November E-News Blast

Post-Convention Update & Future Professional Development OPPAGA Survey Update Upcoming Webinar: Family Engagement in the Digital Age FSCA '14 Presenters: Please Email your Presentation Materials FSCA Convention Sponsor Information Update White House Convening Commitment Form Interested in RAMP? OPPAGA Survey Update Don't forget to take the OPPAGA survey... For those of you who haven't heard about it, Florida's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) is conducting a survey for school counseling. This survey is a first and important step for our profession in the state. The OPPAGA office only takes projects as directed by state law, the presiding officers, or the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee and because of the prestige and credibility this office holds in Tallahassee, the results and a strong response rate are important. Results will be used for ‘next steps’ to garner support and potential legislative action (bills) to support school counseling. Click on this link for more information about the survey. Upcoming Webinar: Family Engagement in the Digital Age Friday, November 14 3:30 PM-4:30 PM EST We live in a connected world.  Parents and kids are continually connected through digital media and technology.  Whether engaged on social media sites such Facebook, or simply texting, our society is increasingly reliant on smart phones and other technological conveniences.  Unfortunately, people are often least engaged with their own family.  In this workshop, we will discuss the importance of an engaged family, how to connect with your family and build relationships in the digital age, and how to overcome the hurdles that currently exist to ensure that your school families have the greatest chance to succeed. Click here to register for the webinar FSCA '14 Presenters: Please Email your Presentation Materials Did you present at the FSCA 2014 Convention? If so, THANK YOU very much for contributing to this year's successful convention! We would love to share your presentation materials to provide resources to our members. If you are willing to share, please send your presentation and/or handouts to FSCA14presenters@gmail.com. Please email either PDF or DOC files only. FSCA Convention Sponsor Information Update A few of our generous sponsors have updated information. To see FSCA's 2014 Virtual Exhibit Hall, click on this link. CareerThesaurus is a simple and effective Career Assessment platform which offers people of all ages their Education and Employment options based on their psychological test results. Simply put, career|thesaurus maps an individual's Personality Traits and Natural Preferences to various Occupations where such attributes are important, in order to achieve a balance between a Successful Career and Happy Life. Try out our free assessment and career guidance tools at http://www.careerthesaurus.com/assessment Operation Hedgehog: Civility for the 21st Century is a curriculum like no other. More than manners... more than character building ... more than inspiring books for kids to read. It is all these things in one with a huge bonus. Operation Hedgehog educates hearts... which in turn will revolutionize school environments... which in turn will then spill over into communities. Students will discover true happiness comes as they acquire the tools, skills and hearts they need to confidently pursue all of their dreams and help others along the way. Click here to learn more... White House Convening Commitment Form The Reach Higher initiative was highlighted at convention, as well as the White House Convening. Do you want to be involved in better supporting the college and career readiness of your students? If so, Trish Hatch provided a link to the White House Convening Commitment Form: https://jfe.qualtrics.com/form/SV_eX8GqZDcFAwaZEN Please fill out this form and make your commitment! Areas of commitment include: Developing, improving, and sustaining partnerships between university training programs and K-12 school districts Supporting professional development in districts for school counselors and CCR service providers ensuring a collaborative scaffolding of agreed upon roles and services Providing opportunities to develop strategic partnerships with donors, funders, and researchers interested in evaluating or supporting any or all of this work, promoting new systemic change models, and discovering evidence based practices to support school counselors and the students they serve Interested in RAMP? Are you interested in learning more about the RAMP process? Kristen Sands & Millie Sierra are FSCA's RAMP committee co-chairs. If you have any questions about RAMP or want to discuss questions or concerns, please contact Kristen Sands at kristen.sands@ocps.net. Join FSCA today, or renew your membership by clicking this link. Support FSCA's advocacy efforts and gain access to free webinars! Click here to visit FSCA's main website.