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Volume 6, Issue 5 March 2016
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Director's Message
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Happy Social Work Month! "Forging Solutions Out of Challenges" is the theme for this year's celebration; recognizing the work done by Social Work Pioneer Frances Perkins and countless other social workers to improve lives and communities. Social work principles and expertise help to shape child welfare and attendance policy and practices, furthering our District's overall mission of graduation for all students. While many PSA Counselors are social workers, all PSA Counselors' work reflect social work values and ideals. We serve as liaisons, building connections between schools, families, and our communities. We support the social, emotional, and academic dimensions of student health and well-being. So, during the month of March, we celebrate all of the ways that your work paves the way for change. Click here to learn more about Social Work Month.
I would like to take an opportunity to thank all of our Field Instructors and Preceptors for your leadership in developing strong future PSA Counselors. Pupil Services continues to lead the way in providing our interns with high quality experiences.
I'm thrilled to announce that Graciela Ortiz, Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor was elected on March 01, 2016 to serve as the Mayor of Huntington Park. Please join me in congratulating Graciela on this prestigious honor. To learn more about Graciela and her role on Huntington Park's City Council click here.
Lastly, take the time to enjoy your Spring Recess with your loved ones. I look forward to seeing you all again when we return.
Respectfully,
Erika F. Torres
Director
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| FIELD EDUCATION INTERN PLACEMENT FAIRS | |
| The Field Education team visited local Universities to recruit Pupil Services and Attendance Interns for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. This year the team visited the following schools: Cal State University, Dominguez Hills, Cal State University, Los Angeles, Cal State University, Northridge, and University of California, Los Angeles.
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Upcoming Important Dates
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3/21-25 Spring Recess
3/28 Cesar E. Chavez Birthday Observed
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Truancy Automation
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Central Automation of
Initial NOT Letters
Schools may utilize the Uncleared Absences Report and the Unresolved Absences Screen to clear absences and help identify students who may qualify for truancy classification. For more information click on the link to MiSiS job aids. Schools may access the Truancy Report and the Mailed Truancy Letter Report by clicking on the link to EZ Access and logging in. All School Based PSA Counselors must have access to the MiSiS School Based PSA User Role. If you do not have the MiSiS School Based PSA User Role, you will not be able to access the EZ Access Reports.
Schools must manually identify students for truancy letters 2 and 3. You can access the MS Word versions of the NOT letters by clicking on the link to NOT Letter Updates.
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LOCAL DISTRICT AND SCHOOL BASED SUPPORT
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LOCAL DISTRICT CENTRAL
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| Attendance Is Heating Up!
The temperature is rising with Maribel Garcia, Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor at Cortines High School.  Attendance is heating up among the students and staff in a race to meet or exceed the District's 96% attendance goal. Thermometer visuals were created and placed near the school's main office and in the teacher's mail room. The thermometer serves as a daily reminder that attendance is important.
This friendly competition among the students and teachers, allows all the participants to keep an eye on whose "heat" is rising the highest each month. Recognition for the students and teachers is done on a monthly basis. Students and teachers who meet the attendance goal of 96% or higher receive a certificate. Congratulations to all who met the attendance goal!
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Cortines High School staff and students shown in photo above.
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LOCAL DISTRICT EAST
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Kids Get Their "Super" Powers By Attending School Every Day!Angela Ruiz, LD East Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor, is assigned to Second Street Elementary School for two days. This school year, she identified two attendance themes for the school: "Kids Get Their Superpowers By Attending School Every Day" and "Become An Attendance Superhero." Ms. Ruiz has proven to be extremely creative and innovative in her approach to attendance improvement. She has created bulletins boards throughout the school to promote the school attendance theme in order to encourage students to come to school every day.  As we know, attendance rates tend to decrease around the holidays throughout the school year. Ms. Ruiz capitalized on her superhero theme to incentivize students' attendance through the winter/holiday months. She advertised that students would receive a superhero cape if they came to school every day from November 9th through December 18th. The incentive was promoted through the use of flyers that were sent home to families as well as posting them in the hallways and classrooms. Ms. Ruiz used funds from the Faith Morales Mini Grant that she applied for through the Association of Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors (APSAC) to purchase the material for the capes.  Ms. Ruiz along with the the help of the schools's parent volunteers, were able to make and give out 180 capes to students who met the "superhero" goal on January 22nd. Students, staff, and parents were thrilled by the outcome of the incentive. The principal, Ms. Munoz, stated that she she saw several children walking on the street wearing their capes after and that the capes "looked so beautiful flying in the wind." Second Street Elementary is lucky to have such a wonderful PSA counselor. Ms. Ruiz, like all of our PSA Counselors, is a super hero sporting an invisible cape.
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LOCAL DISTRICT NORTHEAST
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Building A Positive School Culture At San Fernando Senior High School
 Brisa Tejada, Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor, in collaboration with a great team of support personnel at San Fernando High School, has been enhancing positive school culture through a variety of efforts. The school is adorned with vibrant, cheerful messages to encourage students to come to school regularly. Once a semester, students who are earning grades of "C" or better receive nachos and students who maintain Proficient attendance, at 96% or better, get to attend a School Tours concert!
 During the fall semester this school year, San Fernando High School invited professional BMX bike riders, skateboarders and inline skaters from the X Games to perform for students on the football field and address the issue of bullying. This exciting event supported the "No Place for Hate" Campaign, to reduce bullying, and the "Tobacco Free Kids" Campaign.
Keep up the great work San Fernando!
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LOCAL DISTRICT NORTHWEST
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| Developing A Mentoring Program To Increase Attendance
Jose Gonzalez, Pupil Service and Attendance Counselor at Canoga Park High School, was requested to present to the Leadership Student Body on a critical topic, Causes of Truancy, in which he included data associated with the results of truancy. The heightened awareness that resulted from this presentation intrigued many students in expressing their desire to reach out to other fellow students and share the knowledge. The leadership students at Canoga Park High School exemplify dedication and the power of positively impacting lives through their guidance and personal experience. They are now working with Mr. Gonzalez to incorporate a mentor program connecting seniors with freshman who are having difficulty transitioning from middle school to high school, particularly around attendance.
 Peer to peer interaction can have a major impact on students. When personal advice and lessons are articulated from their peers, it is well received and understood. That important piece of information can go a long way coming from a person of the same age group rather than from adults. The leadership students were chosen on a volunteer basis and will be paired with a 9th grade student who is having trouble with academics, attendance, or discipline. The peer to peer meetings will occur twice a month, however, more frequent meetings are optional. The students are excited to begin the process of possibly making an impact on a younger peer and guiding them on the right path toward graduation.
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LOCAL DISTRICT SOUTH
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| College Fair Held On The 75th Attendance Day
During the 75th attendance day, Rudy Gomez, Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor and his  colleagues staged a school-wide College Fair. This event was a universal affair involving all of the certificated staff and students at Peary Middle School. First, Mr. Gomez conducted a survey to find out where each staff member went to college. He then solicited volunteers to operate a team booth that represented their alma mater. The next step was to get the students involved by researching specific universities and colleges. The students studied their areas of interest and requirements for admission to the universities. The students had fun creating homemade pennants, mascot replicas and informational flyers that were distinctive of their college or university of interest.
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Principal Marva Patton at Peary Middle School.
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Every good fair needs promotional material. Mr. Gomez and his Peary team found the California Post-Secondary Education Commission (CPEC) website. This is a California clearinghouse for college and university information. Click here to to select the mailing information for colleges. This information can be downloaded into a comma-delimited (csv) file that can be used to mail merge letters. Mr. Gomez's letter included information about his school population and requested attendance incentives and donation items. The schools responded generously, with brochures, information and lots of swag, including shirts, visors, posters, banners, pens, pencils, notepads and keychains, and more!
Kudos to Mr. Gomez for strategically incorporating his message regarding the importance of attendance during this 75th attendance day opening ceremony. He stressed that maintaining outstanding attendance is an evaluative tool for college entrance.
