Meeting Minutes September 29, 2020
What a great meeting we had for our annual kickoff breakfast, such a huge turnout. Thank you to everybody who attended.
Becky Carlson and Jen Boyle, updated us on events at the Center for Prevention, such as the Anti-Bullying Summit, among many others. Jen Boyle received a promotion, and she discussed their TAG program. Becky updated us on all the events in the next few weeks and wanted to let us know that to send referrals they have money to offer individuals who need help. Jen mentioned The Anger Management program that Center for Prevention could provide for your students and school. could be brought to your school; reach out to her if you are interested.
Bina Varkey provided an update on Sussex Tech applications. The window will be from October 5th to January 15th; they will be using 6th-grade PARCC scores; they plan to do interviews in February if possible, the Open House has been canceled, and plan to do virtual presentations. Christine Klein is the new secretary who has replaced Sharon Monell, who has retired.
Joanne provided an update on the Caring Awards. We were able to offer a virtual program. Students were able to receive lawn signs and Dunkin Donut gift cards. Hopefully, we'll be able to do the Caring Awards again in person for next year.
Once again, Berkeley College graciously hosted our event as they do each year and provided us with some updates. Berkeley College is providing all of its presentations virtually. Reach out to Berkeley if you want them to come to your school and visit the your classrooms virtually. Carol Covina discussed their new college programs, such as Data Science, Justice Studies, and they have brought back National Security. Their Graphic Design program continues to grow, and their Interior Design program has previously won the Jets Fan Cave Makeover. This past fall, they've had their largest honors program enrollment with those students receiving 50% off tuition. Students with a 3.5 or higher GPA receive full scholarships.
Marianne Chimento, Berkeley College, provided an update on their Corporate Learning Partnership. Students who are employed by one of their partners receive 30% off tuition. Among the many companies that participate are Quick Chek and ShopRite.
Elaine Frieda provided an update on the activities of NACAC and NJACAC. Visit their websites for the latest information.
Presentations by Joanne Koch to Katie Lasso, Counselor of the County, and Mike Tressler who will be retiring in December. We will miss Mike not only for his contributions to education but also for his impeccable organization of the Annual Brunch.
Hidden In Plain Sight to be held at High Point Regional High School on November 7, 2017
High Point Regional High School is hosting “Hidden in Plain Sight” on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 7PM. Presented by the Center for Prevention and Counseling, this exhibit and presentation to prevent youth drug misuse is suitable for parents and other adult community members who work with or care about young people. An exhibit of a teenager’s bedroom will be on display for participants to browse, observe and become familiar with where and how teens might hide drugs or paraphernalia. Seemingly innocent items commonly used by youth could actually indicate a substance use problem. This awareness event will allow adults to be more proactive in helping a young person who might be using alcohol or other drugs. Hear from prevention specialists and law enforcement about local drug trends, how to prevent youth substance use disorders and resources available to help keep youth healthy.
Would you be able to recognize signs of use and intervene before they become impossible to ignore? Don't leave it to chance! An attendee at a recent presentation commented: Being aware of what drugs are being misused by kids is helpful. But, even more valuable was understanding how teen brains are so susceptible to addiction and that’s really important for me to talk to my kids about!” This “Hidden in Plain Sight” presentation is supported and funded by Sussex Rural Electric Cooperative Inc, Take the Power Away From Drugs Initiative and . Coffee and light refreshments provided by Sussex Wantage Municipal Alliance. Please contact Tina Aue at The Center at(973)383-4787 ext. 239 or email tina@centerforprevention.org
FULL INVITATION- SCHOOL SUPPORT NETWORK
Hello Friends,
We apologize for the delay, please find the upcoming topics and dates for the 2017-2018 School Support Network below!
United Way Youth Empowerment Alliance’s nationally recognized School Support Network provides a venue for educators and administrators to meet monthly to share best practices, brainstorm ideas, and access culture and climate resources. Each meeting includes a professional development workshop that fulfills state requirements and offers resources that support school culture and climate work.
Meetings are open to all K-12 educators, administrators and school or youth agency staff as well as Board of Education members and PTO/PTA members.
There is no cost to attend. Please feel free to share this information with other education-related professionals.
Below are the dates and locations of the meetings with link to registration for each meeting.
SUSSEX COUNTY
Time: 8:00am-11:00am
Center for Prevention and Counseling’s satellite office
65 Newton Sparta Road (Manor Plaza)
Newton, NJ 07860
November 7, 2017 The Need for Coping Skills in an Age of Anxiety. Presented by Paul DePinto
January 9, 2018 Understanding and Supporting LGBT Students. Presented by Aaron Potenza
March 6, 2018 TBD
May 1, 2018 TBD
Hello Friends,
We apologize for the delay, please find the upcoming topics and dates for the 2017-2018 School Support Network below!
United Way Youth Empowerment Alliance’s nationally recognized School Support Network provides a venue for educators and administrators to meet monthly to share best practices, brainstorm ideas, and access culture and climate resources. Each meeting includes a professional development workshop that fulfills state requirements and offers resources that support school culture and climate work.
Meetings are open to all K-12 educators, administrators and school or youth agency staff as well as Board of Education members and PTO/PTA members.
There is no cost to attend. Please feel free to share this information with other education-related professionals.
Below are the dates and locations of the meetings with link to registration for each meeting.
SUSSEX COUNTY
Time: 8:00am-11:00am
Center for Prevention and Counseling’s satellite office
65 Newton Sparta Road (Manor Plaza)
Newton, NJ 07860
November 7, 2017 The Need for Coping Skills in an Age of Anxiety. Presented by Paul DePinto
January 9, 2018 Understanding and Supporting LGBT Students. Presented by Aaron Potenza
March 6, 2018 TBD
May 1, 2018 TBD
This is a new page on our SCSCA website!
