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MASCA
Counselor’s Notebook
MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION Vol. 54, No. 9 May 2018
President’s Message: Emerging Leaders Program
By MEGAN KRELL, Ph.D., MASCA President
W elcome to May! Thank you
everyone for a wonderful
conference. More reflections on
publications and on the website.
Eligible applicants must be cur-
rent MASCA members, licensed
that to come in the next Counsel- school counselors or enrolled in a
or’s Notebook issue. MA school counselor preparation
One exciting piece of news program, and have not yet served
announced at the conference is on the MASCA board. Up to four
the resurgence of the MASCA Emerging Leaders will be select-
Emerging Leaders Program! The ed by committee to serve for the
goal of the program is to iden- 2018/2019 term. Any questions
tify potential leaders within the can be directed to me at mkrell@
school counseling profession in ership at the state level while fitchburgstate.edu.
Massachusetts and provide them having a mentor, network of col- Please check out www.masca.
with opportunities to become in- leagues, and the opportunity to org for the application. We are ac-
volved with MASCA. Have you observe meetings (and participate cepting applications now through
ever wondered what it would be when you feel comfortable!). June 15, 2018. I hope you will
like to serve on a state associa- In addition to the learning op- consider applying and learning
tion governing board, but were portunities, MASCA Emerging more about state leadership op-
hesitant to serve without know- Leaders will be eligible for a free portunities for school counselors.
ing exactly what to expect? This one-year MASCA membership And lastly, enjoy this issue of the
is a great way to learn about lead- and will be recognized in MASCA Counselor’s Notebook!
Gender Revolution
By BARBARA MEYER, MASCA Governing Board Member
I have been a high school counsel-
or for 27 years. In those years,
the role of school counselors has
dents are coming out, and in Massa-
chusetts, often feel safe being them-
selves. While there is still work to
has asked me to introduce the top-
ic of gender for the last two years.
That unit is happening this week,
often shifted as current events af- be done toward full inclusion and so I am spending some time in the
fect students’ lives and impact them acceptance, the new and sometimes classroom, teaching and answer-
emotionally. However, along with confusing topic is no longer sexual- ing students’ questions. One of my
personal responsibility and future ity, but gender. counseling colleagues commented
planning, relationships and sense The high school in which I work that she would benefit from hearing
of self have always been topics in is lucky to have a one-semester psy- my lesson, which made me think
counseling. chology elective that attracts many that other counselors might feel the
A mere 15 years ago, the idea of juniors and seniors. Knowing that I same.
people’s different sexual orienta- have advised the Gay-Straight Alli- To introduce the topic, I show the
tions seemed controversial. In 2018, ance and am comfortable with the following Genderbread person:
more gay, lesbian, and bisexual stu- topic, the teacher of this elective
(continued on pg. 2)
Printed on recycled paper
GENDER (cont'd from page 1) As you can see, our genderbread more comfortable with the concept as the opposite gender, and the person has a Biological Sex, locat- of sexual fluidity. challenges of dating and sexuality. ed between their legs. This is the Gender Identity takes place in the Students also ask about “top sur- sex assigned at birth, male or fe- brain of our genderbread person. gery,” and the less common gender male. Some people are born with Feeling like a man or like a wom- reassignment surgery. In addressing genitalia that does not definitively an are the two opposite ends of these topics, it is important for peo- determine them to be one sex or the the Gender Identity spectrum, but ple to recognize that no one knows other, and these people are called many people fall somewhere be- what goes on underneath someone intersex. tween these extremes. “Non-Bina- else’s clothing – and it is none of Also, people of all sexes, male, ry,” “Gender fluid,” and “Gender- our business. We talk about pro- female, and intersex have Gender queer” are just some of the words nouns and how to respectfully ask a Expressions, which is simply how people use to describe themselves person how they would want to be they choose to present themselves when they do not identify with only addressed. to the world. This expression may one gender. I hope that when students