Dear colleagues-

Welcome to the November MASCA Matters, a monthly e-publication of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.

In this Issue:

* November is Career Development Month
* MASCA Professional Development Workshop
* DOE Public Forums on Educator Preparation & Licensure
* ASCA Awards nomination forms available
* New England Board of Higher Education Directory released
* Committee Chair Profile

November is National Career Development Month
One of the profession's longest standing public awareness programs is the National Career
Development Association's National Career Development Month, the focus of a month long November celebration. The 2006 theme is "One World, Many Cultures, Many Careers." Now in its 41st year, NCD Month is an excellent time to call attention to the career development needs of people and the vital role which professional counselors play in the educational and career transitions of all age groups. Visit www.ncda.org and learn more about the 2006 celebration.

MASCA Professional Development Workshop
The Professional Development Committee is sponsoring a one-day workshop on Thursday, November 30 at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical School in Upton from 8:00
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Student Success Skills program is an evidenced based program designed for students in Grades 4-10 and has produced substantial gains in math and reading achievement and school success behavior. This is a practical hands-on workshop that will prepare you, through demonstrations, practice, and discussion, to deliver the SSS Classroom program. You can also link your counseling program to improved student performance and student success. The workshop will provide you everything you need to implement the “Student Success Skills Classroom” program. For an overview of the SSS model and links to research, go to www.studentsuccesskills.com. For general workshop inquiries contact Dr. Helen O’Donnell at helenod@worldnet.att.net. Registration information is available at www.masca.org.

DOE Public Forums on Educator Preparation & Licensure to be Held
The Department of Education is inviting educators, licensure candidates, parents and citizens to attend and provide feedback and suggestions for improving our educator preparation and licensing system. The sessions will be held at:

Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School - November 8 - 4:30-6:30
Taunton High School - November 15 - 4:30-6:30
Department of Education, Malden - November 20 4:00-6:00
Meline Kasparian Professional Development Center, Springfield, November 29
- 4:00-6:00

To register for one of the sessions, go to
http://www.doe.mass.edu/conference/?ConferenceID=193

ASCA Awards nomination forms available
It is once again time to consider nominating a colleague for recognition awards from the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). The details for each award and nomination
procedures are located at http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?contentid=431. Please help us honor outstanding school counselors in Massachusetts. For more information or assistance, contact Kathleen Barrett, Awards & Publicity Chair, at kathleenbarrett@comcast.net. Last year Massachusetts had two national winners and we would like to have similar success this year.

The New England Board of Higher Education is pleased to announce that the 2007 edition of Connection's Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities will be available November 3rd.

A must-have resource for guidance professionals, students and parents, Connection's Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities contains campus-by-campus statistics on enrollment, endowment, tuition and fees, and room and board charges, as well as listings of key officials at each of New England's 270 colleges and universities.

The directory is published each year as a special issue of Connection: The Journal of the New England Board of Higher Education.

NEBHE's Tuition Break program, the Regional Student Program (RSP) is also featured in the directory. The program provides New England residents with major tuition breaks when they attend out-of-state New England campuses to pursue majors that are not available at public colleges in their home state. More than 8,400 New England students saved a total of $44 million in tuition though the RSP in the last academic year. See http://www.nebhe.org/tuitionbreak for more information.

The 2007 directory also contains a useful primer on the financial aid process and listings of financial aid resources in each of the six New England states.

Each New England high school guidance office receives a copy of Connection's Annual Directory of New England Colleges and Universities free of charge. Additional copies may be purchased online at http://www.nebhe.org/directory

Committee Chair Profile
Kim Gangwisch-Marsh, Human Rights Chair Kim is a new comer to MASCA and the Governing Board but brings a passion and commitment to her students and her professional affiliations. A vocational school counselor at Franklin County Technical School for the past 7 years, Kim enjoys her time spent with students pursuing careers in vocational areas. Her caseload this year includes the 145 members of the junior class and 35 freshmen. Before working at Franklin Tech, Kim spent two years as a vocational guidance counselor at West Springfield High School. Prior to becoming a school counselor Kim was a cosmetologist and
educational consultant for Darien CT corporation. Kim spends her free time outdoors, hiking, kayaking and skiing and serves as a co-advisor to FCTS's outing club. Kim has two children and lives in Heath, which is in Northern Franklin County.

As Human Rights Chair Kim, hopes to get more members to join the committee who have an interest and passion in human rights. Since the committee has not been very active in recent years, there is no set agenda for the activities which the committee will undertake and she remains open to ideas and possible direction. Minimally the Committee would like to create
a mission statement and sponsor a session or two at the spring conference in Hyannis. Additionally the Committee hopes to present a MASCA Human Rights Award to recognize contributions made by a MASCA member in the areas of social justice/human rights education and awareness. Look for additional information in upcoming editions of the Counselor's Notebook. You can email her with ideas or opinions at kgangwisch@eagle.fcts.org.

We welcome Kim to the Governing Board and thank her for her vision and passion to highlight issues in the school counseling profession relating to human rights, social justice and diversity awareness.

Bob Bardwell
School Counselor & Director of Guidance & Student Support Services
President, Massachusetts School Counselors Association
Monson High School
55 Margaret Street
Monson, MA 01057
413.267.4589x1107
413.267.4157 (fax)
bardwellr@monsonschools.com

www.monsonschools.com/guidance
The Monson Public Schools provide Equal Educational and Employment
Opportunities without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national
origin, sexual orientation, and disability.