DECEMBER

 

DECEMBER HAPPENINGS 

WHAT WERE WE UP TO IN NOVEMBER?

• 323 individual student conferences during the month of November.
• Seniors were our most frequent visitors (115), but we're so glad that our other grade levels are starting to pick up and stopping by to visit with us!  Their breakdown is 62 (9th), 71 (10th), and 75 (11th).  
• The number one reason students came to see us were for academic concerns, but mental health was a close second.  We love that our Cardinals want to do their best and present themselves well in their classes, and they also want to nurture their mental well-being as well!
• We presented in 48 classrooms for the November Guidance Lesson, College & Career Readiness, to all students in all grade levels.  

PSAT SCORES ARE IN!

Student PSAT Scores are available to be viewed on student College Board Accounts at this link or online at studentscores.collegeboard.org using the log-in students created. Students may also access using the Big Future School mobile app. Once students sign-in to College Board to review their scores, they will have access to additional information on Careers, Colleges, Scholarships and details on free SAT practice through Khan Academy.  If students have forgotten their College Board login credentials, they can contact College Board directly and come by the Counseling Office to receive a .PDF of their testing report.

AP UPDATES:

Stay tuned for more updates!  Ms. Heslep will be finalizing the ordering of exams for the spring in the next few weeks.  Make sure you read her emails!

SCHEDULE CHANGES:

• If students are interested in making a schedule change for the spring semester, they will pick up the Request For Schedule Change Form from their teacher.  The forms will be available beginning December 11.  The deadline to turn return to their counselor is January 10.
• No other schedule change requests will be honored at this time.

CALENDAR ITEMS:

• Guidance Lesson
• December 7 and 8 (Theology classes)
• Stressbusters!  Getting Ready for Semester Exams!
• Check out the bulletin board by our office for resources from each guidance topic.
• STRESSBUSTER WEEK!
• Get ready for semester exams with some fun activities with the Counselors!

• Coffee with the Counselors
• Reviewing results from the Strengths Explorer, Career Interest Inventories, Personality and Learning Styles, etc.
• Share all the resources available in Naviance with college, career, and scholarships research.

PARENT CORNER:

How To Stress Less This Christmas

WRITTEN BYTama Fortner

I heard someone say once that as mamas, we are the keepers of all the things—especially all the appointments and schedules—from our kids, to our husbands, to the dog, and even occasionally ourselves. Carefully filed away somewhere in our minds are all those essential little details about favorite socks, hated and tolerated veggies, and that all-important, must-have-it-to-go-to-sleep lovey. 

We know who to call when this breaks and what to grab for this practice and that field trip. All the house stuff. All the kid stuff. All the time. So many details. And at Christmas, that just intensifies. Because we’re adding in holiday parties, shopping, baking, decorating, entertaining, and all the things. We want to simplify. We want to scale back. We want peace and calm and maybe even a nap. But where to start? How do we make that happen? 

Ponder your treasures:

Let me offer this little bit of advice: take a few minutes—in the carpool line, while littles are napping, or hiding in the tub—and do some pondering. Pondering? Yes. It’s a word I’m borrowing from one of my favorite verses—Luke 2:19. It says, “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (NIV). It’s such a calm, peaceful image, isn’t it? Mary quietly pondering these treasures that have been gifted to her. And yet, do you remember when that moment happens? It’s right on the heels of a whole bunch of chaos. Just think about it. Mary has traveled to Bethlehem, given birth in a stable, and had a flock of shepherds burst into her barn. I’m guessing it’s not quite what she envisioned for her firstborn. But there she is, taking time to sort through and lift out the things that mattered most, the things she wanted to remember and treasure. So, as we’re poised to dive headlong into the chaos that so often characterizes the holidays, let’s do as Mary did and ponder for a bit. Let’s ask ourselves what treasures we want to be sure we’ve collected when this season screeches and tumbles to an end. What memories do we want to make and store up for ourselves and for those we love? 