com- be feminine, masculine, somewhere Transgender is the term for a per- plete the lesson, they recognize the in between, or different depending son assigned one gender at birth, privilege associated with identify- on the day. but identifying with a different gen- ing with the sex they were assigned Sexuality is physical attraction to der. Being transgender has nothing at birth. I also hope that they gain others, and our genderbread person to do with sexuality. The majority some empathy for those who are demonstrates that sexuality exists of the questions I have been fielding gender questioning or non-binary. on a spectrum. (Some people are this week in class have surrounded Most importantly, I hope that stu- asexual, and they are left out of this transgender issues. Students see fa- dents and faculty alike can accept Genderbread model.) Some people mous, wealthy people in the media and respect everyone, whether or feel entirely heterosexual (straight), who have transitioned from one not they understand others’ genders. while others feel completely homo- gender to another, and it has caused For more information on the sub- sexual (gay or lesbian). Many peo- many to see this as a relatively sim- ject of gender, watch Katie Couric’s ple fall somewhere in the middle, ple, and often surgical, process. We documentary, “Gender Revolu- attracted to people of all genders, discuss the reality of most transgen- tion,” and/or Bill Nye Saves The or attracted to men and women. der people, which may involve hor- World, Season 1, episode 9 (both Today’s young people seem to be mone injections, trying to “pass” available on Netflix). 2 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
MASCA Discipline with Dignity
2017 - 2018 BOARD MEMBERS
By DONNA M. BROWN, MASCA Executive Director
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DONNA M. BROWN
P.O. Box 366, 779 Center Street
W hen I was still an
English teacher in
the early 80s, a colleague
dents, not just the good
ones.” Chapters address-
ing prevention, man-
Bryantville, MA 02327 recommended a book aging stress, and strat-
Tel. 781-293-2835
E-mail: executivedirector@masca.org she thought would be egies for students who
of interest (and of help) chronically misbehave
PRESIDENT to me. Discipline with are among those that
MEGAN KRELL, Ph.D
Dignity had just been would serve counselors
Associate Professor,
Fitchburg State University published and was offer- well. Examples of how
E-mail: mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu ing educators a plan for to reframe comments or
building “responsibili- questions are particu-
PRESIDENT-ELECT
JENNIFER MCGUIRE
ty, relationships and re- larly useful. Often, our
E-mail: jmcguire@uppercapetech.org spect” in the classroom. first impulse is to make
I hadn’t thought about the book and the students stop behaviors that are
PAST PRESIDENT its contents for a long time. Recent- disruptive by threatening detention
RUTH CARRIGAN
E-mail: rwcarrigan@comcast.net
ly, though, I received a notice from or other punishment. Unfortunately,
ASCD about the publication of the this seldom works very well.
JOHN S. STEERE 4th edition of Discipline with Dig- The basic principles of Discipline
E-mail: steerej@wellesleyps.org nity. As school counselors are asked with Dignity are closely aligned with
IRIS GODES to be in the classroom on a more how counselors work with students.
E-mail: igodes@dean.edu regular basis, questions about dis- Listening to students’ thoughts and
cipline and classroom management feelings; offering choices; vary-
AMY L. COOK, Ph.D. become more important. Discipline ing ways of communicating with
E-mail: amy.cook@umb.edu
with Dignity offers one possible ap- students; and understanding that
SANDRA COLLINS, MSW, LCSW proach. “being fair does not always mean
E-mail: collinss@sps.springfield.ma.us The authors define discipline as treating students equally” are all
the “process of learning how to get concepts we employ in our practice
HELEN O’DONNELL, Ed.D.
E-mail: helenod@att.net along with others, to solve problems as school counselors. If you would
and to make responsible choices.” like to sharpen your classroom man-
BARBARA MEYER Focusing on treating all students agement skills or you’d like to learn
E-mail: b_meyer@stoughtonschools.org
with dignity, the book emphasizes some new strategies, take a look at
LINDA DUAME the idea that “school is for all stu- Discipline with Dignity.
E-mail: lduame@comcast.net
TREASURER SSGA Names Award Winners
A
ASHLEY CARON t a recent meeting of the South
E-mail: ashcicero@hotmail.com
Shore Guidance Association,
MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR awards winners were announced.
