December Counselor's Corner

Happy December Roadrunner Families!

I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break with friends and family. This is my favorite month of the whole year. I would like to share with you an award the May counseling department just received and a professional accomplishment I just achieved.

I have been wanting the May Counseling program to earn the CREST award.

I applied for it through the Texas School Counseling Association and our school was awarded the CREST for 2025. CREST stands for Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas. "It is an award program that recognizes schools with outstanding counseling programs that align with the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling. The award helps schools evaluate and promote their counseling services, demonstrating their commitment to student success, well-being, and academic and career achievement." It truly is an honor to earn this award!

For many years now it has been a goal and dream of mine to be an LPC, Licensed Professional Counselor. In Texas you have to take the NCE, the National Counselor Examination. Over the Thanksgiving break I took the exam and I passed. In order for me to become fully licensed in the state of Texas I will need to complete 3,000 hours under a board certified supervisor. I will begin working on on my hours in the new year. I am so thankful to have passed the NCE it is a big accomplishment in the counseling world. I will soon be an LPC-Associate. This is going to be a wonderful experience because it is going to allow me to learn more and grow as a professional.

I wish you all a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to continuing to work with the staff, students, parents and the community of Monroe May Elementary.

~Ms. Julianne Juarez

“The 2025 theme, “Children First,” is rooted in the powerful Maasai greeting, Casserian Engeri, which translates to “And how are the children?” This traditional salutation reflects the Maasai’s deep commitment to ensuring that their children are well, recognizing that the well-being of children reflects the health and future of the entire society.” The need to belong is a basic need of all students and an integral component of effective inclusive schools. To be inclusive implies a fundamental commitment to building relationships among students, families, educators, and the community to support safe and positive learning environments.”

In celebration of this week we will be dressing up each day from December 1st-5th. see below.

Middle School Transition is getting started. I am working with all 5th graders and parents/guardians to inform them of the process. This will be done starting in November and continue through January. Your child will be taking home a middle school registration card so you and your 5th grader can choose courses and electives. Your child will then return the registration course card and in a guidance lesson I will help them enter the information into their HAC account.

If you have any questions regarding middle school transitions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

What does it mean to have a growth mindset? Growth mindset can be defined as believing that people’s basic qualities and abilities can be improved and increased through dedication and hard work. This belief indicates that brains and talent are just part of the picture of success. Someone with a growth mindset believes if they work hard, they can attain what they want to, even if their natural talents are not the same as someone else’s.

A person with a growth mindset also believes intelligence and basic abilities can change over time with the right effort. These are not fixed entities, but they can grow. In education, this mindset encourages students to value the effort they put into their education and the skills they gain rather than focusing only on the output or success.

A growth mindset for students involves four key components. These are:

1. Embracing Challenges

Someone with a growth mindset isn’t afraid of challenges. Instead, they view them as an opportunity and with hard work they can grow their skills and abilities.

2. Working Through Obstacles

This embrace of challenges allows someone with a growth mindset to push through obstacles or setbacks. In a school setting, students are empowered to keep working even when they don’t fully grasp a concept or understand the task at first.

3. Valuing Effort

A student with a growth mindset sees the value in the effort as well as the outcome. The skills gained when trying are just as important as achieving a particular goal.

4. Learning From Criticism and Finding Inspiration in Others’ Success

Finally, a growth mindset teaches someone to embrace and learn from criticism. When someone else is successful, a person with a growth mindset does not view others’ successes as negative things but rather as a place to find inspiration.

Sited Resource

Do you have a concern about your child and you would like for Ms. Juarez to meet with them to help? Or perhaps you need some assistance with other needs such as food, clothing, school supplies, or another concern? Your school counselor is here for you. Please call or email Ms. Juarez so that she can find a way to best support you and your student(s).