We are hoping to share as much information as possible with our membership, so please refer to this page after monthly meetings if you are unable to attend.
We are hoping to share as much information as possible with our membership, so please refer to this page after monthly meetings if you are unable to attend.
Spring 2018
Hello Everyone!
It's so hard to believe we are talking about our end of year Retirement and Recognition Luncheon. Where does the time go? Our event will take place on Thursday, May 31st, 11:30 a.m., at The Farmstead, 88 Lawrence Road, Lafayette, NJ. This year we are graciously being hosted by William Paterson University who will present their school and programs followed by a brief overview from Kurt Walton of the new Pass It Along programs coming to the schools. We will also get some input on our fall inservice which Becky and Jenn from the Center for Prevention are already working on! We will review the awesome Middle School and High School Caring Awards, as well as scholarships. Following this we will be honoring our Counselor of the County in addition to our retirees! I of course, can't forget to mention enjoying a delicious lunch as well!
As per usual, it promises to be a very informative and enjoyable meeting. We certainly hope you will be able to join us. Please respond to jkoch@hpregional.org by Friday, May 11th. Looking forward to seeing you on the 31st!
Kind Regards,
Joanne and Lisa
Hello Everyone!
It's so hard to believe we are talking about our end of year Retirement and Recognition Luncheon. Where does the time go? Our event will take place on Thursday, May 31st, 11:30 a.m., at The Farmstead, 88 Lawrence Road, Lafayette, NJ. This year we are graciously being hosted by William Paterson University who will present their school and programs followed by a brief overview from Kurt Walton of the new Pass It Along programs coming to the schools. We will also get some input on our fall inservice which Becky and Jenn from the Center for Prevention are already working on! We will review the awesome Middle School and High School Caring Awards, as well as scholarships. Following this we will be honoring our Counselor of the County in addition to our retirees! I of course, can't forget to mention enjoying a delicious lunch as well!
As per usual, it promises to be a very informative and enjoyable meeting. We certainly hope you will be able to join us. Please respond to jkoch@hpregional.org by Friday, May 11th. Looking forward to seeing you on the 31st!
Kind Regards,
Joanne and Lisa
November 23, 2016
Hi Everyone,
A great big thank you to Berkeley College for once again graciously hosting our very well attended breakfast meeting earlier this month. It is so wonderful for us to be able to get together and share ideas.
Please see below for a very gracious invitation from Fred Douglas, president of the Morris County School Counselors' Association (thanks to Lisa Schuffenhauer for her efforts in putting this together for us!) Their upcoming meeting is focusing on the topic of Transgenders and I know this is something which came up as a much needed focus for one of our meetings. Hopefully many of us can attend and bring valuable information back to our next meeting. Thanks so much to Fred and his officers for including Sussex County.
Our next meeting is our brunch at Sussex Tech scheduled for February 8th (thanks to Mike Tresslar and his staff). Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, please continue to check our website at sussexcountysca.org (thanks Chantel) for many updates and valuable information.
Best wishes to all of you and your families for a very happy and safe holiday season.
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
------------------------------------
MCPCA Information
We unanimously agreed to extend an ongoing invitation (for you and any of your members who may be interested) to attend any of our dinner meetings as rsvp's become available online by checking here (click). The MCPCA by-laws allow for Sussex County counselors to join MCPCA as associate (non-voting) members in order to do this. To become an associate member Sussex County counselors can click here if they are interested.
Please extend this invitation on our behalf!
MCPCA's Executive Board:
President - Fred Douglas, Parsippany High School
Vice President - Cathy Haun, Mt. Olive High School
Secretary - Judith Sarubbi, Mt. Olive High School
Co - Treasurer - Jessie (Yesenia) Rivera, Morris Hills High School
Co - Treasurer - Jonathan Roman, Morris Hills High School
sites.google.com/site/mcpcaevent/
Hi Everyone,
A great big thank you to Berkeley College for once again graciously hosting our very well attended breakfast meeting earlier this month. It is so wonderful for us to be able to get together and share ideas.
Please see below for a very gracious invitation from Fred Douglas, president of the Morris County School Counselors' Association (thanks to Lisa Schuffenhauer for her efforts in putting this together for us!) Their upcoming meeting is focusing on the topic of Transgenders and I know this is something which came up as a much needed focus for one of our meetings. Hopefully many of us can attend and bring valuable information back to our next meeting. Thanks so much to Fred and his officers for including Sussex County.
Our next meeting is our brunch at Sussex Tech scheduled for February 8th (thanks to Mike Tresslar and his staff). Stay tuned for more information. In the meantime, please continue to check our website at sussexcountysca.org (thanks Chantel) for many updates and valuable information.
Best wishes to all of you and your families for a very happy and safe holiday season.
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
------------------------------------
MCPCA Information
We unanimously agreed to extend an ongoing invitation (for you and any of your members who may be interested) to attend any of our dinner meetings as rsvp's become available online by checking here (click). The MCPCA by-laws allow for Sussex County counselors to join MCPCA as associate (non-voting) members in order to do this. To become an associate member Sussex County counselors can click here if they are interested.
Please extend this invitation on our behalf!
MCPCA's Executive Board:
President - Fred Douglas, Parsippany High School
Vice President - Cathy Haun, Mt. Olive High School
Secretary - Judith Sarubbi, Mt. Olive High School
Co - Treasurer - Jessie (Yesenia) Rivera, Morris Hills High School
Co - Treasurer - Jonathan Roman, Morris Hills High School
sites.google.com/site/mcpcaevent/
September 1, 2016- Welcome Back
Welcome Back Everyone,
We hope you all had a very relaxing and enjoyable summer and are having a great start to the 2016-2017 school year! First of all, we would like to offer a very big thank you to Becky Carlson and her staff for all the work they have done to bring us an action packed In-Service day on Monday, October 10th. Also, thanks so much to Todd Poltersdorf at Sussex County Community College for once again graciously offering to host us for the very exciting day!