KATHERINE GETCHELL Domingo Amado, school counselor
E-mail: membership@masca.org
at Whitman-Hanson Regional High
WEBMASTER/ School, was named Counselor of
TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR the Year, and Christopher Evans,
JEAN ATWATER-WILLIAMS school counselor at Stoughton High
E-mail: webmaster@masca.org
School, was named Rising Star. Domingo Amado, left, and
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITOR SSGA congratulates Dom and Chris Christopher Evans, right, are
AMY WHEELER-SUTTON on their hard work and dedication to congratulated on their recent
E-mail: cn@masca.org their students and profession. SSGA Awards
MAY 2018 3
Preparing For Success With Movement and Teambuilding
By SANDRA A. COLLINS, MSW, LCSW School Adjustment Counselor, Alice B. Beal Elementary School
“Exercise promotes positive self-image and good well-being.”
~ Lailah Gifty Akita, author of Think Great: Be Great!
S tudents at Alice B. Beal Elemen- supported by Reebok. Anyone, and The mission statement for BOKS
tary School in Springfield hear I mean anyone, teachers, school is to “promote the profound impact
these words every day: "Remember counselors, and/or parents/guard- of physical activity on a child’s
to work hard, be active, and make ians can be trained to facilitate this mind, body, and community with
good choices!” It has become a program, which occurs two or three a goal of reversing the physical in-
mantra, so to speak, to encourage times a week. The program is based activity epidemic.” A curriculum
our students to be the best they can on Dr. John Ratey’s book, Spark. is provided to each school with
be in their life choices and academ- Ubiquitous websites and scholarly kid-friendly activities and age-ap-
ics. To support this mantra, Beal publications, data about physical propriate nutrition tips to develop
provides a before-school morning activity and mental health, as well lifelong habits of a healthy lifestyle.
fitness club two times a week. With as academics, all unequivocally BOKS provides training for facil-
the support of BOKS (Build Our support the benefits of physical ac- itators and curriculum ideas as well
Kids Success), students in 2nd, 3rd, tivity. So why are schools cutting as t-shirts (supporting the group
4th, and 5th grades have an oppor- physical education and recess? Cuts membership feeling). Staff is avail-
tunity to “get physical” and have are made to increase time on learn- able to provide assistance as needed
fun before school. ing; however, incorporating physi- throughout the program. Facilitators
BOKS is a free (how often do cal activity into the school day has receive a stipend, which is an extra
you see anything for free?) program proven results. (continued on pg. 5)
NEW RESIDENCE HALLS May Awareness Dates
COMING IN FALL 2018 Mental Health Month
National Foster Care
• 24/7 living/learning space Month
• Lounges and quiet study spaces Teen Pregnancy
• On-site dining facility Prevention Month
7-11 National PTA Teacher
Appreciation Week
31 World No Tobacco Day
Attention: All call for
Counselor’s Notebooks
prior to 1999.
Please send issues to
Donna Brown
umassbostonhousing.com as we rebuild our
MASCA CN Archives.
18.278CF © Elkus Manfredi Architects
4 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
MOVEMENT (cont'd from page 4)
incentive for going to school earlier other and us which provides a sup- Musulkin, & Bhattacharya, 2010),
than usual. Having co-facilitated the port network when anyone is having confidence in their ability to succeed
program at Beal for over three years a bad day. Students who attend the (Vogt, Hocevar, & Hagedorn, 2007),
now, I can attest to the incredibly program report feeling “awake” for and grade point average (Anaya &
strong benefits of not only physical school, which translates into more Cole, 2001; Kim & Sax, 2009). In
fitness and student engagement, but focus for academics. general, the research literature sup-
also the long-term impact of group Melissa McInnis Brown, Ph.D, ports a strong positive correlation
membership and camaraderie be- and Teresa Starrett, Ed.D, list a va- between positive student-instructor
tween students and teachers. riety of benefits of students working interactions both inside the class-
The BOKS program at Beal op- in groups in their article, “Fostering room and out and student learning
erates twice a week. With about Student Connectedness: Building and development.” At Beal’s BOKS
25 students, the physical education Relationships in the Classroom.” program, students are not conscious
teacher, Cindy Coughlin, and my- A large body of research has doc- of their age differences and instead
self run, play, stretch, and joke with umented how students who report work on teams and individually to
students for 45 minutes. It is the best strong connectedness with college support each other. A group norm
two mornings of my week. Students instructors reap many benefits in- explained and revisited throughout
with attendance issues other days in cluding: better persistence (Pas- the 12-week session is that BOKS
the week are present every day of carella & Terenzini, 1978), engage- is a judgment-free zone. Positive
the program, thus increasing their ment (Umbach & Wawrzynski, sportsmanship is highly encouraged
school attendance. Students with be- 2005), and effort (Kuh & Hu, 2001) and reinforced on a regular basis.
havioral issues attend the program in college, as well as greater ac- For more information visit the
and develop relationships with each ademic self-concept (Komarraju, BOKS website, www.bokskids.org.
Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3)
By REAR ADMIRAL J. CLARKE ORZALLI, USN Retired, MIC3 Commissioner – Massachusetts
M assachusetts joined the Mil-
itary Interstate Children’s
Compact Commission with the en-
pact if a parent is on active duty or
is a recalled reservist/national guard
on active duty. Children of Army,
an impacted student? You will not,
unless they self-identify. The re-
quirements for reporting ESSA data
actment of SB 2254 on May 31, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast do not necessarily capture a MIC3
2012. The compact’s goal is to en- Guard, Uniformed Public Health eligible student but would be a good
sure that children are not put at a Service, and Uniformed National place to start. The ESSA data also
disadvantage in school due to trans- Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- includes the National Guard and
fer of a Uniformed Servicemember. istration personnel are included. Reserves not covered by the com-
Students are covered by the com- Currently there are 2514 students in pact.
Massachusetts covered by the com- Where can you go for help? Ex-
pact. Of these, only 449 are in three tensive information and materials
Visit the identified school districts close to a about the compact can be obtained
Counselor's Corner military installation; the remaining from the national website, www.
section of the MASCA website are spread throughout the Common- mic3.net. The Governor appoint-
to learn more about events, wealth’s 293 school districts. ed me as the Commissioner to the
resources, and information Issues the compact regularly re- Compact in 2015 and I also chair the
not officially sponsored solves include proper grade and State Council that works on dissem-
by MASCA, but which course placement and ensuring ination of information and resolv-
may be of general interest to students graduate on time despite ing issues. The Commonwealth’s
the counseling community. widely varying graduation require- Council points of contact are listed
https://masca.wildapricot.org/ ments across the United States. on the Massachusetts section of the
Counselors-Corner How will you know if you have national website.
MAY 2018 5
Counselor Reads n' Reviews: A Blog by April Brunelle, TechBoston Academy
Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boy-
friends, and the New Realities of Girl World by Rosalind Wiseman
I n this new column, April
Brunelle, Grade 8 Student De-
velopment Counselor at Tech-
conflict resolution, social media
management, or communication
skills (girl-to-girl, adult-to-girl,
Boston Academy, reviews books parent-to-girl, girl-to-boy, etc.
for educators. All reviews can be etc.) this is the book for you.
found on April's blog, "Counsel- The most tangible strategy that
or Reads n' Reviews" at https:// Wiseman concocts in her little
counselorreadsnreviews.word- kitchen of female empowerment
press.com/. is known as the “SEAL” strategy.
Anyone who knows me from Now I’m not going to give away
high school might not be sur- all of her secrets, but I will say
prised that the first review in this– I cannot wait to recommend
this blog is Rosalind Wiseman’s and teach “SEAL” the next time
Queen Bees & Wannabes. The I have a conflict resolution issue
narration dictates that this nov- to resolve back at school with
el was essentially written for our middle school students.
parents of young women, but it For the most part, it was a pret-
would definitely be an asset on ty easy read. I will be honest,
the shelf for any educator, spe- Marie-Curie comparison of orga- toward the end I felt like it was
cifically counselors, as well. nizing developing female drama. dragging a little, but to be fair,
Wiseman cunningly hits almost I do remember a few referenc- the end is just as important as any
every detail an adult would want es mentioned in the novel that of it. Also, I felt it was very di-
to know about “Girl World” in she has done years of research, rected at parents toward the end
a specific and chronological or- or has had years of experience, and I am just not a parent at this
der. There are even excerpts that but between flipping through a point in my life so I am thinking
could be used and read by the second time and doing a “back- that is why it dragged a little for
young ladies of the world to- ground check” on her webpage, me (maybe). Putting that small
day, but it is pretty clear that it it is still unknown to me. Was she bit aside, not only was I able to
is written as a guide for adults. a researcher? Is she a super-par- put many tools in my counselor
Wiseman uses a variety of writ- ent? Is she just a logical version toolbox from reading this, but
ing styles—narrative, Q&A, of Tina Fey? This is unknown but Wiseman also asks the reader to
“land mines,” personal expe- the proof is in the pudding: the reflect upon their own experienc-
riences, visuals, quotes from material is top notch. es of “Girl World,” which I did.
