Counselor's Notebook, November 2011

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION NOVEMBER 2011VOL. 48, NO. 3

MASCA

Opportunities Up NorthBy DONNA BROWN

MASCA Executive Director

DONNA BROWN

E arlier this fall, many of you receivedinvitations to the Canadian College

Fair held in Newton on October 2 and 3.I had the opportunity to attend the Sun-day evening session and meet with a num-ber of admissions counselors as well asMarc Jacques, Academic and EconomicAffairs Officer for the Consulate Gen-eral of Canada.

As the mom of a Canadian University(Dalhousie) graduate, I knew a bit aboutthe process of attending school in Canada.However, things have really changed forthe better since we started that journey in1993. Getting a student visa, working inCanada as a student, and procuring post-graduate opportunities are among thepositive changes. And, more importantlyin these economic times, there’s the lowercost for high quality postsecondary edu-cation.

As this is National Career DevelopmentMonth, it seems sensible to share some ofthe career preparation programs availableat Canadian universities and colleges. Vir-tually any major of interest to a studentis available in Canada. Additionally, manyschools have extensive co-op programsthat allow students to gain real work ex -perience (for pay) while they learn.

November isNational Career Development Month

The University of Waterloo (www.uwaterloo.ca), located in Waterloo, On -tario, is at the forefront of co-op educa-tion, providing its students with alter-nating four months of study and paidwork terms. Over 100 programs are of -fered, ranging from Bioinformatics toTourism and Parks Management. Co-opjobs are available in Canada, the UnitedStates, and worldwide. Some of the com-panies accepting co-op students are Ama -zon, Ernst and Young, Facebook, Google,Research in Motion, Government ofCanada, and Barclay’s Capital.

Students interested in journalism havea number of interesting opportunities. AtSt. Thomas University (www.stu.ca) inFredericton, New Brunswick, studentsspend their second, third, and fourthyears at the Canadian Broadcasting Com-pany (CBC) broadcast center shadowingprofessional journalists, developing skillsin print, television, radio, and web, and

(continued on page 8) (continued on page 4)

Varied Career PathsNeeded

By JUDITH JOSEPHS, Ed.D.Visiting Lecturer, Salem State University

S tudents today do not have enoughchoices offered to them regarding

career pathways. No doubt all studentsneed some type of formal training beyondhigh school. The direction provided bycommunity colleges, apprentice programs,and military training offers more choicesto students.

My career as an educator has in clud edmany years as a guidance counselor anddirector of cooperative education. Em -ploy ment in the 21st century will requiresome type of postsecondary education asthe passport needed for employment. Isee that, in addition to academic profi-ciency, there is a need for increased ap -plied settings for high school choices.

These educational paths provide an en -gine of opportunity. High-quality ca reerguidance is essential if students are toachieve the American dream. Inappropri-ate career guidance is the reason studentsend up in classes they find boring, irrel-evant, and cause dropouts.

In middle school all students shoulddevelop an individual career plan in clud-ing a goal, program of study, degree orlicense, and work learning experiencesthat correlate with the student’s objec-tives. My experience has shown that stu-dents perform better academically whentheir learning experiences correlate pos -itively with the employment they are

2 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

2011– 2012MASCA OFFICERS

PRESIDENTMICHELLE BURKEBeverly High School100 Sohier RoadBeverly, MA 01915-2654Tel. 978-921-6132 x11107E-mail: [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTCAROLYN RICHARDSSomerville High School81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143Tel. 617-625-6600 x6120 • Fax 617-628-8413E-mail: [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECTJENNIFER LISKMedway High School, Medway, MA 02053Tel. 508-533-3228 x5107 • Fax 508-533-3246E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARYJACQUELINE BROWNEast Somerville Community School42 Prescott Street, Somerville, MA 02143Tel. 617-625-6600 x6517 • Fax 617-591-7906E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGHALBERT MERCADOStacy Middle School66 School Street, Milford, MA 01757Tel. 508-478-1181 • Fax 508-634-2370E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARYTBA

VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARYJOHN MARCUSDean College99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORSRUTH CARRIGANWhitman-Hanson Regional High School600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORSTHERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D.Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325Tel. 508-531-2640E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT RETIREESRALPH SENNOTTP.O. Box 1391, Westford, MA 01886Tel. 978-692-8244E-mail: [email protected]

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDONNA M. BROWNAdjunct Professor, UMass BostonP.O. Box 366, 779 Center StreetBryantville, MA 02327Tel. 781-293-2835E-mail: [email protected]

