Counseling Newsletter

We hope you had a wonderful holiday break! We are excited to see you again and hope you are having a wonderful & fresh start to the new year!

The theme for the month of January is to be an honest and dependable classmate. Honesty can come in all forms, including academic honesty.

Examples of academic honesty include:

1. Doing your own work

2. Writing using your own words, rather than copying from someone else

3. Not cheating on tests

Examples of academic dishonesty include:

1. Copying from another student on homework or a test

2. Turning in or presenting copied work without giving credit

3. Asking another student for answers

4. Taking a test for another student

It is important to show academic honesty because:

1. Cheating gives an inflated perception of your abilities (If you cheat, you’re just fooling yourself and others into thinking you’re better than you are).

2. Being honest establishes trust with others; cheating affects your reputation and the ability for others to trust you

3. We learn and grow more as thinkers when we do our own work

4. Doing hard and honest work builds valuable skills and character

The Great Kindness Challenge is one week devoted to performing as many acts of kindness as possible on campus. We challenge all students to do as many challenge items as possible! Together we can make school a kinder and better place! 😀

January is the perfect time to reset and get organized! This can look like tidying up your space and building good habits.

2. Write everything down: homework assignments, test dates, essay topics

3. Don't multi-task: Focus on one assignment at a time, and only turn your attention to the next task when you've completed the first.

4. Use tools to stay organized

• Folder: Keep all papers for a class in one central location. Use a different folder for each course to find items more easily.
• Notebook: Get a notebook for each class to keep all relevant information together.
• Planner: Write down schedule and assignments as you're given them.

5. Use a planner

• Write in permanent dates/deadlines
• Write down assignments as soon as you get them
• Make a routine to check your planner every day when you get home
• You can color code your planner so you can visually see what you need to get done (example: all projects written in red)

6. Break down larger tasks into smaller tasks: By breaking down assignments into easily manageable parts, you can work on parts of the assignment each day and not feel overwhelmed.

Our students have spoken! They have identified the following careers they would like to learn more about:

• Entertainment/sports careers: professional athlete, coach
• Professional/financial service careers: attorney, judge, chief financial officer, certified public accountant
• Health services careers: doctor, nurse, veterinarian, physical therapist, ultrasound technician
• Hospitality careers: professional chef, restaurant owner/manager, hotel manager
• Professional arts and design careers: musician, photographer, author, journalist, graphic designer, fashion designer, actor/actress
• Science and Engineering careers: biologist, archaeologist,
• Business careers: real-estate agent, marketing, entrepreneur/business owner,
• Service industry careers: mechanic, electrician, police officer, firefighter
• Architecture and engineering careers: architect, civil engineer, electrical engineer
• Education careers
• Computer and information technology careers: computer programmer/scientist, video game programmer

We plan on hosting speakers throughout the rest of the school year. If you or someone you know would be interested in speaking about one of the above careers, please complete the Google Form linked below.

January 11: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 6

6th Grade: A Closer Look: Effects of Alcohol Use

7th Grade: Addiction Notice: Understanding Addiction

8th Grade: Server Not Responding: Affects of Alcohol Use

January 18: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 7

6th Grade: A Dead End: Effects of Nicotine Use

7th Grade: A Toxic Waste: Effects of Nicotine Use

8th Grade: The Social Hacker: Effects of Nicotine Use

January 23: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 8

6th Grade: Keep Off the Grass: Effects of THC and Marijuana Use

7th Grade: Al K. Hol: Effects of Alcohol Use

8th Grade: The Blunt Truth: Effects of THC and Marijuana Use

January 26: Too Good for Drugs - Lesson 9

6th Grade: Calculate the Risk: Safe Use of Rx and OTC Meds

7th Grade: The Real Deal: Effects of THC and Marijuana Use

8th Grade: Not What the Doctor Ordered: Street, Rx, and OTC Drugs

In partnership with CUSD's partner Partners 4 Wellness, all 4-8th grade students will be given the Too Good for Drugs program throughout the 2023-2024 year, from November - February. If you would like to know more about the program, we invite you to review the Too Good website- linked here.

** If you have any questions regarding the curriculum, please feel free to contact us. The theme of each lesson will also be provided one week in advance of the lessons. For more specific information on each lesson, you may view the 'scope and sequence' of the week's lesson on the Too Good for Drugs website.**

• dejmiller@capousd.org

Alexandria Tilley (Last Names Q-Z)

• aktilley@capousd.org

If you would like us to meet with your child, please complete the Counseling Referral Form below. We will meet with your child as soon as possible.