Welcome Back to Another School Year!

Welcome back to the 2024-2025 school year! As the halls fill with familiar energy, let's prioritize mental health awareness and stigma reduction alongside academic success. The Wellness in Schools Program offers a variety of supports and resources to cultivate a supportive and inclusive environment. Explore these resources to equip students, staff, and parents with tools to overcome challenges and build emotional resilience. Together, we can foster a thriving school community where mental well-being is celebrated!

To learn more about the Wellness in Schools Program, please explore this website.

Thriving After Summer:

Rebooting for a Successful School Year

Summer break is a time for relaxation and rejuvenation, but it can also lead to a period of adjustment when students return to school. Here are some tips to help schools support students during this transition:

Acknowledge the Shift:

• Open the Conversation: Start by acknowledging the challenges of readjusting. Let students know it's normal to feel a bit out of sorts after a break in routine.
• Set Expectations: Clearly communicate expectations for behavior and academics, gradually increasing workload over the first few weeks.
• Easing Anxiety: Openly discuss back-to-school jitters. Encourage students to share their worries and offer resources like school counselors for additional support.

Building Routines & Resilience

• Structure & Consistency: Establish clear classroom routines and expectations to provide a sense of stability.
• Positive Reinforcement: Celebrate achievements, big or small, to build students' confidence.
• Mindfulness & Relaxation Techniques: Introduce mindfulness or relaxation techniques that students can use to manage stress and improve focus.

Rebooting For Focus:

• Brain Games: Incorporate short, engaging activities that stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving skills to help students refocus.
• Review and Rebuild: Start with brief reviews of key concepts from the previous year before introducing new material. This will refresh memories and build a strong foundation for learning.

Collaboration is Key:

• Connect with Parents: Communicate with parents about strategies to support the transition at home, such as establishing sleep schedules and creating a study space.
• School Counselor Collaboration: Work with your school counselor to identify students who may need additional support readjusting.

Social Anxiety and School Resources:

Helping Students Transition Back to School After Summer

National Social Anxiety Center - Back To School Resources

The Jed Foundation - Teens and Social Anxiety

Anxiety and Depression (ADAA) - Back to School Anxiety

Building Bridges: Fostering Social Connection

The first few weeks of school are crucial for establishing a positive classroom climate and fostering social connections among students and staff alike. Here are some tips to get everyone feeling connected and supported:

For the Classroom:

• Icebreaker Bonanza: Start with classic icebreakers. Games, surveys, or "two truths and a lie" activities can help students discover common interests and break the initial awkwardness.
• Get to Know You Galore: Dedicate time for students to learn about you. Share hobbies, interests, or even a fun fact on the board. Encourage them to ask questions in return.
• Collaborative Learning: Structure group projects or activities that encourage teamwork and communication. This fosters a sense of belonging and builds rapport between students.
• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Integration: Incorporate short SEL activities that focus on topics like empathy, communication, and conflict resolution. This helps develop social skills and build stronger connections with peers.
• "Find Your Crew" Activities: Create opportunities for students with similar interests to connect. This could involve forming project groups on interests, starting a lunchtime club, encouraging students to join a club on campus, or recommending after-school activities.

For the School:

• Staff Welcome Breakfast: Organize a casual breakfast or potluck for new staff members to mingle with existing faculty and administrators.
• Mentorship Programs: Pair new staff members with experienced mentors who can offer guidance and support during their first year.
• Team-Building Exercises: Participate in fun team-building activities to build camaraderie and communication skills. This could be a collaborative problem-solving exercise, a scavenger hunt, or even a group fitness challenge.
• Common Staff Room Rituals: Create opportunities for casual interaction, like "Coffee Talk" sessions or a "Staff Spotlight" board where colleagues can share personal achievements.
• Celebrate Successes: Recognize and celebrate both individual and team accomplishments within staff. This fosters a sense of community and shared purpose.

By prioritizing social connection in the first few weeks, you're creating a foundation for a positive and supportive learning environment for everyone.

Fostering Connection Resources:

Cultivating Caring Relationships at Schools: 15 Activities That Promote Staff and Student Connection

Upcoming Wellness in Schools Program Events

School-Based Mental Health Collaborative

Interested in Building or Strengthening Your School Mental Wellness Club?

School Mental Wellness Club Support

Wellness in Schools has partnered with Bring Change to Mind, a national organization that empowers student to have conversations around mental health and create a culture of peer support within their schools. Through partnership, The Wellness in Schools Program aims to help create and support mental health clubs in middle and high school across the county.

