Counselor Weekly Update 9/20

• Sept. 23: NISD Financial Aid Night (6-7:30 pm)
• Sept. 23: 11th grade Individual Planning Conferences
• Sept. 24: HS Head Counselor Mtg. (8 am -4:00 pm)
• Sept. 24-27: 10th grade Classroom Guidance Prep
• Sept. 25: Counseling Team Mtg. (2:45-4:00 pm)

We would like to thank our English 3, AP English, AP/Dual English 3 teachers for sharing their time with us this week.

S. Buggs

K. Harris

K. Lauber

J. Falcon

A. Traynor

G. Acevedo

Sixty-four Taft and Comm Arts faculty and staff members responded to our diversity form! Thank you💟

Click the button below to learn a little more about our Hispanic/Latinx Taft and Comm Arts colleagues .

Please take some time to congratulate our students.

Delylah Almanza

Bryson Catland

Isaac Cisnero

Joshua Do

Matthew Martinez

Brian Wood

Xiaohan Zhong

Marcus Bustamante

Isaac Cisnero

Cayden Crockett

Hannah Flores

Marco Garcia

Max Gonzalez

Noah Herrera

Julianna Lagos

Matthew Martinez

Grant Romero

Victoria Sanchez Fuentes

Elias Valdez

Charles West

Ivanna Zamaguey

Jaden Hairston

Mya Robinson

Charles West

Taft is now a Purple Star Campus!

This designation is awarded to schools that support the unique needs of military-connected students and their families.

Please ask your students to complete the needs assessment during Raider Time by September 24th.

Raider Time is a great time for you to complete the needs assessment as well 😀

As the mental health experts on our campus, one of our goals is to bring mental health awareness to the forefront from a multicultural counseling perspective this year. The video below is beneficial because it discuses the mental health stigmas many Latinx individuals face, including our students which make up 67% of our student body.

Many of our students are dealing with trauma, consequently it may be difficult for them to focus on your curriculum. Take a moment to be curious rather than reactive when a student acts out or withdraws. Talk with the student one on one to show them that you care and are concerned about their behavior. Begin to build rapport with the student. It's not always easy and it won't happen overnight but your persistence will benefit the student.

If a student makes a suicidal out cry please follow the protocol below. We have to take it seriously every single time, even if the student says they were just playing around.

1. It's best to walk the student to the counseling office but sometimes it is not possible.
2. If you cannot walk the student to the counseling office, please call the counselor assigned to the student or call our counseling secretary. DO NOT SEND AN EMAIL. DO NOT SEND A CHAT.
3. An administrator or counselor will come to your classroom if you are unable to walk the student to the counseling office.
4. Once the student is with a counselor, they will assess the student using a suicidal ideation screener. The student's responses will determine our next steps.