The In-Service on October 10th will actually be our first meeting for the year. We hope that many, if not all of you can attend this year. The agenda is packed for the day with many informational presentations. Please remember to bring your $20.00 dues made payable to Sussex County School Counselor's Association.
After that, our next meeting will be held at Perona Farms, 350 Andover-Sparta Road, Andover, NJ on Thursday, November 3, from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. Here we will have a delicious brunch and hear about the programs at Berkeley College. We are grateful to Berkeley College for once again offering to host us! Please bring your thoughts and ideas as we will be discussing topics for the year.
Also, please continue to refer to our website at sussexcountysca.org. Chantel does an awesome job of updating all of our important information. Thanks Chantel!
Please RSVP to jkoch@hpregional.org by October 25th. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
Welcome Back Everyone,
We hope you all had a very relaxing and enjoyable summer and are having a great start to the 2016-2017 school year! First of all, we would like to offer a very big thank you to Becky Carlson and her staff for all the work they have done to bring us an action packed In-Service day on Monday, October 10th. Also, thanks so much to Todd Poltersdorf at Sussex County Community College for once again graciously offering to host us for the very exciting day!
The In-Service on October 10th will actually be our first meeting for the year. We hope that many, if not all of you can attend this year. The agenda is packed for the day with many informational presentations. Please remember to bring your $20.00 dues made payable to Sussex County School Counselor's Association.
After that, our next meeting will be held at Perona Farms, 350 Andover-Sparta Road, Andover, NJ on Thursday, November 3, from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. Here we will have a delicious brunch and hear about the programs at Berkeley College. We are grateful to Berkeley College for once again offering to host us! Please bring your thoughts and ideas as we will be discussing topics for the year.
Also, please continue to refer to our website at sussexcountysca.org. Chantel does an awesome job of updating all of our important information. Thanks Chantel!
Please RSVP to jkoch@hpregional.org by October 25th. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
November 19, 2015- Meeting at PSS
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for another wonderful showing at our meeting last week! Thanks also to Kristy Lavin for an awesome presentation and to Melissa at PSS for hosting and sharing updates! We normally take the months of December and January off but consensus seems to be a January meeting just for sharing! We have so many available options for speakers which we will use for April but we would just like January to be a sharing meeting. We will divide up into groups and discuss pertinent topics such as SGO's, levels, scheduling, PARCC, counseling techniques, etc. Melissa at PSS has gotten back to me with a few available dates at the end of January so we will be back in touch sometime in December with more information.
Best wishes to all of you and your families for a very Happy Thanksgiving! Be safe and enjoy!
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for another wonderful showing at our meeting last week! Thanks also to Kristy Lavin for an awesome presentation and to Melissa at PSS for hosting and sharing updates! We normally take the months of December and January off but consensus seems to be a January meeting just for sharing! We have so many available options for speakers which we will use for April but we would just like January to be a sharing meeting. We will divide up into groups and discuss pertinent topics such as SGO's, levels, scheduling, PARCC, counseling techniques, etc. Melissa at PSS has gotten back to me with a few available dates at the end of January so we will be back in touch sometime in December with more information.
Best wishes to all of you and your families for a very Happy Thanksgiving! Be safe and enjoy!
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
October 23, 2015- Welcome Back Meeting
Hi Everyone,
It was a pleasure to see so many of you come out for our kick off breakfast this past Friday at Perona Farms. A great big thank you to Gretchen and Carlos at Berkeley for hosting, as well as their continued support of our organization.
As was discussed at the meeting, the weeks in between Teachers' Convention and Thanksgiving work best for our next meeting. I have been in contact with Melissa Bischoff at Project Self Sufficiency, 127 Mill Street, Newton, NJ, and they have graciously offered to host us again. Thursday, November 19th is a good date for them and I am hoping that is a good date for all of you as well. We will begin the meeting with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. . From 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.we will have a presentation by Ms. Kristy Lavin, a therapist in private practice at Vernon Counseling Services. Kristy will speak about "Coping Strategies in Counseling," to include grounding techniques, breathing, anxiety reducing strategies, etc. I have heard rave reviews about Kristy's presentation.
Following this, Melissa from Project Self Sufficiency will discuss their new Central Intake program which is one number which will link you to all services for teenagers through adults. They will also discuss their County Council for Young Children and their annual Holiday Toy Shop.
We will hopefully then have time for some break out sessions to discuss pertinent information at each of our levels and conclude with a tour of the beautiful PSS facility.
As usual, we will pack a lot of valuable information in a short amount of time. I am hoping you can all join in! Please RSVP jkoch@hpregional.org by November 12th. Please remember to keep checking out our website for additional information and upcoming events.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on November 19th at 8:30 a.m.
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
Hi Everyone,
It was a pleasure to see so many of you come out for our kick off breakfast this past Friday at Perona Farms. A great big thank you to Gretchen and Carlos at Berkeley for hosting, as well as their continued support of our organization.
As was discussed at the meeting, the weeks in between Teachers' Convention and Thanksgiving work best for our next meeting. I have been in contact with Melissa Bischoff at Project Self Sufficiency, 127 Mill Street, Newton, NJ, and they have graciously offered to host us again. Thursday, November 19th is a good date for them and I am hoping that is a good date for all of you as well. We will begin the meeting with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. . From 8:45 to 9:30 a.m.we will have a presentation by Ms. Kristy Lavin, a therapist in private practice at Vernon Counseling Services. Kristy will speak about "Coping Strategies in Counseling," to include grounding techniques, breathing, anxiety reducing strategies, etc. I have heard rave reviews about Kristy's presentation.
