Office of School Counseling
Friday Sendoff - April 3, 2020
*FAQ's from the Padlet*
Enrollments and Residency
Our Director sent that question to MSDE so we'll meet on Monday to learn what if any changes will be made to the enrollment process during the extended closure.
Are we holding off on proving residency for our rising 8th graders? We're waiting for direction about process should the closure extend beyond April.
Virtual Counseling
Can we get a copy of the Social Workers' Virtual Counseling template? We'll try to get a copy, review it and share as appropriate.
In today's meeting it was suggested that we contact students/families asap to set up meetings. Would it make sense to wait until we hear back from the opt out letter first? The letter was developed to provide informed consent. It's assumed that families are opting in unless you hear otherwise. It's important that we begin to check in so students have access to supports. If parents aren't interested, they'll let you know. We cannot assume that someone who opted out of directory information intends to opt out of support during this time.
Is the opt out letter mandatory? I'm concerned that this may actually create a situation where I can't keep up with demand for one-on-one telecounseling. The consent form is necessary to inform parents of the limitations to virtual services (please refer to the ASCA ethical standards). If demand gets high, consider scheduling 10-15 minute check-ins, instead of counseling appointments. If you determine someone needs more than a check-in, you can schedule a follow-up at a later date.
Child Protective Services
If we need to make a CPS call, I assume that we go ahead with the same procedures. Yes, same procedures. We put the fillable CPS form in the 4/1 send-off.
Do we send the forms to the three offices-if so can you send addresses? No. You only need to email the fillable form to DSS and to Sharon.
Threat Management
How should we contact families if students post or share self-harm related comments in this virtual transition? Inform your principal about the threat. Make an attempt to call the parent/guardian via Google Meet. If there is no response, leave a message that you need to talk. Then follow up with an email. If there is no email or no response, contact Mobile Crisis.
How would we run an assessment on a student in a virtual counseling setting? Because it will be difficult to establish the level of the threat, you will always involve the parent/guardian of any threats to self or others.
How should we advise teachers to manage concerns around self-injury? Teachers should continue to report concerns to you.
How do we get parents to "sign" that we have informed them of a threat? Email the parent the notification form so you can document that you made an attempt to get a signature.
How are PPWs and or SROs involved in the threat management process during this time? The threat management process hasn't changed. For threats to others, your administration will facilitate the process in consultation with counselors, social workers, and/or school psychologists.
If there is an emergency concern about a student are we allowed to call using our cell phones? No, you are not to use your personal phone or Google Voice to contact students and parents. All calls should be made through Google Meet.
Based on ASCA's webinar, they said we need to stay on the phone with a student who is suicidal or having suicide ideation if there is no adult in the home. In that situation, what would be the best procedure? Our Threat Management Team will be meeting next week to discuss procedures during this time. Updates will be sent to everyone as soon as they are confirmed.
Interns
School Counseling interns will be allowed to continue in those placements until the scheduled end of the placement. Duties would include observing and providing direct services to students using Google Meet and creating instructional resources aligned to the BCPS Continuity of Learning Plan. This could include individual sessions or minute meetings, check-ins, FAFSA completion, post-secondary planning for seniors, Junior conferences, deficiency conferences (for seniors), parent web sessions, 5th grade interest interviews or 6-year planning and more. In order for hours to be considered direct, the intern must facilitate or lead the Google Meet contact or parent presentation with you on the call. The mentoring BCPS Counselor will determine the appropriateness of supports including those resources provided via Schoology and Naviance for students and parents.
Principals and PDS site coordinators will also receive this information.
Google Meet
Can we only meet with one student at a time on Google Meet? Due to the limits of confidentiality, we can only do virtual individual counseling sessions. If you are doing academic advising (i.e. financial aid or scholarship information), then you could meet with more than one student at a time.
How do we facilitate the individual counseling session? Reach out to parents? Elementary counselors will reach out to parents, secondary counselors should reach out to students and/or parents. Jennifer Holt created a Microsoft form link that she added to her automatic reply. This allows parents and students to request an appointment. See the attachment below!