TREASURERASHLEY CARON25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072Tel. 508-212-0676E-mail: [email protected]

SECRETARYJENNIFER JUST McGUIREUpper Cape Cod Regional Technical School220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532Tel. 508-759-7711 x247 • Fax 508-759-5455E-mail: [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORDEBORAH CLEMENCEP.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641E-mail: [email protected]

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITORSALLY ANN CONNOLLY19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154E-mail: [email protected]

NOVEMBER 2011 3

November 2011

www.masca.org

Published by:Massachusetts School Counselors Association10 issues per year, September through June. The yearlysubscription rate is $30.00. Individual copies are $3.00.

Opinions expressed in the articles published herein representthe ideas and/or beliefs of those who write them and do notnecessarily reflect the views or policies of the MassachusettsSchool Counselors Association, Inc.

The acceptance of an advertisement for publication does notimply MASCA endorsement of the advertiser’s programs,services, or views expressed.

Questions concerning submission of articles, publi cationdeadlines, advertising rates, etc., should be addressed toSally Ann Connolly, Editor.

©2011 by the Massachusetts School Counselors Association.All rights reserved.

MASCA

inside5 Alone Together

By Joe Fitzgerald

7 Something to Think About

9 School Counselors Deserve DiscountsBy Jennifer Lisk

10 Managing Difficult Family ConversationsBy Rosalind Cresswell

11 THE INTERN’S TALE: Friendship SoupBy Katherine Getchell

12 WMCA and MASCA Professional Development Day

13 Focus on Learning

14 Affiliate News


JOSEPHS (continued from page 1)hoping to achieve.

I have also found that there is notenough understanding of the career op -portunities from a technical education.Many of our academic educators over-look conveying to students the trainingneeded to meet varied workforce needs.I have seen valuable apprentice trainingprograms at General Electric, NorthAmerican Philips, USM, etc. eradicated.We need a stronger partnership between

employers and schools in designing cour -ses of study, working with academic stan-dards, and providing opportunities suchas the cooperative education program atNortheastern University.

In addition, more learning that is linkedwith employment opportunities shouldbe offered in high school. Job fairs, tour-ing companies, and working with pro-jects such as robotics competition wouldlead to a closer understanding of today’sjob market.

Professional Licensing BoardsMassachusetts has a Division of Profes-sional Licensure Boards, and counselorsshould include licensing information aspart of their career counseling. Some ofthe licenses include: Allied Health Profes-sions, Allied Mental Health and HumanServices Professionals, Architects, Barbers,Certified Health Officers, Chiropractors,Cosmetologists, Dieticians and Nutrition-ists, Dispensing Opticians, Electricians andAlarm System Installers, Electrologists,Funeral Directors, Embalmers and Es tab -lishments, Hearing Instrument Specialists,Home Inspectors, Landscape Architects,Massage Therapy, Operators of DrinkingWater Supply Facilities, Optometry,Plumb ers and Gas Fitters, Podiatry, Pro-fessional Engineers and Professional Land

Surveyors, Law, Public Accountancy, Psy -chologists, Radio and Television Techni-cians, Real Estate Appraisers, Real EstateBrokers & Salespersons, Sanitarians, SheetMetal Workers, Social Workers, SpeechLanguage Pathologists and Audiologists,State Racing Commission, VeterinaryMedicine, Division of Health ProfessionsLicensure (DHPL) Boards.

The licensing fields may include careersas Athletic Trainer, Occupational Ther-apist, Physical Therapist, Physical Ther-apist Assistant, Mental Health Counselor,Marriage and Family Therapist, Rehabil-itation Counselor, Architect, Barber, Cer-tified Health Officer, Chiropractor, Cos-metologist, Dietician/Nutritionist, Dispen-sing Optician, Electrician and AlarmSystem Installer.

The licenses’ names are only a sam-pling of those available in Massachusetts.Career counseling should involve edu-cating students about the licenses avail-able and employment prospects and aboutwhere to find more information.

It is unacceptable that nearly half ofthe students who enroll in college leavewithout a degree of any kind. Young peo-ple need occupationally relevant skills atall levels of postsecondary education. Adiploma or degree must have as its mea-surement the issue of how well it preparesstudents for their adult lives. ■

A diploma or a degree must haveas its measure how well it preparesstudents for their adult lives.

