2019-2020 Calendar for School Counselors in South Dakota

Purpose: This calendar is geared to serve as an aid for school counselors in South Dakota as they create their own
calendars specific to their school setting. As not every item listed will pertain to every school counselor, some items
are color coded, based on category. See the Color Key below. The “School Counseling Core Curriculum” column
contains examples of topics that may be covered.

Please note: Dates, topics and times are subject to change. Additional opportunities for school counselors may occur
that are not listed on this document.

Benefits of Posting Your School Counseling Program Annual Calendar:

● Becomes a strong public relations tool to show school counseling program priorities
● Reminds stakeholders (students, parents, teachers and administrators) of the school counseling program’s
priorities
● Is a tangible tool to show your school counselor efforts
● Assists school counselors to be less likely to have non-counseling duties/activities put on their plate, as they can
already show their time is scheduled for counselor-specific activities

Recommended Steps When Creating an Annual School Counseling Program Calendar:

1. List all events that are already scheduled (professional development, standardized testing dates, graduation,
prom, National School Counseling Week, etc.).
2. Add the activities and events that have flexible dates to schedule (awards night, classroom lessons, financial aid
night, career event, etc.).
 2019-2020 EMS School Counseling Annual Calendar
Color Key
(Category) Important! Professional Development Assessment/Testing

Direct Student Services Indirect Student Services Program Planning &

In person interactions between counselor and students Services provided on behalf of School Support
students as result of counselor’s
Program focus, student
interactions with others
competencies, professional
competencies, assessment tools,
data analysis, program results,
evaluation and improvement

Month School Individual Responsive Referrals, Collaboration, Foundation,

Counseling Planning Services Consultation Management,
Core Accountability
Curriculum

Ongoing  New student

transition
 Individual
counseling


SPED/504/IEP meetings
Teacher/Admin/BMS/SRO
 Establish school
counseling annual,
Services (transition  Crisis response consultation monthly & weekly
planning and counseling  Parent/guardian calendars
academic  School crisis meetings  Monthly promotional
advising upon team  Grade-level meetings bulletin boards
enrollment)  Parent-Teacher  Faculty meetings
 Assist students conferences and open  Review grade &
with academic house attendance reports
planning and  Make pertinent articles  Collect Data
scheduling and research available to  Use of time assessment
 Promote staff  School counseling
enrichment  PBIS team program assessment
opportunities  Admin team meetings  ASCA student
 All Staff Meetings standards and
 PLC Meetings competencies
 After school advisory  Adherence to ASCA
activities professional
 ELL identification and competencies and
collaboration ethical standards
 RCAS Crisis Team  Program
 Student ambassador documentation and
 training, management reports
and recruitment  SecondSTEP ASCA
 Child protection reports Allignment
 SecondSTEP
Restorative Allignment
 SecondSTEP Whole
Child Allignment
 SecondSTEP Common
Core Allignment

Month School Individual Responsive Referrals, Collaboration, Foundation,

Counseling Planning Services Consultation Management,
Core Accountability
Curriculum

August  Introduce role

of school
 Review
Personal
 Check Child Protection
Services for updates
 Create and/or update
counselor website
counselor Learning Plans  Renew/Join Professional  Plan Professional
(completed in Organizations Development for the
Career  Open House/Meet the year
classes)* School Counselor Day  Create and/or update
 Teacher Inservice school counseling
training brochures
 Question*Persuade*Refer  New Testing
(QPR) Training for staff Coordinator
 Second Step Training for Workshop
staff  Back to school in-
 PBIS service and
 Admin Team meetings professional
 All Staff Meetings development
 Raptor Roar new student  Youth Tobacco Survey
transition
 Student Ambassador
selection and
training/review
 ELL identification
 Arrange Signs of Suicide
Booth for Parent
Conf/Open House Night

Septemb  6th Grade

Xello Lesson
 Distribute
Needs
 Discrimination and
Harassment student sign
 Develop & maintain a
contact log in Skyward
er School Assessments offs  PLC
 subjects at  SD Invest: School
work Counselor College &
 7th Grade Career Readiness
Xello Lesson: Online Workshop
Learning Series
pathways  DACAC Fall
 8th Grade Counselor
Xello Lesson: Workshops
Matchmaker  SDMyLife Training
 Meet the
counselor
classroom
visits
 FOCUS-
Second Step
Lessons 1-3
 Digital
Safety Holli
Strand

Month School Individual Responsive Referrals, Collaboration, Foundation,

Counseling Planning Services Consultation Management,
Core Accountability
Curriculum

October  Signs of
Suicide
  Begin student
groups


Youth VIP Fall contact
Consult with teachers on
 SDMyLife Training
 Fall Assessment &
Lesson 1 interim rostering for Accountability
(Trusted SBAC (2-3-week window) Workshops
adults and
survey
activity)
 FOCUS:
Second Step
Lessons 4-7

Novemb  FOCUS:
Second Step
  

Youth VIP Surveys
8th Grade Career Fair
 SD Invest: Real
World Readiness
er Lessons 8-10 (11/15/18)  South Dakota School
 Exploring  Women in Science List to Counselor
colleges Office of CCR (11/26/18) Association (SDSCA)
 6th Grade Counselor
Xello Lesson: Connections
Decision
 Making
 Career
Awareness
Month
 Career
Interest
Inventory
for 8th
graders*

Month School Individual Responsive Referrals, Collaboration, Foundation,

Counseling Planning Services Consultation Management,
Core Accountability
Curriculum

