Friday, April 11, 2014
8:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Kean University
1000 Morris Avenue
Union, New Jersey 07083

Click here for more information
Click here for conference agenda
Click here to register

We are excited to announce that the 2014 New Jersey School Counselor Association's Fall Conference will be held October 12th and 13th, 2014 at the Ocean Place Resort & Spa. At this time we are requesting proposals for this conference. If you are interested in presenting at the Fall Conference, please click here to submit your proposal: http://goo.gl/xg7PLp.  In addition to this, if you are interested in assisting with the conference planning, volunteering or would like additional information, contact Tim Conway, President-Elect, at tconway@lakeland.k12.nj.us.

On Monday, January 27, the NJ Anti-Bullying Task Force released its annual report which provides recommendations for changes to the administrative code and the law itself. These changes came as a result of listening to practitioners and other stakeholders as well as monitoring the implementation of the law and its regulations since its adoption. These recommendations take into account practical suggestions which clarify points of the law as well as requests for further guidance and resources to assist with the implementation of the law. Here is a link where you can find the full report.  Be sure to look at Section 2:  "Findings and Recommendations."

NJSCA is now accepting applications for the following awards:

Human Rights Advocate Award - Deadline for submission is March 14, 2014

High School Scholarship Award - Deadline for submission is March 14, 2014

Middle School Award - Deadline for submission is March 14, 2014

If you know of an exceptional counselor/student that you would like to nominate in one or more of the award categories, please do so by the submission dates listed above.

Specific information for each award is available to you here: NJSCA Awards Information

NJSCA Counselor News is now available:

Click here to access!

In this issue:
Coping with Crisis; Preparing Your School and Supporting Each Student

President’s Message, Jennifer Grimaldi
By the Numbers, Scott Poland, Ed.D.
A New Home, Jennifer Baggerly, Ph.D.
School Safety Lessons Learned: From Cleveland to Newtown, Stephen Sroka, Ph.D.
Lessons from Children on Coping with Grief, Sharon Richards, LCSW
Looking Back — and Ahead, Cheri Lovre
When Early Traumas Trigger Trouble, Rick Albright, Ph.D.

The District Evaluation Advisory Committee, or DEAC, required in all districts by the TEACHNJ Act through at least SY16-17, has great potential for supporting districts in effectively implementing the AchieveNJ evaluation system.  Districts should consider expandingtheir DEAC to include other educators whose engagement in the initiative is important to its success, e.g. teacher leaders, association representatives, other teaching staff members such as school counselors, etc  Link to The District Evaluation Advisory Committee (DEAC): Keeping Educators at the Center of AchieveNJ

NJSCA SCENE is a professional networking community, much as Facebook is a social networking community.  With SCENE, we can have open discussions with other school counselors, receiving feedback and offering advice.  SCENE allows members to open a new discussion thread or to simply pose a question.  School counselors can also post favorite websites in "Shared Links" and upload PowerPoint presentations and Word documents that other counselors will find useful to the online "File Cabinet."  Join NJSCA SCENE today.

NJSCA is ready to assist schools interested in implementing the School Counselor Evaluation Model.  If you have not seen the model, please click here to download a free copy.  If interested in becoming a School Counselor Evaluation Model pilot school, the application is posted here. This is a no-hassle, no cost opportunity to pilot the model in your school district with technical support from NJSCA and the writing team.  Click here for the New Jersey School Counselor Evaluation Model Pilot Year Calendar.  

Congratulations to Tim Conway (2014-2013 NJSCA President) on being named one of ASCA's five finalists for the 2014 School Counselor of the Year awards program. The award honors the professionals who devote their careers to serving as advocates – and often lifesavers – for the nation’s students. More information to follow -- Congratulations, Tim!

The New Jersey Department of Education has approved the NJSCA School Counselor Evaluation Model to appear on its list of approved evaluation models in the state.  The Department approves and supports the voluntary use of the counselor evaluation model developed by the NJSCA.  It is a model that has been thoughtfully constructed and recognizes the scope of work that counselors perform.

The School Counselor Evaluation Model will be discussed in detail at the NJSCA Fall Conference on Monday, October 14th

This newly approved model is posted here.

Update your NJSCA membership information by clicking here and completing your user profile. This "Members Only" section will allow you to update your membership data and access 2012 Conference Handouts.