teens, and most importantly, sol- Here is a list of some topics to Analyzing and reflecting on our
id strategies to use in a variety of get a good idea of whether this past helps us learn and develop
“Girl World” situations compiled book is worth your time or not: that elusive “Growth Mindset”
through years of her research. “Technology, Media, & the Girl and build a stronger, more pre-
I’ll start by saying this— this World,” “Power-plays & Poli- pared future, in this case when
woman is a genius. On top of tics: Speaking Truth in the Girl dealing with “Girl World” issues.
that, I am going to be honest, it is World,” and “Pleasing Boys, Be- Wiseman actually added more
not completely clear to me what traying Yourself” are just a few material into this book about sev-
she was specifically doing as a examples. If you are looking for en years after its original release,
career or job that landed her in resources on bullying preven- to keep the information up to date
a place where she can compile a tion, self-esteem development,
(continued on pg. 7)
6 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
QUEEN BEES (cont'd from page 6)
and relevant. For example, she in my heart. Just to be clear, I while also preserving the seri-
added a whole extra section on unabashedly watched Mean Girls ousness of the messages “Girl
social media, as it has changed almost every single night before World” sends out— both positive
immensely since 2002. She hits I went to bed my senior year of and negative.
just about everything, although high school. Another shout out to In conclusion, this is a must
the one area of “Girl World” I am people who knew me back then, read for educators and parents
interested to hear about from her this means virtually nothing alike. I would love to start a
perspective that she has not real- since it takes me about .78 sec- reading group with some of the
ly touched upon is conflicts that onds to fall asleep, but nonethe- parents at my school who might
arise for our LGBTQ population. less, I’ve seen Mean Girls a few be interested, but we’ll see about
There is really no mention about times. Reading this novel just fitting that in this year. Wise-
the aftermath of homosexual re- highlighted the awesomeness of man wrote a comparable book
lationships gone astray, even Mean Girls in a way I’ve never for “Boy World,” one specifical-
though there is plenty of content known possible, and truly solid- ly about parents, and has some
about heterosexual relationships. ified the ingenuity of both the curriculum for schools as well.
There is also no mention about author of the novel and the cre- Although I do not think “Master-
girls who may identify as boys ator of the movie. The novel is an minds and Wingmen” will be my
or vice versa and how this plays animated, yet articulate and ac- next read, “Queen Bees & Wan-
out in “Girl World.” I am a lit- curate voice on how to navigate nabes” is one for the books. In
tle surprised by this as she is so “Girl World” as an adult. The an era of #MeToo, Wiseman was
diligent with all other aspects of movie is a satire of all the inte- ahead of the times in developing
“Girl World.” gral points of Wiseman’s work, solid preventative measures for
To bring this full circle, as a yet instead of making fun of the our lady friends both young and
Mean Girls fan, there is just an work, it cleverly illustrates the old to be empowered through vi-
extra special place for this book ridiculousness of “Girl World” gnettes and narratives.
Middle School Kindness Challenge
(excerpt from Youth Health Connection, April 12, 2018, Vol. 4, Issue 2)
T he Middle School Kindness
Challenge is an easy and
free way to make kindness com-
Challenge, participating school
staff is asked to teach four out of
the 32 activities of their choos-
monplace and improve school ing.
climate and student learning The activities, ranging from
in the critical middle school 5-minute to whole class period
years. Open to schools with any lessons, fall into four catego-
combination of grades 4-8, the ries:
Challenge offers best-in-class • Developing Positive Mindsets
kindness activities to teach and • Strengthening Peer Relation-
foster kindness over a four-week ships • Fostering Empathy
period of the school’s choosing. • Promoting Cyber-Kindness
By teaching kids how to practice (new)
kindness, be more empathet- (from the Kindness Challenge
ic, and manage their emotions The Challenge includes 32 ex- website)
and actions, they become better pertly-crafted kindness activities This opportunity is open until
equipped to navigate our complex from leading content providers May 15, 2018. To learn more and
world, at school, at home, and on- for teachers and school staff to to sign up, visit: https://kindness-
line. select from and teach. During the challenge.com/challenge/.
