Office of School Counseling
Friday Sendoff - February 14, 2020
Upcoming Meetings
Elementary Counselors Meeting
https://registration.bcps.org/Event.aspx?Event_DetailID=29405
This is a mandatory meeting for all elementary school counselors, which includes schools with more than one elementary counselor.
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2020, 09:00 AM
Sollers Point Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library, Sollers Point Road, Dundalk, MD, USA
High School Chairs Meeting
This is a mandatory meting for all high school department chairs.
Thursday, Feb 27, 2020, 08:00 AM
Crossroads Center, Crossroads Circle, Middle River, MD, USA
Middle School Chairs Meeting
This is a mandatory meeting for all middle school department chairs.
Thursday, Feb 27, 2020, 12:00 PM
Crossroads Center, Crossroads Circle, Middle River, MD, USA
First Year Counselor Meeting
Registration link will be available soon.
Wednesday, Mar 11, 2020, 01:00 PM
Mays Chapel Elementary School, Roundwood Road, Timonium, MD, USA
College Counselor Meeting
Registration link will be available soon.
Thursday, Mar 26, 2020, 09:00 AM
6901 North Charles Street, Towson, MD, USA
Announcements
**NEW** Mind Over Matters - February 2020
**NEW** 2020 SCOTY AWARD
The Baltimore County Association for Counseling and Development (BCACD) would like to recognize school counselors who have made impactful contributions to the school counseling profession with its annual SCOTY award. The SCOTY nominee must be a Baltimore County Public School (BCPS) counselor who has completed a minimum of five consecutive years of counseling service. The nominee should be able to demonstrate evidence of effective leadership, advocacy, and collaboration as part of a comprehensive, data-driven, school counseling program to address students’ academic, social/emotional, and academic development.
A counselor from each school level – elementary, middle, and high school will be selected. Any BCPS employee, parent, or student can nominate a school counselor for this recognition. Winners of the SCOTY awards will be nominated for consideration for the Maryland School Counselor Association’s (MSCA) School Counselor of the Year.
To nominate a candidate for this award, please submit the School Counselor of the Year Nomination Form. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 13, 2020.
**NEW** 2020 SCATY AWARD
The Baltimore County Association for Counseling and Development (BCACD) would like to recognize a Baltimore County Public School (BCPS) administrator, teacher, support staff, parent, or community member who consistently advocates for and supports the critical work school counselors do for all students. Any BCPS employee, parent, or student can nominate someone for SCATY award.
To nominate someone for this award, please submit the School Counseling Advocate of the Year Nomination Form. The deadline for nominations is Friday, March 13, 2020.
**NEW** CCBC College Fairs
We are looking for School Counselors to greet students and families at the CCBC College Fair. We need 5 for the Essex event (March 10th at 5:30 – 8:00pm) and 5 for the Catonsville event (March 11th at 5:30 – 8:00pm). Stipends will be paid for your participation. Please contact Sharon Holter, (sholter@bcps.org), if you are interested.
Teachers Wellness Open House - FREE - February 16th
Stakeholder Survey
Camp MeToo
Stella Maris is currently accepting applications for their 10th annual overnight bereavement camp for children ages 8-17. Camp Me Too! will begin after school on Friday, April 24 and conclude at noon on Sunday, April 26, and will once again be held on the beautiful grounds of Camp Puh’Tok in Monkton, Maryland. Spots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so they encourage families to register early. Completed registrations may be emailed to hbenassi@stellamaris.org, faxed to 410-560-9690, or mailed to The Counseling Center at Stella Maris, 2300 Dulaney Valley Rd. Timonium, MD 21093. For more information or any questions, please call 410-252-4500, ext. 7291.
School Counselor Substitutes
Elementary Counselors
Managing Behavior in Kindergarten Groups Check out Counselor Keri's 6 tips for small group counseling with kindergartners!
High School Counselors
6 week Summer Volunteer Opportunity at the Maryland Zoo Through this unique training program teens and young adults with disabilities are given the opportunity to build prevocational skills through volunteer experiences. These experiences designed through a series of workshops, as well as a potential six week volunteer opportunity help individuals explore personal abilities, challenges and skills related to personal independence and development needed for future successful employment and life opportunities.
