On Sept. 15, SDCOE hosted the county's first Kickoff to College and Career Readiness event. This virtual event was structured for K-12 school counselors and educators who assist students with future plans and postsecondary success. The event featured a general session with opening remarks from Dr. Paul Gothold, San Diego County superintendent of schools, a student panel of college students who shared their personal stories and experiences with college applications and financial aid, and three sessions of engaging workshops centered around financial aid and college and career preparation to support our K-12 school counselors through this work with students and families. If you missed the event, all sessions and workshops were recorded and can be found on the SDCOE School Counselors webpage.

The goal for 2021-22 is for every school in the county to commit to kicking off their own campus event to promote and increase a college-and-career-going culture. The responsibilities do not just fall on the hands of school counselors, it is shared among all educators. However, school counselors can lead the work. And many of you already do.

Applications for our third annual School Counselor of the Year (SCOY) program are now available on the SDCOE School Counselor webpage. We will recognize three SCOYs at the following levels: elementary, middle, and high school. The 2022 SCOY recipients will be recognized Feb. 9 at our new event, Honoring Excellence in School Counseling Leadership. North Island Credit Union will once again sponsor the awards.

Application: We encourage school counselors to start applying early using our online application form. Eligible applicants will be required to complete an online application and upload their resume, one letter of recommendation, and three Personal Interest Question (PIQ) responses. The deadline to submit a completed application is Nov. 1 by 6 p.m.

Nominations: We are accepting nominations for school counselors who are deserving of this honor, but need a nudge in filling out the application. Complete the nomination form and we will send an invitation directly to the nominee encouraging them to apply. Please note that nominations are not required and that any eligible candidate may apply for the SCOY award. The deadline to submit a nomination is Oct. 15.

Spread the Word: Share this School Counselor of the Year flyer with school counselors and potential nominators. Active links are embedded with easy access to the application and nomination forms.

SOS for New School Counselors is a program designed for school counselors with two or less years of experience. The series provides an opportunity to collaborate with others, get resources, and gain mentorship in a supportive learning environment throughout the year to set up our new school counselors for success. All sessions will be virtual with the opportunity to participate in small group discussions and network with school counselors and district leaders throughout the county. An information session was held on Sept. 23 for interested candidates. If you were unable to attend, click here to review the slide deck presented.

Supplement your learning with additional workshops and conferences. Click to view an updated list of offerings throughout the county and state. To view these opportunities by domain (Social/Emotional, Academic, College/Career, and Equity/Social Justice), click here.

specifically for San Diego school counselors. Those who attend the live session may have an opportunity to win free college swag. Register for each webinar separately. Click here for the program flyer.

Oct. 13 and 15 — San Diego Two-Year College Updates for School Counselors

Two-year colleges offer numerous career training and certificate programs, as well as transfer options to four-year universities. Meet local college representatives and attend 30-minute virtual workshops to learn more about postsecondary options available at our two-year colleges throughout the county. Those who attend the live session may have an opportunity to win free college swag. Register for each webinar separately. Click here for the program flyer.

Wednesday, Oct. 13 

If you would like to stay informed of UC admission updates, campus highlights, and upcoming events including webinars, you can subscribe to the monthly Counselors and Advisors Bulletin.

Counselors at high schools and community colleges are essential partners with the California State University in helping our students prepare for and succeed in college. This directory includes the most popular CSU resources used by high school and community college counselors and educators.

The 2021-22 ACT Counselor's Guide was designed to make understanding all things ACT as simple as possible. With information about ACT test dates, fee waivers, and test prep, you'll find everything you need to set your students up for success. The dates in the document are subject to change. The most up-to-date information on the ACT test is available here. For additional resources, ACT has created a Counselor Toolkit with links to workshops and guides for students and families.

College Board has created a one-stop page, filled with easy to use, timely resources to assist school counselors with college and career advising. They offer counselor workshops, and downloadable resources on topics such as applying to college, college and career readiness, grade-level calendars, paying for college, and more.

