Middlesex Guidance Directors Association
In the early 1970’s a group of Guidance Directors, Chairpersons, and Coordinators joined to meet monthly. The intended purpose was to share experiences and discuss issues and common concerns. During the ensuing years, the group expanded to primarily include representatives from the Middlesex League schools. Currently, membership includes:Belmont, Reading, Burlington, Salem, Stoneham, Concord-Carlisle, Lexington, Wakefield, Melrose, Winchester and Woburn.
The group adopted By-Laws on June 3, 1998, formally adopted the name Middlesex Guidance Directors Association, and became an affiliate of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association. Among the stated purposes of the Association are “...to encourage sharing among guidance administrators for the benefit of the guidance and counseling programs and to take an active role to insure that superintendents, other school administrators, and school committee members gain a thorough understanding of the role of the counselor and the value of guidance and counseling in the schools.” The guidance administrators share resources and information and discuss trends and patterns, as well as the varied duties and responsibilities assigned to guidance departments. In the early days of the group the main focus was in sharing common problems, discussing testing, scheduling, and academic and college preparation. These topics remain timely, yet as the role of the counselor has expanded, so has the scope of the group evolved and matured.
As educational communities are forced to cope with social issues previously addressed in the home and community, the guidance counselor has become a central figure in the crisis intervention process. Guidance leaders from the Middlesex League high schools recognized a need for a collaborative effort in dealing with such issues as substance abuse, teen pregnancy and parenting, depression, suicide, grief and loss, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and a myriad of other issues.
The Middlesex Guidance Directors Association was formed as a collaborative group to share, innovate and provide mutual assistance. The resulting Guidance network serves as a medium for an exchange of ideas, providing information about programs and procedures, and offering professional development opportunities, when needed, to the counseling staff as well as to the guidance administrator in each of the member communities.
Coordinator
Joe Attubato - attubato@bpsk12.org
| Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. |
MASCA deeply values its diverse membership and is fully committed to creating an organization where each individual is welcomed, included, respected and empowered. No person will be excluded from MASCA on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, political affiliation or military status, or for any other discriminatory reason. These activities include, but are not limited to, appointment of its Governing Board, hiring or firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and the providing of services. This policy is fundamental to the effective functioning of MASCA as an organization that supports counselors and promotes equity in our schools, districts and the Commonwealth.