School Counselor and Guidance Teacher
Email
Phone: 262-367-3606 x132

Welcome!

It’s such a weird scary time that we find ourselves in. There is so much uncertainty and so much that we just don’t know right now. If you struggle at all with anxiety, I am sure you have moments where you feel like the news and headlines and opinions are all so suffocating. I know I have felt that way a few times over the past few days. Let’s find positive ways to spin us being home together for possibly weeks on end. One thing is life skills. This is a great time to teach your kids life skills. Another is practing daily gratitude. During these uncertain and stressful times, it’s easy to list all the bad things, but let’s try to list the GOOD and see where that leaves our mindsets! It will leave us in a much better headspace! Also, get outside and move your body (while maintaining 6 ft from your neighbors). Enjoy this time to play and eat as a family. Too often with everyone’s busy schedules, we don’t eat all at the same time AND without technology. Please remember to follow CDC recommendations on social distancing and staying at home.

Parent Resources:

A Focus on Mental Health and Wellness During School Closures

Manage Stress and Anxiety

Taking Care of Your Mental Health in the Face of Uncertainty

Care For Your Coronavirus Anxiety

How to talk to children about their mental health: An age-by-age guide

8 Ideas to Build Resliency at Home

Common Sense Media Resources

Free Online Calming Resources:

Diaphragmatic Breathing for Kids (Elmo belly breathing)

Cosmic Kids

Relaxed Breathing for Kids

GoNoodle - Under “Categories” select “SEL/Mindfulness”

Apps:

Insight Timer – for meditation

www.calm.com for meditation and deep breathing

Headspace – for meditation

Breathe2Relax – for deep breathing

Academic Enrichment Online

Wide Open School

Links

“Parenting During Uncertain Times”

Tuesday, January 12th from 7-9pm LIVE

Love and Logic presenters will provide solutions to current challenges facing families including:

•	Parenting in the age of Covid
•	Helping kids with anxiety, depression, worry and stress
•	Helping kids stay motivated in virtual school
•	Dealing with challenging behaviors
•	Long-term effective parenting strategies
•	Caring for your own mental health...

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Upcoming AODA Events sponsored by Your Choice

January Winter Series

Wedneday, January 13th

Substance Use Disorder and Teens: What do we need to know?

Presenter: Jessica Perillo, MS, QMHP, CADC

Wednesday, January 20th

How to not take a “blind eye” approach in connecting with youth and families regarding substance use disorder

Presenters: Erin Flick LCSW, LCAC and Rebecca Roy, LCSW

Wednesday, January 27th

The Other Side of the Epidemic

Presenters: Ashleigh Nowakowski, MPA, PS, Katie Morrow, MPA, PS and Sandi Lybert, CIP

Wake Up Call Public Tours (Registration Required):

Hartland Fire Department Survive Alive House
150 Lawn Street, Hartland, WI 53029

Social Injustice Resources

Here are some resources for you to use:

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers - NASP

Resources to Support Children’s Emotional Well-Being Amid Anti-Black Racism, Racial Violence, and Trauma - Child Trends

NPR - Talking Race With Young Children - Parenting: Difficult Conversations April 26, 2019

NPR - What To Say To Kids When The News Is Scary – Jan 2020

Message from Children's Hospital

Dear Children's Wisconsin Family –

Kids across Wisconsin are facing a mental and behavioral health crisis. They have high rates of anxiety, depression and suicide, and not enough access to care. But with your help, we can change that!

Thanks to many generous benefactors, Children’s Wisconsin is equipped to face this crisis head-on. We have a five-year plan to detect needs sooner, reduce stigma and improve access to care.

Children’s believes that caring for a child’s mental and behavioral health is just as important as caring for their physical health. And for that to happen, it is critically important that we provide education and resources to help parents and families understand and address this complex topic.

Thanks to many generous benefactors, including Kohl’s, Children’s has launched Shine Through – a multi-year awareness campaign designed to reduce stigma and encourage parents to talk with their kids about their mental health.

As a Children’s Wisconsin supporter, we invite you to help us Shine Through and light a path forward to better mental and behavioral health for our kids.

How can you help?

Parents, grandparents and everybody with children in their lives
Take the #ShineThroughPledge. We are asking every parent, grandparent and all of us with school-aged children in our lives to make a promise to give those children an opportunity to talk about their feelings as they return to school this fall during uncertain times.

Here’s how you can participate:

Learn more and help us spread the word about Shine Through in conversations with friends and through social media.
Post your promise using #ShineThroughPledge on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
In your post, tag other parents in your social networks to encourage them to also take the pledge.

Take the #ShineThroughPledge

Lighting up the night sky for Shine Through

Four of our community partners lit up their buildings this month to help light a path forward. Thank you to Kohl's, Rexnord Corporation, Knapp Elementary School and our own Next Door Pediatrics for helping us raise awareness about the importance of mental and behavioral health for Wisconsin's children.

Right now, one in five children is living with a serious mental illness and suicide is the second-leading cause of death among kids. We have more than 2 million touch points with children annually, so we are uniquely positioned to help. And with your support, we can help all Wisconsin kids Shine Through!

Thank you for helping us help kids.

With gratitude,

Meg Brzyski Nelson
President
Children’s Wisconsin Foundation

STUDENT COUNCIL

Student Council

Heather Thurin