Counselor Connection--April 1

Attend on Wednesday from 9-12 with the McKinney-Vento Team and your travel for up to three nights, as well as mileage from your campus will be reimbursed. See flyer above for more details. Register Online.

Low-burden, high-impact strategies to increase well-being, belonging, and engagement in all areas of campus community by introducing a consistent structure for learning that promotes powerful relationship-building while also helping students find value in their learning. Training will include staff community building, research-backed classroom engagement, usable tools and strategies, meaningful and inspirational content, and practical problem solving. Register Online (this is for both days).

School counselors must negotiate the competing interests of the overregulated school environment, student’s need for confidentiality, and the legal rights of parents to be the guiding voice in their children's lives. Updates on these competing interests will be discussed through recent court developments. Legal rulings will be highlighted in areas such as sexually active students, bullying, academic advising, child abuse, educational records, and sexual harassment, First Amendment rights, and transgender youth. The goal is to facilitate participants’ legal literacy and provide guiding principles to support best ethical practice.

Walk Date: 04/27/2024
Walk Location: Angelo State University, San Angelo, TX
Onsite Registration Time: 9:00 am
Walk Program Starts: 10:00 am

For more information, please contact:

Contact Name: Kat Turpen & Alicia Torres
Contact Phone: 816-286-9450
Contact Email: Katturpen@yahoo.com

The Texas School Safety Center Community Prevention Program released a new spring community kit. The kit includes links to online training and resources, which can be used to assist schools and community-based organizations in their efforts to educate youth and young adults about the dangers of all commercialized tobacco products. Access these free materials and share them with community members.

Use materials from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) national youth substance use prevention campaign. Help parents and caregivers, educators, and community members get informed, be prepared, and take action to prevent underage drinking and other substance use.

Texas Advancing Suicide SAFER Schools Roadmap

Re-Entry Plans and the Law for school districts that have students returning to campus after hospitalizations or suicide attempts. More information TEC 38.351(i)(5)(A-B) and FFEB legal and local policy.

Many teenagers report feeling negative about their bodies and for some, anxieties about appearance morph into eating disorders. It may start with impulsive efforts to diet, which can lead to extreme restriction, or out-of-control eating, or both. For parents it can be tough to tell what’s going on because kids often hide their behavior from their families, and even their friends.

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, and we’re rounding up resources from childmind.org about eating disorders — how to tell when a teenager may be developing a problem, and how the most effective form of treatment works. Some disorders are hard to spot because kids who have them don’t look exceptionally thin, even if they’re seriously damaging their health. That includes kids with bulimia, binge eating disorder, and atypical anorexia. While the majority of eating disorders still occur in girls, boys are increasingly developing them as they restrict eating to minimize body fat and obsessively work out to increase muscle mass. Read more here.

Mental Health Texas addresses myths about mental health. Understanding the difference in a myth and a fact can make a real difference in the stigmas associated with mental health. Mental Health Texas has also partnered with Texas Health and Human Services Commission to provide educational webinars. These webinars address behavioral health, depression, trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, serious emotional disturbances in children and more.

Texas Association of School Business Officials, Texas Association of School Administrators, and Texas Association of School Boards invites school districts to participate in the 10th annual free April virtual activity wellness challenge called the Million Mile Month. The challenge’s goal is to complete one million miles of physical activity as a community. This challenge is open to all schools across the state, U.S., and globe.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation series on Family Networking Opportunities shares tools to assist in hosting a community meeting within school districts. The resource discusses five tips to designing community meetings that schools can follow to improve family engagement within their district.

If you decompress by playing with dogs or checking their adorable videos on social media, you might be onto something. Interacting with dogs in such ways may strengthen people's brain waves associated with rest and relaxation, as measured by brain tests, according to a small study published in the journal PLOS One

The deadline to apply is April 5, 2024.

TSCA Scholarship Flyer

Direct Links to the forms.....

