Frequently Asked Questions
What is Communities In Schools?
CIS is a non-profit organization that serves 60 schools in Central Texas. The mission of CIS is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We offer a variety of different programs to help our students succeed and these services differ among the different CIS campuses. At Bertha Sadler Means, CIS provides individual counseling, support groups, individual mentoring, and groups facilitated by outside providers.
What does CIS do?
CIS serves the students in many different ways, we assess each student recommended to decide how CIS can benefit them the most. On the YWLA campus, most students are met with one-on-one to talk about how their day is going and about anything that might be bothering them. Other students participate in support groups. The topics of groups include: self empowerment, domestic violence, healthy relationships, safe social media usage, self-expression, and peer mediation. For the first time at YWLA, we have a group that is focused on helping 8th grade students applying to magnet high schools.
How often will my child go to CIS?
We meet with each student once a week. We try our best to only schedule meetings during elective classes, advisory, and lunch. Some students are served multiple ways in CIS, and may come to CIS more than once a week.
Isn't it better for my child to be in class?
We believe that class time is very important for students' learning and development. We also believe that when a student receives support with mental, social and emotional barriers, they will be able to focus and learn better in class. We work alongside teachers to create a service plan that will help the student most, and teachers reserve the right to keep the student in the class if needed.
Can you tell me what you talk about with my child?
CIS believes that confidentiality in conversations with students is very important in establishing trust and openness. Each student participating in CIS signs a confidentiality agreement with their assigned CIS staff person. The exceptions to this policy are disclosures involving a danger to themselves or others. If we are worried about the safety of your child we will speak with you about our concerns. Additionally, we attempt to call parents several times each year to check in and offer support to you and your family.
Do students enjoy CIS?
They do! Here are some things that our students are saying:
"I like having someone to talk to whenever I'm mad." A. L., 6th grader
"I like playing games and having a mentor." - E.J., 7th grader
"I like having somewhere to go to cool down." - J.H., 6th grader
How do I sign my student up for CIS?
If you would like your child to be apart of CIS, they can come to room 702 (the CIS room) and pick up a parental consent form. Once you have signed the form and your child has brought it back, they will meet with our staff and be matched with one of our services. If our program is full, they will be on a wait-list until a spot becomes available.
My family and I need some information about resources in the community. Can you help us?
Absolutely! There are lots of community resources located under the "Community Resources: tab at the top. If you cannot find what you are looking for or need some additional information, please call the CIS office (512)-841-5802 and we will be glad to help.
CIS is a non-profit organization that serves 60 schools in Central Texas. The mission of CIS is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We offer a variety of different programs to help our students succeed and these services differ among the different CIS campuses. At Bertha Sadler Means, CIS provides individual counseling, support groups, individual mentoring, and groups facilitated by outside providers.
What does CIS do?
CIS serves the students in many different ways, we assess each student recommended to decide how CIS can benefit them the most. On the YWLA campus, most students are met with one-on-one to talk about how their day is going and about anything that might be bothering them. Other students participate in support groups. The topics of groups include: self empowerment, domestic violence, healthy relationships, safe social media usage, self-expression, and peer mediation. For the first time at YWLA, we have a group that is focused on helping 8th grade students applying to magnet high schools.
How often will my child go to CIS?
We meet with each student once a week. We try our best to only schedule meetings during elective classes, advisory, and lunch. Some students are served multiple ways in CIS, and may come to CIS more than once a week.
Isn't it better for my child to be in class?
We believe that class time is very important for students' learning and development. We also believe that when a student receives support with mental, social and emotional barriers, they will be able to focus and learn better in class. We work alongside teachers to create a service plan that will help the student most, and teachers reserve the right to keep the student in the class if needed.
Can you tell me what you talk about with my child?
CIS believes that confidentiality in conversations with students is very important in establishing trust and openness. Each student participating in CIS signs a confidentiality agreement with their assigned CIS staff person. The exceptions to this policy are disclosures involving a danger to themselves or others. If we are worried about the safety of your child we will speak with you about our concerns. Additionally, we attempt to call parents several times each year to check in and offer support to you and your family.
Do students enjoy CIS?
They do! Here are some things that our students are saying:
"I like having someone to talk to whenever I'm mad." A. L., 6th grader
"I like playing games and having a mentor." - E.J., 7th grader
"I like having somewhere to go to cool down." - J.H., 6th grader
How do I sign my student up for CIS?
If you would like your child to be apart of CIS, they can come to room 702 (the CIS room) and pick up a parental consent form. Once you have signed the form and your child has brought it back, they will meet with our staff and be matched with one of our services. If our program is full, they will be on a wait-list until a spot becomes available.
My family and I need some information about resources in the community. Can you help us?
Absolutely! There are lots of community resources located under the "Community Resources: tab at the top. If you cannot find what you are looking for or need some additional information, please call the CIS office (512)-841-5802 and we will be glad to help.