We have been thinking about all of you this week, and we hope you and your families are all doing well. We are continuing to focus on making the end to your school year a positive and memorable one. Remember, we are here for you. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you!

We encourage each of you to continue to work hard in your Remote Learning and remind you to not hesitate to reach out to your teachers if you need help completing assignments or if you need more help with the content. Make sure you login and access your teachers' Google Classrooms regularly, so you don't miss any assignments or important information.

Be sure to check out our newsletter each week with updated information.

Would your Student Benefit from CIS?

CIS is still taking applications for this year. The goal of CIS is to work with students to decrease the barriers they face so they can focus on class work and be able to learn each day. So what does that mean? Some of the things that CIS focuses on are:

• Counseling services and emotional support
• Tutoring and Homework assistance
• Career awareness and college prep
• Dropout prevention
• A place to feel support, receive assistance, and work on life’s dreams
• School supplies, clothing needs, and other referrals as needed

How does this work at Byron Steel High School?

Students are referred by: teachers, counselors, administration, bus drivers, friends, parents, self-referrals… basically anyone who thinks CIS can help the student so he/she can become successful and achieve goals.

A consent form is required, and it must be signed by the parent/guardian for on-going service needs (students who are 18 can sign their own consent). In addition, with everything being online right now, a second form is required for CIS to be able to hold online sessions with students. Both of those forms can be found by clicking on these links: CIS Consent Form, Consent for TeleHealth Sessions

These documents can be downloaded written on and sent back to dstanford@scuc.txed.net. You can send a clear photo of it for it to be valid, if that works best for you. For more information, contact Dan Stanford: dstanford@scuc.txed.net

Seniors, Class of 2020

Please send us your Senior Spotlight! (See above example)

Get creative and submit your Google Slide to: aedwards@scuc.txed.net

It must be received BY THIS FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2020 to be approved and included.

We hope ALL of you will send us a slide because we can't wait to see your final decisions!

Graduation Items:

• Balfour will be mailing invitations home to students who ordered them.
• May 20th is cap and gown pick up at Steele from Balfour. We will put out more information on the schedule as we get closer to that date.
• Please go online and order your Cap and Gown if you haven't already done so. Go to: Cap and Gown Ordering
• Graduation cords will be handed out during graduation rehearsal. (More information to come)

* Also, DO NOT FORGET to send your counselor (via email) ANY scholarships that you may have received, so that they may be included in the graduation program. Even if you are not going to that school or not accepting that scholarship, we still want to recognize it being awarded to you. This year's class is up to $2 million in scholarships so far. Keep them coming!

How Are You Doing?

We would love for you to join us in posting on our weekly blog. This week we want to continue to celebrate the Class of 2020. Just click on the "+" sign at the bottom right on the board below and a message box will appear for you to add your post. We would love to hear from all of you!

Mrs. Pope, our College, Career and Military Advisor, has been working hard to continue to provide you with information to support you in your next steps after high school. She has a lot of information for you on her webpage, which can be found by clicking here: Mrs. Pope's page

Also, check out these helpful links from her:

What does a College Advisor do? - Alamo Colleges Checklist - Resume Do's and Dont's

Need to request a transcript?

Choose one of these links: Current Student Transcript, Former Student Transcript

If you need to request a "Final Transcript", a form and/or online request will be available later in May.

All Students:

• Coaches and sponsors will be picking up items starting May 4^th (they should be contacting you to give you time and place)
• A schedule will be put out later for cleaning out your regular school lockers.

*** If you are returning to Steele next year please go on to ITCCS and fill out the registration forms!!! ***

We Continue to Celebrate Our Military Students

5 Things You Need to Know About Military Families

By Danielle DeSimone

They’re your neighbors, your teachers, your coworkers, your friends. They’re people you see and talk to every day and yet somehow, there is still a civilian-military drift – a natural disconnect and lack of understanding between those who have served in the military or their military families, and those whom they defend, who may have never served or may not know or be related to anyone who has.

That drift can be a challenge for many military families when interacting with civilian friends and family members. Want to know what life is really like for today’s service members, husbands, wives and children? Here are five things you need to know about military families.

1. They’re Like You

Surprise! Military families are not that different from civilian families. It’s easy to believe military family stereotypes about strict households, high unemployment or even a lack of identity beyond the military, but many of these assumptions are false.

Military families are made up of caring, fun-loving and dedicated husbands, wives, children and pets that are not that different from civilian families – they just work around a career that creates a different lifestyle. At the core of what matters when building a family, military families are just like their neighbors. Also, not all military spouses are women.

2. Deployments are Difficult

It might seem like military spouses have their lives together and are handling deployment like champions and the truth is, yes, they probably are. However, deployments are also incredibly challenging for service members, their spouses and their children. Just because the deployment of a service member is “normal” for military families doesn’t make it any easier.

For military spouses, deployments mean 6-18 months away from their husband or wife, who can sometimes be in an unknown or unsafe location. For military children, deployments mean months without a parent or authority figure around. For the entire military family, it means adjusting to a new normal of single-parenting, missed baby deliveries, countdown calendars and an empty chair at the dinner table. When the service member finally returns, even that can take some adjustment and time to get settled in again.

Deployment is a tough time for both the service member and their family, which is why having a helping hand or even just a patient, listening ear from military and civilian friends can make all the difference for military spouses and their children during that time of separation.

