Hello Monarch families!

My name is Sandra Truax and I am your school counselor here at Lisa J. Mails Elementary School. I am very excited to be a part of the Monarch family! I have been a school counselor for the past 5 years and I love working with students, families, and school staff. I am a calm, warm, empathetic, and passionate school counselor whose number one goal is to serve students in academic, career, and social/emotional development.

I am a bilingual (Spanish) school counselor who served in the United States Marine Corps for seven years. While on active duty in the Marine Corps, I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Child & Adolescent Development at California State University, Fullerton. After completing my service in the Marine Corps, I pursued my dream of becoming a school counselor. I attended California State University, Long Beach for my Master’s in School Counseling and PPS Credential. I have a deep passion for student advocacy and student success. As your school counselor, I strongly believe in working harmoniously with students, parents, teachers, and staff to achieve student success. My counseling philosophy is that all students are capable of success. By providing students with the appropriate resources and support, all students are capable of defining and creating their success. I believe in giving students a safe and welcoming environment to help them grow and learn.

Throughout my academic and professional career, I have learned and applied my knowledge of the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) Model. I know the impact of collecting, organizing, and analyzing data in order to determine which services are needed for all students to create a safe school environment and to address and remove academic, personal, and social barriers to learning. I want to make sure our students are ready for the next steps when they are promoted to Middle School. The time starts as soon as our students begin TK. We want to build a strong foundation for our students to have the best opportunity for success. As your school counselor, I will be here to support you along the way.