All registered participants will engage in a two part workshop series at The IMAGE Center embarking on job exploration and prevocational skill building. This workshop series will conclude with a shadow day at The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore where participants will live in the day of a zoo volunteer, have their skills put to the test and will even interview for a six week volunteer opportunity. All interested participants must complete the online registration and commit to the workshops and shadow days. Questions should be directed to jleone@imagemd.org
2020 MD-Youth Leadership Forum
SELECTION CRITERIA
· Must be in their final two years of high school.
· Applicant accomplishments and leadership potential
· Academic achievement
· Community service
· Participation in school and community activities
· Disability diversity
· Ethnic and racial diversity
· Geographic representation
APPLY
2019 YLF dates: June 24-27, 2020
2019 YLF location: Towson University
Deadline for application: Friday, March 8, 2020
Application and fact sheet listed below
Johns Hopkins Future Scholars Scholarship Program - Free Course for Qualifying Students
The recruitment for the Johns Hopkins University Mathematics Department’s Future Scholars Program (FSP) has started. The FSP is a competitive scholarship program which rewards talented high school students the opportunity to extend their mathematics training beyond their secondary school tracks by attending Hopkins University mathematics courses while a senior in high school.
You should fill one out for each student nominated. The official deadline for nominations is March 1, 2019. We are also attaching the official course syllabi for our first year calculus courses. The content of these syllabi should be considered appropriate content for the Future Scholars Program Exam.
Any questions or concerns that you may have can be directed to sraymond@jhu.edu or at 410-516-4178.
Secondary Counselors
The BCPS Opps blog is back and better than ever. It is designed to share with students a wide range of opportunities for scholarships, jobs, fellowships, internships, contests, summer programs, and more. My goal is to post a new opportunity every day. Would love to get more students eyes on it. Recent posts include:
- Auditions for The Voice
- The national student composers competition
- Grief day and summer camps
- Job opps with the Census
- Hamilton Scholar applications
- Stop hunger grants
- Baltimore Science Fair
- Lifebridge essay contest
- Baltimore Arts Guild, call for entries
- Fellowship for young women leaders
**NEW** Six Skills Every Teen Needs to Survive High School
The skills outlined in this fun and friendly guide Six Skills Every Teen Needs to Survive High School is more than simple tips or tricks to manage high school. Each exercise is based in psychology, proven effective, and taken directly from the New Harbinger Instant Help books. Engaging and easy to use, these guides are written by renowned mental health professionals who specialize in working with teens, and offer practical and evidence-based tools teens can use to manage all of life’s challenges.
With this download, teens will develop skills to help them:
· Let go of anxiety and self-doubt
· Feel calm in the face of everyday problems
· Develop a positive self-image
· Calm intense emotions like anger
· Resolve conflicts and get along with others
· Build resilience and “grit”
Secondary Department Chairs
6 Year Plan Completion - The current district average is 56%. Thank you to our schools who are at or above this number for making these face to face conversations with students a priority.
If you are having challenges in meeting the goal of 100% completion by June, please reach out to your specialist sooner rather than later. We are here to support you!
High School Department Chairs
**NEW** CCR Letters
College Counselors
MHEC Financial Assistance Programs
State Financial Assistance Programs and Applications
Tuition Waiver for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth
Tuition Waiver for Foster Care Recipients
NACAC Request for Admission Application Fee Waiver
Students who have limited financial resources may use the NACAC Request for Application Fee Waiver Form when applying for college. The form — aimed at students planning to enroll in post-secondary education immediately following high school graduation — helps ensure that access to college is possible for all.
College Fly-Ins
Recently Added/Updated Scholarships in Naviance
iFLY Indoor Skydiving Scholarship
ESPBC - Education Support Professionals of Baltimore County Scholarship
Dundalk High School Class of 1967 Scholarship
Dr. Larry and Nancy Fishel Technical School Scholarship
Kenneth E. Mann Scholarship
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated scholarship
Issie Jenkins Scholarship
Relevant Bulletin Items
February 14, 2020 BCPS News Hub
BCPS News Hub is the new format for all superintendent bulletins.
