Dragon Connection
Carroll Senior High School, Counselors' Newsletter
December 2021
WELCOME DRAGON STUDENTS & PARENTS
Mark Your Calendars
Dec. - March - Junior Conferences Continue (see below for more details)
Dec. 14 - Final Exams
Dec. 15 - Final Exams
Dec. 16 - Early Release 12:00 pm
Dec. 17 - Early Release 12:00 pm
Dec. 17 - Second Grading Period Ends/Semester 1 Ends
Dec. 20-Jan 3- Winter Break
Jan. 4 -Third Grading Period/Semester 2 Begins
Jan. 17 School Holiday
Stressed About Exams Coming Up?
Do you sweat, chew your pencil, and feel butterflies in your stomach as your teacher hands out a test? A lot of people (adults included) get freaked out when it's time to take a test.
It's natural to feel some stress about taking tests. In fact, sometimes a little adrenaline (a hormone made by your body during times of excitement or stress) is a good thing to jump-start you.
Here are some tips for taking tests:
- First, be sure you've studied properly. It sounds like a no-brainer, but if you're sure of the information, you'll have less reason to be worried.
- Get enough sleep the night before the test. Your memory recall will be much better if you've had enough rest. In a scientific study, people who got enough sleep before taking a math test did better than those who stayed up all night studying.
- Listen closely to any instructions. As the teacher hands out the test, be sure you know what's expected of you.
- Read the test through first. Once you have the test paper in front of you, read over the entire test, checking out how long it is and all the parts that you are expected to complete. This will let you estimate how much time you have for each section and ask the teacher any questions. If something seems unclear before you start, don't panic: ask.
- Focus on addressing each question individually. As you take the test, if you don't know an answer, don't obsess over it. Instead, answer the best way you can or skip over the question and come back to it after you've answered other questions.
- Relax. If you're so nervous that you blank out, you might need a mini-break. Of course you can't get up and move around in the middle of a test, but you can wiggle your fingers and toes, take four or five deep breaths, or picture yourself on a beach or some other calm place. As we all know, it can be easy to forget things we know well — like a locker combination. The difference is we know we'll remember our locker combination because we've used it hundreds of times, so we don't panic and the combination number eventually comes back. During a test, if you blank out on something and start to get tense, it suddenly becomes much more difficult to remember.
- Finished already? Although most teachers will let you hand a test in early, it's usually a good idea to spend any extra time checking over your work. You also can add details that you may not have thought you'd have time for. On the other hand, if you have 5 minutes until the bell rings and you're still writing, wind up whatever you're working on without panicking.
These tips should help most people, but some can get serious test-taking terror. If you're one of them, you may need to talk to a parent, teacher, or counselor for help.
Good luck!
The Value of Service for Students
The importance of community service lies in the fact that it connects us to the community by improving it and making it a better place for all of us to live in. Here are some other ways that community service can be beneficial:
- Provides you with the chance to improve skills important for a workplace, such as communication and organizational skills, teamwork, planning, problem-solving and task management.
- It's a perfect opportunity to become closer to the community you live in.
- Community service broadens your horizons by helping you understand the needs of the society and the population you are trying to help through the project you are volunteering on.
- An easy way to make friends is through activities you perform together. Not only would you be helping the ones in need, but you would also be able to meet some other volunteers.
- Opportunity to receive work-related knowledge and skills.
- Opportunity to create good references for potential employers.
If you are looking for an opportunity to help out the ones in need, improve your community, and acquire new knowledge and skills, consider performing community work. Habitat for Humanity is one of many local non-profits that you can look into. They offer a variety of volunteer opportunities depending on your time and preferences.
ATTENTION JUNIORS: IT'S TIME TO SIGN UP FOR YOUR JUNIOR CONFERENCE
STOPit Student Hotline
The STOPit Student Hotline is designed to help students, parents and community members anonymously report past, present and predicted concerns in our school community. Information about bullying, harassment, drugs, violence, weapons, theft, or any other potential threat to school safety should be reported.
Report concerns anonymously, anytime 24/7.
https://appweb.stopitsolutions.com/login
For more information visit:
https://www.southlakecarroll.edu/site/Default.aspx?PageID=3384
A New Type of Help: Crisis Text Line
Text 741-741, ANYTIME YOU ARE IN A CRISIS
With today's teenagers living in the age of texting, the Crisis Text Line has noticed they feel more comfortable texting rather than calling into a helpline when they are in need of help. The great thing about this support is it is available 24/7 to anyone in any type of crisis. You can text confidentially between classes, in the middle of a situation without anyone knowing who you are talking to. Crisis counselors are on stand by 24/7 to help you from the heat of the moment to until you are calm.
Crisis doesn’t just mean suicide: it’s any painful emotion for which you need support.
SAT & ACT INFORMATION & DATES
Visit our CSHS Counseling Website for information on ACT/SAT Testing and More
Our Counseling Team
Tracey Flores, M. Ed.
Serving Students Last Names A-D
mailto:tracey.flores@southlakecarroll.edu
Deborah Warner, M. Ed.
Serving Students Last Names E-K
mailto:deborah.warner@southlakecarroll.edu
Keri Bettencourt, M. Ed., Lead Counselor
Serving Students Last Names L-Q
mailto:keri.bettencourt@southlakecarroll.edu
Tammy Grasmick, M. S.
Serving Students Last Names R-Z
mailto:tamara.grasmick@southlakecarroll.edu
Amy Welch, M. Ed.
Intervention Counselor - CSHS 504 Coordinator
mailto:amy.welch@southlakecarroll.edu
Counseling Office Support Staff
Deidra Mulloy
Registrar
Deidra.Mulloy@southlakecarroll.edu
Anne Fore
Receptionist
Shela Daniel
Secretary
Shela.Daniel@southlakecarroll.edu
Website: https://www.southlakecarroll.edu/domain/736
Location: 1501 West Southlake Boulevard, Southlake, TX, United States
Phone: 817-949-5813
Twitter: @CounselingCSHS