Happy New Year!

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas break and that your holidays were filled to overflowing with good things- time well spent with family and friends, as well as time to rest and recharge. After the busyness of the holidays, the quiet of January often leaves us reflecting on the old year past and all that the new year may have in store.

As we move into the New Year, we turn our focus to goal setting, which often requires a shift in mindset and/or priorities. Read on to learn more about shifting mindset, helping children curb their anxious thoughts, as well as how showing respect towards others and developing perseverance in the face of difficulty can transform our lives.

Be sure to check out the link to our SEL Online Library as well for links to read-a-longs for books on any number of social emotional topics. For even more helps, take a look at our newsletter archives on our Counseling Webpage under "Newsletter Archive" in the left-hand column.

As always, if you are concerned that you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health issue, it is important to act. Start the conversation. Seek help from a trusted adult. A list of area Mental Health resources and hotlines can be found on our district counseling website under Counseling Resources. You are not alone.

Take care of you, take care of each other, and a very Happy New Year to you all,

Ashley Ward, MS, LPC, CCTP

Coordinator of Counseling and Student Support

Mabank ISD

amward@mabankisd.net

With the new year, longer nights, and colder weather, our thoughts and even activities can often turn inward. Reflecting on the year past and looking forward to the year ahead often comes with resolutions, goal setting, and an "out with the old, in with the new" mindset. How do we make sure these resolutions stick? How does how we speak to ourselves affect that? Why does it matter? And how can we help our children (and ourselves) cope with anxiety, the fastest growing mental health issue of our time? Check out the articles below for more details.

Mabank ISD is a Capturing Kids' Hearts District. CKH focuses on building relationships, accepting others’ ideas, and building on communication. This program is implemented to impact staff to student, student to student, and staff to staff relationships. Through CKH, staff and students learn and practice skills that they will use every day such as building meaningful relationships, using the EXCEL model to create a safe environment for learning, and using a social contract to develop a self-managing system for behavior and performance.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), within the last two years, teen overdose deaths related to Fentanyl have tripled. Over half of all overdose deaths are related to Fentanyl use.

What can you do as a parent to prevent your teen from falling prey to this deadly trend?

1) Talk to your teen. Talk about the dangers that they may face at parties and social events. Let them know that they can talk to you about things that are concerning them.

2) Monitor their social media and app usage. This is a common way that teens get access to this drug.

3) Encourage your teen to get involved with extra-curricular activities, church, service projects, community, and school organizations. Keeping your teen involved can help battle loneliness, isolation, and hopelessness.

4) Know how to access the district’s anonymous reporting tool. It can be found on the district’s website. Report any suspicion that Fentanyl use may be occurring in the schools or that someone may be abusing it. Encourage your child to do the same. You could save a life.

5) Monitor your child’s behavior. Has their behavior changed lately? Do they have a new set of “friends”? Are they keeping to themselves more often than usual?

6) Seek help if your child is facing a mental health challenge or if you suspect they are using any substance.

Many people take time to renew, refocus and refresh here at the start of a new year. Read on for ideas on how to build meaningful, mindful habits into your life and move you closer to the goals and habits you want to achieve and the kind of person you want to be.

This is an amazing scholarship opportunity available to any Texas student who plans to pursue a trade or vocational degree or certification at an accredited community college or nonprofit trade school in the state of Texas. The Life Association Scholarship may be used for tuition, fees, books, and equipment. They only have 1 applicant as of April 21st, so please share this great opportunity!

Click the link below to complete the 2022 Universal Application for the Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) scholarship opportunities. This allows you to apply for multiple scholarships hosted by CFT in one spot.

A chatbot named ADVi – short for “adviser” – uses artificial intelligence to provide on-demand support to Texans looking to attend or return to higher education. Right now, any student in Texas may access ADVi by texting “COLLEGE” to 512-829-3687 or by starting a freshman application in ApplyTexas.

When students sign up to receive messages from ADVi, they receive:

• The ability to ask questions about college 24/7 via text message,
• Backup support from our virtual advisers if a student has needs or questions beyond what ADVi can provide,
• Student-friendly, accurate, and engaging messages about key college access milestones,
• Information and tips to help with their college applications, planning, and financial aid, and
• Resources to help navigate the transition to college.

Learn more at www.askADVi.org.

Ashley Ward, MS, LPC Coordinator of Counseling

Email: amward@mabankisd.net
Website: https://www.mabankisd.net/page/counseling
Location: 310 East Market Street, Mabank, TX, USA
Phone: 903.880.1300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mabankisd
Twitter: @mabankisd