MAY 2018 7
Career Activities Corner: K-12 College and Career Readiness Activities
Reach Higher MA Working Group #1: Viable Careers and Citizenship for All hosts this Career Activity Corner
to encourage infusion of a career development strand into your school counseling curriculum. K-12 lessons with
identified standards alignments, measurable student learning objectives and outcomes, and interdisciplinary
curriculum links welcomed.
Email to: Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D, MA Model Institute Trainer at helenod@att.net.
Community Partners Promote CCR and Career Awareness:
A Mount Everett Regional MS-HS Career Speaker Series
Submitted by: Dawn Estes-Daub, MA, ddaub@sbrsd.org, Kimberly Conant, MA, KConant@sbrsd.org,
Mt. Everett Reg MS-HS, Sheffield, MA
Unit: Career and Workforce Awareness
Grade Level: Grades 11 and 12
Delivery: Tier 1, Whole School
To assist students with career awareness and understanding about competencies needed for a fluid post- high
school transition and ultimately into the workforce and viable careers, DESE suggests that all students devel-
op and maintain personal individual learning plans (ILP), engage in discussions with workforce participants,
and participate in authentic learning experiences. Our career speaker series allows students to participate in
career seminars and learn about regional career employers and workforce opportunities.
Description: Area businesses and professionals are invited to participate in our regional Career Speaker
Series. In grade level groupings, all Juniors and Seniors participate in monthly two hour interactive presenta-
tions from a diverse array of career speakers. Using Edwin Analytics data and RTI team recommendations, at-
risk students are assigned to smaller break out groups, allowing for more personalized discussions. As a result
of participating in these career presentations, students gain knowledge of local career opportunities, as well as
the pathway to achieve them. During this academic year, all juniors and seniors have heard presentations from
the following career clusters: Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security; Manufacturing; Finance; Archi-
tecture and Construction; Human Services; Health Science; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathe-
matics; Arts, Audio-Video Technology, and Communications; Hospitality and Tourism; and Agriculture, Food
and Natural Resources.
Student Performance Objectives: By the end of the career series:
Cognitive: Students will be able to identify and list interesting career clusters they can research and explore
for their post-secondary planning.
Affective: Students will realize there are a myriad of options available to them after high school and the
importance of setting college and career goals by developing and maintaining their ILPs and actively partici-
pating in career activities.
Behavioral/Performance: Students will be able to independently ask inquiry questions, maintain their ILPs,
and access/use Naviance.
Data Collection: Before and after the speaker presentations and break out discussions, students complete
pre- and post-surveys to measure their knowledge and understanding of the career area. The outcome data
from pre/post comparison data to date indicates a deepened knowledge about career cluster opportunities and
pathways to meet minimal entry level competencies to enter their career field.
Student Learning Standards:
MA DESE’s Future Ready Campaign: (1) Start Now; (2) Aim High; (3) Look Beyond (continued on pg. 9)
8 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
MA MODEL (cont'd from page 8)
MA Career Development Benchmarks:
o Academic/Technical: A2-4, A4-1, A4-2
o Workplace Readiness Development: W1-1
o Personal/Social Development: PS2-3
ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success:
Mindsets: #3, #4, #6; Behavior Standards: LS #7+9; Social Skills #1+3
ASCA National Student Standards: A:A1.2, A:B1.4, A:B2.7, C:A1.6, C:A1.7, PS:A1.3, PS:B1.12
Common Core State Standards (CCSS): College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing: Re-
search to build and present knowledge 7, 8 + 9.
