#1: Mental Health Awareness Handout

#2: Self-Care Tracker

#3: Worry/Anxiety Handouts

#4: Gratitude Mindfulness Scripts

#5: Anxiety Posters

The Texas College Access Network (TxCAN) has contracted with Dr. Matt Giani, Research Associate Professor at UT Austin, to administer a survey to assess advising capacity in Texas. I strongly encourage you to complete this survey so funders, policymakers, researchers, and advising staff can have a clearer picture of advising needs across Texas. It should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Neither I nor our organization will ever see your individual responses. Additionally, after completing this survey, you may enter for a chance to win a gift card to thank you for your participation!​

If you are a district level personnel who oversees counseling and/or advising, central office staff of a college advising program, counselor, or an advisor you are ELIGIBLE to complete the survey.

Survey link: https://tinyurl.com/AdvisingCapacitySurvey

You are welcome to email Dr. Matt Giani at matt.giani@austin.utexas.edu if you have any questions or concerns about the survey.​

Shannon Medical Center has had a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program for many years. Through a partnership with the Texas Teleforensic Remote Assistance Center (Tex-TRAC), we will expand our availability to victims ages 13 and older by conducting sexual assault forensic exams with guidance from a SANE via Telehealth cart starting May 17, 2023.

Currently, sexual assault victims in Tom Green County and surrounding counties may wait for extended periods for a forensic medical exam with one of Shannon’s Certified SANEs. This delay may compound the traumatic stress on the victim.

Tex-TRAC, part of the Texas A&M Health Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing, was established with federal grant funding from the Office for Victims of Crime and state funding from the Office of the Attorney General to provide a SANE telehealth program to serve rural and underserved communities in Texas.

Tex-TRAC TeleSANEs, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, provide a seamless interaction with the hospital nurses and the victims during sexual assault forensic examinations using a telehealth cart with specially designed software. The TeleSANEs, via a secure internet connection, can advise and assist hospital nurses as they conduct the lengthy sexual assault exams, which are known to take on average three to six hours to complete.

For more on Tex-TRAC, go online to https://tex-trac.tamu.edu

For more information on Shannon Medical Center, go online to https://www.shannonhealth.com/

Fentanyl is a growing threat to the health and safety of Texas youth. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), within the last two years, teen overdose deaths related to fentanyl have tripled. Fentanyl can come in many forms and even the smallest amount can be lethal. Governor Abbott launched the One Pill Kills campaign to raise awareness of this crisis.

The Texas Department of State Health Services, the Texas Education Agency, and the CDC, have resources including flyers, letter templates, videos, and suggested social media posts and images to help you educate students and parents about the dangers of fentanyl.

Resources from the Texas Department of State Health Services

Resources from the Texas Education Agency

Resources from the Centers for Disease Control

Dove just released this short film that tells the true story of a young person whose mental health was affected by social media. This is part of Dove’s campaign to push for legislation to provide safeguards for kids’ online experiences and limits their exposure to harmful content.

The Community Prevention Program provides a variety of physical and digital tobacco and e-cigarette prevention and cessation resources for free to all communities across Texas. These resources can be implemented within schools, college campuses, and community-based organizations. The program offers infographics, tobacco-free property signage, and posters to encourage youth and adults to quit smoking or vaping.

Learn More and Request Resources

2023-2024 Perkins Planning Amounts are available. Attached below is a list for our ESC. The link to TEA for amounts is https://tea.texas.gov/finance-and-grants/grants/grants-administration/applying-for-a-grant/entitlements#perkins

ESC 15 has completed the ADC form on TEAL to be the fiscal agent. Schools are now able to join the SSA as a member.

The College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) Verifier will be available in the TEA Login (TEAL) Accountability application from Thursday, May 24 to June 21. The CCMR Verifier provides districts an opportunity to verify the accuracy of their CCMR data and, if needed, submit official documentation to correct data. CCMR indicators determined by TSDS PEIMS submissions are not eligible for corrections, and therefore, will not be shown. The CCMR Verifier will contain data for 2021-22 annual graduates and non-graduating 12th graders

Tarleton State University has launched a new program offering dual credit in agriculture, engineering, and math. Please see the flyer below for more details.

Contact Matt Underwood, Director of Tarleton Today, munderwood@tarleton.edu or 254-968-9103 for more information.

Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) General Library Program and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance, is a program that provides on-demand, online tutoring and homework help at no cost to eligible service members, civilian personnel, and their dependents. Those who fund the program determine eligibility for its use. Eligibility can change, and program availability is dependent upon available budget and is not guaranteed.

A TAA was sent on September 8, 2022 regarding a DD Form 4: CCMR Credit for Military Enlistment, Beginning with 2023 Graduates | Texas Education Agency.

The submission window for 2023 annual graduates will occur in spring 2024. Districts will submit the completed DD Form 4 via a secure upload process through the TEAL Accountability application. The process will be similar to the CCMR Verifier system.

ADVi is a virtual advising chatbot – backed by a team of trained advisors – designed to support Texas students with postsecondary planning. Students can text ADVi questions about college, college admissions, and more! High school seniors can also sign up to receive timely texts throughout the college admissions process.

• Wednesday, May 17, 2023 @ 10am

Visit the Professional Development page for full descriptions of all of Texas OnCourse offerings.

Registration is officially open for the Little Changes = Big Results Conference. This two-day conference is meant to tailor your needs and availability! You will receive a certificate for each session that you attend during the two-day conference, being able to earn up to 12 hours of CPE. Just like last year you get to choose the tools you need in your toolbox to get you ready for the upcoming year. This conference is for anyone that works with students: Admin, Gen Ed, SPED, Mental Health, Paraprofessionals, etc. This year we will have a variety of local presenters training on a variety of topics: Autism, Behavior, learning, classroom management, sensory, mental health, and so much more. Please share this with all your listserve, and with anyone that you feel will benefit from this conference. Looking forward to seeing you all this summer!

Our Key Speaker is Ashley Mohesky. Some of you might have even worked with Ashley Mohesky during your education career.

Ashley Mohesky is a graduate from San Angelo ISD. Ashley has a neurological disorder called Cerebral Palsy that affects her ability to walk and talk. Due to brain damage caused at birth, doctors predicted that she would not have a quality of life and at three years old, she was placed in special education. Ashley was evaluated for a communication device and after using it for a short time proved to excel at her studies and was transferred to general education. As Ashley reports, “During my time in school, I did everything that other kids my age did. In fact, I was voted prom queen during my senior prom. I also was on a bowling league for people with disabilities throughout college.” Ashley graduated high school and attended Howard College where she received her Associate degree in General Studies. Ashley went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Angelo State University.

I wanted to share with you all several opportunities for professional development this summer. Last year, TEA created training geared toward new counselors and administrators and asked ESCs to conduct regional convenings. ESC 15 partnered with ESCs 14, 16, 17, 18, and 9 and held training at ESC 14. This year, these sessions will be available here at ESC 15. In addition to the new counselor/administrator training, TEA is releasing a series for experienced counselors and administrators. Please know you are welcome to attend any and all training regardless of your experience level or role. Counselors serve in many different capacities and you are welcome to attend administrator training. Registration is open for all sessions. Flyers have been attached detailing each session. Additional resources will be provided if applicable to the session.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Hope to see you this summer.

Traci

This list is of known providers of particular services. The providers on the list are from a variety of sources. The list is being provided as a courtesy, for information only, and the user should understand that no assurances or guarantees regarding the providers on the list are being made by providing this list. We do not endorse, approve, or recommend any specific provider listed below. This list is not inclusive of all community agencies, services, or organizations that provide the particular service, and the omission of an agency, service, or organization from this list does not imply disapproval. It is the responsibility of the user of this list to determine whether any of the content is of value to them and whether or not the agency, service, or organization meets their specific needs.

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National

• Emergency: (24/7): 911
• Referral Services: (crisis counseling, housing, food, health care, family services): 211 | https://www.211texas.org/
• Suicide Prevention: 988 | 988lifeline.org
• Self-Injury/Cutting: 1-800-366-8288 | selfinjury.com
• Eating Disorders: 1-800-931-2237 | nationaleatingdisorders.org
• Runaway Hotline: 1-800-231-6946 | 1800runaway.org
• Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 | childhelp.org/hotline/
• Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 | rainn.org
• Domestic/Relationship Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | thehotline.org
• Trevor Hotline for LGBTQ Youth: 1-866-488-7386 | thetrevorproject.org
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline | samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
• Other resources for developing healthy lifestyles, including mental and emotional help: helpguide.org