Lieck Elementary Counselor Corner

Lieck Families,

Happy New Year! We hope your winter break was filled with moments that brought you peace and joy, and that you are feeling refreshed as we begin the new year. The Lieck Counseling Department is excited to welcome you back to campus and kick off 2026 with renewed energy and a fresh mindset!

We can’t believe we are already halfway through the school year. What better way to begin a new year and a new semester than by taking time to self-reflect and set meaningful goals for the months ahead? This month, our focus is on goal-setting, coping skills, and No Name-Calling Week.

The goal of No Name-Calling Week is to empower students and educators to create safer, more inclusive school communities rooted in kindness and respect.

Warmly,
Mrs. Gonzales-Hernandez & Ms. Moore
Your Counselors

During the month of January, our guidance lessons will focus on goal setting, coping skills, and No Name-Calling Week. As we begin a new year, students will be encouraged to reflect on their goals, practice healthy ways to manage emotions, and learn strategies to support themselves and others.

Through goal-setting activities, students will learn how to set realistic goals, stay motivated, and celebrate progress. Our lessons on coping skills will help students identify emotions and practice tools such as calming strategies, positive self-talk, and problem-solving to handle challenges both in and out of the classroom.

In addition, we will be recognizing No Name-Calling Week, an important initiative that promotes kindness, respect, and inclusion. The goal of No Name-Calling Week is to empower students and educators to create safer, more inclusive school communities by addressing bullying, name-calling, and hurtful behavior. Students will participate in age-appropriate discussions and activities that emphasize empathy, standing up for others, and using respectful language.

Together, these lessons support our commitment to helping all students feel safe, valued, and ready to learn.

Parent and 5th Grade Student Middle School Information

Information about Middle School can be found in this newsletter. We will continue to update it as we receive details from Bernal Middle School, Luna Middle School, and the Magnet middle schools.

One of NISD core beliefs is that all students will be learners who are ready to tackle the 21st Century by building on eight different attributes. Here at Lieck we will support, guide, and build on these characteristics through our class meetings and guidance lessons. Every month we will spotlight one of the NISD Learner Profiles. Students will explore each profile and we will post a learner profile with dinner table talk conversation starters for our Lieck families to explore at home. Table Talk is a great way for families to connect and strengthen relationships with each other.

For the month of January we will be focusing on the NISD Learner Profile, Innovator. An innovator is someone who has new ideas and makes them happen, like an inventor, trailblazer, or modernizer who creates better ways of doing things. They think differently, solve problems, and turn imagination into reality.

Raising an Innovator: Tips for Parents

Young children are natural innovators! They are curious, creative, and eager to explore the world around them. Families can help nurture these skills by encouraging curiosity, creativity, and a positive attitude toward learning.

Ways to Support Innovation at Home:

Encourage Unstructured Play
Free play helps children use their imagination and build problem-solving skills. Try limiting screen time and offering open-ended materials like blocks, LEGOs, art supplies, cardboard boxes, or puzzles. Let your child lead the play!

Support Your Child’s Interests
Pay attention to what excites your child and encourage them to explore those interests. Whether it’s drawing, building, dancing, or science experiments, passions help children build confidence and learn perseverance.

Teach Problem-Solving Through Play
Give children opportunities to solve problems on their own. Activities like building towers, creating simple inventions, putting on a play, or completing challenges help children learn that it’s okay to try, make mistakes, and try again.

Help Children Find Purpose
Encourage kindness and helping others. Simple acts—like helping a neighbor, cleaning up a park, or making cards for others—teach children that their ideas and actions can make a positive difference.

By providing time, space, and encouragement, families can help children grow into confident, creative thinkers who enjoy learning and problem-solving.

Family Discussion Prompts

Encouraging Curiosity

• What is something new you learned today?

• What questions do you have about something you saw or heard?

• If you could learn more about anything, what would it be?

Building Problem-Solving Skills

• What was something tricky you tried today? How did you work through it?

• What could you try differently next time?

• What do you do when something doesn’t work the first time?

Supporting Creativity

• What did you create today?

• If you could build or invent something, what would it be?

• How could we use things at home to make something new?

Encouraging Perseverance

• What is something you are proud of trying, even if it was hard?

• How did it feel when you kept going instead of giving up?

• Who helped you today, or who did you help?

Building Purpose and Kindness

• How did you show kindness today?

• Who could we help as a family this week?

• How can your ideas make our school or community better?

-adapted from Google AI

No Name-Calling Week is typically observed nationwide during the third week of January to educate students, teachers, and the public on the harms of name-calling. People have been called unpleasant names for their weight, height, intelligence, ethnicity, values, traditions, and other things they have little or no control over. While some consider name-calling harmless fun, victims of such names generally feel insecure, ashamed, and bullied, to extent that it affects their confidence, makes them feel unwanted or excluded, and can lead to social, emotional and mental distress.

The TSCA CREST Award (Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas), sponsored by the Texas School Counselor Association, honors school counseling programs that excel in supporting students’ academic, career, and social-emotional growth. Programs are recognized for their design, implementation, and measurable impact using the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs.

Students may join our Military Kids Club at anytime during the school year..

Here are some websites you might find helpful. They include resources for discipline, student safety, school success, kid's health, and other materials you might find useful. Please call or email anytime you or your child need help.