WISD Guidance & Counseling
January 2025
Parent Newsletter
Welcome to the Willis ISD Guidance & Counseling Parent Newsletter!
We are committed to supporting the well-being of our students and their families. This newsletter will provide valuable information, resources, and tips to help you navigate mental health and wellness topics. Our goal is to create a supportive community where everyone feels empowered to prioritize mental health.
Thank you for being a crucial part of our community. Together, we can grow healthy minds and happy hearts in all our students.
Warm regards,
Kelly Locke
Director of Guidance & Counseling
Willis ISD
Previous Newsletters -
🎉 National Thank You Month! 🌟
Start the new year with gratitude! National Thank You Month is the perfect time to reflect on the people who make your life brighter and let them know how much you appreciate them. Whether it's a heartfelt note, a simple "thank you," or a meaningful gesture, taking the time to express your thanks can strengthen connections and spread positivity.
Join us in celebrating kindness and gratitude this month. Take a moment to thank a friend, family member, colleague, or even yourself for all the good things you do. Let's make gratitude a habit that lasts all year long! 🙏💌✨
Gratitude is a powerful tool for boosting mental health. Here's how:
1. Reduces Stress and Anxiety
Gratitude shifts focus from negative thoughts to positive aspects of life, reducing the impact of stress and anxiety. By acknowledging what you’re thankful for, you train your brain to see more positives in your day.
2. Enhances Mood
Gratitude increases dopamine and serotonin levels—the brain's "feel-good" chemicals. This can lead to a greater sense of happiness and contentment.
3. Strengthens Resilience
When you practice gratitude, you cultivate a mindset that can better cope with life's challenges. It helps you see difficulties as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks.
4. Improves Relationships
Expressing gratitude strengthens social bonds and builds trust. Feeling connected and supported reduces loneliness and fosters a sense of belonging.
5. Promotes Better Sleep
Gratitude calms the mind, helping you sleep more peacefully. Journaling or reflecting on what you're thankful for before bed can ease restlessness.
6. Encourages Self-Compassion
Being grateful for your own achievements and strengths can reduce self-criticism and improve your overall sense of self-worth.
Incorporating small, daily acts of gratitude—like writing in a journal, saying thank you, or appreciating simple joys—can have lasting positive effects on your mental health.
🌟National Mentoring Month! 🌟
This month, we celebrate the transformative power of mentorship. Mentors inspire, guide, and empower others to achieve their full potential—whether in education, career, or life. It’s a time to honor those who’ve shaped our paths and reflect on how we can give back by mentoring the next generation.
Are you ready to make a difference? Our RISE mentor program is always looking for new mentors.
What is RISE?
RISE Mentoring is a collaborative effort between community volunteers and district educators to positively influence student's lives. Adult mentors spend time weekly with a student to build caring relationships, inspire personal growth, and provide stability to their lives.
Who can be a mentor?
A mentor is a trustworthy, committed adult who cares about students' educational and personal development, and wants to invest time and wisdom in the future of our youth. A mentor is someone with a smiling, friendly face and a compassionate, caring heart. Mentors serve as a steady, consistent role model for students from sixth through twelfth grade. Mentors provide a reliable presence to encourage, coach and give new perspective to the problems and challenges our students face.
What does it entail?
Mentors and students are paired by gender and meet for lunch at school every other week. The meetings are scheduled at the mentor's convenience. The mentor brings a quick and easy lunch for the student, typically from a fast-food establishment. Mentors retain their paired student for as many years as they are available to continue mentoring, which helps build a strong relationship for the student.
To learn more about becoming a mentor, please email lelmore@willisisd.org.
#ThankYourMentor #MentorshipMatters
Healthy New Year’s Resolutions for Children:
1. Read More Books:
This year, try something fun: explore new worlds through books! Make a list of books you and your child would like to read together and set a goal, like finishing one or two books each month. Whether your child loves fairy tales, exciting adventures, or books that teach cool things, reading helps them learn new words and use their imagination. Let’s make this year full of fun stories and amazing ideas! 📚✨
2. Limit Screen Time:
Find Fun Beyond Screens! We all love using phones, tablets, and computers, but it’s important to spend time doing other fun things too! This year, as a family work to use screens less and explore other activities. Your children can play outside, read a cool book, or start a creative hobby like drawing or building something. Set a time limit for screens each day to make this goal easier. Finding balance will help make your days even more fun! 🌳📚🎨
3. Get Enough Sleep:
Make bedtime a priority for better energy and focus. Sleep is important for children's physical and mental development in many ways, including: Brain development: Sleep helps children's brains develop by releasing hormones that support growth, repair, and storing information. Immune system: Sleep helps children's immune systems by producing cytokines, which are proteins that help fight infections and illnesses. Cognitive abilities: Sleep helps children develop cognitive abilities like memory, attention, and processing. Emotional well-being: Sleep helps children manage negative thoughts and conditions like anxiety and depression. Physical growth: Sleep helps children grow taller and develop stronger bones and muscles. Learning: Sleep helps children retain information they've learned during the day.
