The theme of November is "Respecting Differences". As counselors we urge parents to encourage their children to learn the importance of respecting differences among our school and community.

Respect doesn't mean ignoring people's differences, or simply tolerating them. Rather, it involves recognizing differences, understanding their significance, and responding with interest, politeness and care.

Your challenge this month is to reach out to someone different than yourself and learn something about their culture and celebrate your differences.

The theme for December is "Making Good Choices (Taking Ownership)". As we begin the first 5 lessons of the Too Good for Drugs lessons with our 4-8th grade students, our students will hear about making responsible decisions.

Making responsible decisions requires you to be a positive role model by establishing priorities and dealing with distractions.

The challenge for December is for students to question their own assumptions by considering the source of the information you are relying on before making decisions. Own your choices!

At Las Flores, we can also remember to be a H.E.R.O. (Be Honest, Engaged, Respectful, and Take Ownership)

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, Las Flores will be implementing the GiveThx program for all our students. GiveThx is about giving and receiving one to one messages of thanks from other students/staff and showing gratitude which helps build appreciation while building a stronger community. November is a perfect time for our community to begin practicing gratitude.

Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for the things in your life. The GiveThx program is a research based program based off of gratitude science. Gratitude allows us to focus on the things going well in our life rather than focusing on the things we lack. There are many ways we can practice gratitude, including:

1. Keeping a gratitude journal for things we are thankful for.

2. Writing a GiveThx note to a classmate for something you appreciate about them.

3. Saying thank you to someone when they do something for you.

While we begin planning for our College and Career week to be held early February, we are still seeking Career Speakers in the following areas:

• Entertainment/sports careers including professional athletes, coaches, sports managers
• Professional/financial service careers including attorneys, judges, chief financial officers, certified public accountants
• Health services careers including doctors, nurses, veterinarians, physical therapists, ultrasound technicians, dentists
• Hospitality careers including professional chef, restaurant owner/manager, hotel manager; National Park rangers
• Professional arts and design careers including musicians, photographers, authors, journalists, graphic designer, fashion designer, actor/actress
• Science and Engineering careers including biologist, archaeologist, engineers
• Business careers including real-estate agent, marketing, entrepreneur/business owners
• Service industry careers including mechanic, electrician, police officer, firefighter
• Architecture and engineering careers including architect, civil engineer, electrical engineer
• Education careers including professors, counselors, psychologists, admissions officers
• Computer and information technology careers including computer programmer/scientist, video game programmer

If we can gather enough speaker interest, we would like to host speakers throughout the rest of the school year during our BEAR time as an enrichment activity for students. If you or someone you know would be interested in speaking about one of the above careers, please complete the Google Form by clicking on the button below.

November 12: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 1

6th Grade: My Road Ahead - Setting Reasonable Goals

7th Grade: Set to Win - Goal Setting

8th Grade: The Architect - Setting Reasonable Goals

November 18: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 2

6th Grade: Who's In the Driver's Seat? - Making Responsible Decisions

7th Grade: The Decision is Yours - Decision Making

8th Grade: I Decide -Making Responsible Decisions

December 5: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 3

6th Grade: Diagnostic Tune-Up: Identifying and Managing Emotions

7th Grade: Understanding Me: Identifying and Managing Emotions

8th Grade: Calibrating Sensors: Identifying and Managing Emotions

December 12: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 4

6th Grade: Express Yourself: Effective Communication

7th Grade: Say It With Style: Effective Communication

8th Grade: Press Send: Effective Communication

December 19: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 5

6th Grade: Peer Review: Bonding and Relationships

7th Grade: The Right Connection: Bonding and Relationships

8th Grade: Friend Request: Bonding and Relationships

In partnership with CUSD's partner Partners 4 Wellness, all 4-8th grade students will be given the Too Good for Drugs program throughout the 2024-2025 year, starting in November. If you would like to know more about the program, we invite you to review the Too Good website- linked here.

** If you have any questions regarding the curriculum, please feel free to contact us. The theme of each lesson will also be provided one week in advance of the lessons. For more specific information on each lesson, you may view the 'scope and sequence' of the week's lesson on the Too Good for Drugs website.**

If you would like us to meet with your child, please complete the Counseling Referral Form below. We will meet with your child as soon as possible.

Mrs. Deborah Miller - School Counselor A-P

MEd, PPS - School Counseling

Email: dejmiller@capousd.org
Phone: 949-589-6543

Mrs. Alex Tilley - Middle School Counselor Q-Z, Elementary Counselor

MEd - School Counseling

Mrs. Tilley is available in person on Thursdays, Fridays and every other Wednesday on the Middle School side and Monday, Tuesday, every other Wednesday for our elementary students. She may also be reached via email.

Email: aktilley@capousd.org
Phone: 949-589-6543

Mrs. Lauren Ades - School Psychologist

MS, PPS - School Psychology

Email: lkades@capousd.org
Phone: 949-589-6543 133

Mrs. Denice Summers - Guidance Technician

Email: djsummers@capousd.org
Phone: 949-589-6543

Mrs. Jessie Crachy - Registrar, Guidance Secretary

Email: jachrachy@capousd.org
Phone: 949-589-6543

Non-Discrimination Statement

The Board of Trustees desires to provide a safe school environment that allows all students equal access and opportunities in the district’s academic and other educational support programs, services, and activities. The Board prohibits, at any District school or school activity, unlawful discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, intimidation, and bullying of any student based on the student’s actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, national origin, nationality, ethnicity, ethnic group identification, age, religion, marital or parental status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or gender expression or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics.