Amazingly, we are past the halfway point the school year and are planning for the 21-22 academic year already! Therefore, this month's newsletter will have a primarily academic focus as we share important information about the course selection process. However, we continue to be keenly aware of the mental health needs of our students and want to offer some suggestions on how we can keep connecting with one another. If your child is feeling isolated, try encouraging them to plan a movie watch party with their friends, a virtual game night, or even a Zoom dance party! It is crucial that teens, and especially our virtual learners, make time to socialize and connect with their peers. We at ISA are working to offer more opportunities for students to have social time together, and we will keep you posted as these events are scheduled!

Another wonderful thing we can all do is to take just a few minutes to check in on a friend. Try to avoid a text or email and instead make it a phone or video call or even an outdoor, socially distanced in-person visit. Those few minutes out of our day spent thinking about and caring for someone else could make a huge impact on another person. Plus, when we intentionally think about someone other than ourselves and do something to help or care for another, we actually improve our own psychological well-being! Talk about a win win! Check out this article if you would like to read more about how we help ourselves by helping others.

As always, thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter, and please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or requests for assistance.

Best Regards,

ISA Counseling Department

Stacey Feldman (9th and 10th graders, sfeldm@neisd.net, 210-356-0925)

Kristle Miller (11th and 12th graders, kmille@neisd.net, 210-356-0940)

We continue to see a need for counseling support for our students outside of school. If you are ever in search of a referral, please do not hesitate to contact us. This year, NEISD partnered with UT Health Science to offer completely free, short-term teletherapy support. The program is called TCHATT, and you can find more information here. This is a wonderful resource, and we are happy to initiate the referral for you if interested.

AP Exams:

• Deadline to pay for exams is Friday, February 19th! Payment will not be accepted after this date.
• Online payment is preferred. Please refer to this link for instructions.
• In-person payments are accepted in the LEE Career Center before school from 8:30-9:30 and after school from 3:30-4:15.
• AP exam questions should be directed to our CCMR Counselor, Mrs. Carin Schramm, at cschra@neisd.net or 210-356-0939.

Dual Credit Courses/Applications

• If your student is interested in taking Dual Credit courses or applying to one of the Alamo Academies, please join the Dual Credit Google Classroom here.
• You can find more information about Dual Credit on the Counselor's Corner website here.
• The deadline for Dual Credit Applications is March 5, 2021!
• Please contact Mrs. Miller at kmille@neisd.net with any questions.