Counselor's Corner

1/10/22: Students return to school

1/10/22: Course Premier Night

1/12/22: Coffee with the Counselors

1/17/22: Student Holiday

1/26/22: Coffee with the Counselors

*Please see the tentative course selection calendar below for more specific dates and information*

1/17: Martin Luther King, Jr. day of service

National Mentoring Month

Hey CHS families and students!

Welcome to 2022! We are excited to welcome our students back on January 10th, it's been a while and they have been missed.

We are also excited about "Our Brave New World"! More information was sent about our district wide reset and what to expect for the Spring semester.

As always, the Spring is very busy with testing, scheduling, graduation, and other end of the year activities. We will continue to provide you with information by the month so you have what you need to ensure you and your students success this Spring.

This month we will be hosting our course premier night and will begin the course selection process. More information about this is detailed below.

Please reach out to the counselors if there is anything you need.

Cheers to 2022!

Course Selection Information

Course Selection Tentative Calendar

• The CHS Counselors will be conducting course selection at EMS on the following dates.

• January 24th-28th: 8th-grade selection

• January 31st-February 4th: 11th-grade selection

• February 7th-11th: 10th-grade selection

• February 15th-18th: 9th-grade selection

• February 25th: Parents will be able to view ONLINE and contact CHS counselors for changes

• March 4th: Final selection verification sent to parents and students. No changes can be made after March for the following year.

Additional information will be sent out closer to course requests about courses available and when parents and students can change course requests

Seize the Awkward recently released four new videos containing powerful advice for teens and young adults on mental health. Each video features expert advice on practical tips on supporting a friend who may be struggling with their mental health.

• Learn the Signs (https://youtu.be/3jCCxsvYjA4)
• Have the Conversation (https://youtu.be/8evtuxohDvU)
• Tips for Better Conversations (https://youtu.be/gX0cQBL_RzU)
• Conversation Starters (https://youtu.be/H-Q6ieH_Z08)

SAT is set for all juniors on 3/02/22. There is no sign up for the test and it is 100% free. It is highly recommended students sign up to take the SAT or ACT again once scores are received for the School Day testing.

Sign up is on an individual basis at available testing centers on collegeboard.org

Students who are applying for Summer 2022 and beyond should be using the new site: goapplytexas.org. They will have to create a new account. Once an application is submitted to an institution, ApplyTexas cannot edit it.

Two Help desks for STUDENTS:

General Help Desk - applytexas@austin.utexas.edu

Account Recovery - applytexas_pw@austin.utexas.edu

Easier for students & parents

• Clearer questions
• Common mistakes highlighted
• Eligibility check for state grants

Extra support for schools & counselors

• Live updated stats on each student's progress
• Searchable database of questions, so you can easily assist any student
• Lesson plans, handouts, and guide
• 
  

Detailed data for school districts

• Real-time and summary stats, by school
• Student-specific start and completion rates for FAFSA and scholarship applications

Federal Student Loans: Basics for Students

Federal Student Loans: Basics for Students (Spanish Version)

Check under Loan Information, Booklets and Brochures for more like this.

All high school grades can look here for scholarships, but most are senior focused. Several have due dates that start next week.

Check them out, here:

https://www.communityisd.org/Page/3620

Labor Market and Career Information- https://lmci.state.tx.us/

Texas Reality Check- https://texasrealitycheck.com/

Texas Career Check- https://texascareercheck.com/

Jobs Y'All- https://jobsyall.com/

Texas Internship Challenge- https://www.txinternshipchallenge.com...

Texas CREWS- https://txcrews.org/

State Training Inventory- https://lmci.state.tx.us/apps/STI/

Counselors and Teachers- https://lmci.state.tx.us/counselors/counselors.asp

Using bulb students can create digital portfolios to showcase work and build resumes. bulb can also be used to create your pages to showcase virtual events or information. See examples below.

CCMR Fair Example: https://www.bulbapp.com/CCMRVirtualFair

Example student portfolio: https://www.bulbapp.com/RayneAguilar

To create a free trial account: http://bit.ly/AimeebulbTrial

Contact: Aimee Pavelock

aimee@bulbapp.com | 210.787.6046

MyACT

ACT Counselor Toolkit

ACT Online Reporting

ACT College and Career Readiness Workshops

Register for the Virtual ACT Introductory Workshop/Training on Wednesday, November 10th from 11:30AM-12:30PM HERE.

The Texas OnCourse Academy has re-launched on a new platform that is fully remote, on-demand, and completely free for Texas educators. The Academy has up-to-date info about over 25 different college and career readiness topics, including endorsements, financial aid, and scholarships. There are also printable resources for students, answers to common student questions, and links to helpful websites. The new Academy has courses, each with a syllabus that allow you to find information in a hurry and a “Getting Started” page that walks you through completing your first module.

The holiday season brings joy and stress for parents. Here's some resources to help kids thrive, courtesy of Child Mind Institute:

• Anxiety and Being Kind to Yourself. Self-compassion can help parents (and anyone else) manage anxiety.
• How Mindfulness Can Help Caregivers. Parents of children with special needs find these techniques reduce stress and anxiety.
• Preventing Parent Burnout. Meeting the emotional challenges of caring for children with mental health issues.
• How Parent Support Groups Can Help. Online or off, communities share experience, comfort and friendship.
• When Parent and Child Both Have ADHD. Treatment for mom or dad may be important for the kids, too.

Our website is being updated regularly to give you the most important information about school, future education, mental health, and all other things counseling. Please e-mail us or fill out a counseling request so that we can help!

Kathy Blann: Lead Counselor (Last names A-L)

Sarah McKimmey: Advanced Academics Counselor (Last names M-Z)

Tiffany Goff: Braves Support counselor

Email: tiffany.goff@communityisd.org
Website: https://www.communityisd.org/domain/879
Phone: 972-843-6500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communityhs
Twitter: @CHScounselor3