NOVEMBER 2011 5

O f all the pieces of technology thatI use, my Digital Video Recorder

(DVR) is one of my favorites. Many ofus have this device built into our cabletelevision systems. These recorders haveother names, but basically they allow usto record programs to watch at a latertime. That way we do not miss a pro-gram of interest. As a result of mine, Ido not see many commercials; I merelyfast forward through them.

One commercial that I did not rushthrough, however, showed a family sit-ting together in their home. The mother,father, and two teenage children werenot talking to one another. The fatherwas fussing with his laptop computer. Themother was on her phone. The daughterwas texting. And the son was on a gamedevice. Both kids had earphones. The TVwas also on. Although they were near oneanother, they were not communicating.

I was disturbed by the commercial,and it came back to mind when I dis-covered the work of Dr. Sherry Turkle.A teaching professor at MIT for morethan thirty years, Turkle has developeda body of research about the effects oftechnology on society. She is also Direc-tor of the MIT Initiative on Technologyand Self Program in Science, Technology,and Society.

Turkle’s research includes workingwith robots and studying how they in -ter act with people. For the past sixteenyears, she has published several books onthis topic. Her latest, Alone Together: WhyWe Expect More from TECHNOLOGYand Less from Each Other, epitomizeswhat was happening in the commercial;and her interviews show the negative ef -fects of our increasing reliance on tech-nology.

Although we have always watchedmovies, plays, television, and read alone,even when we are with other people, com-munication usually took place after these“alone together” events. Now, how ever,there is a difference. We are alone in ourvirtual worlds. We are tethered to machinesand our various favorite technologies. Weare online, we text, we Face book, we Twit-ter, we play games on our devices, andwe always have our mobile devices withus. There is no end to the connectivity pos-sibilities. LinkedIn gives us the “world’slargest professional social network.”

Mobile communication means that wecan be “always on, always on you.” Justwalk down a busy street, visit a coffeeshop, or walk around school at dismissaltime, and observe. Some individuals al -ways have their mobile devices with themand they are always “on.” Have youever been to a social event with a high-powered business person?

Although Turkle is a proponent oftech nology, she calls her book a “caution-ary tale.” She reminds us that technologyshould not take over our lives and makeus insular. Technology, she says, shouldnot be keeping us busy; rather, we shouldbe keeping technology busy.

Another danger, she says, lies in thefact that many people today have “liveson the screen.” They hide behind thescreen with a second self that takes on apersona much different from the real one.

Although I think that I use my elec-tronic devices responsibly, while com-posing this column on my laptop, I amalso watching the news, using my iPadcopy of this book, and my iPhone is on,not too far away.

Technology is useful but it does havenegative effects on society. Turkle des -cribes these very effectively in her book,and I highly recommend it for counselors,administrators, and parents. ■

Alone TogetherBy JOE FITZGERALD, Ed.D., MASCA Technology Committee Chair

“People love their new technologies of connection . . . . Theyhave changed how we date and how we travel. The global reachof connectivity can make the most isolated outpost into a centerof learning and economic activity.”

— Sherry Turkle, Alone Together: Why We Expect More fromTECHNOLOGY and Less from Each Other (2011)


9 Hot CollegeMajors

• Biomedical engineering

• Computer game design

• Environmental studies/sustainability

• Health informatics/ informationmanagement

• Homeland security

• Information assurance/cybersecurity

• Nanotechnology

• New media

• Public health

— Christopher J. Gearon, http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/2011/09/19/discover-9-hot-college-majors?PageNr=4. Accessedon September 21, 2011.

30 Fastest Growing Occupations1. Network systems and data

communications analysts

2. Personal and home care aides

3. Home health aides

4. Computer applications softwareengineers

5. Veterinary technologists andtechnicians

6. Personal financial advisers

7. Theatrical and performancemakeup artists

8. Medical assistants

9. Veterinarians

10. Substance abuse and behavior disorder counselors

11. Skin care specialists

12. Financial analysts

13. Social and human service assistants

14. Gaming surveillance officers andgaming investigators

15. Physical therapist assistants

16. Pharmacy technicians

17. Forensic science technicians

18. Dental hygienists

19. Mental health counselors

20. Mental health and substance abusesocial workers

21. Marriage and family therapists

22. Dental assistants

23. Computer systems analysts

24. Database administrators

25. Computer software and systemssoftware engineers

26. Gaming and sports book writersand runners

27. Environmental science and protection technicians

28. Manicurists and pedicurists

29. Physical therapists

30. Physician assistants

— http://www.boston.com/jobs/galleries/30fastest_growing_occupations/, Accessed onSeptember 21, 2011.