Minding Your Mind Presents an IndieFlix original documentary, Angst
M inding Your Mind (MYM) is
screening Angst, a new film
created to open up the conversation
and 46% of males, with age 7 being
the median age of onset, according
to the World Health Organization.
about anxiety and provide tools, The beauty of this film is that the
resources, and hope. The screen- children and young adults featured
ing will be followed by Q&A. The are openly talking about their ex-
film is appropriate for ages 10 and periences with anxiety and other
up. The event is Thursday, May 17 public. mental health challenges. Our hope
from 7:00pm-8:30pm at Newton Anxiety disorders are the most is that their candidness and bravery
South High School in Newton Cen- common mental health challenge in will inspire our community to do
tre, MA and is free and open to the the U.S., impacting 54% of females the same.
What if you could
seize the day?
Social workers make
a difference every
day in people’s lives.
NORA PADYKULA,
PROGRAM DIRECTOR,
BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK
At Westfield, you can.
Find out how this environment inspires you. To think. To grow. To be curious.
westfield.ma.edu
MAY 2018 9Exploring MA Model 2.0: Gathering Data for Action Planning
By HELEN C. O'DONNELL, Ed.D., MA Model Trainer and Chair, MASCA GB Member
M ay is the month to make
a plan to gather year-end
program results and impact
implementation happens over
time.
• Once the evaluation data is
data, prepare for your data gath- collected, analyzed, and sum-
ering process, and get ready to marize, report your depart-
be an action researcher and ac- ment’s progress toward the
countable school counselor! identified program targets and
Since data gathering and anal- goals to stakeholders. One tool
ysis is an ongoing process, start to use is the MA Accountabil-
with the end in mind. What do ity Report Card (MARC and
you want to know? Concisely MARC Jr.) templates (see the
identify and target the initia- April Counselor’s Notebook ar-
tive(s) you want to assess, like ticle).
progress toward achieving ac- • Next step? Action Planning
tion plan benchmarks, your Ed (this is the topic for June Coun-
Evaluation SMART Goals, de- selor’s Notebook article).
partment initiatives, etc. Save the Date: Did you miss
• Identify the data needed to use these at the end of your data the MA Model Showcase in
analyze progress and guide con- instrument. Using an online tool Hyannis? Join colleagues on
tinued action planning like Survey Monkey will allow May 30th at Greenfield Com-
• Identify the stakeholder you to use technology to gather munity College for a MA Mod-
group(s) (parents, staff, admin- data and compile results. el Showcase hosted by Franklin
istration, community, and/or the • When gathering assessment Hampshire Counseling Associ-
school counseling team) that data, do not forget the availabili- ation. Materials shared and pre-
will provide the feedback. Ad- ty of outcome data from DESE’s sentations include MA Model
ministration and faculty feed- EDWIN Analytics, attendance implementation success stories,
back is vital for program eval- reports, academic achievement MARC and MARC Jr. docu-
uation and development, but do records (report card grades), ments, standards-based lesson
not forget student feedback (i.e. testing results (MCAS, SATs, plans, and curriculum maps. Ad-
As part of their exit surveys, ask Achievement Tests), etc. that ditional presentation and speaker
seniors what would be helpful to can be included in your program topics: programs and lessons to
strengthen the school counseling evaluation. provide students with Financial
core curriculum for academic • Completion of the MA Model Literacy and Labor Market In-
support, CCR preparation, post Self Study document, located in formation. Registration and ad-
HS planning, and personal/social the appendix of MA Model 2.0 ditional information: helenod@
assistance). Note: Stakeholder (downloadable on MASCA web- att.net
feedback is considered percep- site), is a tool that helps depart- Graduate Coursework and PDP
tion data. ments reflect on their progress Opportunities: Cohorts are form-
• Prepare your data gathering implementing the MA Model 2.0. ing now at various sites and dates
instruments and timeline. Ask I suggest each school counselor for summer and academic year 3
clear, specific survey questions independently complete the self- graduate credit or 45 PDP MA
and streamline the length of the study. Then, compile the depart- Model Courses: MA Model 2.0
document. Some open response ment’s results and meet together Introductory Institute and MA
questions allow you to gather to discuss findings and identify Model 2: Next Steps, as well as
suggestions, ideas, and program targets for continued implemen- the related course Counselors in
feedback, but it is suggested to tation. Remember, MA Model K-12 Classrooms.
