HTMS Counselors
Danielle Henderson
Heather Barron
Arkansas Crisis Center
Crisis Hotline Info
Any student who is experiencing thoughts of hurting himself or herself should come to the office and ask to speak with Mrs. Henderson (grade 6) or Mrs. Barron (grade 7). If a student or parent is concerned about another student at HTMS, please do the same. After school hours, students or parents should contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or the Arkansas Crisis Hotline at 1-888-274-7472 for immediate assistance.
Please read the Warning Signs of Suicide for more information and guidance for suicide prevention. Also, two great resources on suicide prevention are www.jasonfoundation.com and www.arcrisis.org.
https://www.bethe1to.com/ Be the one to help save a life! This website is a great resource and guide for helping someone who is thinking about suicide.
Apps to help you cope with anxiety
Apps can help children and teens manage when they are feeling anxious. Some apps can also help you get through an anxious moment using relaxation techniques. And there are still other apps that can help by distracting you. Here is a list of apps you can download and use:
Smiling Mind (Free) Practice mindfulness and relaxation with the Australians! Customized to all age groups.
Mindfulness for Children (Free version and Pro Version $4.99/One Time Fee) The free version has five guided meditations for children. They give more detailed information about each of their meditations and instructions on how to do mindfulness.
Relax Melodies (Free version and paid Pro Version available) Not specifically targeted for children, but can be used by people of all ages. There’s a huge variety of sounds you can play, but there are also guided meditations. There are a lot more options in the pro version. Calm (Lite version or $4.99/month for the year)
Calm is a popular app among adults for mindfulness and meditation. Did you know there’s a section called Calm Kids? You can get access to it with a subscription. If you use the app for free, there’s also a daily calm series inspired by the characters in Winnie the Pooh.
Mindful Minutes by Oops Yay ($1.99) Super cute and child friendly. This app has relaxing music and no ads. There are four different little minutes you can do—with a fish, a balloon, a star, and a gem. Children hold down the image as it goes up through relaxing scenery. This is super calming even for adults.
Headspace (Free limited access version, but you can upgrade for the full experience for $7.92/month for a year, or $12.99/monthly) A popular one for adults, this also has a section just for children. It’s divided by age (under 5, elementary children, and pre-teens) and covers topics like calm, focus, kindness, sleep, and wake up. There’s an introduction video to help you get started.
Stop, Breathe, and Think: Meditations (Free, Premium version available starting at $4.99) This is another app that is for adults, but also has a family section with three guided meditations for families to use together.
Recolor: Coloring Book for Kids (Free) A coloring app that’s very easy to use. Just pick a picture and a color palette. Touch the color you want and tap the area of the picture you want to color in. You can zoom in on details. What a neat way to distract children!
Tanzen Free (Free) Relaxing tangram puzzles. They have all the pieces out for you; all you have to do is arrange them.
Blox (Free) This is a beautifully minimalist 3D physics game. Relax and enjoy the peaceful waves and calm sounds as you swipe away blocks from an endless tower. Be sure to keep the diamond on top while you move out the blocks below.
Mekorama (Free) You lead a cute little robot through puzzles with no timers or buzzers. It’s adorable!
Breath of Light: Relaxing Puzzler ($1.99) It’s gorgeous and the background music is quite relaxing.
Monument Valley ($3.99) It’s a puzzle game where you are changing the environment to get from a starting point to the end. The music is so soothing.
Audible ($14.95/month after free 30 day trial) Listening to books can be a great way to distract children and have them focus on something else other than their anxiety. This app is connected to Amazon, and it’s a way you can listen to audiobooks. There are a ton of books available. It can be used across devices, so you are always in the right place in a book.
2022-2023 Scheduling Information
Incoming 6th Graders:
All sixth graders have an English/Math block (3 periods altogether, 70 minutes each) and one period of Science and Social Studies. Most 6th graders take one year of PE and the 6th grade wheel: 9 weeks of Health, Keyboarding, Art, and Music. Selected 6th graders can take a year of EAST or Choir; selection is by teacher recommendation. Some students will be selected to receive extra help in Reading or Math and will be scheduled into Reading Intervention or Math Lab. See Ms. Henderson if you have questions or email her at dhenderson@sdale.org.
Incoming 7th Graders:
All 7th grades will have English, Math, W. Geography/Ark. History, and Science. All 7th grade students must have a semester of Keycode and at least one semester of PE. Other electives are Choir, Band, Athletics, EAST, and Yearbook. Students must try out for Choir, Band, and Athletics to be scheduled into those classes. Students must apply for Yearbook and EAST (if not in EAST in 6th grade). See Ms. Barron if you have questions or email her at hbarron@sdale.org.
Report bullying or an unsafe situation here: If You See Something, Say Something
Stand up against bullying!
Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Barron talk with students about bullying and what to do if a student sees it happening during their time in the classroom. Keeping all students safe at school, on the bus, or walking to/from the bus is very important to all of us at HTMS, so please talk to the counselors or any of the principals if you or anyone you know is experiencing bullying. A good resource is the Springdale School District's District Bullying Policy.
Tips for if you are bullied:
Tell yourself it's not your fault. No one deserves to be bullied.
Stay in control. Don't retaliate by fighting or bullying back.
Tell the person or people who are bullying to stop.
Avoid places or situations where bullying happens. If you can't, be with a friend or where there is an adult nearby.
Talk to a trusted adult: your parents, a teacher, a principal, a counselor, any adult at school.
TIPS for if you see bullying occurring:
Don't take part in the bullying. Don't laugh. Don't watch. Don't encourage. Don't spread rumors.
Offer support to the person being bullied. Talk to them, offer help, and keep the person company.
Take action against bullying. Distract the person/people who is/are bullying. Walk away with the person being bullied. Tell the person/people who is/are bullying to stop. Talk to a trusted adult about it.
CYBERBULLYING:
Read Cyberbullying Tips for great information and advice on what to do if you are or someone you know is being cyberbullied.
I Am A Witness website. Download the I Am A Witness emoji to use when you see bullying online.
SMACtalk is a great student resource for social media awareness and internet safety.
Great cyberbullying information for parents:
Another great resource for parents about cyberbullying:
SMACtalk from the Arkansas Department of Education.
Career Websites
Arkansas Reality Check: Figure out the annual salary amount you will need to live! This is a great website that links annual salary with careers that match in that salary range. A real eye-opener!
www.tasseltime.com (username is "success" and password "22/23"): Great website to plan for college and plan and search for scholarships. Lots of great links to schools all over the nation. Lots of information for parents.
www.careerzone.ny.gov: Great website for all sorts of information about careers, especially in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields.
www.careerinfonet.org: Nice search engine for careers.
www.discover.arkansas.gov: Arkansas-specific career information and statistics. Online copy of Career Watch magazine.