President's Letter: Never Fear, Your Peers are Here

Greetings, members and stakeholders! Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons growing up. It meant the change in weather, football season (go, Cardinals!), Starbucks pumpkin spiced latte, and scary Halloween costumes. I hope your first quarter has been spooktacular!

The theme for this newsletter is “Beyond Your Building: Counselors in the Community.” It explores how connection with your school community is an important link the school counselor provides. I am lucky enough to work in an area where community resources are plentiful. I have my go-to agencies if I have a student or a family who needs mental health resources or community resources in general.

But what if I wasn’t so lucky to have those services my students and families need? For those who work in an isolated area of the state, where community resources aren’t available, what do you do? Don’t be scared. If you find yourself in this situation, maybe the best resource could be reaching out to another school counselor. The Arizona School Counselors Association can be a great resource for you. Sometimes the term “beyond your building” may mean another school counselor who can listen, assist or point you in the right direction so you can better service your students and their families. Sometimes “beyond your building” means reaching out to fellow school counselors and asking them how they dealt with a particular situation.

One of our association’s goals this year is to reach out to school counselors who feel isolated or disconnected. The Arizona School Counselors Association would like to reconnect you with resources. It can be lonely not having another school counselor in proximity to your building. I work in a district where I have 10 other school counselors to reach out to, but some days I know I’ve felt like an island all by myself, and I’m sure many of us have felt this way. Beyond your building doesn’t have to be scary – please reach out to me or another member of the AzSCA Board of Directors. Visit our website for more information.

Contact Janine Menard, AzSCA chair, at jmenard@isaacschools.org.