Counselor's Corner
April 12, 2024
Now Showing/Coming Attractions
- 6th grade counselor, Mrs. Banks has wrapped up her lessons on empathy and she is working on the career interest inventory data.
- 7th grade counselor, Mrs. Bardot is partnering with our Counseling Aide Mrs. Sagakhaneh on the counseling lesson this month. The lesson will focus on windows of tolerance.
- 8th Grade counselor, Mrs. West will be reviewing Individual Career & Academic Plans (ICAPS) in preparation for transitioning the 8th grade class.
MAP Testing Prep
What if you are someone who is anxious about taking tests? What if you're worried about your score? What if you have a dentist appointment and you're worried because you'll miss the test? Our Counseling Aide, Mrs. Sagakhaneh has put together a No Stress Test Prep statesmen time lesson that will be shown in class soon.
Just in case you miss it, remember it is okay to feel anxious, honestly we probably all do! Your breath can be calming if you are unsure of an answer. Take a second to practice some square breathing: inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, rest for a count of 4. Repeat as often as you need it! If you would like more mindful test taking tips you can contact anyone in the counseling department.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! 📆
The Counseling Department is sponsoring career events for each grade level that week so keep these dates in mind.
8th Grade-May 21, the entire class will be out of the building on career focused field trips. They will leave as early as 8:35am and return to Hixson around 1:25pm. During their field trips they will travel to multiple locations related to their career interest inventory results. We expect this to be a wonderful experience for our students and staff!
6th Grade-May 22, the entire class will be participating in several career related events including a reality check on their chosen career and finances, a career focused escape room, and a workplace simulation that will allow them to "work" within a career in a fun way. We are so excited for this opportunity for our 6th grade students.
7th Grade-May 23, the entire class will be participating in several career related events including a values assessment in the world of work, a career focused escaped room, and they will attend two presentations by career professionals in their career area of interest. We are grateful for the parents and community members who have volunteered to make this an amazing day for our 7th grade students.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of our sponsored events, please reach out to anyone in the Counseling department.
Self-Care Feature!
Each week we will highlight how a member of the Counseling Department or a Hixson staff member takes care of themselves with focused self care.This week we are highlighting our building Principal, Dr. Shenita Mayes.
Dr. Mayes shared she started to take a focused look at her health in July of 2023. She began exercising regularly by starting to walk on an incline on the treadmill. Dr. Mayes said she also invested in a walking pad to use at home to increase the frequency of her workouts. These dedicated workouts led to her working her way way up to running every morning!
Before Dr. Mayes arrives at Hixson each morning, she runs 6.4 miles every morning! On the weekends or when we are off school, she is still running 7 miles a day! Dr. Mayes has set a goal to run her very first 5k this fall.
Dr. Mayes shared the focused self care of exercising and improving her diet has not only helped her lose weight, it has helped her manage stress and anxiety that she experiences from day to day stressors. She added how much better she feels and encourages everyone to find a physical activity that they enjoy and then stick with it.
Mindful Moment
Each time we publish a newsletter we like to highlight a mindful practice, technique, or tip. Be on the lookout for ways for you and your family to stay present in the moments and hopefully take better care of yourselves physically and emotionally.
This week we highlighted Dr. Mayes' focused self care of exercise. We know that word can seem overwhelming. We can feel overwhelmed due to a medical issue, not knowing where to begin, or not found joy in any physical activity yet!
This week we invite you to think outside the typical "exercise box" and explore options that might be available to you in your current condition. Being present in the moment while walking a slow pace to watch birds is physical activity, focused breathing and stretching is physical activity, or playing virtual reality games is physical activity as well. Find something you enjoy and seek out the physical mindful movement.
NEW FEATURE ALERT! Community Resource Spotlight!
We would like to showcase community services available in the surrounding areas. Although we are not affiliated with any businesses or services we wanted to share out some potential outside counseling or community services.
This week we would like to highlight the suicide and crisis lifeline. The crisis line is open and available to anyone who needs support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can text 988 or chat with someone on the website 988lifeline.org.
The website also offers resources for specific topics if you would like to explore options for safety planning and support.
Friday Food Bags
Contact Counselors
- 6th Grade-Scharma Banks, 314-918-4553 or banks.scharma@wgmail.org
- 7th Grade-Emily Bardot, 918-4694 or bardot.emily@wgmail.org
- 8th Grade-Constance West, 918-4554 or west.constance@wgmail.org
- Counseling Aide-Sara Sagakhaneh, sagakhaneh.sara@wgmail.org
- Building Level Counselor-Sarah Bodi, 918-4555 or bodi.sarah@wgmail.org
Website: https://www.webster.k12.mo.us/Domain/250
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hxcounselors/