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LOCAL DISTRICT WEST
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|  Celebrating The 75th Day Of School
Derek Wu, Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor, and Melissa Morris, Attendance Improvement Program PSA Counselor, at West Athens Elementary School collaborated to host a video game truck as a reward for all students that were meeting the 96% Attendance Goal on the 75th Day of school. Those who qualified are members of the West Athens "96% Club", each receiving a collectible attendance tag every 25 days of school as a sign of their membership. The tags admitted 520 students entrance to play video games both outside and inside the truck. Student participants were also allowed to dance with friends on the Wii game and create new environments with the Minecraft video game.
With the support of the school's principal, Mr. Wu and Ms. Morris were able to have the video game truck on campus as an attendance reward for the entire day. This ensured that every student who met the Attendance Performance Meter had a chance to participate in the festivities. The event also served as a reminder to come to school every day and on time; as well as encouragement for students not currently meeting the 96% Attendance Goal to get on board. Mr. Wu and Ms. Morris shared the importance of having and maintain good attendance to parents. Parents saw the video game truck as a fun and exciting way to motivate their children to come to school. Mr. Wu and Ms. Morris are planning on bringing the video game truck again later in the year, hopefully to many more deserving winners.
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Shown above: Derek Wu, PSA Counselor and Melissa Morris, AIP Counselor
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SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
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ACADEMIC SUPPORT AND ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM
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ASAP Tutors Tell All
The Academic Support and Achievement Program (ASAP) provides academic support through one-on-one or small group afterschool tutoring by a Highly Qualified LAUSD teacher. The goal of the program is to improve educational outcomes for foster care, probation and/or other identified, at-risk youth. ASAP tutors play a key role in providing students with personalized academic attention to thrive as well as cultivate their minds and teach them not just lessons from books, but lessons of life. A few tutors share the benefits of the program, the impact they have on students, and what advice they have for new or prospective tutors.
Terry Pizinger has been a tutor for the past twelve years. Affectionately known as "Terry the Tutor", she notes that students, "value and appreciate spending tutorial time constructively with their school assignments" and that the "time and support are crucial and beneficial" to her students.
Vic Afetain a tutor located at the Penny Lane Center, in North Hills stated that he is making an impact on foster and probation youth. "Students are gaining knowledge in their subjects as well as confidence. With confidence, they can have a purpose, make goals to attend college and become successful members of society."
Tutor Sharon Maculada, explains what she gains from the program by stating, "It is such a humbling experience... knowing that you're positively influencing the lives of foster youth residing in group homes is very rewarding. This opportunity allows us to connect with inquisitive minds and bring positive changes in their lives."
Finally, tutor Glenda Tamay's advice to new tutors is to, "develop rapport and build trust first with the youth before anything else. Consider their feelings, areas of needs and interests when you prepare your lessons. Most importantly, be creative with your activities or lessons because first impressions last."
If know a highly qualified teacher who is interested in becoming a tutor, please visit the Pupil Services website to learn more about the Academic Support and Achievement Program.
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ATTENDANCE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
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Faith Morales Mini Grant Provides Attendance Incentives
Irma Herrera, Attendance Improvement PSA Counselor, at Huntington Drive ES was awarded a Faith Morales Mini Grant from the APSAC organization. She used the funds to purchase bicycles for an Attendance Incentive Bicycle Raffle held on December 18, 2015. Transitional Kindergarten Expansion Program/Transitional Kindergarten (TKE/TK) and Kindergarten students within the Advanced and Proficient Attendance Bands participated in the raffle. This incentive created a lot of excitement for the students, parents and staff! Ms. Herrera promoted the Bicycle Raffle during her weekly classroom visits leading up to the event date to generate excitement for school attendance. She chose the last day before Winter Break because absences are historically high on this day. The bikes along with other invaluable incentives kept the students motivated and captivated during her weekly attendance visits and resulted in greater attendance on the event day.