Following this, Melissa from Project Self Sufficiency will discuss their new Central Intake program which is one number which will link you to all services for teenagers through adults. They will also discuss their County Council for Young Children and their annual Holiday Toy Shop.
We will hopefully then have time for some break out sessions to discuss pertinent information at each of our levels and conclude with a tour of the beautiful PSS facility.
As usual, we will pack a lot of valuable information in a short amount of time. I am hoping you can all join in! Please RSVP jkoch@hpregional.org by November 12th. Please remember to keep checking out our website for additional information and upcoming events.
Looking forward to seeing everyone on November 19th at 8:30 a.m.
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
June 9, 2015- Caring Awards
Hello Everyone,
It's such a great time for SCSCA! The past two weeks have been very exciting ones as we held the High School and Middle School Caring Awards, two absolutely beautiful and rewarding ceremonies! A great big thank you to both Todd Poltersdorf and his very efficient secretary Julie Fliegel for all their assistance and hospitality via hosting us at their beautiful facility. A big shout out to our two Kim's as well! Kim Knabb did a superb job as chairperson of the HS Awards and Kim Robinson-Holzman was just as fabulous with the MS Awards. Pictures of all the recipients will be displayed in local papers, so please keep a look out for that. Additional thanks to Rich Hayzler, our HS speaker, Mary Jo Vroegindewey for her once again unbelievable activity, John Gill for the color coordinated certificates, and Victoria Stohr for our programs. Thank you also to all the counselors who participated and gave such moving speeches on behalf of our recipients.
I hope you can all join us this Friday as we celebrate the end of an incredibly productive year for SCSCA. Due to such increased participation in our college apparel days (thank you to all who donated!), we are very happy to be awarding three scholarships to deserving seniors, two for high school and one for the Joe McNally Scholarship at SCCC. Thanks so much to Donna Picciuto for all her efforts in coordinating the scholarships this year!
Please continue to peruse our website at sussexcountysca.org for very valuable information (thanks so much to Chantel Seger who does an excellent job on our website!) Also, please be aware of Becky Carlson's e-mails for our Columbus Day In-Service on Monday, October 12th. An incredible day once again graciously hosted by SCCC is planned. Don't miss out!!
Have a great week and thanks again for a very productive year!
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
Hello Everyone,
It's such a great time for SCSCA! The past two weeks have been very exciting ones as we held the High School and Middle School Caring Awards, two absolutely beautiful and rewarding ceremonies! A great big thank you to both Todd Poltersdorf and his very efficient secretary Julie Fliegel for all their assistance and hospitality via hosting us at their beautiful facility. A big shout out to our two Kim's as well! Kim Knabb did a superb job as chairperson of the HS Awards and Kim Robinson-Holzman was just as fabulous with the MS Awards. Pictures of all the recipients will be displayed in local papers, so please keep a look out for that. Additional thanks to Rich Hayzler, our HS speaker, Mary Jo Vroegindewey for her once again unbelievable activity, John Gill for the color coordinated certificates, and Victoria Stohr for our programs. Thank you also to all the counselors who participated and gave such moving speeches on behalf of our recipients.
I hope you can all join us this Friday as we celebrate the end of an incredibly productive year for SCSCA. Due to such increased participation in our college apparel days (thank you to all who donated!), we are very happy to be awarding three scholarships to deserving seniors, two for high school and one for the Joe McNally Scholarship at SCCC. Thanks so much to Donna Picciuto for all her efforts in coordinating the scholarships this year!
Please continue to peruse our website at sussexcountysca.org for very valuable information (thanks so much to Chantel Seger who does an excellent job on our website!) Also, please be aware of Becky Carlson's e-mails for our Columbus Day In-Service on Monday, October 12th. An incredible day once again graciously hosted by SCCC is planned. Don't miss out!!
Have a great week and thanks again for a very productive year!
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
April 24, 2015- Career/Naviance Workshop at Sussex Tech
Hi Everyone,
Thanks to all who attended our recent meeting once again graciously hosted by Sussex Tech. A special thanks to Lorraine Bollmann for arranging, and Kim Robinson-Holzmann and Mike Tressler for their presentations. A shout out to Chantel Seger for her website presentation as well. Please continue to refer to the website which is loaded with much valuable information. It is beautiful!
A couple of quick reminders: Please remember this Friday, May 1st for College Apparel Day. Please remember to encourage your students to wear their sweatshirts/t-shirts of where they are planning to go to college, where their parents went to school, or an older sibling. All donations collected that day will benefit our scholarship fund.
We have also confirmed our End of the Year recognition/Retirement Luncheon for Friday, June 12th, 11:30 a.m. at The Farmstead Golf & Country Club in Lafayette. We are very fortunate to have John Davies from Universal Technical Institute as our sponsor for this luncheon. More info to follow. Also, if you know of any counselor in your district who is planning on retiring, please let us know.
Finally, much behind the scenes work is already going into our Columbus Day In- Service Day (thanks Becky!) to be held at SCCC on Monday, October 12th. For those who need advance notice to request a professional day, our workshop will be a full day on this date.
Happy Spring!!! Enjoy this beautiful weather!
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
Hi Everyone,
Thanks to all who attended our recent meeting once again graciously hosted by Sussex Tech. A special thanks to Lorraine Bollmann for arranging, and Kim Robinson-Holzmann and Mike Tressler for their presentations. A shout out to Chantel Seger for her website presentation as well. Please continue to refer to the website which is loaded with much valuable information. It is beautiful!
