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!

The PIC, SDSCA's newsletter is here!

​This month's focus is on diversity, but there's so much more inside!

It's time to starting thinking about who you would like to nominate for the 2019 SDSCA Awards. This is our opportunity to honor the outstanding work of school counselors and school counselor allies in South Dakota. Details will be coming soon, but please by our awards page to review the awards and criteria for nominees. Thank you for helping us recognize these amazing people!

A last minute addition has been added to the Counselor Connections agenda.

Bring your lunch from 12:30-1:30 to take part in a round table discussion regarding Dual Credit for high school students. (PLEASE NOTE: we are unable to offer CEs for this session)

12:30-1:30: Lunch on Your Own OR Optional Brown Bag Lunch Roundtable:
Jessica Lewis & Tracia Hogue-SDSU Academic Advisors-College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science
Since the state of South Dakota introduced the high school dual credit program in Fall 2014, the number of students participating has grown significantly. This has greatly increased the workload for high school counselors.  Bring your lunch in and join colleagues for a conversation on HSDC. This round table discussion will allow attendees to ask questions about the qualifications for HSDC, review the application process and available resources, and connect with program staff. It will also allow counselors to dialogue with each other about dual credit and trade ideas.

You can view the full agenda below. We hope to see you at Counselor Connections!