Week 6/8-6/12

Joyful June

This is your last week of the 19-20 school year. Congratulations on completing another year! Don't forget to have a Joyful June:

Wellness Focus: Healthy Living
School Supports for Healthy Living

• Implement health education curricula 
• Provide opportunities for children to be active
• Praise participation and effort
• Promote healthy eating
• Be a role model of healthy eating and physical activity
• Be aware of and intervene in weight-based bullying and stigmatization

Home Supports for Healthy Living

• Eat together as a family and stay connected
• Avoid excessive food restriction or external rewards
• Provide a wide variety of food and exercise activities
• Limit screen time
• Be a role model of healthy eating and physical activity
• Help your child accept his or her body 
• When necessary, seek individual counseling

As a Grizzly, it is important to remember the following:

1. BE RESPECTFUL. Treat Your Body with Respect: Exercise for 30-minutes and eat healthy every single day!
2. BE RESPONSIBLE. Stand Up for Others: Speak up if you hear of any weight-based bullying! 
3. BE SAFE. Speak Up If You’re Not Feeling Accepted: Talk about how you are feeling with a trusted adult!

Click here for more information regarding Healthy Living. In addition, please watch Kaiser Permanente's "How to Create a Healthy Plate"  which discusses an easy way to control portion sizes below: 

In addition, FSUSD is offering summer meals! Click here for more information regarding menus and schedules and see below:  

App Spotlight: Lifesum

Click here for MyFitnessPal (Apple and Google Play). Lifesum is the digital self-care app that helps you reach your health and weight goals through better eating. Check out this video that shows "All You Can Do With Lifesum App":

Week 6/1-6/5

Joyful June

Happy June, Grizzlies! Check out this Action Calendar: Joyful June to help us look for what's good even in difficult times:

Wellness Focus: Healthy Living
Childhood obesity affects children's physical health, including increased rates of asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, Type 2 diabetes, and risk factors for heart disease. Psychological functioning may also be affected, including depression, lower self-esteem, bullying victimization, and social isolation. 

Factors that contribute to obesity include: 

1. Biology: genetics and metabolism
2. Behavior: eating, drinking, and physical activity
3. Environment: the communities where children live, learn, and play

Click here for more information regarding Healthy Living. In addition, please watch Prince Ea's "A Message From Your Body" which discusses how to destress and take care of you below: 

Our District has developed a Wellness Policy that is focused on improving the health of students. The policy was developed by the Wellness Committee, which includes teachers and administrators of various departments. The Wellness Committee has a goal to expand to both students and parents in the future with the following goals:

1. Increase participation in the school breakfast program by five percentage points.
2. Study the impact, through the Curriculum Council, of offering a formalized health course at each high school.
3. Increase the percentage of students in the “Healthy Fitness Zone” on the Physical Fitness Test for 5th, 7th, and 9th by 5 percentage points.
4. Increase the number of students who show growth in one or more areas on the Physical Fitness Test given tri-annually to 50 percent. 
5. Increase the number of students participating in extracurricular physical activity as measured by a question on the School Effectiveness Survey.

In addition, children will be able to receive food from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. each weekday during closures at the following schools:

• Fairview Elementary - 830 1st Street, Fairfield
• Grange Middle - 1975 Blossom Ave, Fairfield
• Suisun Elementary - 725 Golden Eye Way, Suisun City

You can also click here for more food resources. 

App Spotlight: MyFitnessPal

Click here for MyFitnessPal (Apple and Google Play). MyFitnessPal helps you to achieve your goals whether you want to lose weight, tone up, get healthy, change your habits, or start a new diet.  Also, check out "How Exercise Makes you Smarter and a Better Student" by Med School Insiders which discusses the benefits of self-discipline and self-regulatory behavior:

Week 5/25-5/29

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Grizzlies!

I hope you are enjoying this long weekend--remember, there are no classes on Monday, May 25. Last week, we had our first Wellness Week, albeit virtual, and I hope you enjoyed the topics, learned a lot, and most importantly realized that #MentalHealthMatters and #MentalHealthAwareness helps to fight the stigma. 

