Letter to Parents

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce the Cedar Hill Collegiate Counseling Department, Mrs. Candace Minor-Chism is the Collegiate Academy School Counselor and Ms. SaLillian McDaniel is the Collegiate High School Counselor.  We are so happy to be here and be a part of such a wonderful school and community! Thank you for allowing us to work with your scholar.

Cedar Hill Collegiate is great, but that doesn’t mean that our students won’t face challenges while they are here. We would like your children to know that they have an ally, and that there is always an adult at the school who will be on their side.

As School Counselors, our primary responsibility is to promote the academic, personal, and social development of all scholars.  We look forward to offering support to the scholars, staff, families and community.

Services Provided
As School Counselors, we have the privilege to work with every single student in the school. Our plans are to work with students at the classroom level, small group level, as well as at the short-term individual counseling level. We will also be meeting with parents, collaborating with teachers and staff, and consulting with community organizations to benefit and meet the needs of all Collegiate Scholars.

CLASSROOM GUIDANCE LESSONS: These lessons will be presented in the classroom for scholars in our respective grade levels. We will teach developmentally appropriate, preventative lessons, lessons for College & Career Exploration/Preparation as well as informative lessons that will assist in the academic success of our scholars.

GROUP COUNSELING: Group counseling is provided for small groups of students experiencing similar concerns. These may include making and keeping friends, anger management, coping with separation/divorce and or loss, getting organized/study skills and/or improving self-esteem. The groups generally range from 4 to 6 students and last for 6 to 8 sessions. The students for these groups can be recommended by parents/guardians or by staff members.

INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING: Short term, one-on-one counseling support is available to all students in grades 6-12. Students may self-refer or be referred to the counselors by teachers/staff and/or parents. 

Confidentiality is respected.

CONSULTATIONS: We are available to have meetings with teachers, administrators and/or parents to discuss the needs of individual students. We are here for all students and want to ensure that your scholar has a productive and positive school year. If we can support your child in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact the Collegiate Counseling Department.

Any student can request to meet with their counselor or they can be referred by a teacher, administrator, or parent.  We encourage you to reach out if you have concerns regarding your child.

**Confidentiality**
Please note that all information discussed with a scholar is confidential, unless they are

 planning on hurting themselves, hurting someone else or someone is hurting them.

Please feel free to contact your scholar’s counselor. The best way is via email candace.minor-chism@chisd.net or salillian.mcdaniel@chisd.net.

We are excited to be here and I look forward to getting to know you and your scholars!

Kindest Regards,

Cedar Hill Collegiate Counseling Department