NOVEMBER 2011 7

A Student’s Earning Power“Research released in February by econ-omists Alan Krueger at Princeton Uni-versity and Stacy Dale of MathematicalPolicy Research reaffirmed their findingof a decade ago suggesting that eventualearning power depends pretty much en -tirely on student qualities—talent, drive,ambition, and confidence, for example—rather than on the prestige of the chosencollege.”

— Eugene L. Meyer, “Think Hard Before Borrow-ing for College”, http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2011/09/20/think-hard-before-borrowing-for-college?PageNr=2,Accessed on September 21, 2011.

College Debt“A 2010 FinAid analysis of governmentdata on student aid, moreover, shows thatthose graduating debt free are 70 percentmore likely than people with loans to goon to graduate school. Granted, it’s a bal -ancing act. ‘Modest federal student loanscan help you go to college full time with -out dropping out and limit your workhours so you have time to study and sleep,’says Lauren Asher, president of TICAS.

A good rule of thumb, in Kantro witz’sview, is to limit your total debt to nomore than your expected starting salary.By the end of October, U.S. colleges willbe required to post a ‘net price calculator’on their websites to allow prospective stu-dents to see an estimate of the true amountthey’ll owe and will have to borrow.”

— Eugene L. Meyer, “Think Hard Before Borrow -ing for College”, http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2011/09/20/think-hard-before-borrowing-for-college?PageNr=2,Accessed on September 21, 2011.

The Burden of Poverty“Let us face the simple fact that incomeis tied to every indicator of the health andfuture of a community and its children….Poverty is the inescapable cause, throughall of these interrelated socioeconomicfactors, of the disproportionately highrates of underperformance in schools.”

— Joseph Rukeyser, “Letter to the Editor,” BostonSunday Globe, October 2, 2011, K8. ■

SOMETHING TOTHINK ABOUT

Tweets of NoteVaccines are recommended for teens and preteens

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/who/teens/vaccines/index.htmlGetting teens vaccinated is a struggle

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2011/09/18/giving-teens-shot/sVdi7K7sAw6WIQ2qX48pfM/story.xml

Join us on TwitterDonna Brown

www.twitter.com/MASCAExDrSally Ann Connolly

www.twitter.com/sallyconnolly1


MASCA PDP SIGNUP FORMI want to sign up for MASCA PDPs.

Name: __________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

E-mail: _________________________________________________________

Send a check for $25 made payable to MASCA along with your stampedMASCA conferences’ Certificates of Attendance and completed Evidence ofLearning Forms documenting AT LEAST 10 HOURS of professional devel-opment training to:

Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D.10 Maplewood Terrace

Hadley, MA 01035

BROWN (continued from page 1)covering the news for publication bothonline and in print.

Located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Uni-versity of King’s College (www.ukings.ca)offered the first Bachelor of Journalismdegree in Atlantic Canada. Today, stu-dents begin their studies with the Foun-dation Year Programme, “where the tra-ditional boundaries between academicsubjects are replaced by a seamless surveyof the Western tradition from its begin-nings in the ancient world to our owntime.” (King’s viewbook) Foundations ofJournalism is also taken so that studentsare ready to participate in production ofan online news service, radio newscasts,television current affairs programs, anda widely circulated weekly newspaper.

Science and engineering students alsohave many opportunities. At the Uni ver-sity of New Brunswick (www.unb.ca) witha campus in Fredericton as well as St. John,students can focus on eight en gineeringmajors including chemical, geomatics, andsoftware. Here students can take advan-tage of paid co-op and intern opportu-nities. UNB is particularly proud of the

work their grads are doing in the field ofprosthetic limb development.

Carleton University (www.carleton.ca)is located in Ottawa, Ontario, the capitalof Canada. Architectural Studies, Indus-trial Design, Neuroscience, Photonics,and Laser Technology are just some ofthe 100 majors in 15 undergraduate pro-grams. Because of its location in the cap-ital, Carleton is also able to provide uniqueopportunities to students interested ininternational business and public affairsand policy management.

The University of Guelph (www.uoguelph.ca) in Guelph, Ontario, offersseveral unique programs, including oneof Canada’s only Water Resource Engi-neering programs, the largest Interna-tional Development program, and Can -ada’s first nanoscience major.

