Counselor Connection--October 16
Education Service Center Region 15
School Counselor Spotlight
Rachel has been married for 21 years and has 3 beautiful daughters.
Email: rachel.griffin@brownwoodisd.org
Website: https://www.brownwoodisd.org/Domain/10
Location: 800 Rogan St, Brownwood, TX 76801, USA
Phone: (325) 646-0462
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BrownwoodISD
Twitter: @bwdisd
Happy October Birthdays!
Daisy Sanchez, Bronte
- Geneva Garza–Eden
- Raelynn Cajas–SAISD
Digital Citizenship Week
This #DigCitWeek, support students' mental health and digital well-being.
Growing up has always had its challenges. But for kids today, social media and tech can amplify the typical stresses of adolescence. Common Sense's free lessons and resources are a positive and accessible way to help.
Our new Digital Well-Being lessons for grades 6–12 were co-developed with the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard Graduate School of Education. And our new Device Advice lessons for grades K-5 are a great way to help young students build healthy habits with media and tech.
October is Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month
Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month was established by House Bill (HB) 3144 (88th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2023) to increase awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and potential overdoses. TEA’s Fentanyl Response Awareness Toolkit provides resources that can help Texas school systems and communities support awareness during the month of October 2023.
Join the TEA mental health and wellness team for the Mental and Behavioral Health Webinar Session on Substance Abuse Prevention and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness on Wednesday October 18th, 2023, from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm. Participants will gain insight on resources and best practice strategies for promoting substance abuse prevention and fentanyl poisoning awareness in school communities.
Parent and Family Engagement Resources
Title I, Part A Parent & Family Engagement Building Capacity for Involvement Toolkit
In today's rapidly changing educational landscape, schools are recognizing the critical importance of fostering strong partnerships between parents/guardians and educators. It is increasingly evident that when parents/guardians are actively engaged in their children's education, students thrive both academically and socially. To ensure the holistic development of students, schools must prioritize building the capacity of parents/guardians and establishing a robust school-home relationship. By empowering parents/guardians with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources, schools can cultivate a collaborative environment where parents/guardians are actively involved in their children's learning journey. This collaboration not only enhances students' educational outcomes but also creates a supportive and cohesive community, laying a solid foundation for lifelong learning.
Title I, Part A Parent & Family Engagement School-Parent Compact Toolkit
A school-parent compact serves as a written commitment that encompasses the collective responsibility of the school, the parent/guardian, and the student in facilitating a child's learning journey. This toolkit has been devised to assist in evaluating a school's adherence to legal obligations concerning compacts.
Red Ribbon Week: October 23-31, 2023
Some Mental Health "Did You Know" Facts from Character Strong:
- 1 out of 3 students struggle with mental health difficulties that impair some aspect of their daily functioning.
- 7 out of 10 teens in the U.S. have named anxiety or depression as a major problem among their peers in the community.
- 73% of Generation Z sometimes or always feel alone.
- More than 75% of teachers reported frequent job-related stress, compared to 40% of other working adults.
- More than 25% of teachers and principals reported experiencing symptoms of depression.
- Since the pandemic, over 80% of educators have stated an increase in student social, emotional, and behavioral challenges.
The good news...
Research has shown that teaching the skills of kindness to students and adults, while creating a community that provides a sense of belonging, can significantly reduce the number of kids struggling with mental health. Instead of one out of every three kids experiencing mental health issues, this number can be reduced to one out of every ten.
FAFSA Updates
- Hasn't changed--parents and students must have an FSA ID, which can take about 3 days to get.
- "Estimated Family Contribution" is changing to "Student Aid Index"
- The student must initiate the process and parents will get an email once the student has done their part.
- A "Parent Wizard" has been designed to determine who is the parent of record. It will be the parent who makes the most income.
Ethical Dilemmas of School Counselors in Texas
Anyone who contributes will remain confidential. She only needs the content. This will be really helpful for what school counselors are facing, and this is a chance to give voice to what rural districts are facing as well!
Foster Care and Education: Education Reach for Texans Regional Breakouts for Higher Education Support
We are excited that, Education Reach for Texans, a 501c3 non-profit that champions postsecondary education success for students with experience in foster care, is giving us the opportunity to host the best of the best when it comes to helping our current and former foster youth.
I’m reaching out, because Reach currently has a grant partnership with The Greater Texas Foundation to support regional breakouts across the state. This regional breakout event is for higher education and child welfare stakeholders to hold space and discuss a plan of action for supporting students with lived experience in care to access, persist, and graduate from higher education or a certificate program. Anyone who has an interest in supporting students with lived experience in foster care in your DFPS Region should attend (education specialists, foster care liaisons, foster parents, child placement agencies, transition centers, workforce professionals, case workers, PAL professionals, higher education administrators, etc.).
Please fill out the linked form to register for the Region 9 Breakout. Lunch will be served at Angelo State. We hope you register and share this link widely with your colleagues. Feel free to share this link on your social media platforms! Once we have a confirmed number, I will send out a calendar invite with location details.