Wellness Focus: LGBTQIA+
As a Grizzly, it is important to remember the following:

1. BE RESPECTFUL. Treat Everyone with Respect: Refuse to discriminate and celebrate differences.
2. BE RESPONSIBLE. Stand Up for Others: Speak up if you hear hate speech and spread positivity. 
3. BE SAFE. Speak Up If You’re Not Feeling Accepted: Talk about how you are feeling with a trusted adult!

The It Gets Better Project is a nonprofit organization with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth around the globe. Growing up isn’t easy, especially when you are trying to affirm and assert your sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It can be a challenging and isolating process – but, the good news is, no one has to do it alone. Click here to watch one or more of the 60,000 stories that are shared with It Gets Better, along with our original content series! They hope the diversity of the community inspires and empowers you because you are not alone!

Next month is Pride Month! Pride Month is celebrated every June in tribute to those involved in the Stonewall Riots. Click here to read about the Stonewall Riots and click here to watch "How the Stonewall Riots Sparked a Movement."

San Francisco will celebrate its 50th Pride (#Pride50) on June 27 and 28th virtually this year. Click here to check out their website to learn more about their "Generations of Hope" theme this year.

App Spotlight: Happify

Click here for Happify (Apple and Google Play). Happify helps you to overcome negative thoughts, stress, and life’s challenges by breaking old patterns and forming new habits. According to Happify, there are "6 Skills That Will Increase Your Well-Being":

1. Savor: Practice being mindful and noticing the good around you
2. Thank: Being appreciative
3. Aspire: Feelings of hope, sense of purpose, and being optimistic
4. Give: Giving creates happiness for both the giver and the receiver
5. Empathize: Caring about others
6. Revive: Physical health and wellness, including eating, exercising, and sleeping

Click here to watch "How to Be Happy", which explains what it means to be happy, and how to be happy by using the science of happiness:

Week 5/18-5/22

Virtual Wellness Week

Hey, Grizzlies! It is Virtual Wellness Week at Grange Middle School. In each of your core subject classes (English, Math, Science, History, and PE), you will learn about a wellness topic. You can also click here or check out the presentation below:

In addition, please make sure you check out the Grange Virtual Wellness Center--it has some awesome tools for you and your family to check out!

Wellness Focus: LGBTQIA+
In the United States, an estimated 3.2 million youth (ages 8-18) are LGBTQ. Among older youth, approximately 8% or 1.6 million youth (in grades 9-12) identify as LGB, and nearly 1% or 150,000 youth (ages 13-17) identify as transgender.

Click here for more information regarding LGBTQIA+. Check out this video "A Living History of the LGBT Movement Since the 1800s" that shares the history of the LGBTQ+ that honors the past, present, and future heroes of the LGBT movement:

In addition, please watch "Every Teenager NEEDS to Hear This" which shares the message that you are enough below: 

App Spotlight: Emotionary

Click here for the Emotionary app (Apple devices only). Another cool way to build emotional intelligence is to use the traditional feelings chart. These will not only help you come up with the right word to identify how you feel, but it will also build your emotional intelligence:

Check out the article "‘Feelings Wheel’ Will Help You Better Describe Your Emotions", which explains the wheel in more detail and its origin.

Week 5/11-5/15

Meaningful May

Hey, Grizzlies--Happy Mother's Day! I hope you are continuing to make this a Meaningful May and celebrating the amazing mothers in your life! Remember to check out the Action Calendar: Meaningful May:

Have you checked out the NEW Virtual Wellness Center?!?! It is pretty awesome and has some cool activities for you and your family to check out, and to make this May even more meaningful. From Sounds and Music to Animal Cameras to Workbooks, it is all there! Check it out and let me know what you think about it.

