I hope your family had an enjoyable and relaxing summer!

My name is April Ferris and I am the Guidance Counselor at Elolf STEAM Academy. I have been a school counselor for the past 23 years, and have enjoyed working in education for the last 27 years. This will be my 3rd year working at our amazing school. I am looking forward to a wonderful year with Elolf STEAM Academy and I am here to support both the emotional and academic needs of your child. I am available daily to help students, parents, and teachers. I provide different services to support students throughout the school year, such as classroom guidance lessons, small group counseling, individual counseling, and support to students, parents, and teachers as needed.

I visit with students twice monthly to teach lessons on social emotional learning (SEL) skills and implement a school-wide guidance program. I also provide short-term individual and small group counseling services as needed.

I am available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. unless I am teaching a Guidance Lesson, with a student, or attending a training.

I look forward to meeting you and your student. If you would like to meet with me individually, please feel free to call or email me at aferris@judsonisd.org to schedule an appointment. In the event I am not available, please leave a message with a convenient time for me to return your call.

Kimochies

Kimochies is one of the curriculums I use in guidance lessons. There are free family activities available to use with children of different developmental stages. Parents can access the site and follow the family activity that can be done weekly or daily as needed. The best part is our elementary students are familiar with the Kimochies so they can help their parents. https://www.kimochisway.com/educators/ecc/

Second Step

The link below gives families, educators, and students access to one of the programs I use in my counseling classes. There are great scenarios and music videos to assist students in learning how to manage emotions, problem solve, acquire empathy, and self-confidence. There are additional resources and links with information for families, educators, and students. https://www.secondstep.org/covid19support