4. Practice Kindness:
The world can feel busy sometimes, but being kind never goes out of style. This year, make a promise to practice kindness every day! Talk to your children about how important it is to care about others, show compassion, and try to understand how others feel. Challenge your family to do random acts of kindness, like helping a friend, saying thank you, or helping someone who needs it. Little acts of kindness can make a big difference! 💕😊
4. Learn a New Skill:
Encourage your child to try playing a musical instrument, learn a new language, or get really good at a sport they love. Help your child pick something that excites them, and then break it into small steps to make it easier. Each step they complete will bring you closer to their goal. Learning something new can be exciting and fun! 🎸🏀🌍
5. Make Healthy Eating Fun!
Eating healthy can be exciting and yummy! This year, help your children try more fruits and veggies—they come in so many colors and flavors. Make it a family project! Go grocery shopping together and help pick out new foods to try. You can also help in the kitchen and make fun recipes with healthy ingredients. Eating healthy keeps your body strong and makes you feel great! 🥦🍎🍇
6. Get Moving and Stay Active!
Staying active is great for your body and your mind! This year, make a goal to help your children get regular exercise. They can join a sports team, ride their bike, or take family walks. Find fun ways to move that they enjoy, and it will be easier to make it a habit. Being active keeps you strong, healthy, and feeling good for years to come! 🚴⚽🏃♀️
7. Set and Achieve Academic Goals:
Empower your children to take charge of their education by setting and achieving academic goals. This resolution could involve improving grades in a specific subject, completing homework on time, or participating more actively in class. Celebrate their achievements along the way to boost their confidence and motivation. Reach out to your child's teacher for goal setting ideas! 📚🌍
8. Build Strong Friendships:
Friendships play a vital role in a child’s social and emotional development. Encourage the resolution to build strong and positive friendships. Teach them the value of kindness, honesty, and being a good friend. Help them understand the importance of communication and resolving conflicts in a constructive way. 🤗💕
adapted from healthparkpedatrics.com
Love reading articles? Here are some insightful ones just for you!
My phone sometimes makes me anxious': Study investigates associations between problematic smartphone usage and anxiety, sleep, and depression
A study published in BMJ Mental Health found that problematic smartphone usage (PSU) is linked to anxiety, depression, and insomnia among UK adolescents aged 13-16. The study included 69 students from two secondary schools and used semi-structured questionnaires to assess their mobile usage, sleep, and mood.
Click HERE to read the article.
‘Smart vapes’ featuring video games could lure youths to nicotine addiction, UC Riverside experts say
Click HERE to read the article.
Study explores why teens self-diagnose mental health conditions through TikTok content
Click HERE to read the article.
Adolescents addicted to short-form videos tend to have more sleep problems and social anxiety
...BUT BE THANKFUL
WE HAVE AMAZING RESOURCES TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!!
by Jonathan Haidt
by Tessa Stuckey, MA
by Dr. Jean M. Twenge
Wildkat University Tech Awareness Parent Presentations
Click on the icons below to see our content.
Make Screen Time Safe and Positive
Use these planners to inspire conversations about tech use as a family.
Entertainment and tech have the potential to spark meaningful conversations. And tech planners are a great way for kids to have a shared understanding of how your family makes the most out of entertainment and tech time.
Care Solace
Willis ISD proudly offers a free mental health connection service to all our students, staff and families. Reach out to your child's school counselor for more information.
Books Worth Reading
by Jonathan Haidt
by Dr. Michelle Borba
by Dr. Jean M. Twenge
Worth a Listen
Parenting Courses & Advice
ParentGuidance.org
Free Resources
- ParentGuidance.org helps parents find answers to help guide their child.
50+ On-demand Courses
- Led by licensed therapists and clinicians who provide trusted and specialised courses. Discover the power you have to shape your child's well-being.
Ask A Therapist
- Find 30+ mental health questions submitted by parents, answered by licensed therapists.