Shepton Counselor Newsletter

Happy February!

The first week of February is National School Counselor Week! Be sure to say thank you to a school counselor!!!!

I hope everyone had a great eternal month of January. We are rolling and going for 2025. We started 10th grade parent conferences and are finishing it up this month. We plan to visit classrooms late February and March. The spring semester is super busy. The spring semester can feel long, but it is fast and furious.

I hope everyone has a fabulous February!

Shepton Counseling Staff

If students have decided that the courses they have chosen for the 2025-2026 school year are not what they want to take, they need to reach out to their counselor for a course request change. The deadline to turn in course request forms for 2025-2026 is February 14.

Parents of current 10th graders along with their students have an opportunity to sign up to meet with their counselor to discuss their academic transcript and future at West. Please sign up for an opportunity below with your counselor. Please make sure you are signing up with the counselor that corresponds with the students last name. Academic conference sign ups end February 14.

Links for Academic Conferences:

Richards (Alpha A-Da) - https://calendly.com/stephanie_richards1/sophomore-academic-conferences-last-names-a-fl

Archer (Alpha De-Ja) - https://calendly.com/stephanie-archer-pisd/sophomore-meetings-1

Ahmed (Alpha Je-M) - https://calendly.com/najah-ahmed-pisd/30min

Sanford (Alpha N-R) - https://calendly.com/paul-sanford/10th-grade-conferences

Alexandris (Alpha S-Z) - https://calendly.com/jamie-alexandris/sophomore-conferences

For more information and paperwork for dual credit, please see your counselor.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10Hyw4sNya2lJhv4ey2g2pRNcT4nzG34R/view?usp=sharing

DEADLINE FOR DUAL CREDIT REGISTRATION IS FEBRUARY 14TH

Below is information about a paid summer internship at the City of Plano Mayor's office.

Visit the following website for information: https://www.planomayorsinterns.org

Plano ISD offers many Career and Technology Education Classes. Listed below is information regarding CTE courses.

Note: not off of these courses are offered at Plano West Senior High

• Plano ISD Programs of Study for CTE
• Plano ISD Programs of Study at a Glance
• High School (9-10) CTE Course Offerings (Printable)
• Senior High School (11-12) CTE Course Offerings

G represents the Guts of the goal, which includes choosing a topic, writing a goal statement, setting a standard for success, and setting a time frame.

O represents the Obstacles that stand in the way of reaching their goal.

A represents three Action Steps students plan to help them move toward their goal.

L represents Looking Ahead to life afterward, where students visualize how they will feel upon reaching their goal and think about what they might strive for next.

Did you know you can look at the online gradebook, Skyward Family Access, to see your child's grades? You are also able to establish email notifications to alert you of when grades of a certain threshold of your choosing are entered in gradebook. Visit Family Access Help for information on how to set up notifications.

Gradebook Notifications provide you with timely information regarding your child's academic progress and facilitate your ability to have family conversations to address academic needs.

Teachers often include notes in the online gradebook regarding the status of past due assignments and opportunities to improve failing grades. The schedule page in gradebook also provides you with the email contact information of your child's teachers. Teachers welcome students to meet with them during tutorials before and after school and during scheduled Connect appointments. Check with your teacher about tutorials.

Parents are also able to monitor Chromebook usage at home through GoGaurdian Parent. This mobile app gives parents/guardians the ability to manage and monitor student activity on school-issued Chromebooks during out-of-school hours. GoGuardian Parent is a companion to the classroom management and internet filtering tools that our district uses during the school day.

In the spirit of collaboration, parents and teachers are encouraged to communicate and work together to develop strategies and supports for struggling students. Counselors are available to support students, parents and teachers to collaborate for every student's academic and social emotional success.

YMCA Mental Wellness Seminar - Understanding the Teen Brain(2) (1).pdf

Shepton High School Counseling Vision Statement:

We will support our students in their academic, social, and emotional growth in order to empower them to achieve the future of their choice.

Shepton High School Counseling Mission Statement:

The mission of the Shepton Counseling Department is to empower students to be self-aware, to take ownership of their academic growth, to be respectful of themselves and others, and to prepare for a successful future. This will be accomplished through the equitable delivery of the comprehensive school counseling program.

Counseling Office Hours: 8:30am - 4:30pm

We have an open door policy for student visits, and parents are encouraged to make appointments as we are not always available.

Stephanie Richards

Counselor Alpha A-Da

stephanie.richards@pisd.edu

469-752-7620

Stephanie Archer

Counselor Alpha De-Ja

stephanie.archer@pisd.edu

469-752-7618

Najah Ahmed

Counselor Alpha Je-M

najah.ahmed@pisd.edu

469-752-7617

Paul Sanford

Lead Counselor Alpha N-R

paul.sanford@pisd.edu

469-752-7619

Jamie Alexandris

Counselor Alpha S-Z

jamie.alexandris@pisd.edu

469-752-7616

Diana Aguillon Olade

Counselor Secretary

diana.aguillonolald@pisd.edu

469-752-7615