Please clarify...can we use our phones or just Google Meet? No, you cannot use your personal cell phone or google voice to contact a student or parent per directives we received from senior leadership. All calls and virtual contacts must go through Google Meet.
Is there a way to sync the Google Calendar with Outlook Calendar? If it is possible, we will provide a mini session on this topic.
Questions about Join Codes for Google Meet: In order to maintain confidentiality, it is NOT recommended that you reuse join codes for sessions with students and families. Please create a new one with each contact. The only situation where it would be appropriate to use the same code is in a recurring session with the same student/family (ie weekly/biweekly, etc.).
How am I supposed to keep other students from jumping in during my office hours when I am in a scheduled appointment? If you use different Google Meet join codes for each session, you will not have this problem. You will know if another student joined the room because you will see the number of participants increase in the upper right corner of the screen. Any participant can be removed by the meeting organizer.
Can we still meet with our clubs on Google Meet such as LGBTQ to provide continuity and support? You can continue providing support to students individually, but not in groups
Is Google Meet HIPAA compliant? OCR eased HIPPA restrictions on telehealth services during the pandemic.
Schoology
Creating Schoology groups, adding students, and messaging students: Please watch the video attached to the email for this send-off.
Can I participate in class meetings that teachers are running? YES! This is a great way to advertise your virtual counseling services and make connections with students. They will be happy to see you. We do not recommend that counselors initiate the class meetings via Google Meet.
Can tiles be added to Schoology/BCPSone to connect directly to Google Meet/Microsoft Teams? No
Can we use Class Dojo to post information and communicate with students? No, that was not one of the approved programs for communication.
Consider asking your classroom teachers to post your office hours on their Schoology class pages. This will help advertise your services.
ESOL Support
Can the opt-out form be translated? My principal wants it sent in the family's home language. We can look into getting the consent form translated into the 5 most common languages. Directions are below that shows you how to use the Chrome Google Translate Extension after typing a message to the parent in the Meet appointment.
Use of Time
Do we have to use Outlook? Yes, your time time should be documented in Outlook.
What if the contact information in SIS is missing or incorrect? If you are unable to contact a student with what's in SIS, you can try to message the student in Schoology and go from there. If there is no response, then just document that you attempted in your use of time in Outlook.
What if scheduling conflicts occur? If you already scheduled meetings with students and families, those take precedence. All of our meetings are recorded. If you are invited to a meeting with us during that time, please respond to let us know that you're not available due to a session with a student/family and that you will watch the recording.
Should we add all contacts to outlook? There could be a dozen online contacts within a 30 minute period online ... do we add them all? Yes, you are to add ALL contacts. You're adding just first name and last initial unless it's a meeting name or PD title you're documenting. No narrative needed. If you want to save time, you can create a 30 minute block in your calendar, call it student contacts, and then list the initials of all students in the "notes" section. Keep it simple.
Counselor department meetings are held weekly? 30 minute meetings are recommended, but not required. It's a good idea to touch base weekly since you're not face to face to avoid working in silos.
Scheduled chats or email sessions count as check in times correct? Yes
Are we documenting only what we are doing during our office hours? If we are available, but no one joins a google meet during office hours, what should we do? You're documenting time spent engaging students, parents, staff, meeting and PD only. There will be open spaces.
If we are in team meetings, do those count as our office hours? If it was scheduled during your office hours, it counts but keep in mind, that time should be reserved for meeting with students and parents. You're sharing your office hours with students and parents so they can reach you. Try to avoid that conflict.
Does this mean we only work two hours a day? No. Your office hours are a minimum of two hours with a minimum of two hours of Professional Learning per week. The remainder could be planning, emails, etc...but the frequency and duration will vary by counselor.
Who do we send our use of time outlook calendar too? You're maintaining your calendar at this time, not sending unless requested by your administrator. We'll figure out use of time collection for our office in the coming weeks. If you're secondary and haven't done so already, please share your calendar with your department chair so they can monitor your use of time.
If I signed up for a Master's class before the closing of schools, can I use the time completing work for this class as Professional Learning (2 Hours a week)? Yes, if the coursework is relevant to your role as a counselor you can complete it as part of your PL time.