 The TKE/TK and Kindergarten students look forward to incentives such as these but they also feel wanted and cared for by individuals at their school. By creating a warm and welcoming environment and motivating the students, she drives home the message that school attendance is important and they look forward to coming to school! Ultimately, the more they are in school, the more they learn and the more likely they are to succeed!!
Congratulations to the bicycle raffle winners Emily and Victor (shown in photos) for having great attendance. Keep up the great work!
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JUVENILE HALL /CAMP RETURNEE PROGRAM
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Collaboration Between The Juvenile Hall Program Counselors
Pupil Services and Attendance Counselors in the Juvenile Hall/Camp Returnee Unit work diligently to ensure that students are enrolled, attending school, and making progress toward earning a high school diploma. Collaboration between Juvenile Hall Counselors, Placement Counselors, and Aftercare Counselors is often the key to support students and their families as they navigate an often complicated educational system.
Heidi Pineda was released from juvenile camp in October of 2014 after a seven month detention. After a period of time where she was bounced from relative to relative, Heidi ended up living with her great grandmother. However, her initial school placement out of camp did not work out for her. She did not feel comfortable, and she was unable to continue there because of safety concerns. With the assistance of Placement Counselor, Dexter Goseng, she was offered a new placement. After numerous consultations with her probation officer and school district personnel, Mr. Goseng was able to facilitate a placement for her at Del Rey Tri-C.
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Jay Kirby, Aftercare Counselor, Heidi Pineda and Dexter Goseng, Placement Counselor shown in picture above.
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Heidi was enrolled at Del Rey and met by Aftercare Counselor, Jay Kirby. She reported to him that she was comfortable with her new placement, and was getting along with her teachers and the other students. She said she enjoyed the small setting, and was receiving plenty of help and support from her teachers. Soon Heidi began making academic progress and earning credits. Mr. Kirby began monitoring her attendance, and periodically checked in with her through school and home visits. She has received tattoo removal services through Homeboy Industries, and is now more focused on earning her high school diploma. Currently, Heidi has completed her 11th grade credits and is now on track to graduate in 2017. Her goals are to get off probation, finish high school, attend college, and eventually find a job in law enforcement.
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DIPLOMA PROJECT
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 2nd Annual Holiday Fair
On December 11, 2015, The Diploma Project collaborated with partners such as: Healthy Start, Early Childhood Linkage to Wellness Program (ECLW), the LA Trust, A World Fit for Kids and Asian Pacific Health Venture to host the 2nd Annual Holiday Fair at The Wellness Center at Belmont High School. There were over 1,000 parents, students, and families present.
 Over 20 local community partners and agencies provided informational packets, brochures, and giveaways to families. The partners ranged from health and family services such as El Centro Del Pueblo, Gateways, Central City Neighborhood Partners, teen resources such as Teen Line and YMCA, and wellness services such as Medi-Cal enrollment.
The event ran from 1:00pm-4:30pm. Upon registration, families were provided a passport in which they visited 10 agencies before proceeding to the toy giveaway room. The youth room was filled with over 1,000 donated toys where students were able to pick a toy for the holiday season. Families were also treated to healthy food options from Chef E, which included gluten free pizza options, quesadillas, and a local farmer's market salad. In addition to Chef E, the fair also had food generously donated by Gus's Drive In.
The event's success was made possible by the generosity of our local community agencies and dedication of our collaborating team members. The Diploma Project team looks forward to their next collaborative event.
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The youth room was full of generously donated toys.
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Families gathered together to enjoy Chef E's healthy food.
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FAMILYSOURCE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
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| | Thank you letter from the Llontop family (shown above). |
Bringing Joy To FamiliesA partner of the FamilySource Partnership Program, the Richstone Family Center, sponsored families in the South area through their Adopt-A-Family Program this past holiday season. This year, Toberman FamilySource Center (FSC), Watts Labor Community Action Committee (WLCAC) FSC, and Community Build FSC participated in this special program with more than 50 families being adopted. With the help of Vanessa Ramirez, PSA Counselor, the Llontop family, who live in the city of San Pedro, were one of the recipients of the Adopt-A-Family through Toberman FSC. Mrs. Llontop volunteers at the local school her son attends, and both children are excelling academically. Recently, the family has had to make financial adjustments, and they did not have any plans to buy gifts for the holidays. A few days before Christmas, Ms. Ramirez presented the family with the gifts which they were very grateful for. |
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The Duran family showing appreciation for their gifts (shown above).