Canadian Universities, like those in theU.S. come in all sizes and shapes. TheUniversity of Toronto (www.utoronto.ca)has three campuses and well over 70,000students studying in 600 majors! Con-sistently rated as one of the top 20 uni-versities in the world, Toronto offers ex -cellent facilities, outstanding location and

a myriad of educational opportunities. Dalhousie University (www.dal.ca) in

Halifax, Nova Scotia, also offers degreesthrough the doctorate; but with about17,000 students in a city of about400,000, there is a more intimate feel.Located on the ocean, Dalhousie is es pe -cially well known for its Marine Biologyprogram. However, with 180 degree pro-grams (including costume studies; com-munity design; informatics; and envi-ronment, sustainability and society), thereis something for everyone.

On the Bay of Fundy, Acadia Univer-sity (www.acadiau.ca) in Wolfville, NovaScotia has a student population of justover 3000. Offering 200 flexible degreecombinations, Acadia allows studentsto combine interests and passion whileproviding a solid academic foundation.Basic degree programs range from Psy-chology to Kinesiology to Environmen-tal Geoscience.

Sydney, Nova Scotia is home to CapeBreton University (www.cbu.ca), a schoolof about 3100 students. Here students canstudy in traditional degree programs likeengineering or liberal arts or they canpursue a degree in Petroleum, Celtic Cul -ture, or Ethnomusicology, to name a fewof the unique programs.

There are many reasons for our stu-dents to consider attending college oruniversity in Canada. The quality of edu -cation and the variety of opportunitiesare two of the most important. Cost isalso a huge consideration. Because alluniversities in Canada receive supportfrom both the federal and the provincialgovernments, costs tend to be lower thanprivate U.S. schools. In fact, total costscan be in the same range as attendanceat UMass Amherst. In several cases, anIvy League type education at one ofCanada’s top ten schools can be had forbetween $25,000 and $35,000.

It’s worth the time and energy toresearch this information and share itwith your students and their parents.The following websites will help you getstarted:

• www.aucc.ca• www.studyincanada.com • www.canadianembassy.org/

studyincanada • www.edu-canada.gc.ca ■

NOVEMBER 2011 9

New England Institute of TechnologyCareer Education Day

November 18 • 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.Featured programs include Building Construction and Cabinetmaking,Refrigeration/Air Conditioning, Heating, Electrical and Renewable EnergySystem, Plumbing, Architectural Building Engineering, Interior Design,Construction Management, and Business Management.

For more information, contact Amanda Metz ger at 800-736-7744 x3377 orwrite [email protected].

J ust as school counselors should beconsidered an integral part of the edu-

cational community, they should con-sider themselves thrifty consumers ofthe discounts for educators, more oftenreferred to as “teacher discounts.”

Each year I find more and more dis-counts that I didn’t know existed, and Ithought I’d share them with the schoolcounseling community. These may besubject to change at any time, but I haveused many of these myself recently. Somerequire you to register with the com-pany, while others only require you toshow your school identification.

• LOFT, 15% off regular priced items• J. Crew & J. Crew Outlet, 15% off • The Container Store, 15% off• NY & Co., 15% off• Barnes & Noble, 20% off items for

classroom use• Office Depot, Star Teacher Program• Staples, Teachers Rewards Program• FedEx Office, 15% off• J. Jill, 15% off full priced styles• Jo-Ann, 15% off• A.C. Moore, Teacher Discount Pro-

gram• The Limited, 15% off• Banana Republic, 10% off (only at

participating stores)Happy shopping! ■

JENNIFER LISK

School CounselorsDeserve Discounts

By JENNIFER LISKMASCA President-Elect

MASCA members getdiscounted prices on

professional development.


Managing Difficult Family Conversations through MediationBy ROSALIND CRESSWELL, Partner, Resolution Partners LLP

E very family knows what it is like toexperience conflict. It may be be -

tween spouses or siblings, with children,or with parents about their health andwelfare as they get older. Quite oftenthese conflicts are played out over days,weeks, and even years until they becomepart of the fabric of family life.

Although they may not be defined bythe family as such, the conflicts can befraught with problems because they in -volve emotive issues around control andstatus, ability to self-determine outcomes,and lack of appreciation for what moti-vates the concerns of others. Over timethe problems can have a major effect uponthe quality of communication and thehealth and well-being of family members.

