Happy Spring!

Believe it or not, Spring is upon us, everything is blooming, and hopefully we've seen the last of the icy weather. With the Spring semester well underway, our minds turn to testing, course selection, prom, graduation and more. It's a busy time for sure, and feeling anxious around those milestones is all too common.

As the outside world and fresh plants beckon, take a moment to dig into the articles and videos below as we take a closer look at empathy, perspective taking, test anxiety, cyber safety and more. Building these skill are essential, and will no doubt help us all to step out in our lives.

As always, if you are concerned that you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health issue, it is important to act. Start the conversation. Seek help from a trusted adult. A parent, a teacher, a counselor. A list of area Mental Health resources and hotlines can be found on our district counseling website under Counseling Resources. You are not alone.

Take care of you, take care of each other, and a very Happy New Year to you all,

Ashley Ward, MS, LPC

Coordinator of Counseling and Student Support

Mabank ISD

amward@mabankisd.net

Momentous Institute has been building and repairing social emotional health for nearly a century. Almost anywhere you look, the research confirms what we know to be true – that people with solid social emotional intelligence are happier, healthier and more successful.

All lessons are built on safe relationships and move up through self-regulation, awareness of self and others, empowering students to be change makers themselves. We wrapped-up Safe Relationships in the first six weeks of school and have moved through Self-Regulation and Awareness of Self (More on these in the infographic below) and are on to the next step in our Social Emotional Learning: Understanding Others.

Understanding Others takes a look at the value of perspective taking and practicing empathy. Conflict in life is unavoidable, but how we manage it and treat others in the midst of it makes all the difference.

Lets take a closer look at each of these:

Perspective Taking:

What is it?

A perspective is a particular attitude toward something or a point of view. Perspective taking is the ability to appreciate the viewpoint of another person, even if it differs from your own.

Why is it Important?

It’s important for kids to have this skill because when they can see things from another’s point of view it helps them become better problem solvers and make the best choices about what to say and do.

Empathy:

What is it?

Empathy goes beyond simply seeing another’s point of view; it takes us into the other person’s world of feeling and helps us understand the motives and context of their perspective.

Why is it Important?

When students pay attention to how others feel, it helps them to be kind, stand up for what is right, or help when someone is hurting.

A chatbot named ADVi – short for “adviser” – uses artificial intelligence to provide on-demand support to Texans looking to attend or return to higher education. Right now, any student in Texas may access ADVi by texting “COLLEGE” to 512-829-3687 or by starting a freshman application in ApplyTexas.

When students sign up to receive messages from ADVi, they receive:

• The ability to ask questions about college 24/7 via text message,
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• Student-friendly, accurate, and engaging messages about key college access milestones,
• Information and tips to help with their college applications, planning, and financial aid, and
• Resources to help navigate the transition to college.

Learn more at www.askADVi.org.

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▪ Best Self-Help Quotes

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If you are a student or teacher (K-12 or college), go to downdogapp.com/schools for free access until July January 2022.