Wellness Focus: LGBTQIA+
School Supports for LGBTQIA+ Teens

• Adopt, implement, and enforce policies that protect students from harassment, violence, and discrimination for any reason
• Provide professional development opportunities to district staff and board members on issues affecting LGBTQIA+ students
• In accordance with the Equal Access Act, support the formation of extracurricular student-led clubs in middle and high schools

Teacher Supports for LGBTQIA+ Teens

• Encourage respect for the human and civil rights of all people, including those who are LGBTQIA+
• Designate a school staff member who is conversant in issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression
• Provide developmentally appropriate information about LGBTQIA+ issues
• Seek support and education for yourself

Home Supports for LGBTQIA+ Teens

• Love your child unconditionally
• Collaborate with school personnel to ensure that your child and family are supported appropriately
• Seek support and education for yourself
• Advocate for your child.

Click here for more information regarding LGBTQIA+. In addition, please watch "Advice for LGBTQ+ Teens" which shares general advice for LGBTQIA+ youth below: 

App Spotlight: Daylio Journal

Click here for the Daylio Journal app (Apple and Google Play). Another cool way to track your moods is to use tracking journals. In order to use a tracking journal, you must do the following: 1. Download and print the mood tracker; 2. Fill out the key with colors to correspond to moods or feelings. Some ideas of moods to track are: excited, happy, grateful, calm, angry, stressed, bored, worried, and exhausted; and, 3.  Color each day with your dominant feeling that day. Check out one of the following mood tracking journal pages or do a Google search to find one of your own:

Week 5/4-5/8

Happy May

Welcome to May, Grizzlies! Typically, May is filled with all kinds of assessments from CAASPP testing to MAP testing, but our "new normal" of distance learning means this will not happen this year. Whether you are disappointed or rejoicing, remember to continue to stay on top of your studies and assignments, read, and exercise! This will keep your mind, body, and soul happy and contribute to a Meaningful May! Check out this Action Calendar: Meaningful May:

Wellness Focus: LGBTQIA+

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual and/or ally, along with all other sexualities, sexes, and genders that aren't included in these few letters, youth are among the most vulnerable individuals in schools, experiencing bullying and harassment at disproportionately high levels. In addition, there are significant stressors at home and in the community. This puts students at risk for negative mental health outcomes, reduced academic success, and diminished well-being throughout their lives. 

Click here for more information regarding LGBTQIA+. In addition, please watch GLAAD's "I Never Thought It Would Be OK To Be Me" which discusses how to show support for LGBTQIA+ youth below: 

To learn more about the acronym LGBTQIA+ in detail, please watch the following informative video "LGBT 101: An introduction to the Queer community" below:

In addition, click here for  LGBTQIA+ Support Lines. These toll-free lines are staffed by either trained LGBTQIA+ youth or adults, or by trained youth or adults that are LGBTQIA+ friendly. Below are the two most utilized by teens:

Trevor Project (ages 25 and under)
The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
Number: (866) 488-7386
Click Here for the Website

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/get-help-now/

LGBT National Youth Hotline (ages 23 and under)
​​Free and Confidential peer support for the LGBTQ and questioning community ages 25 and younger.
Mondays to Fridays from 1 pm – 9 pm PST
Saturday from 9 am – 2 pm PST
Number: (800) 246-7743
Click Here for the Website

App Spotlight: notOK

Click here for the not OK app (Apple and Google Play). You can also click here to meet the two teen developers that explain how and why they came up with the idea for the app:

Week 4/27-5/1

Distance Learning

Grizzlies--I know you are rocking the distance learning; however, if you need some quick tips, to truly master this "new normal" way of learning, check out this video:

Mental Health Focus: Anxiety
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders of childhood and adolescence: phobias and separation anxiety affect young children; social anxiety develops later, as peer relationships become more important.

As a Grizzly, it is important to remember the following:

1. BE RESPECTFUL. Treat Everyone with Respect: Be empathic and understanding of other people’s feelings!
2. BE RESPONSIBLE. Speak Up If You’re Feeling Overwhelming Anxiety: Talk about how you are feeling with a trusted adult!
3. BE SAFE. Stand Up for Others: Stay grounded, speak up, and help to destigmatize anxiety!

