Whole Child Newsletter
June 2021
4 Teacher Self-Care Tips to Recharge Over Summer Break
1. Take Care of Yourself — Your Students Need the Best You
2. Don’t Assign Yourself Extra Homework
3. Build Joy Into Your Schedule
4. Go Ahead & Get Excited
June 2021 Whole Child Collaborative Presentation
If You Want to Be Happy, Try to Make Someone Else Happy
In the experiment, college students reported on their happiness and on their sense of autonomy, competence, and connection to others—all what researchers consider “basic psychological needs” for well-being. Then they were randomly tasked to do something to either make themselves happier, make another person happier, or socialize. (Assigning one group to socialize helped determine if seeking happiness for another had an effect above and beyond simply being in someone’s presence.)
Later that day, after doing their tasks, participants reported what they did, and then filled out their happiness and needs questionnaires again. Those who’d done something to make another person feel better were much happier themselves than participants in the other groups, and their greater happiness was tied to a stronger feeling of connection to that person.
The researchers found that a recipient’s happiness level did not seem to be related to the increased happiness of the person trying to make them happy, which suggests something beyond emotion contagion is going on. However, if the participant perceived that their efforts made a difference in another’s happiness, that made them happier.
Where are young people learning about sex education?
A Mental Health Focus at the Barbershop
The curriculum focuses on four pillars:
- Active listening: not over-talking, not problem-solving, just listening
- Validation: empathizing to empower
- Positive communication: no insults, no belittling, and no communication about being weak
- Reduce stigma: getting help does not mean your weak, you supported by all of us barbers, and The Confess Project is here to support you
Learn more about The Confess Project Here
Building Healthy Communities: Step Up to School Wellness Program is now accepting applications for 2021-22!
Michigan K-12 schools are invited to apply for Building Healthy Communities, a public-private initiative designed to address mental health and well-being and prevent childhood obesity through school-based wellness programming along with raising attention to issues that have emerged due to the pandemic. Building Healthy Communities (BHC) is an evidence-based, comprehensive, school-wide initiative that supports children’s health by providing students, teachers and administrators with tools and resources to improve the health of students and staff while creating a healthier school environment.
This past year, BHC programs were offered in virtual, hybrid and face-to-face formats to accommodate the way schools facilitated learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 340 schools have participated in the program impacting over 158,000 students in Michigan.
There are three programs available through Building Healthy Communities to help meet the needs of Michigan schools for the 2021-2022 school year. Check them out at this LINK. Step Up is the THIRD bullet point in the article. The first two bullets are different programs.
Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness is flexible to meet the diverse needs of school buildings across the state. This program provides a menu of nutrition, physical activity and well-being resources that schools can choose from to make their school environment healthier and create a culture of wellness. New resources for the 2021-2022 program include School Food Pantry equipment for refrigeration to increase access to perishable, healthy food, TRAILS social and emotional learning curriculum and support which utilizes research-driven techniques grounded in cognitive behavioral theory and mindful practices.
“Studies have clearly shown that students who have healthier nutrition and more physical activity perform better in the classroom,” said Kim A. Eagle, MD, co-founder of Project Healthy Schools, Albion Walter Hewlett Professor of Internal Medicine Director, Frankel Cardiovascular Center. “They are establishing behaviors now that may last their lifetime. We want to help these children to be the most successful they can be, and we, at the University of Michigan, are committed to providing education and environmental change that is diverse and inclusive. We are grateful for our partnership with Building Healthy Communities as this collaboration makes it possible to offer a richer experience for our youth than any one of us could do alone.”
Participating schools will be provided with training, equipment, materials and other resources to implement and sustain environmental change, student activities and knowledge and skills-building that encourage healthy eating and physical activity and address mental health and well-being.
Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness – Applications will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Sept. 30, 2021. Interested schools can register to join an informational webinar on Sept. 3, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. at https://buildinghealthycommunities.arewehealthy.com/.
Schools benefit from the extra resources and funds to use for Wellness related activities, PLUS the work done here can be a driving force with your School Improvement Process (MICIP). We will also be discussing this program at the Whole Child Collaborative on June 2.
Michigan Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention Summit III
The School Based Mental Health Providers Coalition, which is made up of members from the Michigan Association of School Psychologists (MASP), Michigan Association of School Social Workers (MASSW), and Michigan School Counselor Association (MSCA), has come together with multiple individuals and organizations across Michigan to help impact the lives of many school-age children in Michigan who may be contemplating suicide. With support from Representative Luke Meerman and Senator Curtis Hertel, virtual summits and workgroups have been organized for the purpose of developing a framework for a recommended comprehensive school suicide prevention and intervention program. This framework could then be used to drive future suicide prevention/intervention legislation.
Youth Suicide Prevention Summit III slide deck:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1InxQRO7cCJzC-9kFR4gyN-isRWvVc1YX/view?usp=sharing
Youth Suicide Prevention Summit III Meeting Recording:
Contact the Whole Child Team!
Janelle Buchler: Whole Child Consultant (janelle.buchler@jcisd.org)
Eric Swihart: Whole Child Coordinator (eric.swihart@jcisd.org)
Caitlin Williams: Attendance and Homeless Program Coordinator (caitlin.williams@jcisd.org)
Rebecca Hurst: Behavior Health Project Coordinator (rebecca.hurst@jcisd.org)
Kelsea Jabkiewicz: Data Integration and Medicaid Cost Recovery Coordinator (kelsea.jabkiewicz@jcisd.org)
Angela Maddox: Whole Child Secretary (angela.maddox@jcisd.org)