The Wellness in Schools Program and Bring Change to Mind provide training, mentorship, and funding to the mental wellness clubs, as well as access to online tools and materials, such as the Club Portal, the Headspace Meditation App, and free QPR Suicide Prevention Training for staff who are in the schools who have a

Bring Change to Mind Club.

To learn more about this opportunity, please reach out to WISP Liaison

Mary Lucido at MLucido@cccoe.k12.ca.us

More information:

Wellness in Schools Program School Mental Wellness Club Website

High School Mental Wellness Club Flyer

Middle School Mental Wellness Club Flyer

Resources

Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Alliance for Healthier Generation believes that family engagement plays an important role in promoting school attendance and when schools foster partnerships with families and create welcoming environments, chronic absenteeism rates reduce.

Plan, Learn, and Thrive: Welcoming Families Back to School

• Welcome your community back to school with evidence-based family engagement practices and resources to strengthen collaboration from Kohl's Healthy at Home.

Tips to Build Strong Caregiver-Teacher Relationships

• Check out these resources for caregivers, families, and educators to help build strong relationships as we head into the new school year.

Family Networking Opportunities For Culturally Responsive Engagement (En español)

• Learn how to make families feel welcome and valued as respected partners in their community and child's educational life, by building opportunities for families to connect with each other.

Are you interested in receiving more like this? Sign up to receive Healthier Generation's Resources and other updates directly.

Daybreak Health

Daybreak Health's Free Back-to-School Mental Health Toolkit is a helpful, downloadable resource for Student Support Teams to leverage for the upcoming school year. In this toolkit, you'll find assessments, guides, one-pagers, templates, webinars, articles, and more. Here are some examples of the content you'll find:

• An MTSS assessment to identify gaps in students supports
• A guide on how to incorporate mental health into back-to-school events
• One-pagers on topics like: How to Support Anxious Kids, Supporting Youth Experiencing Trauma, and more
• A template you can use to create a mental health guide for school staff
• National and State specific grant guides

Download this mental health toolkit here

Funding Resources for School Mental Health

• Public Funding For School Mental Health Programs: This resource presents selected strategies for how to utilize funding that is available to schools and partners and identify new funding resources.

• How LEAS and Partners Can Braid New Funding to Support School-Based Health Centers: The California School-Based Alliance has a new guide for 2022 (updated regularly) to assist in local planning and strategy shows local education agencies (LEAS) nad partners how they can braid together new state funding opportunities.

• Connecting Students to Mental Health Services: This guide explores how seven counties are working collaboratively to provide school-linked mental health services, share financial resources to pay for these services, and address local issues such as truancy or recidivism by increasing access to mental health service for students.

• School Mental Health Primer for Medi-Cal Managed Plans: This guide gives an overview of school-based mental heath, the education system and partners, and highlights the role that School Based Health Centers play in delivering mental health care.

Brightlife Kids

Upcoming Trainings from WISP Partners

July 2024 Recap

Youth Mental Wellness Coalition Sets Course for Impactful Year

On July 16, 2024, the Wellness in Schools Youth Mental Wellness Coalition gathered for a dynamic and inspiring event that brought together passionate young advocates committed to improving mental health in Contra Costa. The day was filled with collaboration, inspiration, and a shared vision for a brighter future.

Coalition members had the opportunity to connect with fellow peers, exchange ideas, and build strong relationships. Through engaging discussions and collaborative workshops, they explored the pressing mental health challenges facing young people and identified key areas of focus.

A highlight of the event was the development of ambitious goals for the year ahead. With enthusiasm and determination, coalition members outlined a roadmap for their initiatives, including raising awareness, advocating for school policy changes, providing peer support, and normalizing mental health by helping others learn more about mental health, embrace mental health, and understand that it's okay to ask for help.

"Today's event was incredible! I felt so connected and inspired by everyone's passion for mental health. I'm excited to dive into this work and make a real difference in our schools this year," said returning Youth Coalition Member Zoe Dean.

The event serves as a powerful reminder of the impact that young people can have when they come together for a common cause. The Youth Mental Wellness Coalition is poised to make a significant difference in the lives of countless individuals through their dedication and hard work.

Youth Coalition Members get the opportunity to meet and greet one another before they start the year working together.

Young leaders providing feedback on a peer-to-peer training program.