Our 11th Annual Counselor Connections brings a special opportunity to partner with the South Dakota Early Childhood Mental Health Collaborative.

To learn more and register today, please see the following message from Amanda Bender, SDSCA Preside-Elect :

Hello Fellow School Counselors!I hope this finds you recharged from your summer break and ready to make a difference in the lives of students across the state! Your SDSCA board wants to support your efforts by providing relevant professional development opportunities. Below you will find information regarding our 11th Annual Counselor Connections Workshop as well as a FREE Play Therapy opportunity for the day before. I am including a tentative agenda. You can register via Eventbrite or mail-in registration (see below). Registration for the two events are separate – we encourage you to take advantage of both! If you register for Counselor Connections before October 15th you will be put into a drawing for a FREE registration to the SDCA PreConference in Spearfish SD on April 23rd 2020. Let me know if you have any questions! (Amanda.Bender@k12.sd.us)*2019 Counselor Connectionsby South Dakota School Counselor Association
Friday, October 25thLink to online tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-counselor-connections-tickets-67484569163 Join mental health and education professionals from across the state at the 11th Annual Counselor Connections! This year the SD Early Childhood Mental Health Collaborative is joining us to provide even more presentation opportunities. Presentations include: Career Development Activities, Mindfulness, Play Therapy Techniques, community resources and MORE!*Play Therapy with Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disordersby South Dakota Early Childhood Mental Health Collaborative
Thursday, October 24th (Free before October 15th)Link to tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/play-therapy-with-autism-and-neurodevelopmental-disorders-tickets-68005302691
 Come explore how play therapy can be a viable and effective treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders! This training will focus on learning play therapy approaches and interventions that address the core struggle areas of children with autism, ADHD, and other neurodevelopmental disorders which include: social skill deficits, emotional regulation challenges, relationship development issues, concentration and focus issues, and anxiety struggles. 

Please see the information below regarding upcoming Department of Education Webinars about Graduation Requirements:
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Still have questions on the new, 2018 High School Graduation Requirements?Get the scoop by attending one of the upcoming webinars.

Overview of the 2018 High School Graduation Requirements Webinar Offerings
Thursday, Aug. 15: 10:00am-11:00am (CST)
Tuesday, Aug. 20: 10:00am-11:00am (CST)
Wednesday, Aug. 21: 3:00pm-4:00pm (CST)
Wednesday, Aug. 28: 4:00pm-5:00pm (CST)

NOTE: Webinar offerings will be canceled if there is no attendance within the first ten minutes of the webinar.

How to Access the Webinars:
Join a webinar offering at: https://meet.lync.com/stateofsouthdakota/andrea.diehm/BKBMTCH5
For sound, either use your computer’s speaker via the link above, or call in at: 800-410-8397 (Conference ID: 579 573 5425)
Will the webinar be recorded?
A recording will be posted onto the 2018 Graduation Requirements Web Site in the future, after the live webinars have aired.
I attended a webinar offering of the 2018 Graduation Requirements back in January/February 2019. Is this the same thing?
Although not exactly the same presentation as was used in the winter webinar offerings, the information shared will be mostly the same.
How do I get more information on the 2018 Graduation Requirements?
Visit the 2018 Graduation Requirements web page at: https://doedev.sd.gov/gradrequirements/. 
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks!

Andrea Diehm
School Counseling & Career Development Specialist
Career and Technical Education
South Dakota Department of Education
800 Governors Drive | Pierre, SD 57501-2291
P: 605.773.4150 | www.doe.sd.gov/cte
 

Special thanks to Andrea Diehm with the South Dakota Department of Education, for unveiling a new web page full of resources for school counselors!

This tool is a perfect place to start (or continue) planning for the upcoming school year.

Visit the DOE page by clicking here.

Before the school year starts, catch up on the latest goings on from SDSCA.

Including:

• SDSCA Award Winners
• 2019-2020 Board members
• Information on the SD Native American Counselor Association
• Self-Care for School Counselors
• Spotlight on a RAMP Recipient
• And MORE!

July 1st marks the start of a new year for SDSCA.

Yolanda Price transitions from President-Elect to the 2019-2020 President. We thank Julie Nelson for her leadership this past year and welcome her continued work as our Immediate Past President.

For a complete list of the 2019-2020 executive committee, vice presidents, committee chairs, and other positions- please visit our board page by clicking here.

SAVE THE DATE!!!
2019 brings an exciting collaboration for our Annual Conference! We will be combining Counselor Connections with the inaugural conference event for the South Dakota Early Childhood Mental Health Collaborative! Through this combination, it is our hope to increase attendance while also expanding education opportunities for all who work with our youngest community members.
October 24th & 25th- SDSU Campus, Brookings 

Registration details coming September 1st!

We also invite you to share your knowledge and experience as a presenter. Please see the Call for Programs form below to submit yours today.

SDSCA is once again happy to offer ASCA publications at discounted prices. 

Bring cash or check (sorry no POs or credit cards at this time) to walk away with these books in your hand. Stop by SDSCA's table at the SDCA conference in Sioux Falls May 2nd-4th. Supplies are limited and are available on a first come, first serve basis.

For details on these books, please click here to visit ASCA's website. To register for the conference, please visit SDCA by clicking here.

​ASCA National Model (3rd ed.)   Regular Price: $44.95  ASCA Member Price: $34.95
                                                                             SDSCA Price: $30.00

ASCA National Model Implementation Guide Regular Price: $44.95  ASCA Member Price: $34.95
                                                                             SDSCA Price: $30.00

Making Data Work (3rd ed.)        Regular Price: $24.95  ASCA Member Price: $19.95
                                                                             SDSCA Price: $10.00

Buy all three and save an additional $5.00! Take home all three for only $65!!!

Our state's legislative session is in full swing. Please see below for a message from Ashley Seeklander, SDSCA's Government Relations Chair.

"As your SDSCA Government Relations Chair it is my honor to keep you up to date on the Legislative happenings in Pierre. I have attached the report from our Legislative monitor from last week’s session. It gives an overview of bills to watch for as the 2019 Legislative session progresses. Keep in mind things move fast and bills change quite rapidly during session so I will try to keep you as informed as possible. With that being said, I would also like to note Senate Bill 49 was introduced yesterday that would repeal the SD HS Activities Association’s transgender sports policy that was adopted in 2015. If you would like more information on SB 49 (or any of the bills) please go to the SD Legislative Research Council web-site."

The document below contains information a list of bills that you may find of interest. Please visit our Government Relations page for information on tracking legislation as well as contacting legislators on both the state and national level.

Please check out website, social media, and listserv for updates as the session progresses.

​Thank you for your advocacy on the behalf of your students, your school, your program, and the profession!

If you haven't already started to plan how you will celebrate National School Counseling Week (February 4th-8th), there's no time like the present!

ASCA has several great resources to utilize and will once again be sponsoring the NSCW Photo Challenge. For more detail on both, please visit ASCA's NSCW page by clicking here. 

Remember, this is your opportunity to celebrate the great things that you and your program are able to do in your school community. Have fun, make it meaningful, and celebrate to advocate!