President's Letter: Make the Most of October

October is a really exciting for all of us at AkSCA as we are preparing for the annual conference next month! We have a fantastic line up of keynotes and breakout presenters. If you have not registered yet, you can do so here. We have added a few more sessions on self-care because the feedback from previous conferences showed a need for this topic. If you have things that you do to keep yourself sane and focused throughout the year, please share them on our Facebook page. We’ve created a thread just for this!

When you register for the conference, you will see when your membership expires. If your membership has lapsed or you are unsure of your membership status, you can check here. Current membership is important because to apply for school counselor of the year, nominate someone for advocate of the year or nominate your students for the scholarships in the spring, membership is required. So please check on this!

If you are working on an application for School Counselor or Advocate of the Year, the deadline is quickly approaching. All documents must be submitted by October 20. Access information about those awards

This school year is going by so fast! Find some time to take it all in and not let it slip by. I recently read an article that talked about mindfulness and how teachers’ stress affects students. It’s the same for counselors. Our stress has an impact on the students we work with. We can be more effective in our work if we can find a time during the day to practice some mindfulness and take that mental break from the busy and sometimes hectic school day. ASCA has some excellent resources in the ASCA U training for becoming an Anxiety and Stress Management Specialist that you can use with students and yourself.

As you go through your school year, if there are ways that AkSCA can assist you, please reach out. We are here to help!

Contact Leslie Fazio, AkSCA president, at leslie.fazio@gmail.com.