Dear High Mount Parents and Guardians,

The adolescent years can be filled with continuous highs and lows of emotions which present themselves differently in each child. These moments can be both rewarding and challenging for our students, their parents and guardians, and educators. It can be easy to misread mental health issues as typical adolescent turmoil. Depression and anxiety (among the most common of mental illnesses) appears to be occurring at earlier ages, and can significantly decrease your student's ability to problem solve and maintain healthy relationships, which may lead to self-injury, further withdrawal, and/or substance abuse.

The holiday season, while joyful for many, may cause feelings of loneliness or sadness for others. Consider taking the time to discuss the importance of mental health with your student(s), and if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us during the school day. It can be difficult to have these tough conversations, but they are important.

If you are concerned in any way about your student and their possible risk for depression, anxiety, or self-injury, we encourage you to speak with your child, and follow up with a mental health professional for a complete evaluation. Additionally, starting in the New Year, we will have a Chestnut Health Systems therapist available for in-person counseling services. For more information about Chestnut’s counseling services or any questions/concerns about your student’s mental health, please contact the student services team. Mrs. Schmidt (School Psychologist) can be reached at kschmidt@highmountschool.net or 618-233-1054 ext. 505. Ms. Lange (School Social Worker) can be reached at jlange@highmountschool.net or 618-233-1054 ext. 108.

If you are looking for additional resources to help your student www.safe2helpil.com and https://studentmentalhealthtoolkit.com/parent-resources provide videos, conversation starters, and ways to seek additional help for mental illness. There is also a crisis text line that is available 24/7 for support and can be reached by texting HOME to 741741.

Please relay to your students that their feelings are valid and important, and let them know that is okay to not be okay, and that they can reach out for help.

We hope you all have a safe and happy winter break, and we look forward to the return of our students on Tuesday, January 3rd!