A couple of quick reminders: Please remember this Friday, May 1st for College Apparel Day. Please remember to encourage your students to wear their sweatshirts/t-shirts of where they are planning to go to college, where their parents went to school, or an older sibling. All donations collected that day will benefit our scholarship fund.
We have also confirmed our End of the Year recognition/Retirement Luncheon for Friday, June 12th, 11:30 a.m. at The Farmstead Golf & Country Club in Lafayette. We are very fortunate to have John Davies from Universal Technical Institute as our sponsor for this luncheon. More info to follow. Also, if you know of any counselor in your district who is planning on retiring, please let us know.
Finally, much behind the scenes work is already going into our Columbus Day In- Service Day (thanks Becky!) to be held at SCCC on Monday, October 12th. For those who need advance notice to request a professional day, our workshop will be a full day on this date.
Happy Spring!!! Enjoy this beautiful weather!
Fondly,
Joanne and Kim
February 11, 2015- Sussex Tech Brunch
Hi Everyone,
Hope you are all staying warm and enjoying the snow. There's certainly plenty of it around to enjoy! A great big thank you to Lorraine Bollmann and the other counselor and staff at Sussex Tech for a wonderful meeting and brunch on Wednesday. A wealth of information was presented and we are grateful for Tech's generosity in hosting once again.
Things discussed included upcoming events:
February - I need nominations for Counselor of the County ASAP! Please nominate your colleagues for this prestigious award. Please send to jkoch@hpregional.org
April meeting - possibly to be held at Sussex Tech where we will break into two groups. High school counselors will receive detailed information on Naviance and Elementary and Middle School will receive and share information related to career education and the 21st Century skills.
May and June - Middle School and High School Caring Awards. Please stay tuned for additional information.
High School Award - Date to be determined.
Middle School Caring Award Ceremony- June 4, 2015
May - Scholarships due! We will be awarding three $250.00 scholarships. Our treasury is in great shape due to our increased membership!
June - Retirement/Recognition luncheon. Please send me names of retirees.
Stay safe and as always please feel free to contact me with any suggestions. In addition, make sure to check our website at sussexcountysca.org which is continually updated by the very efficient Chantel Seger!! Thanks Chantel!
Joanne and Kim
Hi Everyone,
Hope you are all staying warm and enjoying the snow. There's certainly plenty of it around to enjoy! A great big thank you to Lorraine Bollmann and the other counselor and staff at Sussex Tech for a wonderful meeting and brunch on Wednesday. A wealth of information was presented and we are grateful for Tech's generosity in hosting once again.
Things discussed included upcoming events:
February - I need nominations for Counselor of the County ASAP! Please nominate your colleagues for this prestigious award. Please send to jkoch@hpregional.org
April meeting - possibly to be held at Sussex Tech where we will break into two groups. High school counselors will receive detailed information on Naviance and Elementary and Middle School will receive and share information related to career education and the 21st Century skills.
May and June - Middle School and High School Caring Awards. Please stay tuned for additional information.
High School Award - Date to be determined.
Middle School Caring Award Ceremony- June 4, 2015
May - Scholarships due! We will be awarding three $250.00 scholarships. Our treasury is in great shape due to our increased membership!
June - Retirement/Recognition luncheon. Please send me names of retirees.
Stay safe and as always please feel free to contact me with any suggestions. In addition, make sure to check our website at sussexcountysca.org which is continually updated by the very efficient Chantel Seger!! Thanks Chantel!
Joanne and Kim
November 13, 2014- Google Presentation at High Point High School
Our second meeting of the year was held on Thursday, November 13th at HPRHS. All members present received information from Project Self Sufficiency on the wonderful services they provide to the community. PSS will be hosting a meeting for us in April and we are anxious to hear more about their programs.
Following this, Mark Wallace, Supervisor of Technology at HPRHS reviewed the basics of Google to the members. He explained Gmail, google drive, and google documents. Donna Lembo, Director of Guidance reviewed google forms and how to create QR codes.
It was another successful meeting and we are grateful to all presenters and members for attending.
Stay tuned for more info on many other upcoming events. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
Our second meeting of the year was held on Thursday, November 13th at HPRHS. All members present received information from Project Self Sufficiency on the wonderful services they provide to the community. PSS will be hosting a meeting for us in April and we are anxious to hear more about their programs.
Following this, Mark Wallace, Supervisor of Technology at HPRHS reviewed the basics of Google to the members. He explained Gmail, google drive, and google documents. Donna Lembo, Director of Guidance reviewed google forms and how to create QR codes.
It was another successful meeting and we are grateful to all presenters and members for attending.
Stay tuned for more info on many other upcoming events. Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
October 13, 2014- In-Service Day
Hello Everyone,
Wow!! Monday was an absolutely wonderful day!! We couldn't have done it without Becky and Jenn from the Center for Prevention. A big expression of gratitude goes out to them. Also a great big thanks to our wonderful hosts at Bristol Glen as well as the therapists and Deejay, our very informative afternoon speaker. I know the evaluations were incredibly positive but remember we are always open to new suggestions and ideas for discussion.
Our next meeting will prove to be another not to be missed event. Attached please find a description of the event which is something we will all need more updating on....google and more google!! I know many schools are in the process of going google and if not will be soon. We will also have a brief presentation from Project Self Sufficiency regarding some new programs they have at their facility. In addition, if time permits we would like to have an open discussion about your "at risk and suicide policies." Please try to bring a copy of your board policy so we can network together.
The meeting is planned for Thursday, November 13th, 8:30 a.m. at High Point Regional High School, 299 Pidgeon Hill Road, Sussex, NJ 07461. Registration and a continental breakfast will be at 8:00 a.m. Please RSVP via the attached document or to jkoch@hpregional.org by November 5th.
