Welcome to the 2021-22 school year!

Last year I had many questions about what the school year would look like! Though not a surprise, what I was reminded is that we are RESILIENT. What we thought was impossible, became our new norm. We can do hard things and do them well!

Many of you already know me, but if not I’d like to take a moment to briefly describe how I am here to serve you. I am very excited to welcome our Student Service Specialist, Carrie Painter, to help us provide additional support for students. We will work closely to meet our student's needs.

Along with other skills a school counselor is a teacher, but my focus is helping students develop social emotional skills, the daily skills required to be successful as we navigate our life - for example, problem solving skills. Identifying and managing our emotions. Working out conflicts. Building confidence. How many times a day do we need to find a solution? I do this in multiple ways including classroom lessons, small group and individual meetings. You will also see me supporting teachers and families by connecting you with supports within school as well as community resources.

I am part of your team! Parents and classroom teachers are instrumental in helping me meet needs by letting me know challenges or concerns. If you see that your child is struggling, please let me know! I will also let you know if I have concerns beyond the normal day to day young adult challenges. My work is short-term solution-focused and if we find a problem requires more than I can provide I will help find collaborative community services. Because of COVID’s effect on jobs, you may find yourself in a situation of financial stress. Please let me know if you have a need in this area now or throughout the year, so I can help connect you with some of our local resources.

I encourage you to take a look at my website https://sites.google.com/tsc.k12.in.us/kheckaman. It is always being updated with multiple resources. If you cannot find what you need, please reach out to me.

I can assure you that we are doing our best to modify the school environment and follow the CDC guidelines, including my work with students. We are all about being safe, but most important making sure everyone is feeling cared for.

I look forward to seeing our kiddos again. I have missed them!

Sincerely,

Kathy Heckaman, MS., LSW., NCC.

Wyandotte School Counselor

765-772-7000 extension # 7007

kheckaman@tsc.k12.in.us