A Message from your chapter leader

Welcome back to the beginning of a new school year! This year marks a transition for both the UFT and the Guidance Chapter. Michael Mulgrew was elected the new UFT president in July, and last year I became the chapter’s new leader. I’m honored by the trust and confidence all of you have placed in me by electing me to that post. I also want to acknowledge and thank Angela Reformato for her years of dedication and service in leading the chapter.

Day to day, guidance counselors make crucial contributions in maintaining the emotional, social and academic growth of our students. This is key to the success of our students and shows the important role we play in the school system.

Increasing professional development opportunities

Please join us at the first guidance counselors member meeting of the year

Monday, October 5
4:30 pm - 6pm
52 Broadway,
Rooms E & F,
2nd floor

Agenda:
1) Chapter leader’s report
2) Question period
3) Guest presentation:
Amy Arundell, UFT special representative, personnel issues
4) Nominations and election of chapter delegates to the DA
5) Miscellaneous

What do guidance counselors need to do their jobs effectively? The answer was loud and clear as I visited schools last spring. Over and over I heard: “We need professional development,” “No one told me the protocol for that situation,” etc. Guidance counselors are hungry for professional development and resources. Unfortunately, the DOE has not provided such resources on a consistent basis. In response, the chapter has tried to fill the gap through our annual conference and guest speakers at membership meetings. I would like to continue and expand that. In consultation with the Guidance Executive Board, I have begun planning professional development opportunities for our chapter. Please check our Web page for upcoming dates and topics.

In my visits to schools I also met with principals and helped clarify our role. We must continually educate administrators and staff about what we do so they can see how vital we are to the success of a school.

This summer has been a busy one for our chapter. I have been involved with the negotiations for a new contract (our current contract expires on October 31), and with that, I have bought our concerns to the table. Additionally, I met with Bonnie Gross from the Office of Student Enrollment and her staff concerning the articulation process for both elementary and middle schools. There are new features that will better assist counselors in guiding students and their parents through this very important process. Professional development will be provided well before the process begins and it will be more accessible to all counselors.

Counselors now under direction of Office of Teaching and Learning

Guidance counselors have been under the direction of the Office of Youth Development, but beginning this year we are now under the direction of the Office of Teaching and Learning. I will be meeting with key individuals soon to see how this change will impact us on issues that we encounter on a daily basis. The Office of Teaching and Learning has created a new Web portal for guidance counselors, which is a welcome development.

Our chapter has long been underrepresented on the state level with NYSSCA (New York State School Counselors Association). Thanks to Angela’s persistence when she was chapter leader, we were able to get our foot in the door with three representatives on the NYSSCA board — Karen Konstan, Ronald Smith and Elizabeth Sweeney — who are working hard to address our concerns on the state level. If you haven’t already done so I encourage you to join NYSSCA, which will give you access to many resources.

Online communications

If you have not already signed up on the union’s Web site, www.uft.org, do it today! Because of the technological possibilities and cost savings, the union is moving in the direction of making almost all of its communications online – through the Web site and e-mail. So mailings from the chapter will be limited; the next issue of the Guidepost, for instance, will be online only. When you sign up on the Web site, the chapter will get your e-mail so we can send you important notices as well as newsletters, and you’ll get all the latest alerts and news from the UFT. You need to sign up using a non-DOE e-mail. You can sign up right now right here! Make sure you check the guidance Web page regularly, too, for the latest chapter updates.

I look forward to meeting you at our next membership meeting on October 5. I am here for you and will work diligently to address your concerns. Please feel free to contact me at rthompson@uft.org. Thank you.