Paly Wellness Updates
A Glimpse into Wellness at Palo Alto High School
Our First Newsletter of 2017!
We are excited to start our wellness newsletter! This newsletter will share new wellness programs we introduce at Paly, as well as highlight a few upcoming events. It's great to be a Viking and we are excited for what we can accomplish during the 2017-2018 school year.
Sources of Strength Activity
Sources of strength hosted a "trusted adult on campus" activity last month. Students not only got to identify who their trusted adult is on campus but got to send them thank you notes identifying why they are a source of strength.
Kognito Training through Advisory
The Paly and Gunn wellness centers started to roll out Kognito training for all district high school students. This training gives students skills around motivational listening, helps students identify a trusted adult, and aims to reduce stigma around mental health issues.
Pet Therapy on Wednesdays!
We are fortunate to kick off another year of Pet Therapy! Every Wednesday, during lunch, we will have volunteers on campus with their therapy dogs. It's always a popular event that our students LOVE!
October is Unity Month!
This year marks the fifth anniversary of PAUSD’s district-wide participation in Unity Day. While this event has typically been associated primarily with Bullying Prevention, it’s broader goal is to accomplish that by promoting kindness, acceptance and inclusion. While the official Unity Day is held nationwide during Paly's spirit week, we will be hosting our event on October 30th.
Welcome Elizabeth to a new role on the Wellness Team!
Elizabeth is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with several years of experience providing and coordinating school based mental health services. She was a part of the Paly Wellness team during the 2016-2017 school year, serving in the role of ACS Site Coordinator/Lead Therapist. Elizabeth's goals for this year include: increasing access to Wellness services for all students, reaching students through outreach efforts, and de-stigmatizing mental health.
Welcome to our new Wellness Outreach Worker, Angelina!
We are happy to welcome Angelina Bena Michael to the wellness team this year. Angelina is a Paly grad, has her Master's in Public Health, and has been working in developing and implementing public health interventions for 10 years. She is excited to bring evidence based programs and interventions to Paly and her favorite part about working on the wellness team so far has been getting to know so many Paly students!
Wellness Tea Drive!
As the weather starts to get cooler, we realize that we have a greater number of students coming in for tea and water. Especially as cold season gets closer, many of our Paly students take advantage of this wellness service. The wellness center will be holding a tea drive during the week of November 13th-17th! Thank you in advance!
Parent Tip! 50 Ways to Take a Break
As we start the second half of the semester, we are mindful that student stress may be on the rise. Research shows that taking breaks throughout the day increases productivity and reduces stress. There are many different ways to take a break, and each student may have a different method that works for them. This worksheet is an easy way to give your student some ideas and tips. Please click on the photo to view a larger image.