Rather than ignoring these issues orfailing to reach agreement on specific con -flicts, many families are turning to profes-sionals to help them navigate throughtheir most difficult conversations anddecision-making processes in a safe and

supportive environment. Assisted by spe-cialized neutrals or mediators, whose roleis to facilitate a conversation and to assistfamilies in exploring options, families nowhave an opportunity to make these con-versations productive and to develop agood plan for addressing their concerns.

People are familiar with the conceptof mediators in general, but often not inthe context of working with families. Un -like counseling, we work for a limitedperiod, looking to the future around spe-cific issues, and we work on improvingconflict handling skills. In addition tohelping resolve existing conflicts, medi-ators can also coach individual familymembers as they prepare to have thesedifficult conversations or can help thefamily themselves through those conver-sations. By working before families be -come permanently fractured, the familyfunctions more effectively as a whole,and there may be on-going benefits forthe individual members.

The preventative approach also en -sures that everyone can have a voice andexpress what is most important to them,allowing people to hear each other, oftenfor the first time, on issues that bring upvery powerful emotions. Once the realissues are identified, mediators can helpguide the process of decision making ina way that takes into account everyone’sneeds, and they can help them worktoward an outcome in which everyonefeels invested.

Imagine the following situation.A couple has discovered that they have

different parenting styles, and as theirchildren start to grow up, their res ponsesto problems cause many disagreements.As a result, the children’s behavior is de -teriorating and their schoolwork is like lyaffected. There is never time to resolve thedisagreements fully; and when the chil-dren finally go to bed, the couple finds ittoo difficult to talk about the issues.

Imagine how the situation might de -teriorate if it is not handled carefully?The neutral can work with the couple tohelp them think carefully about what isimportant to them and start the dia-logue about future plans of care, guidedby their own needs. Once the couple hasbeen heard and they fully hear each other,they can begin to look at practical solu-tions together.

If the couple is unable to come to ge ther,the neutral can work with one partner andcoach them through the process. They canexamine what is important and how theycan communicate this effectively whilebeing receptive to the views of their spouse.When older children are involved, theymay also join in conversations aroundparental concerns about behavior orschool work or about the child’s wishfor growing independence.

To make this process as successful aspossible, families need to enter into it ingood faith. And they should understandthat neutrals will not tell people what todo or take sides. Mediators working inthis area guide people through the processand advise them about whether an ap -proach is suitable to meet their particu-lar problem and family’s needs. ■

NOVEMBER 2011 11

Friendship SoupBy KATHERINE GETCHELL

Master’s Student in School Counseling, Bridgewater State University

THE INTERN’S TALE

When starting my School Counsel-ing Practicum, I learned that hav-

ing good communication with the entireschool is important for the success of allstudents and staff. But having good com-munication doesn’t mean your school sys-tem runs as one community. For example,incorporating a guidance curriculum intothe classroom can be difficult if you don’thave the teachers’ support.

At my practicum site, soup has helpedus develop open and friendly relationshipsamong staff, teachers, and different officesin the building. Soup Day has becomeknown as one of the best days of the year.

On Soup Day every member of thegui dance office brings in a different soup,and other staff members volunteer as well.In the guidance office conference roomall the soups are lined up along the wall,wrapping from one corner to the next.The smell of spices, cheeses, and warmthfills the air and hallways. On a cold day inDecember, when the staff and studentsare in much need of the approaching win-ter break, it’s the guidance office that putsa little “spring” back in everyone’s step.

All staff and administration are in viteddown to enjoy samples of the soups.Laugh ter and smiles fill the room as folksline up throughout the office. While eat-ing, counselors, teachers, principals, assis-tants, interns, and others discuss plans forthe holidays as well as why some stu-dents may need to contact a counselor.Although this may sound really casual,what occurs is key: collaborative rap-ports are established. These rapports playan important role in successful workingrelationships.

With Soup Day the Director of Guid-ance has created a comfortable atmos-phere for everyone to gather, get to knowone another, and engage in conversationsother than school business.

A similar event is held on the first dayof school. Everyone in Guidance bakesa goodie, and all are invited down to theguidance office to mingle and share.

Through these practices the guidanceoffice reaches out to the school, saying“welcome” to our office. The message re -ceived by all is that Guidance wants to

create good, open relationships and workwith you in order to achieve school success.

Who knew that reaching out a friend-ly hand could go so far? Our soups havecreated friendships and more. They haveestablished rapport so that counselors can

go into classrooms and communicate withteachers more effectively.