Click here for more information regarding anxiety. In addition, please watch "3 Things About Anxiety Disorder You Should Know" which discusses how anxiety manifests, physical and emotional symptoms, and how to ease your anxiety below: 

App Spotlight: Calm

Click here for the Calm app (Apple and Google Play) review by Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Allison, who breaks down the app and its features honestly. I really like this app and I feel it helps ease my stress and anxiety, while calming me (go figure).

Week 4/20-4/24

Welcome Back to Distance Learning!

I hope you had a relaxing spring break--you are in the home stretch and it looks like we will finish this year out with distance learning. Unfortunately, this means that I will not get to see you in person until Fall 2020. Remember, I am here for you--email, call, text, etc., and I will respond! I miss all of you so much and I hope that you are taking care of yourself and family, staying up to date on assignments, eating healthy, and exercising!
Mental Health Focus: Anxiety
1. Preventing and Reducing the Recurrence of Anxiety

• Examine thoughts and decide whether worries are realistic or unrealistic
• Engage in flexible thinking
• Practice responding to anxiety-inducing situations
• Model adaptive way of coping with anxiety

2. Responding When Anxious Behaviors Occur

• Teach tolerance and acceptance of anxious feelings
• Encourage solutions to solve problems
• Teach the connection between anxiety and physical symptoms
• Teach self-monitoring and strategies to manage symptoms

3. Classroom/Home Activities

• Use journaling activities
• Build on strengths
• Facilitate discussions about mental health and coping
• Encourage collaborative exercises
• Incorporate positive coping strategies, or mindfulness, into class activities

Click here for more information regarding anxiety. In addition, please watch "4 Ways to Cope with Anxiety"  which discusses anxiety and gives children and parents 4 tips to cope with anxiety below: 

App Spotlight: Mindshift CBT

In addition, grounding techniques are really popular to cope with stress, anxiety, and other difficult and/or overwhelming emotional states and experiences. Click here to read the article, "Grounding: How to Use Our Senses to Calm Stress and Stay Present-Focused." My favorite is the 5-4-3-2-1!

Week 4/13-4/17

Happy Spring Break and Self-Care!

I hope every single one of you has a relaxing spring break and that you take some time for self-care. Here are some examples of self-care:

1. Put Down the Phone
Young people consume so much social media and spend so many hours on their phones that no wonder there are increased levels of anxiety for teens in general. Too much social media has been linked with health issues, including depression and a lack of self-esteem. Take a break!

2. Try Contemplative Practices, Like Meditation
Having a regular meditation practice, like for 10 minutes per day, can be life-changing. It reduces stress, controls anxiety, and makes you more mindful and self-aware. Even a few deep breaths in the middle of the day can help your teen to regain focus and relieve stress. A short, daily practice can be more effective than long sessions, so start your teen out with a mindfulness app like Headspace or Calm. 

3. Indulge in Creative Expression
Creative expression has multiple benefits for emotional health. It gives teens a way to release complicated emotions through music, journaling, visual arts or hobbies. Extracurricular activities that invoke a sense of peace and calm can be wildly effective for reducing stress during the teen years. 

4. Have a DIY Spa Day at Home
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to enjoy a spa day. All you need are some face masks, bath bombs, bubble bath, your favorite music, and a candle that smells amazing.

5. Saying Positive Affirmations
Positivity can have a huge effect on overall mindset and self-esteem for teens. Try repeating positive affirmations, like “I am strong. I love myself. I am worthy. I believe in myself,” on a daily basis so that you aren’t so hard on yourself. 

6. Explore Nature
Research has repeatedly shown a link between being outdoors and lower levels of stress, depression and anxiety. Time in nature also helps counteract the mood disturbance caused by too much screen time. Doing regular outdoor activities as a family can help adolescents build this all-important habit.

7. Regular Movement
Whether it’s sports, workouts, walks, running, Zumba or yoga, movement helps both physical and mental health. The activity doesn’t matter as long as it’s consistent. 

Week 4/6-4/10

Happy Week Before Spring Break!

Last week, you had your first week of virtual schooling. I am sure there were a lot of adjustments and it is different from typical school; however, I hope you enjoyed it! Here is a message from all of us to you:

Self-care is more important than ever! Click here for a Self-Care Worksheet (parents) and Self-Care for Children and Teens (students) to help take care and support mental health during this pandemic. 

