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Counselor Connections - October 2024

Bullying Awareness promotes a Safe and Supportive School and a Positive School Climate

As we enter October, we want to shine a spotlight on Bullying Prevention Awareness Month.  We know that bullying impacts student mental health and overall well-being.  As apart of creating a safe and supportive school environment, school counselors can be a critical partner on campus to educate students about what bullying is and is not.  Please find some great resources below.

stopbullying.gov - This website is a federal government website managed by the USDHHS.  They provide resource on the prevention and intervention of bullying and cyber bullying within the school and community setting.

TEA Best Practices and Programs - This repository includes best-practice based programs and research-based practices.  Listing that support positive youth development, building relationships, managing emotions, and decision making skills, and school creating a positive school climate may all support bullying prevention efforts.

Random Validation of TAC 19 - The Annual Assessment of School District Compliance of the 80/20 Rule Districts Superintendents of randomly selected school districts are notified in October of each year to provide the annual assessment of school counselor work time analysis. You can find updated FAQ's and a sample submission below.  We will discuss best practice for time tracking and answer questions about the annual assessment at the Fall Counselor Conference on October 15th.

Implementation of Fentanyl-Related Legislation Texas Gov. Code 662.116 establishes the month of October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month to raise awareness of fentanyl poisonings and to promote prevention.  TEA has provided the Fentanyl Response Communications Toolkit to help schools plan and prepare to roll out education and awareness through the SHAC Committees.  Students and families need to know that other drugs may contain a deadly level of fentanyl.  It is almost impossible to tell if another drug is laced with fentanyl.  "ONE PILL KILLS" is the state of Texas program to educate everyone on how to prevent, recognize and reverse fentanyl poisonings.

IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO REGISTER!  Please join us for a great day as we host Stephanie Lerner, TEA Counseling Program Manager as she will deliver a presentation on the school counselors role in MTSS - a campus wide system of supports. This will be great opportunity to connect with other school counselors in the region and receive school counseling updates and information. LUNCH WILL BE PROVIDED!

Red Ribbon Week October 23-31 If you ordered Red Ribbons, they will be available for pickup at the Fall Counselor Network on October 15th.  Ribbons will be left at the front desk on the following day.

24-25 STATEWIDE COUNSELOR NEEDS ASSESSMENT The Texas Regional Counselors are gathering needs assessment information to advocate for effective programs for school counselors across Texas.    You may have already completed the REGION 8 NEEDS ASSESSMENT.  I am thankful for your input so that we can plan the professional development most needed.  The information in this survey will be shared with the Regional team and will be anonymous. The data may be shared with stakeholders at the state level to promote school counseling initiatives.

October 8th Zoom 10am - 11am

Join me next Tuesday, October 8th for the next Counselor Connection Zoom Meeting. Parent Engagement and Support Resources will be shared and we will have time for Q & A.  

Join us on October 10th for Psychological First Aid for Schools

Do you want to be prepared to respond to disaster, violence or traumatic events? PFA-S is an evidence based training that gives school administrators, educators, and staff practical assistance to meet immediate needs and concerns, reduce distress and foster adaptive coping in the wake of a disaster.  All participants will receive the PFA-S manual with useful handouts to be able to use immediately.

This training meets the trauma and grief informed requirement for the Texas School Safety District Vulnerability Assessment (DVA).