3. They’re Always the New Kid

An inevitable part of military life is moving often. Most military families move every 2 to 3 years, and some even more frequently. For a military child, it’s possible to have moved 10 times by the time they’re 12, and to change schools 6 to 9 times between kindergarten and high school graduation – it’s just what happens in the military. Although the military community (and the USO) has programs in place to support military families when they move, it can still be disorienting and challenging to move that often, both for the military spouse who’s making sure all the boxes are packed, and for the military kids who have to say goodbye to close friends.

Being a part of a military family means always starting over and being the new kids on the block. Military families understand that mailing addresses are never permanent, and they must be ready to move anywhere in the world. Although challenging, moving so often also means that military spouses and military kids live all over the country and the world. They are adaptable to new situations and often skilled at making new friends.

4. LinkedIn for Beginners

Moving so often can make it difficult for military spouses to stay on a consistent career path. Not only do most spouses have to switch jobs every 2 to 3 years, which gives little room for professional growth or establishment in a company, some companies shy away from hiring military spouses because they know that they will eventually be leaving.

A career on the road is not for everyone, so this leaves many spouses with limited employment options. However, an increasing number of companies have now built business models specifically around hiring military spouses to support the military community, and the USO has developed its own USO Military Spouse Networking Program.

Through USO Military Spouse Networking events, the USO welcomes up to 50 military spouses and local hiring employers, community leaders and organizations that are interested in hiring or supporting military spouses. Spouses go home from these events with customized business cards, a prepared professional elevator pitch, and many new connections in the surrounding community.

The USO also offers programs such as USO Pathfinder, where service members and their spouses receive advice and support when transitioning out of the military and into civilian life.

5. Balancing Act

Being a part of a military family is always a balancing act. Sometimes, “the job” must come first, and other times family is the top priority. But at the end of the day, when a service member joins the military, their family joins with them. Service members, military spouses and military kids all understand that this life comes with unique challenges and scary moments but working together as a family means that the service member can fulfill the oath they made to defend their country and its people.

Editor’s Note: Danielle DeSimone is the USO’s marketing content specialist and grew up in a U.S. Navy household as a military child.

The above article was copied from USO.org, and can be found at this link: Five Things You Need to Know

In addition, we have created a brief video in tribute to our Military students at Steele. If you would like to view it please click here: Military Student Tribute

Previous guidance lessons:

- Coping with Anxiety - The Power of Giving Back - Staying Healthy - Coping and Resilience

Our Staff would like to interact with you:

Mrs. Cervantes will be reading a book to anyone who wants to join her on video. If you would like to connect and listen, join her at the following link: "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 1, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 2, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 3, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 4, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 5, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 6, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 7, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 8, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 9, "One of Us Is Lying, Ch. 10", "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 11, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 12, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 13, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 14, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 15, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 16, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 17, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 18, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 19, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 20, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 21, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 22, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 23, "One of Us Is Lying", Ch. 24

Mrs. Williams is starting an "after school" book club through Zoom. She will be using books that are available through our online library! To join her, follow the instructions below:

• How to Get to the Book We are Reading: Go to : http://jlg.ipublishcentral.com/ choose: High School
• Username: JLGHI Password: JLGFREE

STAY CONNECTED. Counselors ARE STILL AVAILABLE for any student to discuss anything, although this may look a little different during this time of "Social Distancing". Below we have provided you with ways to connect with us while the school buildings are closed. Please see the information about how to best contact us, as well as contact information for crisis situations. Parents are also welcome and invited to contact us with any concerns regarding your child.

Contact Info for Counselors (Weekdays, 9-12 and 1-4)

If you need to reach your counselor during this time for basic questions and/or concerns, please complete the following Counselor Request form, and we will contact you: Counselor Request Form

If your need is more pressing, please contact us by email or at the temporary phone numbers shown below:

Student Last Names

• A-Dec Counselor: Charlene Darden phone: 210-802-5381 email: cdarden@scuc.txed.net
• Ded-Hou Counselor: Michelle Garcia phone: 210-617-3446 email: mrgarcia@scuc.txed.net
• Hov-Maj Counsleor: Rubina Sanchez phone: 210-802-5394 email: rsanchez@scuc.txed.net
• Mak-Roc Counselor: Lisa Ranallo phone: 210-802-5558 email: lranallo@scuc.txed.net
• Rod-Z Counselor: Valerie Davis phone: 210-802-5419 email: vdavis@scuc.txed.net
• Testing Coordinator: Alicia Edwards phone: 210-802-7188 email: aedwards@scuc.txed.net
• College/Career/Military: Charlandra Pope phone: 210-802-6808 email: cpope@scuc.txed.net
• Military Connected: Ronnie Williamson email: rwilliamson@scuc.txed.net
• CIS Counselor: Dan Stanford email: dstanford@scuc.txed.net

Follow us on Twitter @SteeleCounselors and our Counselors’ Corner online at: https://www.scuc.txed.net/domain/4068

Contact Info for District Social Worker:

To reach our district social worker during this time regarding McKinney Vento (homelessness), Foster Care Status, Pregnancy Related Services, or Migrant Program questions, you can contact her by phone or email as shown below:

• District Social Worker: Raquel Rodriguez phone: 210-802-6732 email: rrodriguez@scuc.txed.net

E-Learning and Online Resources

Unlimited eBooks Steele HS Library Passwords to Online Databases

Digital Science Resources Sync Audiobooks, 2 Free books a week

Mental Health Resources

The current situation of our world may be creating some emotional stress that our students are struggling to process. Below are links to some resources that you may find beneficial during this time.

Crisis Resources