In addition, you can also use a Coping Calendar which has 30 suggested actions to look after ourselves and each other as we face this global crisis together.

Mental Health Focus: Anxiety

Anxiety is the reaction to situations perceived as stressful or dangerous, which everyone faces; however, when anxiety becomes severe it interferes with daily life such as avoiding situations, experiencing extreme and persistent fear, and/or worry much more than expected in general or specific situations/contexts. Symptoms may include:

• Physical: somatic complaints such as headaches, stomachaches, muscle tension, and increased heart rate
• Behavioral: efforts to escape or avoid anxiety-inducing situations (e.g., refusing to go to school on the day of a test)
• Cognitive: related to thinking (e.g. negative thinking, perfectionistic attitudes, and have disruptions in thoughts patterns that interfere with learning)

Click here for more information regarding anxiety. In addition, please watch "Release"  which focuses on stress and anxiety as experienced by middle school kids below: 

App Spotlight: Self-Help for Anxiety Management

In addition to the help that SAM can provide as an app, click here for more information regarding anxiety and some strategies to help manage anxiety, in general. During this COVID19 pandemic, click here for more information from the CDC on managing stress and coping. 

Week 3/30-4/3

Welcome Back to School Grizzlies--Albeit Virtual!

I have missed you and I hope that you make some much-needed connections with your peers, teachers, administrators, and even me! Check your Google Classrooms and emails and I know that you will all feel the love. You all are my heroes and here is a little pep talk for all of you:

Mental Health Focus: Depression

3 million students experience depression—almost 12.5% of the U.S. population 12 to 17 years old, or about 3 or 4 students in a typical classroom of 30 students. Here are some things that you can do at home and at school:

• Use journaling activities (click here for more information)
• Build on strengths
• Facilitate discussions about mental health and coping
• Encourage collaborative exercises
• Incorporate positive coping strategies, or mindfulness, into class  and home activities

Click here for more information regarding depression. In addition, please watch "Everyday Mindfulness" below: 

App Spotlight: Inner Explorer

Inner Explorer has provided FSUSD with the FREE Mindfulness App for families during this time of uncertainty. Please click here for more information and to get started using Mindfulness at home: https://innerexplorer.org/compass/fairfield_onboarding.

Journal Spotlight: School Psychologist, Heather Toll 
During the school closures, I journaled about my days (it is a great way to reduce stress and ease anxiety--I hope you will join me and not only read about my day, but also start journaling for yourself). Since school starts tomorrow, today was my last entry:

Week 3/23-3/27

Be the Reason Someone Smiles Today
Please sign in to FlipGrid with your FSUSD Gmail and watch the videos and create one of your own to make someone smile!

Mental Health Focus: Depression

Depression is defined as a period of two or more weeks with either “depressed mood” or “loss of interest or pleasure” in things previously enjoyed, plus at least four other symptoms that show a change from how the person normally is:

• Sleeping: changes in amount of sleep or problems with falling or staying asleep
• Eating: changes in weight or appetite
• Energy: changes in activity level
• Concentration Difficulties
• Problems with Self-Image: feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
• Suicidal Thoughts and Feelings

Click here for more information regarding depression. In addition, please watch "5 Signs of Teenage Depression" below: 

App Spotlight: Teen Hotlines

In addition to the Teen Hotlines app, the CA Youth Crisis Line is another valuable resource. The California Youth Crisis Line (CYCL) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week as the statewide emergency response system for youth (ages 12-24) and families in crisis. Professionally trained staff and volunteer counselors respond to 20,000 calls annually with crisis intervention counseling and resource referrals to service providers in the caller’s local community. They have access to more than 5,500 free or low-cost resources for youth and families across California.

Journal Spotlight: School Psychologist, Heather Toll 
During this time, I am going to journal about my day (it is a great way to reduce stress and ease anxiety--I hope you will join me and not only read about my day, but also start journaling for yourself):