Technology
Since we are not teachers of record, how do you suggest we access Schoology to get info out to all parents and all students? You can get contact information through SIS. If you want to send a message to a student in Schoology, watch the video attached to the send-off to learn how.
Can tech office set up Schoology groups assigned to us according to our caseloads? No.
Has there been any information for employees who do not have internet? In the last send-off, we provided free hot spot and WiFi information.
Will there be a number for students and parents to call when they are having technical issues with their devices/Schoology? There are 2 attachments below that will be sent to families on 4/6 about tech support. Additionally, students and families can continue to use the BCPS website and BCPSone for tech support.
How do we work with students who don't have access to a printer and/or internet? You have the option to call them via Google Meet. A printer is not required but if they need to print something, they can "print to PDF" and save it.
Can we send transcripts through Schoology? No.
Can I use my own laptop instead of the BCPS device? Yes but you will not have SIS or SPS access.
Is there a way to have an "out of office" message that is an automatic reply on Schoology? No.
If Google has an "appointment" function (similar to sign up genius), can we have students/parents use that to make appointments? We recommend using a Microsoft or Google form and adding it to your signature line (see attachment above in the Google Meet section).
Want to be sure that the Google Meet rooms are CLOSED and unable to be accessed after we have individual meetings with students. You can avoid this by using a different join code for every session.
If teachers are sharing that they feel some of their students would benefit from us reaching out to them, but if the particular student has a parent that opted out from virtual counseling? Consider contacting the parent to share that the teacher has expressed a concern.
Could you provide more guidance or a training on how to use Outlook to document correspondence with students and parents. We will provide a recorded mini session on Outlook calendar next week.
Is there a way to have access to SIS besides driving to a BCPS school driveway in order to get students/families' contact numbers/emails? The directions to install Pulse was added to the last sendoff so you can access your H and I drives and SIS.
IEP Support Services
What do we do since we can no longer complete formal classroom observations for IEP re-evaluation? You will not be able to observe students at this time. Please communicate with your IEP chair.
How do you document IEP counseling services if you don't have Service Capture? You can document the service in your own log but you may need to work with your IEP chair to get someone else to enter them for you in Service Capture.
Elementary Counselors
**NEW** Updates to Delivery of Virtual Elementary Counseling Curriculum
We will be working with the Curriculum Writers over the course of the coming week. All virtual lesson materials will be shared in Schoology by Thursday, 4/9/20. Instructions for how to share these with students will be shared then. Lori Counsell's video on how to create Schoology groups and message students is attached to this send-off.
Any "paper" materials to be shared with families will be created by the Office of School Counseling. There is no expectation for Elementary Counselors to create paper materials to send.
**NEW** Answers to Elementary Curriculum Questions
What are the expectations for classroom lessons and how to do we go about scheduling them? Once the virtual lesson materials for March and April are available to you in Schoology, you will only need to push out one lesson per grade level for the month of April. There is no expectation to deliver them to individual classes. Students can access them at any time. There is need to "schedule" lessons. As we get updates about when we are returning to school, we will make decisions about other months.
What about the fifth grade transition interviews? Should we conduct them via a phone call or email? Interest Interviews can be conducted individually via Google Meet.
I went ahead and created Microsoft Teams for each grade level I am assigned, and thought to then Record my lessons and download materials to then upload to the Microsoft Team classroom of their grade level to be sent out. Is this allowed/will this work? Lessons should be recorded and shared through Schoology. There is no requirement to offer live lessons.
Can teachers push out the interest interview to students so we can review them with students via Google Meet? Yes, but this is an optional task for this year.
Secondary School Counselors
**NEW** Answers to Secondary Curriculum Questions
Is there a batch import to upload files into the document section in Naviance? No, see below.
Do 6th grade students and parents have access to Naviance? Yes, students can access through the tiles from their BCPSone page. As long as a parent has an active BCPSone account, they also have access to Naviance. You will need to activate the Naviance parent account first. MaatenRe will do a mini session on activating parent accounts in Naviance on Tuesday and share the recording.