Our soups have created a communityin our school system. And community andcommunication are key to our schoolpride and gateway to success. ■

Western Massachusetts Counselors Associationand MASCA

Professional Development DayFriday, November 18, 2011

Data Literacy WorkshopTrainer: Katie Gray Registration 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

Workshop 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.Certificate of Attendance will be provided.

Site: Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), Scibelli Hall, Bldg 2, Room 316

This professional development workshop is for school counseling practitioners. Since the training will be practicaland hands-on, all registrants are expected to bring their laptops with Excel 2007 or higher. Approximately one weekbefore the workshop, templates and training materials will be sent to each registered participant for downloading.

Workshop topics include:• Why counselors must be data literate• Process, perception and results data: What’s the difference?• Accessing and using data from your district’s Student Information System• Accessing, understanding, and using data from DESE• Accessing, understanding, and using data from The College Board• Exploring tools to make using data easier (Excel, EZ Analyze, Survey Monkey, etc.)• Charting your School Counseling Program’s results data• Why and what school counselors must contribute to building-based Data Teams

COST per person (includes light continental breakfast and sandwich lunch)

Current membership* of both WMCA and MASCA $50

Current member of either WMCA or MASCA ORnon-member of either organization $80

*WMCA and MASCA membership must be paid/current by November 1 to qualify for member rate.Purchase order in process is not considered paid.

Online registration link opens on October 1 and will close on November 9. Go to www.masca.org.Online registration is limited to the first 40 registrants only.

– Credit card payments accepted. Purchase Orders must include $10 PO processing fee.– Payment expected for registrant non-attendance. Schools may send a substitute attendee.

Registration questions: Maria Paoletti, Workshop Registrar, [email protected] registration confirmation e-mail will include a STCC parking pass for any student or faculty parking lot.Complete the form and hang on rearview mirror.

PD Inquiries: Lin Duame, WMCA PD Chair [email protected] O’Donnell, MASCA PD Chair [email protected]


Time Well Spent

“Expanding the school day is proving to be about more than simplyadding time. It’s giving participating schools and communities the chance toexpand learning, broaden opportunities and deepen relationships. It’s elim-inating the frustrating need to decide between literacy or art, science or socialstudies breadth or depth. And in the most impressive ELT schools, it is elim-inating achievement gaps, too.”

— Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time Initiative: 2010-2011 Update,http://www.mass2020.org/files/file/2011%20MA%20Update(1).pdf, Accessedon October 14, 2011.

NOVEMBER 2011 13

Expanded Learning Time:The High PerformersMassachusetts has 7 of the 30 expandedlearning time schools across the countrythat are highlighted in a new report, TimeWell Spent: Eight Powerful Practices ofSuccessful, Expanded-Time Schools. Thereport, which is sponsored by the Na tion -al Center on Time and Learning, showsthat combining expanded learning timewith the following practices results inimproved performance:

• Making every minute count or max -imizing added time,

• Prioritizing increased hours that aretailored to the school and their students,

• Individualizing the added time foreach student based on diverse needs,

• Building a positive school culture ofhigh expectations and mutual account-ability,

• Providing new experiences for stu-dents that make their education morewell-rounded,

• Preparing students for the future byencouraging college readiness and careergoals,

• Strengthening instruction by pro-viding increased time for teacher profes-sional development, and

• Evaluating how well goals are metby assessing and analyzing data.

“Expanded learning time is not theonly lever for improving low-performingschools. Yet, as some of the most suc cess -ful schools demonstrate, more time is apowerful lever for boosting student achieve -ment, closing opportunity gaps, and im -proving teacher effectiveness. The chal-lenge is to use the time wisely and well.”

— National Center on Time and Learning,Time Well Spent: Eight Powerful Practicesof Successful, Expanded-Time Schools,http://www.timeandlearning.org/TimeWellSpent_LO_RES_FINAL.pdf, Accessed onSeptember 30, 2011.

Why Charters SucceedCharters [charter schools] are succeedingin part because they are providing low-income kids the extra learning time andacademic support that suburban kidsget through tutoring or at home.”

— Scot Lehigh, “On charter time,” TheBoston Globe, September 28, 2011, A13.

FOCUS ONLEARNING

AFFILIATE NEWS

WMCA and MASCA sponsorworkshopWestern Massachusetts Counselors Asso-ciation and MASCA will co-sponsor aProfessional Development Day on Friday,November 18. Registration begins at 7:30a.m. and a Data Literacy Workshop willfollow at 8:00 a.m.

