Student support team are here to support your students and YOU through this pandemic. This is a very challenging time for all of us in different ways. Please let us know how we can support you or your students!

The Morton East Student Support Team (social workers and psychologists): Dr. Meyer, Ms. Segovia, Mr. Camacho, Ms. Rivera and Ms. Hade.

1. Resources available in the community for students and families: https://sites.google.com/view/mortonwestss/parent-resources/community-resources
   
   
2. Helpful Mental Health Tips: During this crisis, we are living through trauma which impacts us, our families and our students. It is critical to find ways to take care of ourselves and each other  during this time. The National Association for School Psychologists has created a resource that is helpful during this crisis, the handout is attached called "Caring for the Caregiver". Here are the most helpful tips from the handout that we wanted to share with staff:

How To Help Yourself and Others

The following strategies can be effective in managing some of the challenges associated with this crisis.

1. Create a structure and routine for the day. By maintaining a daily routine and building structure into the day, you can foster a sense of control and bring predictability to this unpredictable situation. This will help to reduce stress responses, keep our bodies regulated, and facilitate recovery. For example, continue to get out of bed at the same time, have specific times and deadlines to complete tasks, have a designated work space if you are working from home, exercise at the same time each day, have family meals, and maintain a consistent bedtime.
   
   
2. Reduce and limit exposure to media coverage of the pandemic. The anxiety associated with theunpredictable and uncontrollable nature of the pandemic makes us crave information as a means of making sense of what is going on and regain control. However, watching media coverage for long periods of time may actually increase anxiety, as this can keep our response systems activated. As a way to reduce stress, get news only from reputable sources, watch or read the news for short periods of time (e.g., no more than 30 minutes), and don’t view the news right before bed.
   
   
3. Attend to your physical self-care. This includes getting adequate sleep and taking breaks during the workday. Many people use exercise for stress reduction, even taking walks or bike rides, which can help calm the physical body. Eat healthy foods and limit the use of alcohol or other substances, which can interfere with sleep, and should not be relied upon to help cope or relax. Use stress management techniques such as using yoga, deep breathing, calming self-talk, or soothing music.
   
   
4. Care for your emotional health. Finding a balance between work and home is important, especially during times when crisis demands add to already busy workloads. The use of good time management skills and priority setting can help people focus on something practical to do right now to manage the situation. Keep in mind the difference between things one can change (in the system or the world) and accepting those one cannot. Identifying things to be grateful for in life is a strategy to shift your mindset. School staff should be aware of and watch for the signs of secondary trauma.
   
   
5. Maintain social connections and focus on social care. This can contribute to resilience. We can still talk and listen to each other while maintaining physical distance. Appreciate that family and friends are important and let them know. Practicing your spiritual or religious faith may provide comfort and be calming. Stress can actually be reduced when people turn to action, such as by engaging in acts of kindness, activism, or advocacy work. Engage in hobbies or passions for creativity. Finally, look for some humor and goodness in life during this stressful time.

3. Mental Health Weekly Challenge! (see second attachment). The student support team is creating a weekly mental health challenge for students AND staff! The weekly challenge will be shared on the newsletter and Twitter. If you participate, you will win a mental health t-shirt! Staff are welcome to participate! Follow us on Twitter for more: @MEastSWnPsychs

MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS

Participate in the Morton East Support Team Mental Health Challenge of the Week!!

Make a list of 10 things you are grateful for! 

Tweet your response to: @MEastSWnPsychs

The first 20 respondents will win the t-shirt below!