If we opt to continue 6 year plan meetings, can we do that through email or do we have to use Google Meet? All individual sessions should be done through Google Meet.
Are we still considering Spring Articulation? Yes, which can be done as a Team meeting with your feeder schools. Please consider creating an excel and highlight students that need additional support at the start of the year. More information to follow.
When I checked last week, we can only upload transcripts for seniors. Can we email transcripts to juniors for their 6-year plan meeting? Multiple transcript upload is only available for senior college applications in eDocs. If students need a copy of their transcript, they cannot be emailed but you can upload it to to their individual document pages in Naviance.
College Counselors
Are CCBC staff working remotely and how will students register for summer and fall courses? Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, CCBC will be assessing enrollment services for summer and fall registration. Please be patient and you will be updated in the near future.
Can we host a virtual CCBC instant admission day? Yes, Diane Drake is working with her admissions team to schedule Microsoft Team meetings with you to arrange days and times for your students to get online from home to complete the CCBC application. They can then speak with the admissions staff and later meet with you to review FAFSA completion and scholarship opportunities. More information to come.
VCU Virtual College Tour - This may be something you can add to Junior Schoology groups. You can also create a scavenger hunt of the college websites!
Scholarships
**NEW** Letter from Debbie Phelps, Education Foundation
Recently Updated Scholarships in Naviance
United Negro Scholarship Fund - several available with deadlines 1st week of April 2020.
Work Ethic Scholarship (Trade School) - NEW deadline 4/30/20
Project Yellow Light Scholarship - NEW deadline 4/1/20
AMTIE Scholarship (American Medical Technologists) - deadline 4/1/20
FEEA (Federal Employee Education and Assistance) Scholarships - new deadline 3/27/20
Cathay Bank Foundation Scholarship - deadline 4/17/20
USPAACC Scholarship (CelebrASIAN) - deadline 4/7/20
ASMC (American Society of Military Comptrollers) National Scholarship - deadline 3/31/20
BGE (Baltimore Gas & Electric) Scholarship - NEW deadline 4/1/20
TABCO Scholarship - deadline 4/1/20
Perry Hall Middle School PTSA scholarship deadline 4/17/20
Good News from Office of School Counseling
Happy News from the Allshouse home!
David Andrew was born on Friday, March 27 weighing 8lbs 2oz of pure love. The Allshouses are home and happy to have absolutely nowhere else to be.
Welcome to the world, David Andrew, from all of us!
Chapel Hill Counselors getting the word out
Dinah Hong's son wanted to work from home too!
Andy Tavernia's co-coordinator for AP testing
Professional Development
Teachers and counselors must engage in a minimum of two hours of virtual professional learning each week during the closure. Please document your participation in your Outlook calendar.
Websites
Traitify: https://bcps.traitify.com/
Other career-related websites:
https://www.bls.gov/k12/content/students/careers/career-exploration.htm
https://www.careeronestop.org/Videos/CareerVideos/career-videos.aspx?frd=true
https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs.html
https://www.cacareerzone.org/budget/
http://www.careersinthemilitary.com/
MD CAPS (MHEC): https://mdcaps.mhec.state.md.us/MDCAPS/login.aspx?c=-8586295899786270826&ReturnUrl=/MDCAPS/int/FinAid
College Covered resources for school counselors https://www.collegecovered.com/resources-for-counselors/
Schoology Access Codes
Elementary Counseling Curriculum: M4HSN-FCFN4
Secondary Counseling Curriculum: CFBV7-B6PCM
Threat Management: Q6RHK-WHHVC
College and Career Counseling: PFZD6-65N4V
Curriculum Updates: T7BM2-R8JSC
GSA Sponsors (LGBTQ+ resources): ZMBZ-4QXP-DKC89
Contact Information
Naviance Support: 1-866-337-0080 option 2 & support@naviance.com
Signup Genius Support: support@signupgenius.com
CPS Phone number: 410.887.TIME
CPS email address: dhr.baltimorecountycps@maryland.gov
MHEC FAFSA Completion (MD CAPS): fafsa.mhec@maryland.gov