The workshop will include the fol-lowing topics:

• Why counselors must be data literate

• Process, perception, and results data:What’s the difference?

• Accessing and using data from yourdistrict’s Student Information System

• Access, understanding, and usingdata from DESE

• Accessing, understanding, and usingdata from The College Board

• Exploring tools to make using dataeasier (Excel, EZ Analyze, Survey Mon-key, etc.)

• Charting your school counselingprogram’s results data

• Why and what school counselorsmust contribute to building-based DataTeams

Go to MASCA’s website for more in -formation and to register.


Cape & Islands changes nameThe MASCA affiliate known as Cape &Islands Guidance Association is nowCape & Islands School Counselor Asso-ciation. This change was made to betterreflect our role as professional schoolcounselors. Our acronym is CISCA.

President of CISCA for 2011-2012 isRachel Kerrigan, school counselor at Up -per Cape Cod Regional Technical School.

At the June meeting at Hyannis GolfClub, CISCA named Jennifer McGuire,former CIGA president (2003-2004) andformer MASCA president (2007-2008),as its 2010-2011 Counselor of the Year.

Upcoming meetings:

Thursday, November 17Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Thursday, December 8 Curry College

CISCA welcomes new members, in -cluding active and retired counselors aswell as graduate students. For more in -formation, contact Rachel Kerrigan [email protected].

SSGA sets calendarSouth Shore Guidance Association willmeet on the following dates:

Tuesday, September 20Dean College, on campus

Thursday, October 13Universal Technical InstituteCharlie Horse, West Bridgewater

Monday, November 14University of New HavenBuca di Peppo, Dedham

Tuesday, December 13Stonehill CollegeOn campus

Thursday, January 26Southern Vermont CollegeTBA

Officers of the affiliate are:

PresidentSusan MacDonald

Vice PresidentKatelyn Driscoll

SecretaryCarrie Kulick-Clark

TreasurerRuth Carrigan

TrusteeDonna Neary ■

MASCA DIRECTORY OFMASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS

The Directory lists school counselors in K-12 public, private, parochial, and re gionaland technical high schools. Phone, fax, and e-mail information is in cluded. EachMASCA member will receive one (1) complimentary copy.

PLEASE USE THE ORDER FORM BELOW to order more copies. Download theform at www.masca.org or order online and use your credit card.

1-5 copies @ $30.00 each . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. ____ $_________

Additional Copies6 or more @ $25.00 each . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. ____ $_________

Shipping/Handling @$3.50 each copy . . . . . . . . No. ____ $_________

P.O. Processing Fee (per order) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $_________

Make checks payable to: MASCA TOTAL: . . $ __________

If mailing this form, send to:Ms. Marla Schay, Weston High School, 444 Wellesley St., Weston, MA 02493

Questions? E-mail [email protected]

Your name and contact information:

Name: ______________________________________________________________

School District/Business: _______________________________________________

Mailing Address: _____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

E-mail Address: ______________________________________________________

Phone: _____________________________________________________________

5.00

NOVEMBER 2011 15

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGEPAID

NEWBURYPORT, MAPERMIT NO. 96

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc.COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

CHANGE OF ADDRESS:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NAME

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ADDRESS

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CITY ZIP CODESTATE

Send this form to:Deborah ClemenceP.O. Box 805East Dennis, MA 02641

YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE IS INDICATED BY YEAR AND MONTH ON YOUR ADDRESS LABEL ABOVE.To renew your membership, go to MASCA’s website, www.masca.org.

MASCA Governing Board 2011-2012

Executive Council

Michelle Burke [email protected]@masca.org

Carolyn Richards Past [email protected]

Jennifer Lisk [email protected]

Jacqueline Brown VP [email protected]

Albert Mercado VP Middle/Jr. [email protected]

TBA VP Secondary

Ruth Carrigan VP [email protected]

John Marcus VP [email protected]

Theresa Coogan, Ph.D. VP Counselor [email protected]

Ralph Sennott VP [email protected]

Appointed Members

Donna Brown Executive [email protected]@masca.org

Ashley Caron [email protected]

Jennifer Just McGuire [email protected]

Deb Clemence Membership [email protected]

Helen O’Donnell Professional Development [email protected]@att.net

Marla Schay Directory [email protected]

Ron Miller Technology [email protected]@masca.org

Sally Ann Connolly Counselor’s Notebook [email protected]

Documents

Counselor's Notebook, November 2011