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One of the families referred by WLCAC's PSA Counselor, Jade Jennings and FSC Case Manager, Mayra Espindola, was the Duran Family who recently endured a loss. Gift certificates from Forever 21, Old Navy, Nike, a bicycle, helmet and toys were items on the family's wish list. Linda, a 5 year-old student was given a bike, and her siblings, Scarlette and Said, received brand-name clothes and school supplies. Ms. Alonso, the children's mother, shared that the gifts received exceeded her expectations. The Fletcher family is very unique as they have a set of female and male twins! The four siblings have been residing with maternal aunt for the last 7 years. Thanks to the partnership with Richstone, this holiday season was very special for the Fletchers. They received more than they could ever imagine- clothes, gift cards, games, school items, etc. Thanks to Richstone, our FamilySource families were able to have dreams come true this Holiday Season!
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YOUTHSOURCE CENTER CITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM
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 The Power Of Outreach In The CommunityPupil Services and Attendance Counselor Pamela Gates Cowings was conducting an Outreach Collaboration with a Pierce College counselor regarding the diploma completion support and job readiness supports available at El Proyecto del Barrio YouthSource Center, when unbeknownst to her, the mother of a disengaged youth overheard the conversation. As Mrs. Gates Cowings was leaving the meeting, she was stopped and questioned by the mother who was interested in learning more about the community supports available at the YouthSource center. The mother inquired if Mrs. Gates Cowings could possibly speak to her 20 year old daughter, Tiffany Uzan. Tiffany had not completed high school and she was unemployed. Her mother wanted to know if the YouthSource Center could be the resource that Tiffany needed to complete this phase of her education and develop work readiness skills. An academic assessment and YouthSource Center orientation was soon scheduled. With the encouragement of Tiffany's mother, Tiffany visited the El Proyecto del Barrio YouthSource Center and discovered that there were resources available within her community that could guide her through this phase of her young adulthood. She received both educational and job readiness supports from the center. Tiffany is now enrolled full-time in an alternative education program. She began working on work readiness and customer service training and is currently enrolled in a health care internship at her high school. She hopes to complete her High School diploma this school year. With the assistance of her mother and YSC, she is developing valuable life long skills. Tiffany shared that she is very excited about her progress and recent achievements. Tiffany has embraced the importance and the need for diploma completion and employment preparation skills and is moving forward on the road to success. Visit the Pupil Services website to learn more about the YouthSource City Partnership.
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FOREIGN STUDENT ADMISSIONS OFFICE
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Recognizing Students Within the Proficient Or Advanced Attendance BandsThe Foreign Student Admissions Office recognized the twenty nine international students in the LAUSD that had proficient or perfect attendance at the end of fall semester. They were provided with certificates and incentives at school-based assemblies. Spring semester 2016, we have welcomed new foreign exchange students from Brazil, China, Thailand, Italy, Austria, Germany, and Vietnam. The international students are currently attending seventeen of our LAUSD high schools.  Applications for the 2016-2017 school year will be available at the end of February for any foreign exchange students interested in studying in the LAUSD on and F-1 or J-1 visa. Please visit our website at studyinLA.lausd.net for more information on our program and how to apply.
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FOSTER YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM
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Caregiver And Community Engagement
The Foster Youth Achievement Program's (FYAP) Caregiver and Community Engagement team strives to ensure that our community members are aware of current foster youth law and policy, engage stakeholders to promote awareness of our programs, gather resources, and increase communication. The Caregiver and Community Engagement team collaborates with appropriate agencies (e.g. Department of Children and Family Services) and district personnel to offer trainings in each Local District.