Decemb ★ FOCUS:
Second Step
★  NAEP List available
(12/1/18)
★ ACT Testing Date

er Lessons 11-  College and Career

12 Exploration Planning
★ Signs of
Suicide
Lesson 2
★ Common
Sense Digital
Citizenship:
Lesson 1

NAEP Report due, check on

January  Healthy
Relationships

teacher survey progress, and
 ACCESS 2.0
Workshops
 FOCUS: ongoing calls with NAEP rep  National
Second Step (1.6.19) Assessment of
Lessons 13- Educational
15 Sosa to present on Progress (NAEP)
 Common accelerated learners
Sense Digital (1.11.19 emails and 1.23.19
Citizenship: presentation in cafateria)
Lesson 2
SBAC team meeting
(1.28.19…better if earlier)

★ Stress ★ Academic ★ Smarter Balanced

February Management Advising on
 Elementary Registration
Visits to Robbinsdayl, (SBAC), Dakota
★ FOCUS: Coursework Rapid Valley, and Valley STEP (DSTEP), and
Second Step for the next View (2.25-29) Multi-State
 Lessons 16- year  NAEP Testing (2.4.19) Alternative
18  SBAC Team meeting Assessment (MSAA)
★ Common schedule finalization Workshops (2.12.19)
Sense Digital (2.27.19) ★ ACCESS 2.0 &
Citizenship:  National School ACCESS Alt
Lesson 3 Counseling Week (Feb. ★
★ National 6-10)
School  High School Course
Counseling Registration CHS
Week (2.13.19)
activities

Month School Individual Responsive Referrals, Collaboration, Foundation,

Counseling Planning Services Consultation Management,
Core Accountability
Curriculum

March ★ Resolving
Conflicts
 Elementary Registration
forms due (3.1.19)
★ SD Invest Year 5
○ Mitchell, 3/1
★ FOCUS:  STEAM Registration ○ Sioux Falls, 3/2
Second Step (3/13-14 but may look ★ Smarter Balanced
Lessons 19- different with semesters (SBAC) ELA and Math
22 vs quarters) for grades 3-8 (March
★ Common 20-April 19)
Sense Digital ★ Multi-State
Citizenship: Alternative
Lesson 4 Assessment (MSAA)
★ ELA and Math for
students with most
severe cognitive
abilities grades 3-8 &
11 (March 29-May 5)

★ Signs of ★ Prepare for award

April Suicide


Youth VIP Surveys
Start gathering nominees ceremonies and
Lesson 3 for Awards Ceremony awards events
★ FOCUS:  Order SBAC supplies ★ South Dakota
Second Step (scratch paper, graph Science & Alt
Lessons 23- paper, headphones, Science for grades 5,
26 reserve computer 8 & 11
★ Common carts/rooms)
Sense Digital  Announce 8th Grade tour
Citizenship to CHS (4.24-26)
Lesson 5
 ★

Month School Individual Responsive Referrals, Collaboration, Foundation,

Counseling Planning Services Consultation Management,
Core Accountability
Curriculum

May  6th and 7th

Grade
 Rapid City Student
Survey (Formerly
 South Dakota
Counseling
Thinking Cheesman 5/7-17) Association (SDCA)
about careers  Awards Ceremony Spring Conference
 8th Grade  Finalize class  Evaluate academic year
What to registrations - analyze data
expect in HS  New student tours  Develop goals and
 6th Grade  Advanced Placement objectives for the next
Xello Lesson: recommendations year
Interests  Tour of CHS (5.2.19)
 7th Grade  Order balloons and
Xello Lesson: award ceremony plaques
Biases and (3-5 days for plaques)
Career  Elementary tours for RV,
Choices VV and Robbinsdale…find
 8th Grade 12-15 student tour
Xello Lesson: guides (5/8-9 and inform
Transition to custodians)
HS  FSLD Leadership training
at CHS 5/14)
 Youth VIP Surveys 5/14-
15
 Gather student character
and strengths list for CHS
(due 5.17.19)
 Award Ceremonies for 6,
7, and 8th grade
 End of year PD and
checkout

June
★ American School
July Counselor
Association (ASCA)
Conference
* These items meet the requirements of South Dakota Administrative Rules 24:43:11:01 and 24:43:11:08. See
snapshots of their requirements, listed below. A free tool to meet these requirements is South Dakota MyLife
(SDMyLife), in which students grades 6-12 in South Dakota have free access to this career exploration tool. For more
information, visit www.sdmylife.com.
SD Administration Rule 24:43:11:01 (Number of required credits for graduation from high school -
Personal Learning Plan required.): All students grades 9-12 must have a personal learning plan that
documents a minimum of 22 units of credit.
SD Administration Rule 24:43:11:08 (Testing requirements.): A career interest assessment shall be
administered by end of 8th grade; A career aptitude assessment shall be administered by end of the fall
semester of 10th grade.

ASCA National Model: Delivery

School counselors provide services to students, parents, school staff and the community in the following areas:

Sources:
American School Counselor Association (2012). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling
programs (3rd ed.).
Alexandria, VA: Author.
American School Counselor Association (2016). The ASCA national model implementation guide: Foundation,
management and
accountability. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Bardhoshi, G. (2016). South Dakota school counseling program model.
Hatch, T. (2014). The use of data in school counseling: Hatching results for students, programs, and the
profession. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Rus, E. (2016). Fred Assam annual calendar.
Seeklander, A. & Hansen, L. (n.d.). Counseling department - master calendar.
This document was made in part, as a tool to assist school counselors, by the South Dakota Department of Education,
Division of Career & Technical Education, and the South Dakota School Counselor Association.