Some highlights from the past week:
MAGNET ADMISSIONS PROCESS MEETING FOR MAGNET COORDINATORS – March 3, 2020
SOCIAL STUDIES – PERSONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY, GRADE 3
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS – SECONDARY READING APPRENTICESHIP, INITIAL TEACHER TRAINING
SEL TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CONFERENCE
PAYROLL UPDATE
NATIONAL BOARD CERTIFICATION INFORMATION SESSIONS
Professional Development
**NEW** Cultural Competency & Diversity: Powerful Strategies to Improve Client Rapport & Multicultural Awareness 3/19/20 in Ellicott City and 3/20/20 in Baltimore
**NEW** Trauma Informed Compassionate Classrooms: Strategies to Reduce Challenging Behavior, Improve Learning Outcomes and Increase Student Engagement 3/16/20 in Annapolis and 3/17/20 in Columbia
**NEW** Rewire the Anxious Brain: Neuroscience-Informed Treatment of Anxiety, Panic and Worry 3/2/20 in Timonium and 3/3/20 in Columbia
**NEW** Oppositional, Explosive and Disruptive Behaviors in the Classroom: Effective Strategies for Intervening Before, During and After a Meltdown 2/24/20 in Towson
**NEW** Helping Clients Through Separation, Divorce, Co-parenting And Blending (Webinar) on 4/2/20
**NEW** Creative Interventions For Play Therapy (Webinar) on 6/8/20
**NEW** Take the 'Enemy' Out of Frenemy (webinar) on 3/20/20
**NEW** Mixed Emotions: Motivational Interviewing and Resolving Ambivalence (Live Webinar) 2 CEU's on 4/2/20
**NEW**Best Approaches in Trauma Treatment 6 CEU's on 5/18/20 in Crofton
**NEW** Postvention as Prevention: Supporting Children, Adults, & Families 5.5 CEU's on 3/6/20 in Catonsville
**NEW** Workshop Create your own Therapeutic Board Games Up to 3 CEU's on 5/24/20 in Largo, MD
**NEW** Transgender Ally/Advocate Training Camp - For Mental Health Professionals begins on 4/24/20 with 7 hours face to face plus 3 online sessions. Must complete all in order to earn up to 11 CEU's.
Annual Cherish the Child Symposium April 24th in Joppa, MD. Up to 6 CEU's available. Breakfast and lunch included. Breakout session topics include vaping, supporting gender non-conforming students, parent engagement in therapy, and trauma.
College and University programs and courses - BCPS cohort courses for certification and recertification
Introduction to Special Education course for certification ancillary credit requirement
Introduction to Special Education credits can be taken at any accredited college or university or as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Below are a few options counselors can consider, however, feel free to research other institutions. If there is question whether a course satisfies the requirement, the course description may be sent to your Certification Analyst for verification.
BCPS: Goucher College Online MSDE CPD Courses
CPDV.9013.BC01 – Educating Students with Disabilities: Identification, LRE, and Effective Instruction (Session 2: March 23, 2020 to May 15, 2020)
CCBC: EDTR 107 – Introduction to Special Education
University of Phoenix: Continuing Education for Teachers
SPED/530 - INTRODUCTION TO LEARNERS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
The Certification office communication states that documents must be submitted to the Office of Certification by 90 days prior to the expiration date. However, MSDE allows certificate holders to complete coursework up to June 30th. This time may be used to complete coursework. A second reminder will be sent out in April which will request for counselors to provide registration information to their assigned Certification Analyst.
Reimbursement requests may be submitted if credits are completed at a college or university. Information on the reimbursement process can be found of the Office of Certification webpage.
Resource Roundup
Lending Library Item of the Week
Problem-Solving through scenarios
Great for individual and group counseling!
Conversation starters for groups
Inspiration and Good News
School Counselors Celebrate BCPS College Day
Dundalk High - So proud of our college spirit for BCPS College Day!!! Emily Dewlin
BCPS Celebrates National School Counselor Week
Patapso High
Lyons Mills Elementary
Lansdowne Elementary
Glenmar Elementary
Glyndon Elementary
McCormick Elementary
Holabird Middle
Lansdowne Middle
Christina Jordan, Marlene Chamberlin, and Nicole Cross
Chatsworth School
Amanda Linker
My heart was so full by Friday! So many students and staff took the time to show their appreciation. It meant a lot to me. I even got books of notes!
Milford Mill Academy
CONGRATULATIONS KEN!
Dundalk Middle
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/
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 email address: dhr.baltimorecountycps@maryland.gov
MHEC FAFSA Completion (MD CAPS): fafsa.mhec@maryland.gov