The Catalyst

Summer and Stress

Summer holidays are supposed to be that time of year when we kick up our heels and kick back our chairs. Not everybody finds summer to be relaxing, though, and the pressures of summer can add stress. Organizing family getaways, booking vacation spots, travel -- the potential for headaches and stress increases as soon as we get busy. This year, it is especially important to take some summer time and be as stress-free as possible. We all need and deserve to relax. The article below is from the American Institute of Stress, and has some great tips for making the most of your summer vacation.

Visit http://www.stress.org/dont-sweat-summer-stress/ to view the full article online.

 

Conference 2014

As you head into summer, be sure to check out various summer institutes in your region. Many colleges and universities offer summer workshops and courses for teachers. The UBC Interprofessional Continuing Education center always has interesting workshops happening, but there are many others as well. If summer institutes are not on your agenda this year (or even if they are), be sure to mark the dates of Oct. 22-24, 2014 into your calendar for the BC School Counsellor's Association annual conference. This year, it is in Richmond at the Delta Hotel and a great line-up of workshops is coming together. The theme is "Empowering Ourselves, Empowering Others" so look for workshops on counsellor wellness and inspiring ways to engage with others. Check out what we have so far!

Visit http://www.bcscaconference.ca/ to view the full article online.

 

MyEducationBC

September 2014 will see many schools in the province starting up with the new online student records system dubbed "MyEducationBC." It replaces BCeSIS and implementation plans are well under way. If you are adept with data bases (as in Microsoft Access), you will have no problem navigating your way around the new system. Here's a bit of a sneak peak.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/bco-nwl/pdf/MyEducation-BC-Top-Ten-Strengths.pdf to view the full article online.

 

The Year to Now

Here it is, June again and the end of another school year. And what a year it has been! Every district has its own challenges and celebrations, and in looking through the BCSCA ListServe, I get a sense of things that have caused us questions throughout the year. We have wondered about counsellor participation on school-based teams, worried about decreasing counsellor jobs and increasing student needs, looked forward to university programs for our students and even discussed cannabis in some length. Of course, the current political climate brings us all together in the shared experience of rotating strikes, lockouts and wage cuts. It also raises again the counsellor/student ratios. The article linked below is from our 2011/12 bargaining package, but things have not changed. A reminder to summer readers that you can set yourself up for a great read for FREE if you follow up with a book review. Simply contact the editor at bzang@sd91.bc.ca with the name of your book and your mailing address. The book will arrive in the mail; you spend some summer time reading; then write a review. The book is yours to KEEP.

Visit http://www.bctf.ca/BargainingAndContracts.aspx?id=23930&libID=23920 to view the full article online.