LIFE IN THE MIDDLE ~November~
A Mental Health and Wellness Newsletter from CMS Counselors
Important Dates:
Nov. 11 - Veterans Day Presentation - 10:10am - 11:00am
Nov. 22-26 Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 1-3 - 2nd Semester Elective Schedule Change Requests Accepted - See CMS Counseling Page for more info as we get closer!
The Evolution from “Guidance Counselor” to “School Counselor”
CISD Counselors want you to know that we follow a Comprehensive Plan that is mandated by Texas Education Agency. Carroll ISD provides a comprehensive school-counseling program that promotes the academic and social/emotional growth of all students. Building on a Dragon tradition of excellence, the Carroll Independent School District will foster a safe, caring, and creative learning environment that inspires students to realize their full potential as they positively influence the world around them. School counselors work closely with administrators, teachers, parents, and the community to support the CISD mission and accomplish goals with focus on academic success, college/career information, and personal/social development.
Delivery Methods
Guidance Education
Lessons on a variety of topics; large-group consultations with students to help students develop their full educational potential.
Responsive Services
Individual counseling sessions; parent consultations regarding individual student needs; coordination with outside referral sources.
Individual Planning
Academic and career guidance; parent and student consultation regarding planning and goal-setting.
System Support
Community outreach; parent education programs; teacher consultation; school improvement planning.
Historically, the term “guidance counselor” was used to reference counselors working within the school system. These counselors’ main role was to “guide” students to college: writing letters of recommendation and sending out transcripts. However, this role has evolved in the past decade, and schools are now using the term “school counselor” instead.
School counselors are highly trained and support students in many ways in addition to guiding them to college. The role itself has evolved from a focus on post-graduation planning and administrative support to today’s focus on embracing a comprehensive approach to optimize student outcomes in much more than just college planning. Focus areas include emotional support, family communication, social development, academic guidance, and career planning. The Masters degree program and School Counseling certification focuses on each of these areas in order to prepare School Counselors to meet the varied needs of today's youth. School counselors are now a strong, collaborative member of an educational team, embracing a comprehensive approach to optimize student outcomes in much more than just college planning.
Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude
1. Keep a gratitude journal and add to it everyday.
2. Tell someone you love them and how much you appreciate them.
3. Include an act of kindness in your life each day.
4. Volunteer for organizations that help others.
5. Write a card to someone you haven’t seen in a while and thank them for their friendship.
6. Thank the people who serve you in the community — the wait staff at restaurants, store employees, etc.
7. Say thank you for the little things your loved ones do for you, things you normally take for granted.
8. Post quotes and images that remind you to be grateful around your house.
9. Tell your grandparents or an elderly neighbor thank you for their presence in your life.
10. Be thankful when you learn something new.
11. Make a gratitude collage, cut out pictures of all the things that you are grateful for.
Benefits of Practicing Gratitude
People who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.
Freshen Up Your Thanks
The best way to reap the benefits of gratitude is to notice new things you’re grateful for every day.
Be Social About Your Gratitude Practice
Our relationships with others are the greatest determinant of our happiness. So it makes sense to think of other people as we build our gratitude.
What Grateful People Have in Common
People who experience the most gratitude (and therefore the positive effects) tend to:
- Feel a sense of abundance in their lives
- Appreciate the contributions of others to their well-being
- Recognize and enjoy life's small pleasures
- Acknowledge the importance of experiencing and expressing gratitude
Train Your Brain for Gratitude
Whether or not these attitudes come to you naturally, paying attention to life's positives can train you to see more and more of them, which will help you learn to be more grateful. You might feel blessed that good weather allowed you to get out for an afternoon run, that a stranger lent a helping hand, that you made it to the bus on time, or that your kids offered to do the dishes. Acknowledging these things—on paper, with words, or even in your thoughts—will help you cultivate an attitude of gratitude—and with it, a boost in happiness that will last year-round.
Gratitude and Mindfulness go hand in hand.
Gratitude allows us to notice the many blessings we have and distracts us from the many misfortunes that we face. Mindfulness helps us react to our misfortunes with grace, acceptance, and meditation. Together these two practices nurture the happier self within us.
