Hillcrest Middle School Counseling Office

04/03/2023

Hearts Connected is offering a Webinar for parents and guardians of children who have recently experienced the death of a family member or close friend.

They will discuss what to expect from children when they are grieving, what children understand about death at different developmental stages, and offer guidance on ways to help them process their feelings of grief.

There are a few different options for dates/times for the webinar, so check it out! :
https://www.heartsconnected.org/so/64ORi0oLb/c?w=IDgykXKCPjNui1oBrlp40Idr6BaMOHcZG7bMwlMSmHw.eyJ1IjoiaHR0cHM6Ly91czA2d2ViLnpvb20udXMvd2ViaW5hci9yZWdpc3Rlci9XTl9CTG9oNk9qYlNuVzdPNVMwSnRNck1nIiwiciI6ImM4YzlhOTI4LTJhYTktNGI2ZS04MjA2LWNkZGY1N2QxOTgxZiIsIm0iOiJtYWlsIiwiYyI6IjAyZTNiYjA3LWJkOWMtNGU4Yi05ZWViLTczNWM0YzM2ZjEwZCJ9

12/01/2022

A Youth Mental Health First Aid Training/Learning Opportunity from SCOE!

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) teaches caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. This course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders.

Thursday| January 19| 8:30AM - 4:00PM

Thursday| March 9 | 8:30AM - 4:00PM

A $10 participation fee is required, with remaining training costs sponsored by SCOE Behavioral Health.

Interested? Register at scoe.org/classes

Questions? Contact: Rebekah Pope | rpope@scoe.org or Arissa Hieter | ahieter@scoe.org

11/02/2022

Scholarships aren't just for high school students! Here are a few for your middle school student to check out and apply to now.

09/07/2022

Attention! $$ for college:)

State Superintendent Tony Thurmond is partnering with California State Treasurer Fiona Ma's Office to promote Calkids Program, a college savings account for California kids. Students can receive between $500 and $1500 based on eligibility.
Visit http://calkids.org or call 888-445-2377 for more information about the program.

06/02/2022

Hear me out on this one-- many of your kids are actually NERVOUS about summer. I know... it sounds weird, but as much as many of them are looking forward to a break, summer also comes with a lot of anticipation and uncertainty.

Whether they're heading off to high school next year or just heading into a new year of middle school, the subtext of summer is that change is coming.

Throughout the year they've put their hearts into building routines & finding support systems at school; the fast approach of summer, while exciting, also comes with the knowledge that everything they've built:

1. won't be available to them every day
2. may look very differently when they start school in the fall

So, how can we help? Acknowledge that it's okay to not be as excited about summer as we 'should be,' and gameplan with them on how to help them feel ready for the upcoming year. Anticipation is often as much nervousness as it is excitement.

If you can, giving them a voice in what things they feel are important to make happen over summer. Establish some consistent routines, so they know what to expect from their days.

And, if you know they've been a counseling office regular, you might make sure that they still have spaces they feel safe to rant and process the toughness & uncomfortableness of being a pre-teen (or teen) human. Whether that's through planned friend time, trusted relatives, or even an outside counselor.

Your children are spectacular. I am once again so so happy to be here during the school year to help them do their best to 'soar hawks soar.' And so, I'm wishing you all you lovely people, an equally lovely summer! 💙💛

05/13/2022

On Monday, May 16th and Tuesday May 17th, Hillcrest is having visitors from the National Alliance on Mental Illness!

During Science classes, students will be hearing from NAMI representatives and learning all about: what mental health is, common mental illnesses, coping skills that keep our minds healthy, and how we can reach out for help when we are having a difficult time!

7th and 8th graders in Mr. Blanco’s Science classes can expect to receive the presentation on Monday, May 16th.

6th graders in Ms. Helton’s Science classes and 8th graders in Ms. Sporrer’s Science class can expect to receive the presentation on Tuesday, May 17th.

05/12/2022

Free Grief Support Resource for kids 7 to 17!

04/15/2022

On April 28th at 6:30 PM SCOE has arranged for a totally FREE showing of the documentary ANGST at the Rialto Theatre in Sebastopol!! They will also have a Q&A panel moderated by the film's producer, Karin Gornick after the film.

Angst is an iNDIEFLIX Original documentary designed to raise awareness around anxiety. Angst removes the stigma and opens up the conversation around anxiety, helping people understand and manage their symptoms, and when to reach out for help. Most importantly, it shows people that they are not alone, and that anxiety is 100% treatable.

This film is appropriate for students age 10 and older, and parents of any aged children. :)

Interested in going? Register at bit.ly/AngstScreen.

03/31/2022

PFLAG is an awesome resource for family members of students who are LGBTQ+. Not only do they support our kids, but they have resources and groups specifically tailored to supporting parents (and even grandparents) in understanding and supporting their LGBTQ+ kids!

In honor of Trans Day of Visibility, I wanted to share one of their resources: "Our Trans Loved Ones," which answers and explains many common questions that come up for guardians around those who are transgender or identify as non-binary.

Check it out!
English:https://pflag.org/sites/default/files/Our%20Trans%20Loved%20Ones.pdf

Español:https://pflag.org/sites/default/files/OTLO_Spanish_FINAL2.pdf

Is this something you're wanting support with? Email their Santa Rosa Chapter! pflag.santarosa@gmail.com

03/18/2022

Some cool trainings happening during Spring Break, open to 7th graders and older through Chop's teen club!

03/07/2022

Self-check! How do you speak to yourself? A big part of helping kiddos learn to be gentle with themselves is through them being able to see us doing it for ourselves.

Are you treating yourself with the kindness you want to see your kids treating themselves with?

02/11/2022