New Information Available on Website
They are finally here! The documents you have been waiting for! We have been hard at work revamping important information that has changed since ACE went away.
The new college checklists are different for every graduating year for each graduation year cohort. Please look at these new documents and save them. The graduation checklists are FILLABLE PDFs, so you are able to fill them out digitally if you would like.
All of these documents are listed on our counseling web site.
New! High School Graduation Checklists
New! Legislation
-
House Bill 2432 (pdf) - Effective July 1, 2016
-
House Bill 2614 (pdf) - Effective July 1, 2016
-
House Bill 2615 (pdf) - Effective November 1, 2016
-
House Bill 2784 (pdf) - Effective July 1, 2016
-
House Bill 2965 (pdf) - Effective November 1, 2016
-
House Bill 3218 (pdf) - Effective July 1, 2016
-
Senate Bill 911 (pdf) - Effective August 25, 2016
-
Senate Bill 929 (pdf) - Effective August 25, 2016
-
Senate Bill 982 (pdf) - Effective July 1, 2005
-
Senate Bill 1105 (pdf) - Effective July 1, 2016
-
Senate Bill 1269 (pdf) - Effective November 1, 2016
 On the Road with Shelly
By Shelly Ellis - It has been a busy but productive September! Michelle and I have had the opportunity to visit with many of you over the past few weeks. We have been across the State of Oklahoma, from Afton to Ft. Cobb and many wonderful places in between! Thank you to all of you that have hosted our meetings. We appreciate you!
What I have learned in my last few weeks on the road is what I already knew to be true: Oklahoma is a state that is fortunate to have School Counselors who are dedicated to the well-being of children and families. Your professionalism, attention to details, and caring for the future of our state is to be applauded. THANK YOU!!
In this first round of being “On the Road,” I have primarily talked with high school counselors about the changes in assessment requirements and graduation requirements. Great strides were made in the previous legislative session to decrease the frequency and amount of assessments that must be given throughout the school year at all levels.
What will you do with that gift of time you have received with fewer assessments? How will you “Counsel with Intentionality”? How will you show your principal, parents, and other stakeholders the important work that you do for students?
In one of my favorite research articles published in April 2002, in Professional School Counseling (Vol. 5, No. 4), Reese House and Richard Hayes boldly state, “In their role as school leaders, counselors are the “eyes and ears” of the school. An effective school counselor hears more, knows more, and understands more about teachers, parents, students, and the community than anyone else in the school” (p. 252).
Throughout the article House and Hays claim that with this unique positioning, school counselors should be leaders in their buildings to promote school reform, equal access for students, and academic success for every student. When I read this article many years ago, it impacted me in a way that no other research has. This statement challenged me as a practicing school counselor to improve upon what I was doing for each of my students and to begin to advocate for my profession and the important work that we do.
As we move forward into the year, I challenge you to add something new to your practice as a School Counselor that will even further enhance your effectiveness and your ability to lead in your school. Happy September and I look forward to meeting even more of you in person very soon!
|
Voice Your Voice
Please take a couple of minutes to fill out our brief survey. We want to hear from you! Let us know your wants and needs and how we can best serve you. CLICK HERE to take the survey.
|
|
 |
School Spotlight: Sandites Use Hotline to Address Bullying
Administrators and counselors at Clyde Boyd Middle School in Sand Springs wanted to see a change in the bullying they were seeing at their school. An idea sparked and the rest is history.
The Cyberbullying Hotline was created and now students can call or text if they are being bullied or if they see bullying. Students can remain anonymous. The hotline is in its third year and there has been a drop in bullying.
“We just felt that some kids are uneasy going to adults in the building and this give those kids who normally wouldn’t speak to an adult an avenue to report what’s going on with them, said J.J. Smith, Clyde Boyd Assistant Principal. “We don’t want to overlook them. We want their voices to be heard.”
When the program first started, there were a lot of reports made, Smith said. But now the hotline gets about 2-3 each week. Smith said the school has seen a drop in all behavior issues since the hotline has been installed.
The calls and texts go directly to principals and counselors and they respond quickly. Smith said administrators and counselors can also text reporters back through the line.
“It helps us to get a feel for the culture for our school,” Smith said.
Smith said other schools who are interested in getting a Cyberbullying Hotline can contact SchoolMesseger to find out more information.
We know that
so many schools are doing great things! We want to hear from YOU about your
counseling program or student group and what amazing things you are doing. CLICK HERE to nominate a school, a student
group, or a program that is doing great things in your community.
