HGMS Counseling Connection
May 2018
Hello Summer!
Parents, thank you for sharing your kiddos with us and for all of your support this year! Don't hesitate to contact the counseling office at 210-397-8432 if you need anything!
Please read this month's newsletter for some helpful summer resources! Have a great one!
One in FIVE Minds
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and you can help start much needed conversations about children’s mental health through a fun and colorful challenge called Maynicures.
One in Five children experiences a mental, emotional or behavioral concern. During the month of May we ask that you paint your nails to help raise awareness for these kids! Paint one of your nails one color and the other four a different color to represent the 1 in 5 children. Snap a picture of your Maynicure, upload it to social media with the hashtag #maynicures and tag at least 3 of your friends to participate in the challenge.
It’s that simple- you are spreading awareness, eliminating stigma and supporting a worthy cause in a colorful way! Have fun with this challenge- invite friends or family over, get your children involved and paint for a purpose!
Kindness Club Members present at the NISD Tech Expo
Gladiators Showing Support at the NEF 5k
5th Graders Participate in Gladiator Camp
School’s Out: Summer Safety Tips for Teens
Article from Teen Safe:
Summer’s here, and that means a long break from school, plenty of hot sun… and far more time every day to get online. More teens than ever are choosing to socialize in the digital world in the real world. Teens are constantly connected with a vast network of friends, and without the distraction of classes, homework, and other extra circulars, you can bet the texts are flying.
At the same time, outdoor activities aren’t as popular as they once were. Kids roaming the streets on their bikes used to be a summer staple, but now the average teen spends up to 7 1/2 hours everyday staring at a screen. That doesn’t leave much time for going to the mall or riding bikes.
If This Is Your Teen’s First Summer With A Smartphone…
…then it’s important to put a stricter limit on how long they can use the device each day.
Summer is by far the easiest time for a teen to fall prey to smartphone addiction—with little else to do, they’ll increasingly turn to that little glowing box to pass the time.
Try to push them to interact with others in the real world, whether it’s meeting up with friends in person, taking up a hobby, going to camp, or even getting a summer job. Set limits on how much access to media they have to ensure they maintain a strong online / offline life balance.
Another great tip is to help your teen set a reward for the summer, such as a family vacation at the end of the break, if they meet a specific list of achievements. This does the extra mile to help teach independence and time management, especially if there are numerous smaller rewards they can enjoy along the way.
Meanwhile, For All Teens, You Should…
- Start focusing on their relationships: With so much more free time, teens may be more willing to go out and meet new people—which also makes it easier to take advantage of them. Talk to your teen and explain that you’d like to meet anyone new before they hang out with them alone—and this may be a good time to smile wryly at them and admit that you probably are being overprotective, but just want to check thing and make sure they’re safe.
- Pay attention to status updates: Summer is a great opportunity for teens to start hooking up—or breaking up. Stay on the lookout for status updates on their social media accounts—and in real-life, too, if they start behaving oddly.
- Watch For Sexting: Summer’s lowered barriers mean that teens are more likely to take risks—and studies have demonstrated that more than half of all teens are sexting. There is a better-than-even chance that your teen is going to get up to something they shouldn’t this season, and if you haven’t already talked to them about sexting, now is a good time to start.
- Discuss Social Permanency: Social permanency—the idea that whatever is put online tends to stay there—is a real issue these days. Teens need to understand that the fun things they post now (such as pictures from a summer party) could come back to hurt them later on as other people see those images and judge them by what they’re looking at. With more than half of all teens documenting their lives on sites like Instagram, they should learn to stop and think before they share.
Summer is often a wild time for teens—especially older teens—but it doesn’t have to be dangerous. With a few good-sense precautions, you can ensure that your child is able to have plenty of fun online without getting into trouble.
Clarity Child Guidance Center
The Teen Group sessions take place every Monday, beginning July 30, 2018, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Clarity CGC Outpatient Services building at 8535 Tom Slick Drive. Cost is $25 per session and may be a covered benefit under your insurance plan. The group is limited to eight participants.
Contact Joshua Essery, PsyD ABPP, at 210.616.0300 for more information.
Spaces still available for NAMI Basics beginning Tuesday, May 29th at Clarity CGC
NAMI Basics is a free, six session course for parents and primary caregivers of children and adolescents living with mental illness. The program is led by trained teachers who are also the parents or family caregivers of individuals who experienced emotional or behavioral difficulties prior to age 13.
NAMI Basics is offered by NAMI San Antonio, the local organization of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The program will begin on Tuesday, May 29th at 6:30 p.m. at Clarity CGC in the Administration building conference room.
Call 210.734.3349 for more information or to register for this program.
Camp Hermann Sons
Hermann Sons Life Camp and the Children's Bereavement Center of South Texas are partnering to offer children and teens a Grief Support Camp. Hermann Sons Life offers life insurance and annuities for its members and hosts camp sessions throughout the summer. Hermann Sons Life and Children's Bereavement Center have joined together to provide this Grief Support Session to offer children and teens the opportunity to process their grief in a fun and inviting camp environment.
Hermann Sons Life Camp is ideal for any child:
- Ages 6-17 years
- Have experienced the death of a parent, brother or sister, aunt, uncle, cousin, close friend or other special person.
- The Hermann Sons Life Camp is held during the summer. (July)
Please contact the Center for more information on the camp process at campintern@cbcst.org or call
(210)736-4847, ext. 238.
June 4th Awards Ceremony
-8th Grade @ 9:30 AM
-6th Grade @ 1:45 PM
-7th Grade @ 2:45 PM
April Counseling Facts & Figures
236 Students seen in Responsive Services
102 Students seen for Individual Planning
176 Parent Consultations
12 New Student Registrations