Counselor Connection
April
State Testing
TESTING SCHEDULE
3rd Grade
March 29 & 30 - Language Arts
April 19 & 20 - Math
4th Grade
March 29 & 30 - English Language Arts
April 19 & 20 - Math
5th Grade
March 31 - English Language Arts
April 21 - Math
April 26 - Science
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month!
If you’re like many parents, you may know it’s important to talk with your child about sexual abuse but aren’t sure what to say or when to say it. Our How-to guide makes it easy to approach these vital safety conversations so you can empower your child to report and refuse sexual abuse.
NEW - 988 Suicide and Crisis Helpline
The mental health crisis among children and teens: How parents can help
Mental health is just as important as physical health. First and foremost, we must understand that. If a child has a fever or a persistent cough, parents react — they pay attention and reach out for help. But if a child seems sad or irritable, or less interested in activities they used to enjoy, they tend to think of it as a phase, or teen angst, or something else that can be ignored. The mental health of our children is crucial. Not only does mental health affect physical health, but untreated mental health problems interfere with learning, socialization, self-esteem, and other important aspects of child development that can have lifelong repercussions. And for some children, untreated mental health problems lead to suicide.
So pay attention, and take what you see seriously. If your child is showing signs of anxiety or depression, call your doctor. Don’t put it off. If your child talks about harming themself or others, get help immediately, such as by going to your local emergency room. In this situation, it’s better to overreact than underreact.
Create rituals of communication and safe spaces to talk it’s easy to lose connection with our children, especially our teens. Whether it’s family dinner, family game night, talking on the ride to school, or a nightly check-in before bed, having regular times to ask open-ended questions and to listen to your children is important.
Make sure your child has downtime
We all need this, and children particularly need it. Be sure they aren’t overscheduled; make sure that there is time for them to do things they enjoy.
Encourage healthy media habits
One of the things kids enjoy these days is being on their devices, which can be fun and connect them to friends, but can also contribute to problems with mental health. Talk to your child about how they use media. Common Sense Media has a wealth of useful information.
Make sure your child is getting enough sleep — and some exercise
Both are very important for mental health as well as physical health. Here are tips to help your child get the sleep they need. And even short bursts of exercise can lessen anxiety.
Keep in touch with teachers, coaches, and other adults in your child’s life.
Not only may they have information about your child that you need, but they can also play an important supportive role. Open lines of communication with them can make a difference — and help to create community, which we all need, especially now.
Try to make your home a judgement-free safe haven
This doesn’t mean you can’t and shouldn’t have expectations about behavior or grades. But you can have expectations without judgment; you can and should let your child know that you love them no matter what, that they can say what they feel, and that you will always help them. Do your best to listen more than you talk; be empathetic and forgiving. To be genuine about that, you will need to be empathetic and forgiving toward everyone, including yourself.
Pay attention to your own mental health
Children pay more attention to what parents do than what they say. If you are clearly struggling with anxiety or depression, and aren’t doing anything about it, that sends the wrong message to your children. It also makes it hard to be a good parent. If we take care of each other and ourselves, we can weather this storm.
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. For more information, The Mental Health Crisis Among Children and Teens.
The Teen Brain: 7 Things You Need to Know
NMHM has one of the largest neuroanatomical collections of its kind in the world and shares the wonders of the brain through educational programs and exhibits. Click on the link below to learn 7 things about the teenage brain.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
National Institutes of Health
NIH Publication No. 20-MH-8078
Conventional Wisdom vs. Brain Science
We often rely on conventional wisdom and societal norms to guide us. Even though our gut instinct is probably telling us something different… something that probably makes more sense. Take this bit of conventional wisdom for instance: Children should be seen and not heard.
Can you imagine parking your kid in the living room like a floor lamp and not interacting with them? Or expecting them to be happy as human ornaments in whatever situation on a regular basis? There are many brain myths and bites of conventional wisdom that we need to remind ourselves about — for the good of our children and for our own good! So we’ve created this week’s Guide to do just that.
Kimball Camp YMCA
Catcher's Corner
Catcher has been busy supporting our students at school and in their extracurricular activities. He takes pride in supporting students' social and emotional needs and to providing a positive outlet to students each and every day.
You can find updates and photos of Catcher on his Facebook Page@ bcs-Catcher
Bear Bags
Mental Health America
Our mental health is in constant flux and ebbs and flows on a daily basis. Many things can impact this including our physical health. The connection between our physical body and our mental health is important and may be something worth exploring when thinking about staying mentally healthy. Learn more about whole health and what you can do to improve your overall wellness by visiting Mental Health America.
For additional information on Mental Health America:
STOP!T APP
STOPit provides students with an easy app to safely and anonymously report anything of concern to school officials. STOPit empowers students to stand up for themselves and others while giving our school the insight we need to keep students safe. Students can report bullying/cyberbully, inappropriate student/teacher relationship, violence threat, hazing, weapons possession, drugs/alcohol, and substance abuse.
The BE Code to enter for the STOPit App is: BES004002
National Online Safety
The internet has transformed the ability to access content. Many apps that children use are dependent on user-generated content which can encourage freedom of expression, imagination and creativity. However, due to the sheer volume uploaded every day, it can be difficult for platforms to regulate and moderate everything, which means that disturbing or distressing images, videos or audio clips can slip through the net. That’s why we’ve created this guide to provide parents and carers with some useful tips on keeping children safe online. Visit the National Online Safety website for an additional resources on how to keep your children safe.
Community Resources
Many families may have concerns that extend beyond the educational needs of their children. If you need help finding resources in our community such as food, financial assistance, health care, and mental health services, please let us help you.
Williams County Resource Guide
Williams County Health Department
Northwest Ohio Community Action Coalition
JFS Financial AssistanceMental Health Resources
Williams County Resource Guide
Williams County Referral Resource Guide
Ohio Mental Health Resource Guide
National Alliance on Mental Illness
National Council for Behavioral Health
Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction
Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation
Four County Suicide Prevention Coalition
Suicide Prevention Life Line: 800-273-8255
Crisis Line: 1-800-468-4357
Substance Abuse Prevention Resources
Ohio COVID-19 Resources
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a new set of online tools to help teens, kids, and parents deal with the mental and emotional impacts of COVID-19. Videos and comic strip-style illustrated stories — in both English and Spanish — guide kids and parents through classic cognitive behavioral therapy techniques and skills that can help them cope and develop healthy ways of dealing with stressful situations.
Important Contact Information:
Behavioral health related questions: covid19BH@mha.ohio.gov
COVID-19-related OTP questions: OTP_COVID19@mha.ohio.gov
Housing questions: COVID19Housing@mha.ohio.gov
Telehealth questions: COVID19BHTelehealth@mha.ohio.gov
COVID Careline 1-800-720-9616.