At our last meeting we welcomed Julia Solan, NCSD Family Outreach Coordinator, to speak to us about mental health awareness.
Opening and Invocation led by Michele McManus
Wellness Report – Jeanne Salisbury broke a hip, having surgery and then will go to rehab
Guests: Luis Alonso, Exchange Student
Strange Laws: in the states of Maine and Maryland
- In Augusta, you can’t stroll down the street playing a violin
- In some towns you can’t walk down the street with untied shoelaces, blow your nose in public, tickle a women’s chin with a feather duster, or step out of a plane while it is in flight.
- In Maryland you may not curse in city limits - also, eating while swimming in the ocean is forbidden.
Announcements:
- Habitat for Humanity - 6/22 we need 30 people to volunteer for this build in Palmyra
- Saturday, 5/18 at 10:00 am community beautification - meet in Pontillo’s parking lot
- We pinned a blue badge on Evie Taylor - congratulations!
Birthdays: Jorge Bueso, 5/13
Club Anniversaries: Mark Lockwood (6 yrs), Jan Hence (25 yrs)
Program: Steve Hallagan introduced Julia Solan, NCSD Family Outreach Coordinator.
Julia was born and raised in Victor. She and her husband both work in the Newark Central School District. She has a background in social work. She works with each building to help resource students and families.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental health is the overall well-being of our brains. Everything impacts our mental health including genetics/family history, childhood experiences, trauma, neglect, physical health/medical conditions, addictions, discriminations, sleep, etc.
Why does Mental Health Matter — it can impair brain and cognitive functions, physical health, resiliency, relationships, self-image, overall well-being. Dealing with mental health can also build resiliency as we learn to cope and manage our mental health.
COVID-19 and its impact on children’s mental health. The social isolation adversely impacted the students. There have been significant increase in depression and anxiety post COVID-19.
Barriers to mental health support — factors include insurance options, access to resources, funding, time transportation perspectives on mental health, stigma of mental health stressors, social media.
How do we support our students? Local resources: Wayne Behavioral Health, family counseling services of the Finger Lakes, private therapists, Catholic Charities, 988 Lifeline
Practice Healthy Coping Skills: Journaling, self-help apps like Calm, Setting up health boundaries with social media, breathing exercises, positive self-talk, reading, exercising, new hobbies, socialization, drawing listening to music, etc.
Encourage to talk openly about their mental health. Ask “do you need me to listen or to help?”
Newark Central School District: We have school based therapists and a behavioral health team including 11 counselors.
Questions:
How do educate parents as to the resources that are available for families.
How do we coach parents regarding social media? Work on parents monitoring social media content, setting boundaries, counselors and teachers teach it in the schools as well.