As I write my first newsletter message as OSPA President, I am very much in the midst of “back-to-school” season myself. With our three children our house is currently filled with school supplies, schedules, volleyballs/football cleats, and all signs that summer is quickly coming to an end. We have one last hurrah planned in Central Oregon over Labor Day weekend, and then it is time for me to jump into the school year with both feet!

There is something about the beginning of a new school year that always feels like a fresh start. For some of our members, this will be your very first year. Others are moving to a new school, district, or role. Some are returning to familiar buildings and familiar colleagues and perhaps wondering how their calendars managed to fill up before students even arrived. Whether you are a first-year school psychologist trying to figure out where the testing protocols are kept or a veteran who can remember IEPs on carbon paper or are figuring out yet another version of a test you have been giving for decades, I hope you know that you are part of a community of school psychologists across Oregon who understand both the joys and the challenges of this profession.

A unique thing about being a school psychologist is that many of us don't have another school psychologist right down the hall. Teachers often have colleagues nearby, but school psychologists may be spread across multiple buildings, traveling between schools, or serving as the only school psychologist in an entire district as I am. OSPA is a professional home and a place to connect with people who understand. Please reach out to one another. Send an encouraging email, introduce yourself to a school psychologist in a neighboring district, or invite a colleague to join you at an OSPA event.

The OSPA Board has carefully reviewed the member survey results, and thanks to everyone who took the time to respond. We heard your priorities around advocacy, professional development, legislative updates, networking, expanding the role of school psychologists, addressing workforce shortages, and creating a strong fall conference. I hope to see many of you at the OSPA Fall Conference in October! There is something wonderful about walking into a room where, for once, you won’t be confused for the school counselor!

May your eraser less pencils always be sharp, your protocols always be stocked, your iPads always be connected, and your timelines always have sixty school days!

Warm Regards,

Jenelle Stone, PhD

President, Oregon School Psychologists Association

We spend so much of our time supporting others. We need to make sure we are supporting each other.