Student Mental Health and Addictions Newsletter - December 2021
The ABCs of Mental Health: A focus upon Bridge & Connection
In this Newsletter, we continue our focus on the ABCs of Mental Health framework with a closer look at B-Bridge and C-Connect both at school and at home.
Student Mental Health and Addictions Newsletter - September 2021 - The ABCs of Mental Health
Welcome back to our outstanding students, staff, families, and community members. We are thrilled to have you back and excited to share the first Mental Health Newsletter of the school year with you. Our September Newsletter will focus on sharing how the YRDSB is centering on Mental Health, emotional connections, and Well-being through the ABCs of Mental Health Framework & Lesson Series.
June 2021: Hope for the Future: Beyond Academic Loss
For students, June usually marks a period of celebration and closure. It is when proms, graduations, capstone projects, final performances, and independent studies are completed. Each of these events serves as a rite of passage, the conclusion of one period before commencing the next year.
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is May 3-7, 2021
Each year in Ontario, the first week in May is acknowledged as Children's Mental Health Awareness Week CMHAW. While there are many definitions of Mental Health, The First Nations Mental Wellness Continuum Framework provides an insightful and holistic understanding of mental health and wellness, described as “a balance of the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.
April 2021 - Social Connection and the Power of a Listening Ear
A year later, we continue to experience uncertainty with lockdowns and social distancing; we long for social interaction with peers, friends, and families beyond our immediate social circles. This month's newsletter will focus on the importance of maintaining and expanding our social connections by offering a listening ear while following Public Health guidelines.
March 2021 - Returning to In-Person Learning and Adaptive Models
Students have returned to schools after the second lock-down. Extra precautions have been taken with this return following the guidelines from Public Health, particularly around the use of additional PPE, minimized gatherings outdoors and indoors. Families might have some uncertain feelings and thoughts around sending children back to school. The focus of this month’s newsletter will be on identifying lingering anxieties, developing calming strategies one might use to mitigate them, and the importance of sharing with peers to maintain social connections and mental health.
January 2021 - Returning to Virtual Learning after the Winter Break
As a result of a provincially mandated lockdown due to rising COVID -19 cases across the province, we end the Winter Break with a return to virtual learning. Although this will present a challenge for some and disappointment for others, our focus will be on how to keep one another physically healthy and maintain social connections and mental health while distance learning. This month’s edition of our Mental Health newsletter will focus on some suggestions of ways to stay socially connected during this continued time of physical distancing.
June 2020 - Apart But Not Alone
This summer may definitely yield activities and socializing with friends and loved ones in a very different way than in other years. With the COVID-19 pandemic still upon us, and physical distancing measures still in place, we must find ways to maintain our positive mental health and remain socially connected over the summer months in unique and creative ways.
May 2020 - Children's Mental Health Awareness Week
Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week is May 4-8, 2020