Also, please remember to refer to our website as the amazing Chantel Seger is constantly updating and adding new information including the therapist booklet. It is sussexcountysca.org. .
Thanks so much and looking forward to seeing you on the 13th. Let's keep this great attendance going!
Fondly,
Joanne,
SCSCA President..
Hello Everyone,
Wow!! Monday was an absolutely wonderful day!! We couldn't have done it without Becky and Jenn from the Center for Prevention. A big expression of gratitude goes out to them. Also a great big thanks to our wonderful hosts at Bristol Glen as well as the therapists and Deejay, our very informative afternoon speaker. I know the evaluations were incredibly positive but remember we are always open to new suggestions and ideas for discussion.
Our next meeting will prove to be another not to be missed event. Attached please find a description of the event which is something we will all need more updating on....google and more google!! I know many schools are in the process of going google and if not will be soon. We will also have a brief presentation from Project Self Sufficiency regarding some new programs they have at their facility. In addition, if time permits we would like to have an open discussion about your "at risk and suicide policies." Please try to bring a copy of your board policy so we can network together.
The meeting is planned for Thursday, November 13th, 8:30 a.m. at High Point Regional High School, 299 Pidgeon Hill Road, Sussex, NJ 07461. Registration and a continental breakfast will be at 8:00 a.m. Please RSVP via the attached document or to jkoch@hpregional.org by November 5th.
Also, please remember to refer to our website as the amazing Chantel Seger is constantly updating and adding new information including the therapist booklet. It is sussexcountysca.org. .
Thanks so much and looking forward to seeing you on the 13th. Let's keep this great attendance going!
Fondly,
Joanne,
SCSCA President..
June 5, 2014 End of the Year Luncheon
Hi Everyone,
Wow, what a year it has been! We concluded our wonderful year with a beautiful luncheon at the Farmstead Golf & Country Club graciously hosted by Gretchen from Berkeley College. Our honored retirees included Bill Byrd, Richard Jackson, Donna-Jean Lynott, Jeanne Maher, Ray Morris, and Karen Morschauser. Congrats and thank you for your many years of dedicated service to the educational profession. Best wishes for much happiness in your retirement!
Due to our increased attendance and increased treasury we were also able to award four scholarships to our deserving students this year.
Please mark your calendars for Monday, October 13th for our big county in service which will introduce us to the many therapists serving our county. We will have a breakfast meeting in September so please also stay tuned for information on that. Please continue to refer to our website for updates at sussexcountysca.org and any additions to the website can be made through Chantel Seger at cseger@vtsd.com.
Thanks again to everyone for an awesome year and best wishes for a delightful summer to you and your families.
Fondly,
Joanne, SCSCA President
Hi Everyone,
Wow, what a year it has been! We concluded our wonderful year with a beautiful luncheon at the Farmstead Golf & Country Club graciously hosted by Gretchen from Berkeley College. Our honored retirees included Bill Byrd, Richard Jackson, Donna-Jean Lynott, Jeanne Maher, Ray Morris, and Karen Morschauser. Congrats and thank you for your many years of dedicated service to the educational profession. Best wishes for much happiness in your retirement!
Due to our increased attendance and increased treasury we were also able to award four scholarships to our deserving students this year.
Please mark your calendars for Monday, October 13th for our big county in service which will introduce us to the many therapists serving our county. We will have a breakfast meeting in September so please also stay tuned for information on that. Please continue to refer to our website for updates at sussexcountysca.org and any additions to the website can be made through Chantel Seger at cseger@vtsd.com.
Thanks again to everyone for an awesome year and best wishes for a delightful summer to you and your families.
Fondly,
Joanne, SCSCA President
May 22, 2014 Caring Awards
Hi Everyone,
Wow! What an awesome morning we had at the Sussex County School Counselors' Caring Awards Ceremony held at Sussex County Community College! A great big thank you to Todd Poltersdorf and Julie Fliegel for all their support in graciously hosting the event for us once again! The Theater Building is a beautiful venue and the breakfast was once again extraordinary. Thanks to all the counselors for arranging to have students and parents participate. It was wonderful hearing such positive statements about these awesome students and all they do to make our world a better place. The day is truly a favorite of mine and so many others as well. Mike Parichuk, who many of us remember as an active participant in our association and a big player in bringing the awards to Sussex County many years ago, made the trip from North Carolina to be our guest speaker!! He was awesome and his inspirational speech really moved the audience! I can't forget to mention John Gill's beautiful certificates (in school colors!) which really made for a lovely presentation! Thanks so much to everyone for a perfect day. Our Sussex County kids are great!
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Farmstead luncheon on June 5th from 12 - 3:00 pm to honor our five retirees and counselor of the county. This luncheon is being graciously hosted by Berkeley College. Please RSVP to Joanne Koch if you have not done so already. I am very happy with the many responses thus far. Due to our increased attendance and many college sweatshirt fundraisers (thanks to all schools who participated) our treasury is in great shape and we will be presenting three $250.00 scholarships to Sussex County students. We will announce the recipients at our luncheon.
Hope you had a nice Memorial Day Weekend.
Fondly,
Joanne Koch
SCSCA President
Hi Everyone,
Wow! What an awesome morning we had at the Sussex County School Counselors' Caring Awards Ceremony held at Sussex County Community College! A great big thank you to Todd Poltersdorf and Julie Fliegel for all their support in graciously hosting the event for us once again! The Theater Building is a beautiful venue and the breakfast was once again extraordinary. Thanks to all the counselors for arranging to have students and parents participate. It was wonderful hearing such positive statements about these awesome students and all they do to make our world a better place. The day is truly a favorite of mine and so many others as well. Mike Parichuk, who many of us remember as an active participant in our association and a big player in bringing the awards to Sussex County many years ago, made the trip from North Carolina to be our guest speaker!! He was awesome and his inspirational speech really moved the audience! I can't forget to mention John Gill's beautiful certificates (in school colors!) which really made for a lovely presentation! Thanks so much to everyone for a perfect day. Our Sussex County kids are great!
Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Farmstead luncheon on June 5th from 12 - 3:00 pm to honor our five retirees and counselor of the county. This luncheon is being graciously hosted by Berkeley College. Please RSVP to Joanne Koch if you have not done so already. I am very happy with the many responses thus far. Due to our increased attendance and many college sweatshirt fundraisers (thanks to all schools who participated) our treasury is in great shape and we will be presenting three $250.00 scholarships to Sussex County students. We will announce the recipients at our luncheon.
Hope you had a nice Memorial Day Weekend.
Fondly,
Joanne Koch
SCSCA President
March 28, 2014 Evaluation Model Meeting
Hi Everyone,
A great big thank you to Melissa Bischoff, Jim Lukach, and Mark McGrath for a wonderful meeting this morning! Much information was gathered and we are so grateful for all the support these awesome people provide to our organization!
I posted the School Counselor Evaluation Model MS Word Doc forms on
http://njsca.org/content/evaluation-model/school-counselor-evaluation-model
For those of you who weren't able to make it, please note that Thursday, April 3rd from 3:30-7:30 p.m. Berkeley College is hosting an appreciation reception at their Dover facility, 1 West Blackwell Street, Dover, N.J. Gretchen and her staff at Berkeley College have always been and continue to be tremendous supporters of our organization. Please try to stop by and enjoy some refreshments.
Additionally, please make sure your students fill out the scholarship applications for the association, as they were all e-mailed earlier this month. We give two scholarships for four year college students and one for a Sussex County Community College student.
Once again, please remember we are all trying to have our college sweatshirt days that first week of May. Staff is encouraged to wear their respective college shirts and make a donation to the association for our scholarships.
Thanks again and please stay tuned for information on upcoming events. Remember to visit our website at sussexcountysca.org.
Fondly,
Joanne Koch
SCSCA President
Hi Everyone,
A great big thank you to Melissa Bischoff, Jim Lukach, and Mark McGrath for a wonderful meeting this morning! Much information was gathered and we are so grateful for all the support these awesome people provide to our organization!
I posted the School Counselor Evaluation Model MS Word Doc forms on
http://njsca.org/content/evaluation-model/school-counselor-evaluation-model
For those of you who weren't able to make it, please note that Thursday, April 3rd from 3:30-7:30 p.m. Berkeley College is hosting an appreciation reception at their Dover facility, 1 West Blackwell Street, Dover, N.J. Gretchen and her staff at Berkeley College have always been and continue to be tremendous supporters of our organization. Please try to stop by and enjoy some refreshments.
Additionally, please make sure your students fill out the scholarship applications for the association, as they were all e-mailed earlier this month. We give two scholarships for four year college students and one for a Sussex County Community College student.
Once again, please remember we are all trying to have our college sweatshirt days that first week of May. Staff is encouraged to wear their respective college shirts and make a donation to the association for our scholarships.
Thanks again and please stay tuned for information on upcoming events. Remember to visit our website at sussexcountysca.org.
Fondly,
Joanne Koch
SCSCA President
February 26, 2014 Sussex Tech Breakfast- Meeting Minutes
Hi Everyone,
A great big thank you to Lorraine Bollmann and the staff at Sussex Tec for a wonderful and delicious morning. They could not have been more hospitable and we got some great information!!
Just a couple of reminders and things to know for all:
March 20th - Middle School Caring Awards
March 27th - SGO meeting at Project Self Sufficiency - Jim Lukach from NJSCA to speak.
May 1st - College Sweatshirt Day. This is a fundraiser for our association so we can continue to provide scholarships to our students. Even the middle schools are getting on board with this by students wearing sweatshirts or t-shirts from their parents' colleges. Please have staff wear their alma mater sweatshirts and make a donation to the association. They can also discuss their colleges with students.
May - Scholarship applications will be due. We have three scholarships to award, one for SCCC (Joe McNally) and two for four year.
May (TBD) - High School Caring Awards
June (TBD) - Recognition and Retiree Luncheon to be hosted by William Paterson University. Normally we pay for this luncheon but WPU has graciously offered to host us.
Speaking of retirees, please notify me if anyone in your district is retiring. I have been made aware of a couple so far.
Please continue to monitor our website for a lot of dates and valuable information at sussexcountysca.org
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Fondly,
Joanne
SCSCA President
Hi Everyone,
A great big thank you to Lorraine Bollmann and the staff at Sussex Tec for a wonderful and delicious morning. They could not have been more hospitable and we got some great information!!
Just a couple of reminders and things to know for all:
March 20th - Middle School Caring Awards
March 27th - SGO meeting at Project Self Sufficiency - Jim Lukach from NJSCA to speak.
May 1st - College Sweatshirt Day. This is a fundraiser for our association so we can continue to provide scholarships to our students. Even the middle schools are getting on board with this by students wearing sweatshirts or t-shirts from their parents' colleges. Please have staff wear their alma mater sweatshirts and make a donation to the association. They can also discuss their colleges with students.
May - Scholarship applications will be due. We have three scholarships to award, one for SCCC (Joe McNally) and two for four year.
May (TBD) - High School Caring Awards
June (TBD) - Recognition and Retiree Luncheon to be hosted by William Paterson University. Normally we pay for this luncheon but WPU has graciously offered to host us.
Speaking of retirees, please notify me if anyone in your district is retiring. I have been made aware of a couple so far.