The 2021 Counselor Conference: Counseling Students for Future Careers, hosted by the San Diego and Imperial County Community Colleges Consortium, will be held virtually Dec. 1 and 2. The conference includes breakouts for middle and high school counselors, administrators, and educators to learn about career and workforce trends, share valuable resources, and hear from inspirational leaders. The conference is free for all participants, and registration opens in October.

The GPA submission deadline for the class of 2022 is Oct. 1, 2021. As of Sept. 21, 6.9% of public and private high schools have submitted GPAs for the class of 2022. GPAs are required for students to receive Cal Grant award consideration. Commission staff anticipates sending Cal Grant award notifications to students in early November 2021. Early notification of Cal Grant award eligibility helps students in their college planning and admission process. For further assistance with the GPA upload process, please visit the GPA Tools webpage to view user guides and submission information. You can also view the “GPA Uploads for High Schools” training video on the CSAC Training videos webpage.

Cal-SOAP and the San Diego and Imperial Counties Consortium have monthly financial aid webinars for school counselors, students, and families to learn about financial aid from the experts. All webinars are free. Register by clicking the webinar title or visit the Cal-SOAP website.

Starting this month, students and families can attend FREE Cash for College workshops across California for help completing the FAFSA, CADAA, and Chafee Grant for Foster Youth applications. All sessions are on Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m., and district-specific workshops are free and open to students and families from other districts.

As your student-athletes move semester by semester toward their dreams of collegiate play, initial-eligibility standards help ensure they are prepared to succeed in college. It's vital your student-athletes plan ahead and take their high school classes seriously. Encourage your student-athletes to use the NCAA high school timeline as a way to stay on track for meeting NCAA initial-eligibility requirements. Click here for resources to share this timeline on your social media and newsletters.

School Presentation Resources: When discussing options for students after graduation, many schools incorporate informational meetings about playing college sports during their school’s “College Nights” or other events throughout the year. The Eligibility Center can assist with these events.

Speaker Presentation Requests: To request assistance, begin by submitting the NCAA Presentation Inquiry Form. Be sure to provide us with as much detail as possible. A response to your request will be made within five to 10 business days with next steps, with assistance in one of two ways:

Presentation Resources: NCAA has prepared presentation resources to assist with these events and empower counselors, coaches, and other administrators to give a detailed presentation about meeting academic and amateurism requirements.

Join colleagues from all over San Diego County to learn, collaborate, and implement social and emotional learning (SEL). Team attendance is encouraged to ensure the collaborative learning moves your SEL work forward, but is not required. Team members could include school-based mental health professionals, school and district leaders, teachers, family engagement staff, and community partners. Meet monthly starting Oct. 13 from 2:30 to 4 p.m. For more information about social and emotional learning, visit the SDCOE SEL resource site.

The Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) is partnering with community mental health educators to offer a series of workshops to support the social and emotional well-being of both educators and students. These virtual workshops are open to San Diego County school counselors, school social workers, teachers, administrators, and school nurses, and are free. Please click on the links below to register or view the program flyer.

Are you thinking of running small groups this upcoming year? Need a refresher or some tips on how to best plan for small group counseling? The OCOE will be hosting a free virtual workshop on the power of group counseling. After this session you will be able to: Differentiate between an open and closed group; Review strategies for planning and facilitating small group discussions; Identify data elements that can highlight the impact and effectiveness of your small group counseling program. The workshop will be held Oct. 19, 9 to 10:30 a.m. For more Information click here.

The 2021 Orange County Virtual Counselor Symposium from 8:15 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Nov. 10 will provide school counselors with strategies to support students' social and emotional well-being as they reconnect and reintegrate into in-person learning. We will continue to focus on supporting student wellness and success through the ASCA Domains: Academic, Social and Emotional, and Career Development and Multi-Tiered System of Support Framework. This event is free.