As students and staff return for the new school year, ASCA is here to help you prepare – from updating your school counseling program to refreshing your ethics knowledge to helping support students develop the mindset and behaviors they need to navigate today’s challenges and achieve success.
This workshop will provide an opportunity for distraction-free, off-site data analysis and planning time for comprehensive school counseling program (CSCP) staff. Several options for CSCP tasks will be framed at the beginning of the day and participants will choose one or more of those tasks to complete, based on their site’s unique needs and context. Facilitators with expertise in school counseling will be available throughout the workshop to answer questions, sit down with sites and provide thought partnership, and deliver on-demand PD as needed and requested by participants.
ESD 112's pdEnroller link is available now!
If you don’t schedule your time, it will be scheduled for you.
How are you scheduling this school year and sharing it with others? An internal e-calendar, external calendar posted outside SC office, staff room, school newsletter, school website are all great ways to ensure students, staff, and families know what you have coming up in your CSCP.
You can use the ASCA Annual Calendar Template as a starting point. Remember to transfer everything from the calendar template to whatever calendar you use on a daily basis.
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Now offering monthly CSCP office hours!
Friday, 9/8 from 9:00-10:00am
Got a question about your CSCP? Join the OSPI school counseling team for a monthly, virtual office hour. No pre-registration required! Click the link below to join the office hour on Friday, September 8th from 9:00-10:00am. Can't make it? No problem! Send us an email or join us in October. Contact information can be found at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Save-the-date!
The 2024 WSCA Conference is coming March 6-8, 2024 at the Doubletree by Hilton Seattle Airport. Stay tuned! More details will be announced soon.
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As the school year begins, please remember:
OSPI does not require that districts withdraw students for apportionment purposes or for CEDARS reporting.
OSPI has recently published updated guidance on the state requirements that impact student enrollment and withdrawal.
- Compulsory Attendance (Truancy)
- Apportionment
- CEDARS
You can find this and more guidance on withdrawing students on the Attendance Guidance, Policies and Data Reporting webpage including:
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OSPI Withdrawing Students Webinar (March 2023). Listen to OSPI clarify the state requirements and learn from local districts how they keep students enrolled while meeting apportionment and CEDARS requirements.
We are still recruiting education partners who work directly with youth impacted by truancy for interviews and listening sessions.
If you would like to share your experience and perspective, please complete the Education Partner Interest Form. Please share this interest form with other education partners who have worked with youth in the truancy process in Washington state in recent years. Our project's research team will follow up with folks who completed the interest form to schedule interviews, focus groups or invitation to complete a survey.
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The most crucial contribution to a child's success in school and in life is to support their education. Research demonstrates that parental attitudes and ideas about education, independent of household income or level of education, can have a significant impact on children's academic success. The ideal family-school involvement strategy goes beyond information sharing and frequent newsletters and email blasts. Instead, family-school involvement is an ongoing partnership that includes open communication that honors family voice, mutual understanding, the development of trust, and fostering culturally responsive family partnerships. When it's effective, family-school engagement welcomes community relationships and input, bringing in community-based organizations, families, caregivers, and school teams that all share a commitment to ensuring that students have the best experiences and outcomes possible. We’re bringing you Dr. Trise Moore, the President & Senior Consultant for The Family Outreach & Engagement Network to talk about the advice she shares with schools to craft authentic connections to families. We’ll also have practitioners with us to talk about their experiences in the Auburn and Highline School Districts. Free Clock Hours are available.
OPSI is hosting virtual and free suicide prevention, intervention, & postvention trainings this fall with Lifelines Trilogy.
The intervention portion of the training is now approved by PESB for ESA clock hours. Click on the dates below to register via pdEnroller.
Postvention: September 27th and October 17th
Intervention: October 24th and November 8th
Prevention: November 14th & December 11th
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We Need Your Input!
OSPI and UW Forefront Suicide Prevention (Forefront) are collaborating to learn more about mental health supports for elementary-age students. Recognizing diverse needs across the state, they are seeking valuable input from elementary school staff. Participating in the survey will help provide insight into existing supports and barriers to accessing mental health services. If you’re interested in providing information about your experiences, please take the survey by October 20th, 2023.
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The OSPI-WSAC Career and College Readiness webinar series is back for the 2023-24 school year!
We're kicking off the year with all the information you need to jumpstart your programs and student supports. We are going to be joined by speakers from OSPI and WSAC to get resources for FAAD with the financial aid application release delay and updated information on the work that has been happening to support 2023 legislation including dual credit, equivalencies, the state wide universal High School and Beyond Plan platform & more!
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It's workshops provide professional development for school counselors, career center specialist, HSBP coordinators and those in college-access work. Held in-person and virtually, there will be updates from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), The State Board of Education (SBE), State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), Council of Presidents (COP), Independent Colleges of Washington (ICW) and the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), as well as from our public and private four-year institutions and community and technical colleges. Clock hours will be available through WSCA.
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 Simplified FAFSA Toolkit now available
Access the toolkit here: FAFSA Simplification: A Better FAFSA Process Means a Better Future for Borrowers | Federal Student Aid - Financial Aid Toolkit
A tip for FAADs in 2023 - 2024 school year
The FAFSA and FAAD are going to look different this year. Due to the delayed release of the FAFSA and WASFA this school year, and for this school year only, many are asking - so what can you do instead? - Create FSA IDs (will take 1 to 3 days to be processed and before students can continue with the application)
Stay updated on the changes to financial aid
Bookmark this padlet and check back often! Opportunities to sign up for one of the free upcoming Financial Aid trainings with subject matter experts are coming soon.
Schools may nominate one student identifying as female and one student who identifies as male. Candidates should have demonstrated leadership; school and community involvement; academic and extracurricular achievement and writing skills. Nominees may receive discretionary points for extraordinary scholastic achievement, long-lasting commitment to community service, heavy workload, additional family responsibilities, or significant obstacles which they overcame.
Please submit a nomination form, and writing sample for each student by 5 pm on Friday, October 20, 2023.
The Washington State Initiative Team at the Gates Foundation is researching to how districts currently support equitable and effective college and career advising across Washington state.
This survey is intended to be taken by school district and school-based staff that serve in roles where they lead college and career advising efforts (e.g. College and Career Director, CTE Director, or College and Career Counselor or Specialist).
Click on this link to take the survey! https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/7447405/College-and-Career-Readiness
The survey will take about 20-minutes to complete and participants will receive $50 gift card as a thank you for their time.
A summary of research findings will be shared with survey takers and the goal is to inform conversations between districts, communities, funders, and policymakers to strengthen college and career advising for students statewide. More details are provided in the survey introduction.
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The Request for Proposals (RFP) has been posted to OSPI's competitive procurement webpage and WEBS.
There will be a pre-bid conference on Wednesday, August 30. All information regarding the conference is included in the RFP.
Any questions about the RFP or pre-bid conference question submissions must be sent to contracts@k12.wa.us.
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Contact Us
Elementary School Counseling Program Supervisor
Kylie Massey, kylie.massey@k12.wa.us
Secondary School Counseling Program Supervisor
Maria Muto, maria.muto@k12.wa.us
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