• 2024 Senior Student Whose Counselor is a TSCA Member
• 2024 Senior Student Who is a Child/Grandchild of TSCA Member
• 2024 Member Graduate Student

A study of young adolescents in the Netherlands found that having more reciprocated friendships among classmates might be protective against internalizing mental health symptoms. The study, published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, also showed that, on the other hand, adolescents with more unreciprocated friendships tended to be more anxious and to have a stronger desire for more friends.

Trauma Informed PBS has a website with multiple FREE toolkits for serving our students! Many of

us in rural districts are behavior interventionists and 504 coordinators too.

These toolkits are free to download with your email and have tons of great TIPS! Click below for

each toolkit link.

• Trauma-Informed Social Support Strategies
• Social Emotional Learning Toolkit
• Academic Accommodations Toolkit
• Trust Building Strategies
• Brain-Based Engagement Strategies

The DD Form 4 upload portal in TEAL is currently in development and is scheduled to be released Friday, April 5, 2024. The window for the DD Form 4 submission will close on Friday, May 10, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. LEAs will be responsible for submitting a listing of former students who have enlisted in the military as well as a zip file that contains completed DD Form 4s for each enlistee. To facilitate a smooth upload process, LEAs will be provided a pre-populated template that contains all students from the 2023 cohort, and specific instructions for the zip file upload will be provided when the portal is officially launched. Below are a few tips to best prepare for the upcoming DD Form 4 upload:

• Collect DD Form 4 digitally for each relevant student in the 2023 cohort.
• Implement a uniform file naming protocol across the LEA. The following are some examples of possible naming conventions:
  • LastName.FirstName_TSDS#
  • DD4_TSDS#
  • FirstInitial_LastInitial_TSDS#

The CCMR Tracker is a tracking tool within the TEA Login (TEAL) Accountability application. This tool provides districts with a means to track CCMR indicator completion throughout high school for students reported as enrolled in grades 9–12 on the TSDS PEIMS October 2023 snapshot date. The CCMR Tracker will be released in two stages. Please note that the data in these reports are confidential.

Part I was released March 29, 2024, and will utilize the following data:

• CCMR indicators submitted via PEIMS through SY 2022-23
• OnRamps and TSIA results through SY 2022-23, and
• SAT, ACT, AP, IB, and level I/II certificate results through SY 2021-22

Part II will be released in Summer 2024, and will utilize the following data:

• SAT, ACT, AP, IB, and level I/II certificates updated through SY 2022-23

A TSA notification was delivered March 29th, 2024, to inform districts that the CCMR Tracker and updated supporting documents are now available within TEAL.

Please note that corrections to the information presented in the CCMR Tracker cannot be submitted to TEA; this tool is for informational purposes only. If districts find errors, they are encouraged to work with testing vendors to make corrections.

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, a TAA was sent announcing upcoming changes to Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs of Study that are scheduled to begin SY 2024-25. The recommendations made by a cross-sector advisory committee in October 2023, are now final and are reflected in the updated program of study framework documents. Please note that in accordance with House Bill 773, the process for IBC Program of Study Completers will be phased in as an indicator in the accountability system. Please see the TEA Industry-Based Certifications webpage for more information about the phase-in process and timeline. Additional information regarding programs of study and IBCs is available on the TEA CTE webpage.

You're invited to participate in a FREE virtual training for social workers, counselors/therapists, educators and school personnel, program administrators, and peer support partners.

Mark your calendars to join us for the Restorative Practices - Raising Resiliency webinar on Friday, April 12 – 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM CT. You will gain valuable insights into communication skills, conflict resolution techniques, and trauma-informed approaches, enabling you to establish a nurturing environment conducive to the well-being of children.

The Texas Education Agency’s Supportive Schools Division and our Project AWARE Texas partners will be hosting a series of monthly webinars to highlight resources and best practice strategies on timely and relevant safe and supportive schools topics. Topics will include school mental health, substance abuse prevention, school discipline, early mental health interventions, approaches to whole child student support, and building community partnerships to increase capacity.

You can join a webinar every 2nd Thursday of the month from 11:00 am CST to 12:30 pm CST from December until June. CPE credits will be made available to those who attend the full live session.