As a new component to our group, we are partnering with Community Agencies and Local Community Colleges to expand the FYAP's presence as well as increase our outreach to foster youth caregivers. In addition, we continue to coordinate Integration Meetings, in alignment with Dr. Duardo's initiative: Integration of Student Health and Human Services to Improve Outcomes for Foster Youth.
To date, FYAP has participated in six resource fairs and more than ten Foster & Kinship Care Caregiver Trainings having positive results with an increased number of caregivers reached. FYAP also presented to Foster Youth Caregivers at West Los Angeles College. Caregivers were informed about LAUSD Foster Youth Achievement Program services and goals, assistance with navigating LAUSD and ways to advocate for their foster youth. Caregivers were actively engaged, asking questions on how to advocate in the schools, and shared some of their own stories when collaborating with our schools. The Caregiver and Community Engagement team has also partnered with Local District West's Community and Parent Engagement Unit, presenting to district wide LAUSD Parent Representatives. To further illuminate Foster Youth Rights and Education, our FYAP Leads will continue to present for the Community and Parent Engagement Unit at their upcoming Saturday Parent Academies. Look for upcoming FYAP Caregiver and Community Engagement presentations throughout the district and in your community!
Visit the Pupil Services website to learn more about the Foster Youth Achievement Program.
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GROUP HOME SCHOLARS PROGRAM
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 College Pathways At Rancho San Antonio Group HomeGroup Home Liaison, Austin Mehrabian, has made the transition of students to post-secondary education a top priority for the Foster Youth students at Rancho San Antonio Group Home in Chatsworth. Through collaboration with Rancho San Antonio and Pierce College's Guardian Scholars Program, Mr. Mehrabian established an annual College Pathways event. At this event, prospective high school graduates receive specific information about the many benefits and post-secondary educational opportunities available for Foster Youth. Further, Mr. Mehrabian works with the team at Rancho San Antonio to prepare students, who may otherwise be wary and lacking support, for the transition to post-secondary education. For a Foster Youth, successfully navigating through the enrollment process can be challenging. However, through this event, and the ongoing collaboration that Mr. Mehrabian has fostered between the Guardian Scholars Program and Rancho San Antonio, several former Group Home students have successfully enrolled and are now attending college. An attendee of last year's College Pathways event, "Ricky," was guided through this process by the Group Home Liaison and completed his college and FAFSA applications, and wrote personal statements for scholarships. Mr. Mehrabian also accompanied Ricky to Pierce College where they met with Guardian Scholars Team Member, Marisol Ramirez. As is common for Foster Youth, barriers often arise that delay or inhibit the enrollment process. For Ricky, he was incorrectly coded by the college as a non-resident. Following a consultation with Ms. Ramirez, Mr. Mehrabian quickly identified the problem and was able to obtain and provide to the college a "Ward of the Court" document. This corrected the error in time for the student to begin orientation in the summer prior to his 1st semester. Ricky is now about to enter his second semester of college, resides in transitional housing at Rancho San Antonio, and continues to receive support and guidance through the Group Home Scholars Program and Mr. Mehrabian. Visit the Pupil Services website to learn about the Group Home Scholars Program.
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HOMELESS EDUCATION PROGRAM
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Thank You For Your Continuous Support!
The Homeless Education Program (HEP) was successful in the coordination and execution of its 3rd Annual Sponsor-A-Graduate event. Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, a total of 60 homeless graduates will be able to participate in the senior activities of their choice. This is nearly double the number of students from last year!
The HEP launched "McKinney-Vento FAFSA Week" from February 8-February 12, 2016 and created an Unaccompanied Youth Toolkit for Designated School Site Homeless Liaisons and High School Counselors to ensure that all eligible students complete the FAFSA. The toolkit includes information on McKinney-Vento FAFSA week, talking points for counselors, and a sample letter for seniors.
Our HEP Collaborative at the California Endowment Center on February 23, 2016 had a great turnout of school site liaisons, community program partners as well as representatives from citywide Family Solutions Centers (FSCs). Many great ideas and program information updates were shared as well as the latest information regarding homeless individuals in the LGBT community.
