Wellness Weekly
Chestermere High's Wellness Centre Newsletter
Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year & to Chestermere High's new Wellness Centre info bulletin.
If you have any questions about our programs or anything you see in this newsletter, please don't hesitate to email me (Ms. Allan) at: ballan@rockyview.ab.ca or Ms. Guitard at: mguitard@rockyview.ab.ca.
Meet Your Counsellors!
Beth Allan - Counsellor for students with last names beginning with A-L
I completed a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature with a secondary concentration in Media Studies at the Huron University (within Western University in Ontario), and then moved to New York state to complete a Masters of Science in Education with a major in Adolescent Education. To become qualified to be a school counsellor, I have also completed a Master of Education from the University of Alberta in the Educational Psychology department, with a major in School Counselling.
As a school counsellor, I am able to provide information and counselling for a wide variety of issues and concerns - from academic counselling to career counselling to social emotional counselling and more. Areas of particular interest or speciality include university admissions counselling, college admissions to the United States, technology in counselling, and LGBTQ2IA+ work with adolescents.
I employ a variety of counselling techniques depending on the issue at hand, but generally use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing as my primary counselling tools.
Outside of counselling, I enjoy chasing storms (yes, the tornado kind!), traveling the world, crafts, reading about great lives of great people, and more. I look forward to getting to know all of you!
Michelle Guitard - Counsellor for students with last names beginning with M-Z
My name is Michelle Guitard and I am the other half of the counselling duo at Chestermere High School. I started my teaching career in a small community north of Fort McMurray and completed my Master’s Degree in Counselling in 2007. Before entering the world of high school counselling, I was employed as an elementary and junior high school counsellor in a different school division. This is my seventh year with Chestermere High School.
I view my school counselling role as a collaborative quilt, working alongside students, parents, administration and staff. My mission at Chestermere High School is to hold a safe space for all students to share their thoughts and feelings and to empower students to build strong self-advocacy skills. The Wellness Centre is a haven for all students to visit if they are feeling stuck and need help. My counselling philosophy is solution focused and includes instilling students with tools to build healthy strategies for emotional self-regulation.
Learning and trying new adventures are important to me. I am a member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association and have completed training with the Equine Growth and Learning Association (EGALA) as a mental health professional. I assist with facilitating our Equine Learning Program that runs each semester. I am passionate about animals and believe creatures can play a valuable role in teaching us how to manage our emotions and explore our relationships with ourselves and other people in our lives. I have four dogs of my own and am involved with two different animal rescue groups. I am currently in the process of completing my Sandplay Therapy certification, as another counselling modality to weave into conversations with students.
Important Upcoming Dates
September 30: University of Lethbridge Open House (Info here)
October 1: Applications open for most post-secondary programs (ApplyAlberta here)
October 13: University of Calgary Health Programs Discovery Day
October 18: Loran Scholarship deadline for sponsored nominations (Info here)
October 18: SAIT Applications Open
October 19: University of Calgary presentation at Chestermere High
October 20: Olds College Open House (Info here)
October 21: Bow Valley Open House (Info here)
October 21: University of Alberta Open House (Info here)
October 21: St. Mary's University Open House (Info here)
October 25: Horatio Alger Scholarship deadline (Info here)
October 26: Chestermere High School Post-Secondary Fair: 1-3pm
October 27 & 28: SAIT Open House (Info here)
October 27 & 28: ACAD Open House (Info here)
October 28: Mount Royal Open House (Info here)
November 3 & 4: Ambrose University Open House (Info here)
November 4: MacEwan University Open House (Info here)
November 4: Red Deer College Open House (Info here)
November 17: TD Canada Trust Scholarship deadline (Info here)
November 25: ACAD Fall Portfolio Review Day (Info here)
Watch This: Your Mental Health Survival Pack!
Be The First To Know!
Some of the things we will use Remind to update you on are:
- Scholarships and upcoming deadlines
- Field trips organized through the Wellness Centre (usually to universities, etc)
- Post-Secondary program application reminders
- Presentations that are happening at the school
- Great mental health tips, videos, or articles that we find
- Links to this newsletter
- And more!
To sign up, please go to the following link:
Scholarship Highlights
- The Loran Award - this scholarship is worth $100,000 and there are 34 awards available this year. There are also 100 scholarships worth $2000 or $3000 for students who do not win the large award. Chestermere High School can nominate three students for this award. If you are interested in receiving this nomination, please submit a short letter to Ms. Allan or Ms. Guitard no later than October 5 so that we can choose our nominations. If you are not chosen as a school nominee, you may still apply to the direct application pool.
More information: www.loranscholar.ca - Horatio Alger Scholarship - this scholarship is worth $5000 and there are 80 awards available. This scholarship is accessible to students with a 75% high school average and students must also demonstrate fairly significant financial need to be eligible. The deadline to apply for this scholarship is October 25.
More information: www.horatioalger.ca - TD Canada Trust Scholarship - this scholarship has 20 awards available for up to $70,000 each. This is a scholarship for students who have done a large amount of leadership and are active in school and community activities. The deadline for this scholarship is November 17.
More information: www.tdcanadatrust.com
Have You Heard Of...
AHS' Community Education Sessions?
- Street Drugs
- Video Games and Youth
- Emotional Regulation in Teenagers (The Parental Role)
- Social Media
- Anxiety
- And more!
To see the whole list or to sign up to attend a session (they are all free), please go to the link below.
What Are Your Counsellors Up To?
Ms. Allan is heading to a presentation on the US College Admissions process, which deals with regular admissions as well as working with the NCAA on eligibility and scholarships. She is also attending the University of Alberta counsellor update and the SAIT counsellor update so that she can bring back all the new and current information to students through the application period.
Ms. Guitard is heading off to the Mount Royal counsellor update as well.