Shawnee Trail Counselor Website

Shawnee Trail Elementary School Counselor

My name is Cyndi Way and I am Shawnee Trail Elementary's School Counselor and Testing Coordinator. I have had the privilege of being in education for fifteen years.  I taught first and second grades before becoming a school counselor. As the counselor at Shawnee Trail, I have a variety of roles throughout the school.  Below is an overview of some of the primary roles.  I do have other responsibilities and to view those, go to the counselor responsibilities Page on my site for more detail. 

One role of the counselor is teaching Classroom Guidance.  Classroom guidance takes place when I go to the classroom K-5 and teach lessons that develop the skills children need to help get along with others as well as make tough decisions confronting them daily.  Guidance lesson topics planned based on the school counseling developmental guidance program.  Each lesson is approximately 30 minutes and is introduced through a book, playing a game, activities, and or group discussion.  My plan is to visit each grade level once a month except for TAKS training months. 

Another roll is facilitating SMALL GROUP guidance.  Students are referred by teachers and parents based on need for group support.  Groups may be focused on self-esteem, social skills, grief, divorce, and anger management just to name a few.  Small groups are from September-October.  New groups will start at the end of January and go through March.  I will send out a letter in September and again in January to classroom teachers regarding group information and referrals.

Students are referred to me for individual guidance if they are having emotional or social challenges that are effecting their education.  The role of the school counselor is to help that student cope with the current situation, so they will be able to be successful in the classroom. FISD, school counselors do not work with students one-on-one in a therapy/clinical role. Sometimes working with an individual student can take a couple of sessions, but I will notify the parents when I see a student more than one time and will obtain permission.  If you would like more indepth counseling or therapy, FISD has a list of counselors/therapist that you may request from me.  When you make the request, I will send you a form to sign.  Once I have received the signed form, then I will send the list.  FISD or Shawnee Trail does not endorse or recommend any counselor(s) and we are not authorized to make such recommendations.

I am also responsible for all standardized and state testing.  What this means is that I organize, coordinate, train, collect, and finally distribute the results from the testing that will be done at a variety of grade levels. (See Testing Page for specific dates)

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