 Laura Buxton, OKC Public Schools GEAR UP Project Coordinator, Meagan Bryant, Coordinator of College and Career Readiness for Mid-Del Public Schools, and Erica Harris, Advisement Specialist for the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, represented counselors during a panel for: A Call to Action Summit for the New Skills for Youth Grant.
Webinars to Offer CEUs
We held our first webinar on Monday, Sept. 19, and it was a success! There were 120 participants from more than 50 districts and 75 schools from all across the state! All webinars will offer CEUs for licensed individuals. We will also provide a professional development certificate. The free webinars all should last about an hour.
Our next webinar will be "Building a Crisis Team" It will be held at 3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 3. CLICK HERE to sign up to attend virtually with us!
Course Description: Many times schools don’t have a crisis team in place and have never thought about it until they are in the middle of a crisis. This training would include how to respond to a tragedy (including suicide, trauma, school violence, community violence, etc.), who should be on a crisis team, and how to work with your community and the OSDE to support your school community. Resources and best practices will be shared with attendees.
Our third webinar will be "Drugs and Alcohol in Schools: What is trending, how to spot it, and what is your role as a counselor" It will be held at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13. CLICK HERE to sign up to attend virtually with us!
Course Description: As Red Ribbon Week approaches, counselors need all the information they can to share with students, faculty and staff. Hear from an ABLE Agent on the most current information about drugs and alcohol and learn how to help students in your role as a counselor. Resources will be provided.
Webinar four is called, "Bullying in 2016." It is set for Thursday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m.CLICK HERE to sign up to attend virtually with us!
Course Description: There has been a problem with bullying forever. This course will address what specific prevention techniques, interventions and reports should your district should have in responding to these incidents and how counselors should handle bullying. This course will include: how to respond to students who say they are being bullied; how to ask for help from principals and other educators; and who else needs to know about the issue. Resources will be provided to attendees, as well as current data. Scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 10 at 11 a.m.
While these sessions are in the works, Sutherlin said she is open to other ideas and needs of counselors and other educators. You can contact her at Michelle.Sutherlin@sde.ok.gov or 405-521-2106 for other sessions you would like to see. Or CLICK HERE to provide ideas. Sutherlin said she is also available to give in-person professional development on these sessions or others upon request.
Sessions in the works include:
October 3, 3 p.m. - Building a Crisis Team
October 13, 2 p.m. - Drugs and Alcohol in Schools: What is trending, how to spot it, and what is your role as a counselor
Thursday, November 10 at 11 a.m. - Bullying Prevention in 2016
January - Working with Students Returning from a Mental Health Crisis
February - Teen Dating Violence and Sexual Assault
March - How to Build Empathy in the Classroom and Beyond
April - Community Collaboration: How to work with your community to serve your school
May - Engaging Parents in Prevention
 AlcoholEdu Offered at No Cost for Some Schools
Four in 10 Oklahoma 12th graders reported drinking
alcohol in the last 30 days and 1 out of 4 Oklahoma 12 graders report binge
drinking in the last 2 weeks. Underage drinking is associated with lower school
performance and is an issue that must be addressed in our high schools and
communities.
The Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse
Services (ODMHSAS) is proud to partner with EverFi to offer the online
AlcoholEdu for High School program. This two hour course covers such topics as
peer pressure, underage drinking laws, bystander behaviors, talking to parents
and more!
This program may be implemented in Advisory, Health and Physical
Education courses with computer and internet access. ODMHSAS has the ability to
cover the cost for schools across the state to get access to this tool, for
more information contact Wyjuana Montgomery at 405-896-0002 or
wmontgomery@everfi.com.
|
Nominate Presidential Scholars Now
It’s time to nominate students for the 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars Program. We encourage you to nominate those students who have displayed excellence in scholarship, involvement in school and community service, and leadership and character. In order to nominate a student, please fill out the survey found by CLICKING HERE. The survey is currently open and will close on Friday, October 21, at 4 pm. In order to be eligible, students must be seniors who will graduate between January and June of 2017, are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents, and who attend public, parochial, or independent schools, as well as those who are home-schooled.
Bullying Prevention Day Set in Oklahoma
By Steve Hahn, Anti-Bullying Collaboration - Mark your calendars for Tuesday, October 11th as
"Bullying Prevention Day" for Oklahoma! Please encourage
students, staff, volunteers, and community partners to wear a yellow shirt
promoting bullying awareness and prevention on that day. Some schools are designating the entire week an anti-bullying week some exciting student
and teacher led bullying prevention activities for the entire building. Some ideas include: a "Campaign for Kindness," creating bullying prevention themes for
each day defining bullying and other anti-social behaviors, discussing how
students can take leadership roles preventing bullying among their peers, and
learning how to report bullying at school and home.