3 questions to ask yourself:

As you ponder, I invite you to ask yourself the three questions that I find myself asking these days: 

1. What makes me smile? 

Is it the baking, the decorating, the entertaining? Is it the quiet times gathered with family at home? Maybe it’s this gathering, that party, or a highly anticipated event. Perhaps it’s choosing just the right gift and topping it with the perfect bow. Maybe it’s serving here or lending a hand there. I’m learning that I need to carve out time for the things that bring my heart joy. I need to plan for them and write them on the calendar—or they don’t happen. And conversely, what are the things that just don’t bring joy? Can some be simplified or simply skipped—making room for more things that do make me smile? 

2. What makes my loved ones smile? 

Sure, it’s important to include some moments for myself, but it’s just as important to include the things that make my loved ones smile. Because, as a mama, one of my greatest joys is putting a smile on the faces of those I love the most. Yes, even when it means doing something I could easily—even happily—skip. Sometimes I know what those things are, but as kids grow and our family life changes, it’s good to have a conversation or two. So I find myself asking questions like, What do you remember most from Christmas last year? What are the things you love and want to be sure to do? Is there anything you’d rather skip this year? What is it that makes Christmas special for you? The answers are sometimes surprising—and prioritizing these treasured things have made our holiday celebrations so much easier. 

3. What makes God smile?

And isn’t this the most important question of all? Because while the world gets so caught up in all the trappings of the holidays—myself included sometimes—what I truly want is for me and mine to be so caught up in all those things Mary pondered. 

What can I do to show my littles, my bigs, and the world around us just how wonderful and amazing and marvelous our Jesus is? How can we as a family honor this God who loves us so much that he sent his own Son to save us? Who can I gift with the story of God’s greatest gift? As I ponder these questions, as I lift them and their answers up to God, he opens my eyes, my mind, and my heart to what really matters. Then my calendar, my to-do list, and even my busiest of busy days begin to reflect him and his ways. 

This year, how will you answer these three questions? What are the things you’ll ponder? And what treasures will you and your loved ones collect?

RESOURCES:

• Need to see your Counselor?  Email or stop by!  Our doors are always open!
• The Shade (Elijah's Story from 1 Kings 19)
• Calming Room in the Counseling Office (check-in with counselor first)
• Reset, Relax, Recharge, Refresh, Return!
• Fidgets, Aromatherapy, Sound Machine, Cozy Chairs/Blankets, Journal, Coloring Books, & More!
• 20 minute limit....and then return to class
• Children's TeleHealth
• 6-8 FREE weekly therapist appointments scheduled during non-core periods during the school day (referral through your counselor)
• Mental Health Navigation Line
• 972-525-8181, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Helpline sourced through Grant Halliburton to assist families with finding therapists (based on need, insurance, etc.) in the DFW area
• Coffee Days (mom support group for mothers of young people with mental health and emotional health conditions, offering opportunities to share experiences, resources, and information.)
• granthalliburton.org for upcoming meetings
• Additional Community Resources

COMING SOON FOR JANUARY!

• Guidance Lesson---BULLYING/CYBERBULLYING
• Coffee with the Counselors--January 10 at 8:30 a.m. in the Athenaeum

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the John Paul II Counseling Office is to provide a proactive, comprehensive, and developmentally appropriate program to address students' academic and career goals in addition to supporting their personal and social needs. This is accomplished through a partnership with parents/guardians, staff, and community members to enable all students to become successful, productive citizens and lifelong learners in a diverse and changing world.

VISION  STATEMENT

The John Paul II High School Counseling Office is guided by our commitment to provide a safe, nurturing environment where the entire learning community addresses the unique needs of students to ensure students reach their fullest potential and successfully manage their lives as healthy, responsible, competent and productive citizens who respect themselves and others. Collaborating with students, parents, faculty and staff, we will foster the development of the entire person – mental, spiritual, academic and social. School counselors believe that every student can succeed through the collaborative efforts of school, home, and community leading to responsible and productive citizenship in the 21st century.