Register Below for Upcoming Webinar Sessions:

Family & Caregiver Engagement- April 11th , 2024

Elevating Mental Health & Wellness- May 9th, 2024

Supporting the Mental Health of Special Populations- June 13th, 2024

• The Texas School Safety Center is collaborating with the Department of Homeland Security on School Safety Prevention and Management monthly lunch and learn sessions. Sessions will cover current topics related to how districts are addressing school safety, prevention, and management. Resources and strategies will be provided in these informative one-hour sessions with a Department of Homeland Security partner. Click Here to View Dates and Register Here
• The Trauma-Informed Care Workshop for Educators - Elementary focuses on providing an overview of trauma, and its impact on student behaviors in the elementary (K-5) classroom. Attendees will learn about the role of mental health in daily functioning, how trauma impacts the brain, the importance of unrecognized executive function deficits, and the role neuro-diverse complexities play in student behavior. Click Here to View Dates and Register
• The Trauma-Informed Care Workshop for Educators - Secondary focuses on providing an overview of trauma, and its impact on student behaviors in the secondary (6-12) classroom. Attendees will learn about the role of mental health in daily functioning, how trauma impacts the brain, the importance of unrecognized executive function deficits, and the role neuro-diverse complexities play in student behavior. Click Here to View Dates and Register

If you are a school administrator, school-based law enforcement officer, educator, emergency manager, school safety specialist, first responder, mental health provider, or school board member, the 2024 Texas School Safety Conference is for you!

Join us June 23-27, 2024, at the beautiful San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter Hotel for a deep dive into current trends, best practices, and innovative, evidence-based approaches in school safety and security. Learn from leading experts in the fields of school behavioral threat assessment, emergency management, school-based law enforcement, and mental health, and hear from your peers throughout the state about strategies to effectively engage educators, law enforcement, and community members to promote positive cultures of safety and preparedness.

Come prepared to network, share ideas, and return to your community equipped with new knowledge, tools, and inspiration, to continue the essential work of creating safe and healthy environments in Texas schools and communities.

Conference Links

Learn More and Register

We've got some really great sessions this spring designed to support you this school year. You can simply click on any of the session links to register.

FACT: According to the Harvard Division of Continuing Education, employees engaged in professional development are also more likely to stay engaged in their work and to be enthusiastic about pursuing their goals.

General School Mental Health Resources: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/

Mental Health Resources Database: https://schoolmentalhealthtxdatabase.org/

Mental Health Best Practice Repository: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/best-practices/

This list is of known providers of particular services. The providers on the list are from a variety of sources. The list is being provided as a courtesy, for information only, and the user should understand that no assurances or guarantees regarding the providers on the list are being made by providing this list. We do not endorse, approve, or recommend any specific provider listed below. This list is not inclusive of all community agencies, services, or organizations that provide the particular service, and the omission of an agency, service, or organization from this list does not imply disapproval. It is the responsibility of the user of this list to determine whether any of the content is of value to them and whether or not the agency, service, or organization meets their specific needs.

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National

• Emergency: (24/7): 911
• Referral Services: (crisis counseling, housing, food, health care, family services): 211 | https://www.211texas.org/
• Suicide Prevention: 988 | 988lifeline.org
• Self-Injury/Cutting: 1-800-366-8288 | selfinjury.com
• Eating Disorders: 1-800-931-2237 | nationaleatingdisorders.org
• Runaway Hotline: 1-800-231-6946 | 1800runaway.org
• Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 | childhelp.org/hotline/
• Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 | rainn.org
• Domestic/Relationship Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | thehotline.org
• Trevor Hotline for LGBTQ Youth: 1-866-488-7386 | thetrevorproject.org
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline | samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
• Other resources for developing healthy lifestyles, including mental and emotional help: helpguide.org

Email: mentalhealth@esc15.net
Website: https://www.esc15.net/
Phone: (325)658-6571
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Region15ESC/
Twitter: @Region15ESC