The HEP and Operation School Bell were also very excited to work together and create wonderful memories with our homeless female seniors. On March 3, 2016, a total of 80 homeless female senior students were served at a Prom Boutique at Emerson College. Each student received a prom dress, shoes, a purse, jewelry, and make-up. In addition, HEP will be taking referrals throughout the month of March for our annual HEP Tux Event. A total of 30 homeless male senior students will be sponsored and provided with a fashionable suit by Downtown Men's Collection in Los Angeles.
Our spring fundraisers are in full effect! Please support the HEP during the month of March at Trimana Café in the Beaudry building between the hours of 11:00 am and 1:30 pm. On Tuesdays (except 3/29) we'll be selling Porto's Pastries and on Friday's we'll be selling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.
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CLINICAL SUPERVISION
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Clinical Licensure Examination Restructure Is Now Official
It's official! The California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) has changed the clinical licensure examination process. Effective, January 1, 2016, all registrants (inclusive of ASWs, MFT Interns, and LPCC Interns) are now required to take and pass a new California Law and Ethics Examination. For most PSA Counselors currently participating in clinical supervision, the Law and Ethics Examination must be passed prior to their next registrant renewal. However, once this examination is passed, registrants will have completed the first of two examinations required for licensure. The second exam is a Clinical Examination and may be taken after their required number of supervised hours have been obtained and submitted to the BBS for approval. Once supervised experience hours are approved, registrants may take the Clinical Examination.
So what does the change mean? For one, those who do not pass an examination, there is now a reduced waiting period between exams. In addition, some individuals will be taking a national examination for licensure. Since the change to the examination process is significant and impacts everyone seeking licensure, the BBS has created a series of video tutorials and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) to provide registrants with information about the process specific to their situation. If you are a PSA Counselor currently participating in clinical supervision, please take a moment to view the tutorial that applies to your situation and the relevant FAQs as it will help guide you through the new examination process. It is important that you become familiar with the new process to avoid delays in your registration renewal or in the licensure process.
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FIELD EDUCATION PROGRAM
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Intern's Perspective: The Importance Of NetworkingMy passion is working with students in a school setting who have a history with the Juvenile Justice System. I am honored and privileged to combine my two passions and to serve the District as a Pupil Service Intern for the Juvenile Hall/Camp Returnee Program. The program provides undivided attention to students coming back into school from juvenile hall or camp. W ith the supervision of Field Instructor, Jennifer Lopez, LCSW, Lead Pupil Services and Attendance Counselor, this past semester has been an amazing experience that has taught me to work in a variety of settings, I am currently working on macro projects to gather District wide data and information which will
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Erika Jácome, 2nd Year MSW student, Cal State University, Northridge
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enhance and benefit our youth. I learned the importance of networking with school, probation, and court personnel in order to better serve our communities. As a Master of Social Work student, I have been able to take a step back and see the importance and impact the specialized programs have. This past September, I was assigned to provide aftercare services to a student who was released from camp. As I watched him put his past behind him, I was also able to see the effort and dedication he was putting towards earning his high school diploma in a comprehensive high school. He is currently on track to graduate with his classmates and is anxiously waiting to hear back from universities that he applied to. Words cannot describe the feeling to know that you are able to provide students with the necessary tools for success. As I continue to enjoy working with my students, I am constantly learning about my self through their eyes. I am grateful to be a part of such a caring and hardworking team that go above and beyond to make sure each student and their families have as much help as they need.
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LAUSD GRAD VAN SERVICES
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Pupil Services utilizes the Grad Van as part of outreach efforts to engage students, parents and the community. The Grad Van provides a unique means of support and information to families across the district, increasing access to school and community resources for families who may face logistical barriers.
Visit the Pupil Services website to access the flyer and the request form for the Grad Van for an upcoming school event.
Please note: A minimum of three weeks advanced notice is necessary. All requests are reviewed carefully and confirmation of the event is based on van staffing and availability.
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