Please continue to monitor our website for a lot of dates and valuable information at sussexcountysca.org
Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Fondly,
Joanne
SCSCA President
October 14, 2013 In-Service at SCCC- Meeting Minutes
Wow, what an awesome meeting we had on our in-service day Monday, October 14th. A great big thank you to Todd Poltersdorf and Julie Fliegel at SCCC for their gracious hospitality. Ed Memmelaer deserves much appreciation as he has been the leading force for this program for the last 15 years. He even came out of retirement to help the day run smoothly. Becky Carlson was also instrumental in the day's success and we could not have done it without Ed and Becky. Thanks so much again!
We were delighted to hear from Dr. Deborah Koss, an adolescent psychiatrist, Barbara Miller, Elizabeth Manley, and Rachel Helt from Youth Services and System of Care, and Lorri Opitz from the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.
Our next meeting is Wednesday, November 13th, 8:30 a.m. at the Center for Prevention in Newton. We will hear from representatives from Applied Behavioral Consultants and Pass It Along. Please join us!
Wow, what an awesome meeting we had on our in-service day Monday, October 14th. A great big thank you to Todd Poltersdorf and Julie Fliegel at SCCC for their gracious hospitality. Ed Memmelaer deserves much appreciation as he has been the leading force for this program for the last 15 years. He even came out of retirement to help the day run smoothly. Becky Carlson was also instrumental in the day's success and we could not have done it without Ed and Becky. Thanks so much again!
We were delighted to hear from Dr. Deborah Koss, an adolescent psychiatrist, Barbara Miller, Elizabeth Manley, and Rachel Helt from Youth Services and System of Care, and Lorri Opitz from the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice.
Our next meeting is Wednesday, November 13th, 8:30 a.m. at the Center for Prevention in Newton. We will hear from representatives from Applied Behavioral Consultants and Pass It Along. Please join us!
September 25, 2013 at Perona Farms- Meeting Minutes
Meeting opened up at 10:00 a.m. with a welcome from Joanne Koch, President of SCSCA.
We were very excited with the excellent showing of counselors present. Berkeley College felt it was the most we've ever had at an opening meeting. Let's hope it's an indication of another great year!
Berkeley College, our gracious hosts for the day, gave a presentation on all of their wonderful programs and opportunities at all of the Berkeley campuses.
Becky Carlson gave a report on upcoming events at the Center for Prevention, as well as reminders and agenda items for our big In-Service Day at SCCC on October 14th. Thanks to Todd Poltersdorf, Admissions Director at SCCC, for hosting this large event.
Treasurer's report was given by John Gill, treasurer, and accepted. We are delighted to accept a $500.00 donation from Berkeley College to assist with our scholarships. Also, thank you to Sussex Tech and Lenape Valley for their donations from their college sweatshirt days to our funds. Last year, we awarded three scholarships to Sussex County Seniors; one Joe McNally Scholarship for a student attending SCCC and two scholarships for students attending a four year college. If you have not done so already, please submit your $20 dues to John Gill as soon as possible. If you are interested in joining our association, please send your dues to John Gill at Kittatinny Regional High School- 77 Halsey Road Newton, NJ 07860. Your dues go directly to our scholarships as well as our middle school and high school caring awards!
Lorraine Bollmann, counselor at Sussex Tech, reported on the new admission process at Sussex Tech. Included is the new Rubric Calculation Sheet which will be utilized for next year's incoming students.
Kim Robinson-Holzman reported on some speakers who have expressed interest in presenting for us. Our next meeting will be set for the middle of November where a variety of topics will be covered. Our February meeting will again be hosted by Sussex Tech on February 5th with a snow date of the 6th. Berkeley College has offered to host our April meeting at their newly renovated and beautiful facility in Dover.
A discussion of Rutgers Sounding Board, Middle and High School Caring Awards also took place.
A great big thank you again to Berkeley College and Perona Farms for a wonderful event.
Meeting opened up at 10:00 a.m. with a welcome from Joanne Koch, President of SCSCA.
We were very excited with the excellent showing of counselors present. Berkeley College felt it was the most we've ever had at an opening meeting. Let's hope it's an indication of another great year!
Berkeley College, our gracious hosts for the day, gave a presentation on all of their wonderful programs and opportunities at all of the Berkeley campuses.
Becky Carlson gave a report on upcoming events at the Center for Prevention, as well as reminders and agenda items for our big In-Service Day at SCCC on October 14th. Thanks to Todd Poltersdorf, Admissions Director at SCCC, for hosting this large event.
Treasurer's report was given by John Gill, treasurer, and accepted. We are delighted to accept a $500.00 donation from Berkeley College to assist with our scholarships. Also, thank you to Sussex Tech and Lenape Valley for their donations from their college sweatshirt days to our funds. Last year, we awarded three scholarships to Sussex County Seniors; one Joe McNally Scholarship for a student attending SCCC and two scholarships for students attending a four year college. If you have not done so already, please submit your $20 dues to John Gill as soon as possible. If you are interested in joining our association, please send your dues to John Gill at Kittatinny Regional High School- 77 Halsey Road Newton, NJ 07860. Your dues go directly to our scholarships as well as our middle school and high school caring awards!
Lorraine Bollmann, counselor at Sussex Tech, reported on the new admission process at Sussex Tech. Included is the new Rubric Calculation Sheet which will be utilized for next year's incoming students.
Kim Robinson-Holzman reported on some speakers who have expressed interest in presenting for us. Our next meeting will be set for the middle of November where a variety of topics will be covered. Our February meeting will again be hosted by Sussex Tech on February 5th with a snow date of the 6th. Berkeley College has offered to host our April meeting at their newly renovated and beautiful facility in Dover.
A discussion of Rutgers Sounding Board, Middle and High School Caring Awards also took place.
A great big thank you again to Berkeley College and Perona Farms for a wonderful event.
