Region Updates June 2023

The CASP Board of Directors convened on June 24th for our last meeting of the 22-23 fiscal year. The board voted to hire Kristin Makena as our interim Executive Director while the board searches for a permanent replacement. CASP’s new and greatly improved website is now available for use. Please be sure to login and check out all the great new features. The board appointed the new incoming odd regions representatives and Katie Peterson was appointed as our new CASP Affiliate Chair.

The board approved sending the Executive Committee to attend the annual NASP convention for the next 5 years to continue the work of facilitating strong relationships with NASP and surrounding state associations. Finally, the board reviewed the significant growth of the organization over the last four years and the ongoing success of the annual convention and webinars.

Please check your emails for updates on CASP couch chats, professional development opportunities, or visit casponline.org for additional information. Finally, if you would like to become more involved with CASP through committees or volunteer work please let me know!

Region VII

By Dorothy Guinter, Region VII Representative

The San Diego County Association of School Psychologists (SANDCASP) stayed busy as the school year came to an end. They held their elections for the 2023-2024 SANDCASP board. The board for this upcoming school year is the following: President: Celeste Garcia, SDCOE; Past-President: Heather Luz, SDUHSD; President-Elect: Shawn Dee Hartless, SDUSD; Secretary: Adrienne Garcia,Santee SD; Treasurer: Jarrett Clifton, MEUSD; Board Members At Large: Ann Mellon, SDUSD, Cheyenne Jones, CVUSD, Erin Acero, EUSD, Janet Coover, LMSV, Jennifer Ruiz, CVESD, Kathy Pawlukiewicz, LMSV, Sarah Llorente, SDUSD, and Vania Knight, Santee SD. Congratulations to our returning and new SANDCASP board members! SANDCASP held its end of the year event on June 1st and celebrated our award winners. Big congratulations to Adrienne Garcia- Outstanding School Psychologist, Celeste Garcia-Ross Zatlin Mentorship Award and Juzenne Cruz- Dr. Valarie Cook-Morales Memorial Scholarship Award. 

SANDCASP ended the year with 278 members and already has 45 members for the new year. SANDCASP will host their first virtual workshop of the 23-24 school year on August 25th on Law & Ethics. The FREE workshop (for SANDCASP members & other local CA Affiliate members) will welcome back Leah Smith, J.D. form the School & College Legal Services (SCLS) of California, AND Dr. Kristin Makena, Ph.D.! If you have not renewed your membership yet, this is a great reason to renew today! 

Region IX

By Giniena Tan, Outgoing Region IX Representative

The CASP Board of Directors recently participated in our annual Leadership Retreat, and what an incredible experience it was. It reminded me of why I chose to be a school psychologist and further encouraged and affirmed the great work that I get to do. Like many of you, I chose this career path for my love of education and working with students; but little did I know the number of incredible relationships I could build with others in this school psychology community. 

I also want to introduce your newly appointed Region IX Representative, Jennifer Strong, who will be taking on this role as I conclude my second term. She will continue to represent your voices and advocate for the needs of our region. Keep a lookout for the excellent work that she will produce alongside our affiliate, the Orange County Association of School Psychologists (OCASP). If you’re also looking for an opportunity to connect with others in our region, join OCASP and maybe even become an OCASP Board Member! It’s a great way to meet other school psychologists throughout Orange County and share your expertise. 

The past two terms as Region IX Representative have been a wonderful experience. I initially had no idea what to expect when I started this journey four years ago and was not prepared for the growth I would encounter professionally and personally. I have constantly been empowered and supported since I’ve been in this role which further encouraged me to advocate for the needs of those we work with. I have been able to connect with many of you throughout my tenure and am truly amazed by the incredible work you all do. I want to thank you for the encouragement, the grace, and most importantly, the connection and relationships we have fostered together in our community of school psychologists. 

As the new school year begins, I send you strength, energy, and a reminder that there is an incredible resource at the California Association of School Psychologists for you and I hope you continue to reach out. 

It has been an honor to serve our region and I look forward to seeing you all soon. 

Mahalo,

Giniena K. Tan, M.A., LEP #4046

CASP Region IX Representative (2019 – 2023)

Region X

By Amy Merenda, Region X Representative

Region X is staying busy all summer long!

The Delta Area Association of School Psychologist (DAASP) is working hard on growing to support the school psychologists in the following districts: Stockton Unified, Lodi Unified, Lammersville Elementary, Manteca Unified, Lincoln Unified, Ripon Unified, Linden Unified, Tracy Unified, Escalon Unified, and the San Joaquin County Office of Education. If you are in any of the districts, please be sure to check out DAASP HERE. DAASP is focusing on growing as an affiliate and has even updated their bylaws to continue their growth as a group. DAASP has already planned three workshops for the 2023-2024 school year with two scheduled for July and one scheduled for September. 

The Elk Grove Regional Association of School Psychologists (EGRASP) has wrapped up a successful year and looking forward to a great Summer! If you are in the Elk Grove area, be sure to check out EGRASP HERE. There will be many great trainings in the 2023-2024 school year so be on the lookout for ways to grow in your professional development. 

The Northeastern California Association of School Psychologists (NECASP) is growing and bustling! They enjoyed a wonderful end of the year social which yielded some new faces for the organization. Earlier in June, NECASP hosted their own retreat to plan for all their events for the coming school year and they even have new volunteers working to support their group. For more information about these events and how to join, please click here.