10 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOKVoices to be Heard: The Power of Teens
By BARBARA J. GREEN, Ph.D., YHC Medical Director
(excerpt from Youth Health Connection, April 5, 2018, Vol. 4, Issue 1)
O n Saturday, March 24th, we
witnessed a historic moment
with hundreds of thousands of
peers. It is about open dialog and
reducing stigma and increasing ac-
cess to intervention and treatment.
These are big moral questions that
need to be thoughtfully considered
and respected. It isremarkable to
teens, as well as others, marching In this instance, teens are grab- listen to their eloquence, to their
and raising their voices loudly to be bing the stage, demonstrating and honesty, to hear from them.
heard. While the protests focused speaking to challenge our country There are no simple solutions,
on a specific agenda, gun laws, and to examine laws and to challenge but teens are imploring action to be
violence the movement carries sig- our elected officials to understand taken to insure that all Americans
nificance beyond the topic. We have people’s outrage. I am not speaking have the right to safety, no matter
known, and the research bears out, about politics; I am speaking about where they live or work. Through
that there is tremendous power and teen’s empowerment to make us teen action they are demonstrating
influence when teens come togeth- move the needle to open our coun- belief in collective resilience and
er with their peer to peer “Voice”. try’s dialog and to behonest and ex- hope.
YHC depression and suicide pre- plore. Teens are rising up and using Teen voices are being heard and
vention program, “How Not To knowledge to try to really make a respected. Adults should listen in-
Keep A Secret” is designed to give difference. They are pushing us to tently. We should all be grateful
teens the platform for taking clin- explore ideas that are complex but we live in a country where we can
ical information directly to their critical for our next generation. speak openly.
Vaping, Marijuana & the Physiology of Addiction
(excerpt from Youth Health Connection, April 5, 2018, Vol. 4, Issue 1)
R ecently Dr. Ruth Potee was
videotaped at a Forum for Stu-
dents at the O’Maley Innovation
of substance use on this developing
brain, an overview of addiction and
risk factors and specifically import-
source to our attention.
Dr. Ruth Potee is a board certified
Family Physician and Addiction
Middle School in Gloucester, MA ant information on vaping, the to- Medicine physician at Valley Medi-
where she gave a presentation en- bacco industry and marijuana. This cal Group in Greenfield, MA.
titled “Vaping, Marijuana & the video is 43 minutes long;families To view the full 43 minute video
Physiology of Addiction.” may want to watch it in a few ses- of this presentation visit: http://bit.
This presentation helps young sions and discuss what they have ly/2EeZ82P.
people and their families gain a bet- seen over the course of a few days For more information on Dr. Po-
ter understanding of how the adoles- or weeks. Thank you to Marshfield tee visit her website at: http://bit.
cent brain is developing, the impact FACTS for bringing this video re- ly/2EfxG4Q.
Professional Development Funding Grants
(excerpt from Youth Health Connection, April 5, 2018, Vol. 4, Issue 1)
N EA (National Education As-
sociation) Foundation en-
courages professional development
12 as a public school educator and
be a member of the NEA. Deadlines
remaining in 2018 are June 1st and
meals, registration fees, materials,
etc. for individual grants. For group
grants, funds can be used for educa-
for public school teachers, support October 15th. tor stipends, substitute fees, materi-
professionals, faculty, and staff by Preference is given to proposals als, travel, meals, etc.
offering grants of $2,000 for indi- that include STEM &/or Global For more information and details
viduals and $5,000 for groups. Ap- Competence in their project. Grant on how to apply visit: http://bit.
plicants must work in grades preK- funds can be used for travel, room, ly/2ppyBua.
MAY 2018 11Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. PRSRT STD
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Amy Wheeler-Sutton, Editor NEWBURYPORT, MA
PERMIT NO. 96
IN CASE OF NON-DELIVERY, RETURN TO:
Donna M. Brown
P.O. Box 366
Bryantville, MA 02327
The Mission of
MASCA
The mission of MASCA is to advocate for school counselors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
by providing leadership, collaboration, and professional development.
Stay informed by visiting MASCA’s website regularly.
You can share your views with fellow MASCA members by joining in the Forum.
https://masca.wildapricot.org/You can also read
