CJHS Counselor Corner Newsletter
6.6.2022
Summer School Information
Enrollment for the Clarkston Community Schools Online Summer School is open.
These courses are designed for any student entering grades 8-12 who is interested in retaking courses for credit recovery, grade improvement, or taking a course to advance his or her studies. All classes will be provided online with teacher support. Students must complete an online registration form with suggested courses recommended by their school counselor.
*Please note, CJHS Counselors will only be available until 12:00pm Tuesday, June 14th in order to recommend suggested summer school courses.
To register, pay and/or for more information please click here.
Finals this week
Study Tips!
Summer Opportunities for Students
BLOOMFIELD CHILD AND FAMILY COUNSELING SUMMER CAMP GROUPS
Bloomfield Child and Family Counseling is offering several summer camp style groups for elementary, middle, and high school students covering a variety of topics.
Elementary: Grades K-5
Middle School: Grades 6-9
High School: Grades 8-12
Planet Fitness: Free Summer gym membership for teens
Planet Fitness' High School Summer Pass:
- For teens 14-19
- Sign up with a parent/guardian (if under 18) online or in a club from May 16-August 31
- Entered for a chance to win a $500 scholarship (one per state) and a grand prize $5000 scholarship
BUILDING SKILLS SUMMER TRADES PROGRAM
Shared on behalf of Michigan Works:
- Do you work with young adults between 14-17 years old?
- Do your students have an interest in carpentry or construction?
- Would your youth participants like to earn $14.00 per hour working along side journeymen and experienced union carpenters?
- Would your youth like take courses in the NEW carpenters union training facility in Detroit?
- Would they like to work within the community, creating wheelchair ramps, fixing porches and giving back to the community?
We have an opportunity for them!
Attached is a flyer with additional information about this summer’s BUILDing Skills program – or see below. If you or any of your students are interested in learning more about the program or applying, please reach out to Brooklyn Frontiera (248.452.2260 or frontierab@oakgov.com). Applications will be accepted up until May 13th.
NOTES:
- Students must be able to travel to the Carpenters Union Training facility each day. Their address is: 11687 American St, Detroit, MI 48204
- Program may be best suited for those that reside in the south end of Oakland County, simply based off of transportation needs, but it is open to those that are willing to travel.
**Michigan Works! eligibility will apply.
OSTC Summer Experience
Dates: June 27-30, 8:30 A.M. - 11:30 A.M.
Fee: $25 per student
Registration: bit.ly/ostc-se-summer-2022
If you have any questions about the OSTC Summer Experiences, please call the office at 248.288.4020.
CAMP LEADERSHIP
Leaders-in-training will have the opportunity to work with campers at Clintonwood Camp or Bay Court Camp! L.I.Ts spend their summer with campers at the park, the beach, or on field trips!
Learn the valuable skills to because a day camp counselor in the future!
Once per week, L.I.T.s will participate in Leaders Days, which focus on team building and serving the community. See flier for more details!
To apply, follow the link below.
LIT Application Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQHJZ-KA7p_4nolFQr8xrHE06_CcX7U7UTdCgEWCaUTsBYSQ/viewform
Mental Health Resources
Beneficial Reads
10 KEYS TO HAPPIER LIVING
Everyone's path to happiness is different. Based on the latest research, there have been an identified 10 Keys that tend to make life happier and more fulfilling.
Emotions: Look for What's Good
"The positive power of pleasant emotions. They don’t just feel good; they bring positive benefits.
Emotions are more than feelings. They include momentary physiological changes which influence our actions and add up. Whilst unpleasant emotions like fear evolved to help us survive by avoiding danger, for example, by triggering a ‘fight, flight or freeze response, it wasn’t until relatively recently that the power of pleasant emotional experiences was also recognised.
Scientist Barbara Fredrickson and her colleagues found that fleeting momentary experiences of pleasant emotions broaden our perceptual fields, causing us to literally see more; to be more open and trusting of others; recognise people from other cultures better; see more options; be more open to ideas; more likely to adapt, and be better at creative problem-solving. Little by little, these moments add up, over time building our psychological and social resources and our resilience for more challenging times too [1].