Contentment: Learning to Be Okay with What you Have.
Contentment is the state of being happy and satisfied. On Thanksgiving when you think about all you are grateful for, hopefully you feel a sense of contentment. Contentment isn't an excited kind of happy, it's more like a peaceful ease of mind. It's being satisfied with what you have, whatever that is.
Ways you can show contentment:
-Tell each family member why they make you happy.
-Write a letter to someone who makes you happy.
-Ask a friend to share something that makes them happy.
Middle School Friendships
Excerpted from : The Ups and Downs of Middle School Friendships, by Jennifer O'Donnell https://www.verywellfamily.com/the-ups-and-downs-of-middle-school-friendships-3288397?print
By the time a child reaches middle school, friendships have become as important to development as family life. Middle school students crave acceptance from their peers and look to friends to help them navigate through adolescence and everything that comes with it. Friendships make everything more fun and can make even bad days much better.
But friendships at this point in a child's development can also be quite challenging. Below are tips to help you prepare your tween for the ups and downs of friendships in the middle school years. Knowing how friendships may change, come to an end or strengthen can help your tween through the friendship challenges he or she will eventually face.
The Good
It's only natural for tweens to make their friends a priority and, at this point in their development, they may prefer the company of their friends over the company of their parents and other family members. This should not be a concern to you, but rather something to enjoy. Be sure you don't make your child feel guilty for placing such importance on his friendships; it's a normal part of the development and only means that your child is growing his circle of trust to include others outside of the family. Children need a strong network of friends at this age to help deal with life and to have fun while growing up.
Many long-lasting friendships may not only survive middle school, but they may actually grow stronger as shared experiences and common interests are discovered. Even friends who attend different schools or are a grade apart in school may still have enough in common to enjoy one another's company. Strong friendships at the age can have a positive impact on your tween's life. The advantages can include:
- Enjoying time together after school
- Having someone to talk to or confide in
- Getting another point of view when dealing with a problem
- Sharing common interests
- Dealing with school problems (such as a hard teacher or a school bully) together
- Keeping one another out of trouble
- Having someone stick up for you
- Knowing you're not going it all alone
The Bad
As important as friendships are in middle school, that doesn't mean they will always be easy. Many middle schoolers find that their friendships may change during the middle school years as friends drift apart or form other friendships. Middle school students may no longer see old friends as they pursue different interests or passions, or if students attend different schools, they may no longer have the opportunity to connect with old friends.
But challenges don't end there. Even strong friendships can be put on trial during the middle school years. Friends may lose their tempers, disappoint one another, or hurt one another's feelings. No friendship is perfect, but many can withstand occasional flare-ups and even learn from them. Encourage your tween to work through conflicts. Saying, "I'm sorry" can mean a lot at this age, and helps children understand that they are responsible for the way they treat others. Strong friendships may weaken from time to time, but if an effort is made to work through conflict, these friendships will likely survive.
The Truth About Real Friends
- Real friends support one another.
- Real friends say "I'm sorry".
- Real friends are not jealous.
- Real friends can be trusted.
- Real friends show respect.
- Real friends listen to one another.
- Real friends make an effort.
- Real friends may act like "jerks" some of the time, but they eventually come around.
How can my child meet with their counselor?
1. Teacher Referral
2. Parent Referral
3. Self Referral
We meet with students for many reasons:
1. Academic - Performance, struggles, test taking strategies, study skills etc.
2. Friendship/ Peer/Social Concerns
3. Personal Concerns
4. Behavioral Concerns
5. Stress/Anxiety
6. Responsive Services - meeting their immediate needs and concerns
If you have a concern and you would like for a counselor to meet with your child, please contact your child's grade level counselor via email or phone.
Thank you!
CMS Counseling Staff
7th Grade Counselor
Dawn Riedl
8th Grade Counselor
Dawn.Riedl@southlakecarroll.edu
Paula Lynn
7th and 8th Grade Counselor
Paula.lynn@southlakecarroll.edu
Leslie Evans
Counseling Secretary
Leslie.Evans@southlakecarroll.edu
Website: http://cmscounselor.edublogs.org/
Phone: 817.949.5400