Recognitions & Celebrations
NC Superintendent Green Congratulations To Class of 2026
North Carolina Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green congratulates the Class of 2026 for reaching this milestone through hard work, perseverance and determination. He thanks educators, families and communities for supporting graduates and encourages students to dream boldly as they begin the next exciting chapter in their lives.
Watch the video here. Congratulations to the class of 2026!
Policy, Practice & Legislative Updates
NC College Connect Program Updates
As you prepare to close out the school year, we wanted to provide you with some additional materials to ensure you are sharing with juniors before the summer and set up for a successful fall. Watch our
Resources
Inside the NC College Connect Resources Folder is a host of resources you can use. Here is the link to the explainer slides for you to use and share with students and families. Please click on this link to access the pre-recorded overview. You will find:
- NCCC - 2026 Kickoff - One Pager - to distribute and share with students now
- NCCC - 2026 Kickoff - Social Graphic - to share on your social media platforms
- NCCC - 2026 Ed Pro Slides - Information for educators to learn about the program
- NCCC - 2026 Explainer Slides - Information for educators to share with students, families, etc.
- NCCC - 2026 YouTube Recorded Overview Link - Feel free to select closed captioning if needed
Data Pull and Scheduling Guidance
It is important for ALL staff to work together to ensure all students are included for the one data pull this fall on September 9th.
Click here on: NC College Connect Data Pull and Scheduling Guidance | NC Department of Public Instruction
Office Hours
School Mental Health Plan Reporting
Message to HAC/SMH District Contact (portal links not included in message but sent to contacts)
As you know, all LEAs are required to report their progress on meeting the guidelines set forth by the NC State Board of Education’s (SBE) Healthy Active Children (HAC) Policy, SHLT-000, and in accordance with North Carolina SL 2019-245, SL 2020-7, and SBE SHLT-003 for School-Based Mental Health (SMH) Policies. The deadline to submit final responses for the HAC and SMH policy surveys is September 15, 2026. The below information outlines the process for completing the HAC and SMH policy survey questions. In addition to the survey questions, each K-12 school unit (includes Charter school, lab school, LEA, etc.) is required to upload a copy of their School Mental Health Plan for the upcoming school year.
As in previous years, you will be able to complete your reports online. We suggest reviewing the attached Word and PDF versions of the survey questions first, prior to completing the online version to facilitate ease of completion and to ensure you are able to coordinate answers with your team members. Please submit your final answers and responses in the online version. This will serve as your report on compliance with SHLT-000, SHLT-003, SL 2019-245, and SL 2020-7. Not only do your responses help us measure policy compliance, but they also help us deliver quality professional development, technical assistance, and state-level guidance.
Full message here.
Upon completion of your HAC/SMH report, you will be redirected to the final Qualtrics survey titled “Specialized Instructional Support Personnel Annual Report - PSU Level." YOU MUST SUBMIT THE SISP REPORT TO BE COMPLIANT WITH THIS YEAR'S REPORTING.
If you have questions or challenges in completing the survey, please reach out to at Ellen.Essick@dpi.nc.gov.
Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
NC Career ProTrainer Certification
Partake in an opportunity to empower NC educators to drive meaningful student career exploration and impact. Educators who value deeper student connections and purpose-driven career conversations over mere compliance are being sought. If you have great facilitation and coaching skills combined with vision for workforce readiness connected to student growth as a school counselor--you should apply! Applications are due June 5th. Click here for more information and to watch recording (passcode:t6gH@w11)
ACT Summer Counselor Webinar Series (July 22nd & July 23rd)
CFNC Countdown to College Educational Professional Survey & Fall Regional Training Dates
Please take a moment to provide feedback as an educational professional for C2C and mark your calendars with the save the date to get the latest on state and federal financial aid and other important C2C updates during the fall regional trainings. Click here to find the location nearest you to plan to attend in September or October.
2026 NCSCA Summer Academy
Join NCSCA for a day of Professional Recharge! Session topics include: Powering your Work, Leading with Excellence, Fostering Unity, and Growing Best Practices on June 23rd. Event will be held at Appalachian University Reich College of Education. Register here.
ASCA June & July Webinars
American School Counseling Association is offering a variety of live webinars and office hours this spring to support your comprehensive work as school counselors. April and May sessions include topics designed to strengthen practice. View the full schedule and see more detail for registration here.
- June 11h, Get to the Root of the Matter,12-1pm
- June 23rd, Ambiguous Loss & Disenfranchised Grief, 1-2pm
- July 23rd, Balancing School Counseling Ethics & Law, 1-2pm
Ramp Office Hours:
Thursday, June 18, 5 p.m.
RISE 2026 Registration
Registration is now open for the 2026 RISE Back to School Safety Summit! The Center for Safer Schools' largest event will be held from Tuesday, August 4 to Thursday, August 6, at the Greenville Convention Center in Greenville, N.C. Join us for sessions including bullying prevention, suicide prevention, critical incidents, and threat assessment
Growing Success for MLs & Standards Academy Summer Conference
Don't miss this outstanding professional development experience! NCDPI’s Office of Teaching and Learning is once again joining the Growing Success for Multilingual Learners (MLs) and The Standards Academy for one spectacular summer conference! June 23-25 (in-person) and July 13-16 (virtual).
- Dual Conference Access – attend sessions from both conferences at one location, at no cost. Consider bringing a team to maximize learning and collaboration. Participants choose their own sessions!
- Flexible Attendance Options – Choose from the in-person locations or attend virtually to fit your schedule and preferences.
- Expert-Led Sessions – Engage with best practices, collaboration strategies, and proven methods for elevating multilingual learner success.
- Professional Networking – Connect with fellow educators, exchange ideas, and build lasting professional relationships.
Resources
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