The human brain naturally focuses on what’s wrong.
Training our brain to look for what’s good.
Try it: Each night for one week, think back over your day. Identify three things you enjoyed, were pleased about or grateful for (however small) and write these down, perhaps with a few words on why these felt good for you. The good things you can be small or day-to-day - like getting a seat on the bus, the sun coming out, or being able to take a quick break on a tough day [4]. After a week see what you notice. If you keep this practice up you might also notice themes in what you most often find pleasurable in some way.
Buffering and bolstering effects of pleasant emotions.
Try it: Next time you are experiencing a tough patch, each night before you go to sleep, reflect back over the day and find a best moment (even if that’s just the least bad).
Gratitude
Try it: Each night for the next week, reflect on three good things that happened as a result of other people, write these down in the form of: I’m grateful to___________for____________ [12]
Cultivating pleasant emotions
Try it: Here are two savouring activities that studies have shown can boost happiness
Savouring the Past - Bring to mind one of your happiest ever days. Each day for three consecutive days, spend 8 minutes privately replaying it in your mind in as much detail as you can: where you were, what happened, who you were with, what you and other people did; what thoughts and emotions were running through your head at that time. Don’t analyse it, just revel in the memory of it [19].
Savouring the Present - Go for a 20-minute walk in which you try to notice as many positive things around you as possible, for example, trees, flowers or animals, the weather, other people. As you notice each thing, identify what it is about it that makes it pleasurable for you and any thoughts, feelings or sensations as a result.* [20]
* You can try noticing and exploring other pleasant emotional experiences in this way too.
Can there be an upside to unpleasant emotions?
Reflection: Think of a time when experiencing an unpleasant emotion had an up-side for you. What was the up-side and how did it help?"
Action for Happiness. (n.d.). 10 Keys to Happier Living. Retrieved May 23, 2022. https://actionforhappiness.org/10-keys/emotions.
PSAT 8/9
Students are able to view their PSAT 8/9 scores with an account through College Board.
Scores will be released to educators in the College Board K-12 Reporting Portal on June 21.
Students will need a College Board account to view their scores. If they do not already have an account, they can go to www.collegeboard.org and sign up for a free account.
*Please note: Some students’ scores may be released later due to testing in the accommodated testing window, missing information on the answer sheet, answer sheets received late, or other exceptional conditions that require additional attention. Scores for these students will be released daily as they become available.
Want to improve your PSAT score?
You can get personalized practice by connecting your College Board account to a Khan Academy account. Steps below on how!
Community
OAKLAND80 TUITION SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM FOR THOSE 18+
Oakland County Michigan Works! launches Oakland80 Tuition Scholarship Program:
- More than 650 tuition scholarships worth up to $2,000 are available.
- Scholarships target individuals interested in short-term job training or completing the last semester of a four-year degree.
- Additional funding may be available through Oakland County Michigan Works!
- To be eligible for an Oakland80 Tuition Scholarship, applicants must be a U.S. citizen or authorized to work in the United States, 18 years old or older, a high school graduate or equivalent, and registered with the Selective Service (if applicable).
CJHS Counseling Department Staff
Mrs. Eva Marie Rottach, Counseling Secretary
Phone: 248.623.5690
Fax: 248.623.5679
Mrs. Sarah Hester, Counselor A-G
Phone: 248.623.5689
Mrs. Shannon Donnellon, Counselor H-O
smdonnellon@clarkston.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248.623.5692
Ms. Allison Cumper, Counselor P-Z
Phone: 248.623.5691
Mrs. Lynn Larsen, Social Worker
Phone: 248.623.5686
Mrs. Natalie Stevens, Social Worker
Phone: 248.620.7803
Mrs. Renee Alexander, Psychologist
raalexander@clarkston.k12.mi.us
Phone: 248.623.5688
Mrs. Kathryn Alexander, Speech-Language Pathologist
kjalexander@clarkston.k12.mi.us
248.620.7826
Mrs. Susan Joseph, Department Chair for Support Services, Teacher
Phone: 248.623.5687