a MyKHEAA account, they can register for one by clicking on the Sign In link on the homepage of kheaa.com. Students will need some basic academic and family financial aid information to complete to report.
KHEAA’s outreach staff can help walk your students through the Getting the Facts report as well as a variety of other college planning activities. Visit the Counselors tab on kheaa.com to find the outreach counselor who serves your school.
 KCTCS Dual Credit Updates
Can you believe it’s already the middle of the semester? As such, there are a few items we want to make sure you and your students are aware of:
- E-bills for the fall semester will be sent out to dual credit students starting Oct. 8. Students can receive a bill for textbooks, online resources and testing charges if those costs are not covered by the high school. Students also will have to pay tuition for a class that is not covered by a scholarship. Students can see their balance in the KCTCS student self-service account and reach out to their college dual credit coordinator for assistance.
- Priority registration for the spring semester started Oct. 1. We hope students are signing up for spring dual credit courses, but please be aware, most KCTCS colleges will not let a student sign up if they have an outstanding bill.
Additional information on dual-credit is available from KCTCS.
|
