College Awareness and Planning NACAC Free Curriculum

Check out this free online resource just published by National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). The elementary section has introductory lessons and activities for kindergarten through grade 2 and multiple lessons and activities for grades 4 and 5. My favorite lesson is grade 4, "Careers by Degrees". https://www.nacac2017stepbystep.pdf

College/Career Readiness #NSCW17

ASCA wanted school counselors to promote college and career readiness today, the last day of National School Counseling Week. I don't ask my students what they want to be when they grow up (today's sign) because many will do jobs that do not currently exist. We promote the exploration of the 16 career clusters and talk about all postsecondary options. Staff and students are encouraged to wear college gear the first Friday of each month that students are in school. Staff is proud to show off their favorite college(s). I am in the picture with our library staff and their beautiful bulletin board!

Lisa King, an elementary counselor, has designed an engaging College Day and everything needed to execute one is in the book and on the CD from www.youthlight The resource is great if you want to plan a college day, college week, or infuse the idea of college readiness throughout the year. The CD includes a PowerPoint for a class lesson and a PowerPoint to present on college awareness to stakeholders. The book uses the College Board's National Office for School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA) framework /pdf/nosca/

November is National Career Development Month

November is a good month to look at your Core Curriculum Action Plan to determine if your program has the needed lessons and activities to make all your students college and career ready. At the elementary school we need to make students aware of all the career paths and help them connect what they are learning today to their future tomorrow.  Parents often need help understanding why we even address careers in elementary school.  If you want to "celebrate" National Career Development Month go the the NCDA website ncda.org/aws/NCDA/ncdmonth

College & Career Month

I am planning to condense some of my Career Cafe, career visitors, and lessons into a College & Career Month this year. I found this video youtube.com that has some great ideas. I have contacted my administrators and other key staff to try to get buy in and pick a month with not too much else going on. I'd like it to be March to tie in with March Madness but our school has been trying to spread out schoolwide activities so I will need to be flexible. I'd love to get comments with any good suggestions...

Decision Day College and Career Readiness

To promote a college going culture even in our elementary school we have staff and kids wear college gear on first Fridays. It works out this week since the White House is asking schools to promote Decision Day or Signing Day as part of #ReachHigher.

Promote College Readiness

The counselors promote the First Fridays college gear every month.  All staff include their college(s) on the posters introducing ourselves that hang by our offices.  We do bulletin boards that talk about where people the students would know went to college.  We talk about post-secondary options in our career lessons and through career cafe presentations.

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