Hello St. Elmo Community,
My name is Kristel Sans and I am the school counselor at St. Elmo Elementary School. I graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2010 and Lamar University in 2016. I am thrilled to make St. Elmo Elementary my second home. When you meet me, you will soon know that I love the beach since my roots come from the tropics of Guatemala and Belize. During my downtime, I enjoy reading, painting, writing, learning, and spending quality time with my dog, Lilu and my partner, Lee who is a rockstar bass player in Austin and plays with many well-known bands.
I enjoy biking, stand up paddle boarding (SUP), swimming, yoga, gardening and so many other activities that involve moving my body. In addition, I am active in volunteering with organizations that stand up for animal welfare and the ocean. One of those organizations include Sea Shepherd Conservation Society where I did some work in Honduras building a sea turtle sanctuary. Sea Shepherd is a non-profit marine conservation organization. Additionally, I take pleasure in traveling all around the world. One of my favorite places that I have traveled to is Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, Costa Rica, Cuba, Germany, Austria, and Czech Republic but my absolute favorite is Tulum, Mexico.
Come check out the Brain Wave Space that I have built here at St. Elmo ES. The Brain Wave is a grant funded project geared to focus on the neurosequential model of education. This way of counseling taps into the zones of regulation through regulating your child, relating with your child, and reasoning with your child when they are dysregulated in school. Your child enters the Brain Wave space which is a brave space to learn about themselves on a deeper level so they can become better learners, and the goal is for these little people to become well rounded adults--- mentally, physically and emotionally. As a Trust Base Relational Intervention (TBRI) practitioner, you will see play is a huge part in what we do in the Brain Wave Space. However, like in all counseling, we also work on academics as well as college/career and social emotional regulation.
Before I came into the counseling world, I was a 4th grade teacher at Klein ISD in Houston. Reading and writing are something that I hold in high regard for kids because it is a gateway to a successful life. So aside from play, we are also reading and studying math facts. My goal for all St. Elmo kids are for them to know about themselves and how to regulate through play and be advocates for what they need, but to also be reading & writing on grade level before they enter Middle School. As a former middle school counselor in AISD, I noticed that reading is just as important as all academics as it is how they study other subjects. Knowing about themselves and having mastered the skill of reading are all great tools to have in students' tool bag so students can become well-rounded individuals and are geared towards a successful path in life.
Please reach out to me if you need anything! I am here to help your child be successful in elementary and beyond!
Take care,
Kristel Sans, M.Ed
School Counselor
(512) 414- 4477 Extension 74342