I hope you all are familiar with Reach’s work. If not, please visit the website for more information: www.educationreachfortexans.com.
Highly Mobile and At-Risk 2023-24 Quarterly Webinars
Greetings from the Highly Mobile and At-Risk (HMAR) Student Programs Division. We hope you are having an excellent start to the new school year. It is our pleasure to invite you to join us for our annual series of informative quarterly webinars for the 2023-24 school year. The first webinar is just a few weeks away and we're kicking off the year with some exciting information including:
- Reminders, tips, suggestions, best practices, program updates and announcements intended to help prepare students for a strong start to the year;
- Legislative updates from the 88th Legislature regarding Highly Mobile and At-Risk student populations with implications for professional practice;
- Highly Mobile students and the implications for campus accountability; and
- much more!
HMAR Quarterly Webinar #2 | November 30, 2023 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm | Register Here
HMAR Quarterly Webinar #3 | February 15, 2024 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm | Register Here
HMAR Quarterly Webinar #4 | May 2, 2024 | 1:00pm – 2:30pm | Register Here
TACAC Webinars
Helping Students Plan a Meaningful Summer
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
9:00-10:00 am CST
Hear from high school counselors about ways to work with students to plan engaging, meaningful summers.
Unpacking and Helping Students and Families Understand Financial Aid Offers
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
9:00-10:00 am CST
Hear from college admissions and financial aid officers to learn how high school counselors can help students and families understand the details of and compare offers from different schools.
We are excited to announce The 67th Annual TCA Professional Growth Conference will be held at the Marriott Marquis Houston on Nov. 1-3, 2023. This year's theme is Counselors Lead.
What to Expect:
- Earn 20+ CE hours
- Keynote Sessions
- Poster Sessions
- 4 Learning Institutes
The Marriott Marquis Houston, an elegant hotel in downtown Houston, will host our entire conference. The hotel group rate is $122 until the block fills up. Please book your room now as these rooms are going quickly!
San Antonio, here we come! The 19th Annual Professional School Counselor Conference will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio on Feb. 4-6, 2024. Next year's theme is Let's Sparkle and Shine! We hope to see you there! #CelebratingBrilliance2024
Virtual Bullying and Cyberbullying Training
Preventing bullying and mitigating its impact begins with a strong understanding of the legal landscape of Texas bullying laws. This virtual Bullying and Cyberbullying Training, offered in collaboration with Safer Schools Together, will walk participants through all Texas bullying and cyberbullying laws, including behaviors that may apply to suspected bullying situations, such as assault, harassment, hazing, stalking, sextortion, dating violence, and related federal laws. Participants will explore Texas mandated expectations for campus staff, rights of victims and parents, related penal code, and determining when behaviors go beyond student discipline and into criminal behavior. Participants will also learn about how bullying manifests on and off campus and how to plan and respond with actionable strategies.
View Dates and RegisterUpcoming Sessions at ESC
Emergency and After Hours Resources
This list is of known providers of particular services. The providers on the list are from a variety of sources. The list is being provided as a courtesy, for information only, and the user should understand that no assurances or guarantees regarding the providers on the list are being made by providing this list. We do not endorse, approve, or recommend any specific provider listed below. This list is not inclusive of all community agencies, services, or organizations that provide the particular service, and the omission of an agency, service, or organization from this list does not imply disapproval. It is the responsibility of the user of this list to determine whether any of the content is of value to them and whether or not the agency, service, or organization meets their specific needs.
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National
- Emergency: (24/7): 911
- Referral Services: (crisis counseling, housing, food, health care, family services): 211 | https://www.211texas.org/
- Suicide Prevention: 988 | 988lifeline.org
- Self-Injury/Cutting: 1-800-366-8288 | selfinjury.com
- Eating Disorders: 1-800-931-2237 | nationaleatingdisorders.org
- Runaway Hotline: 1-800-231-6946 | 1800runaway.org
- Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 | childhelp.org/hotline/
- Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 | rainn.org
- Domestic/Relationship Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | thehotline.org
- Trevor Hotline for LGBTQ Youth: 1-866-488-7386 | thetrevorproject.org
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline | samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
- Other resources for developing healthy lifestyles, including mental and emotional help: helpguide.org
ESC 15 Counseling and Mental Health
Email: mentalhealth@esc15.net
Website: https://www.esc15.net/
Phone: (325)658-6571
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Region15ESC/
Twitter: @Region15ESC
Lesley Casarez, PhD, CCTS-I, CTP, CSC
Greg Hickey, LPC
(325) 658-6571 x2113
Anne Hardegree, LPC-S
(325) 481-4019
Alex Robles, LPC
(325) 481-4009
Alex Nieto
(325) 481-2151
Ella Nichols, LBSW
(325) 481-4062
Noemi Ucuk
Jessica Flores, LPC, BCBA
(325) 481-4057
Carol Stevens, M.Ed. CSC
McKinney-Vento, HELP Grant, and Counseling
Stephanie Soto
(325) 658-6571
Dava Rabb
(325) 658-6571 ext. 2120