FSCA January 2015 E-News

FSCA January 2015 E-News January 16, 2015
Important January announcements... Happy New Year! I wish you all a healthy and happy 2015! I hope you had a smooth start to your winter semester. There is a lot of great information in this month’s e-newsletter so please read on for important updates. Also, make sure to read FSCA’s Winter 2015 magazine (click here). If you have any questions about FSCA please contact me at president@fla-schoolcounselor.org. Happy Reading! Carolyn Berger FSCA Governing Board Chair Advocacy News FSCA's Day on the Hill FSCA will be sponsoring our annual Day on the Hill on Wednesday, January 21st.  Attendees will meet with legislators to discuss our profession and the need for more resources. Our lobbyist, Carole Green, will also be attending this year’s Day on the Hill.  For more information about FSCA’s advocacy efforts, please email Peg Reale at realema@collierschools.com. We are awaiting the OPPAGA study results and will share them with FSCA members as soon as possible. College & Career Readiness News FAFSA Strategies Being that we are now in FAFSA Season, if you have found effective strategies that have increased FAFSA completion at your school, please send them to the FSCA CCR Committee, care of Rebecca.schumacher@unf.edu   FSCA would like to post best practices to increase FAFSA completion on the FSCA website. This can then be accessed as a resource for all school counselors across the state. CCR Survey FSCA’s College & Career Readiness Committee will be putting out a survey within the next few weeks. Please take a moment to complete this survey. It is imperative that we have feedback on CCR efforts that are occurring around the state. This will assist us with advocacy efforts and future professional development offerings. Involvement in CCR Efforts The CCR committee has a lot of plans for this upcoming year, and FSCA needs your help. Please email Michael Kane at Michael.kane@palmbeachschools.org or Becky Schumacher at Rebecca.Schumacher@unf.edu if you’re interested in being on the CCR committee. CareerSource Florida Campaign The CareerSource Florida network has launched a campaign to promote career development among Florida high school students through social media. The campaign, Be Your Best Self, encourages students to become more engaged in the planning of their career after high school by sharing social media posts surrounding industry facts and career development options, while leveraging the popularity of selfies. To participate in the campaign, students are asked to post a selfie on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #MyBestSelfFL as they are preparing for their career after high school. Whether it is studying, talking about college with their friends, on a job shadow or visiting a college campus, CareerSource Florida wants students to share their selfie for a chance to win a $25 gift card and a career development workshop at their school. Three students from across Florida will win. The campaign will run until February 20. For more information on the campaign, visit MyBestSelfFL.com, and follow the conversation with #MyBestSelfFL. If you’re interested in handouts or other resources to promote the campaign on your campus, please email, aylaa@moorecommgroup.com. Scholarship News FSCA Scholarship Application Opens Feb. 2 The FSCA Student Scholarship will open on Monday, February 2nd at the start of National School Counseling Week. High school seniors are welcome to apply. More details can be found at http://fla-schoolcounselor.org/features/student-essay-scholarship. Please email the committee at FSCAscholarships@gmail.com for any questions.  Membership News Members... Please submit a picture for our winter membership promo! We need your help to make a video to support the Florida School Counselor Association.  The product will be similar to the video from the Reach Higher initiative (http://youtu.be/8xR139nDUxo).  Please submit a picture of yourself holding a piece of white paper with large lettering responding to, "I am a FSCA member because...".  We would like to use this to promote membership and let others know just how important our organization is to the profession.  Please email jenkinsbeth@me.com by February 13th to have your photo and response included. Professional Development News Overview of RAMP Webinar: Feb. 3 Register now for FSCA’s upcoming webinar on developing a Recognized ASCA Model Program. This webinar is being presented by Kristen Sands & Millie Sierra. Kristen and Millie are elementary school counselors who received a RAMP award for their hard work on developing and implementing an ASCA model program. Presentation Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb 3rd from 3:00-4:00 PM EST To register, click here PTA Healthy Future State Summit The Florida PTA is hosting the Healthy Children, Healthy Future State Summit on Feb 6-7 in Orlando, FL. The Healthy Children, Healthy Future State Summit brings together PTA leaders, educators, and health & wellness experts from around the state to explore the connection between healthy students and academic achievement.  The summit will include presentations that discuss strategies to create, support, and maintain a healthy environment within our schools, communities and homes. For more information about this summit, in additional to registration information, click HERE. FSCA Chapter News Dade Counseling Association Celebrates 35 Years Congratulations to Dade Counseling Association for celebrating its 35 year anniversary! DCA is hosting a celebratory event on Friday, Feb. 6th from 5:30-8:30 p.m. If you are interested in attending, click here for more information. Chapter Announcements FSCA Chapters, If you have information for future newsletters please email your announcement to Carolyn Berger at president@fla-schoolcounselor.org.	Are you a member of FSCA? Has your membership lapsed? Click below to join or renew! FSCA was represented at the White House's recent CCR Summits both in San Diego & Washington, DC. Click here for more information about these summits. In DC, the President, First Lady, & the Vice President all spoke regarding the importance of encouraging ALL students to pursue postsecondary education. The First Lady reiterated the important role  school counselors play in helping students overcome barriers.
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