October is a great
time to take necessary steps toward getting your Safe School Committee up and
running with staff, students, and community representatives. In 2015, 20 percent of our youth in grades 9 to 12 told us they were bullied
while at school and 14 percent told us they were bullied while online, according to the Oklahoma Youth
Risk Behavior Survey.
Enrollment Open for Fifth Annual Fall OSCA Conference Featuring Dr. Carolyn Stone
The Oklahoma School Counselor Association (OSCA) conference
will be held November 17th from 1-4 and November 18th
from 9-3:30 at the beautiful Northeastern State University-BA campus. This conference continues high-quality
professional development that targets workshops and breakouts geared
specifically to the role of the school counselor.
This year, Dr. Carolyn Stone, ASCA ethics
chair, will lead a workshop on Thursday, be the keynote on Friday, and offer a breakout
Friday morning. There will be timely topics
related to creative counseling, brief-solution family counseling, college counseling,
comprehensive programming and working with special populations, including
trauma. Workshop leaders include
exemplary school counselors throughout the state, school counseling educators,
and representatives from our state department. Eight CEUS for LPCs/LMFTs will be available, including 3 face-face
ethics.
Building Test Coordinator Trainings Available
Regional trainings regarding updates to the Oklahoma School
Testing Program for the current school year are now scheduled. We will
discuss the following topics: Oklahoma School Testing Program overview and
changes; testing schedules and windows; access to state assessment resources;
expected milestones; introduction to the various applications; accessing vendor
reports and state testing accommodations.
This training is highly recommended, but not mandatory. We will be
conducting Mandatory Test Prep Trainings for the DTCs in February 2017.
Please see the two following options below, registration is required. To register, CLICK HERE. WebEx trainings will be offered every Monday in October (October 3rd, 10th, 17th, & 24th at 9 a.m. or 1 p.m.).
Please print or bring an electronic copy of your
ticket so we can confirm registration and attendance.
Mass Communication Event Slated for Students
The Department of Mass Communication at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond invites high school students to participate in Mass Comm Week activities on Friday, Sept. 30. Events will take place in the Mass Communication Building starting at 9 a.m. and continue into the afternoon.
There will be workshops, panels and roundtable discussions on various areas related to communication and journalism. If students think they have an interest in journalism, photography, public relations, or advertising, this day would be a great way for them to find out more. Additionally, many students really do not know what various majors are really about, nor do they know much about possible careers in communications. The event is free, but we would like students to sign up ahead of time at www.mcom.uco.edu so we can ensure room in workshops as well as sufficient food.
Students Invited to Criminal Justice Day at UCO
UCO Criminal Justice Day will be on Friday, Oct. 14 on UCO’s campus in Edmond. It will start at 9 a.m. and conclude by 2:30 p.m. CJ Day gives high school, career tech, and community college students the opportunity to learn about the Criminal Justice and Forensic Science programs at UCO. It also gives students a chance to see UCO’s campus in Edmond, meet faculty, and current UCO students.
Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to meet and network with criminal justice professionals from local, county, state, and federal agencies. Lunch is provided. Registration is required. Please visit ucocjday2016.eventbrite.com to register and see the schedule of events for the day. If you are bringing a group of students from your school, please contact Ms. Katie Richárd (krichard3@uco.edu) for the group registration form. Please feel free to contact Dr. Maier (emaier@uco.edu) if you have any questions about CJ Day. We look forward to seeing you in October.
National Trainings Offered in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma College Assistance Program (OCAP) is
offering four National Training for Counselors and Mentors (NT4CM) workshops in
late September. These half-day workshops will provide information from the
Department of Education and highlight several State Regents’ financial aid and
college planning resources, including: new and improved changes to the FAFSA; enhanced UCanGo2 and FAFSA Counselor Kits; Oklahoma Money Matters; Oklahoma’s Promise; Okcollegestart.org; and Oklahoma State Department of Education, Office of Federal Programs.
NT4CM workshop dates and locations are provided below.
Each workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday, September 28
Southern Oklahoma Technology Center
2610 Sam Noble Parkway
Ardmore
Thursday, September 29
Northwestern Oklahoma State University
2929 E. Randolph Avenue
Enid
Friday, September 30
Tulsa Community College – Northeast Campus
3727 E. Apache Street
Tulsa
Click each date above to register. Space is limited so be
sure to reserve your place as soon as possible.
|
