Hunter Headlines

Happy Week 2 Hunter Families,

We made it! You made! I made it! They made it! Week 1 is down!! I think it is fair to say that it wasn't without a few bumps in the road. Please accept my virutal high-five and appreciation.

One thing I personally learned last week is that the phrases like, "We are all in this together," and "We got this," says easy but does really hard sometimes. What I learned was that when things are going well, it is easy to celebrate and cheer each other and ourelves on. But when links don't connect, your child's picture will not upload (and you've literally tried 12 times), the website crashes from overload, and/or a students stamina is fading, it quickly feels like the educators are doing this TO YOU and not FOR THE STUDENTS. During those times, it also feels like you are alone in navigating all of this! And that IS HARD!! I am going to say it for all of us, this can be really hard sometimes! (It actually feels really good to say that out loud.)

While moments of struggle and frustration will continue to occur, our hope, is that it gets easier. We hope the technology and links continue to cause less frequent issues. We hope you continue to reach out and communicate when frustrations arise so we can get back to you quickly. We also hope you continue to share with us the great things that are happening and all the successes your children experience with learning at home. The successes, small or large, can become invisible very quickly if we don't point them out to each other. Share! Share! Share! We love to hear and see the great things!

Thank you for all you are doing at home to support learning. Please do not hesitate to reach out to Hunter staff with questions, frustrations and positive stories.

My Best,

Jenna Mullins

Dear Gibraltar Families,

Due to a district initiative to make sure that families are given the support that they need, Gibraltar School District has created a Google Form as a way to do wellness checks or provide crisis resources with families/students who may need additional support during this time. These supports may include, mental health support, family resources, technology, childcare needs, food resources, homeless shelters, etc.

We know students and families are experiencing a wide range of emotions as they adjust to a new and very different routine. Such big changes and uncertainty can make daily life challenging. In addition to accessing academic resources during this time, the mental health support staff at Gibraltar School District is available to check in with students and families. We are here to work through some of the social/emotional concerns and anxiety they may be having. As a commitment to providing ongoing mental health support to students and families affected by our state of emergency or state of disaster prompted by COVID-19, we are providing several modes of support to all students.

How It Works:

We are providing this Google form survey for all GSD Families to determine their current mental health needs. If you are struggling with finding a balance, need family support, or your student is experiencing a mental health concern, please take some time to fill out this quick survey by clicking the link below. If your student is experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, please call 911. Staff will be checking this form a minimum of 3 times per day during school hours. Based on survey results, our district mental health providers will reach out to individual students and families to help support and determine what they may need. GSD mental health providers will respond within one school day of submitting this form through email, phone, or Google Meets.

Link: GSD Family Check-In/Student Support Response Form

In addition to direct support, Gibraltar School District has also created a document to help provide GSD families with a variety of crisis resources. Click the link below to access the GSD Family Crisis Resources Guide.

If your family/child is in need of mental health resources during or after school hours, please click the following link to access the link for a list of local service providers.

Link: GSD COVID-19 Family Crisis Resources

A Note on Confidentiality:

Just like in a school setting, we will seek to create a safe environment for students to talk by maintaining the confidentiality of what is discussed. However, there are certain limits to confidentiality if a student discloses that they are in danger of harming themselves, harming someone else, or that someone is harming them. We would take the appropriate measures to contact the appropriate individuals to keep them safe. In addition to providing mental health services and support, GSD Mental Health Staff may refer students and families to outside agencies to help meet their diverse or severe needs.

Stay safe and healthy!

GSD Mental Health Team

School Psychologists, Social Workers, and Counselors

Please take a look at the Self-Care Challenge by visiting the GIB Elementary Social-Emotional Learning Page. Each week your child participates, they will receive one entry into Hunter's raffle. So if you participate for 3 weeks you will get 3 entries. After three weeks of challenges, Hunter will hold a raffle and one lucky student winner will be chosen. This is a fun way to get our students engaged and participating in a positive and interactive way! This is not mandatory, but it is another way to stay connected!

Please visit the website below and click the self-care contest link to enter each week:

GIB Elementary Social-Emotional Learning Page.

I wanted to give you the heads up that the privacy setting in SeeSaw will be changed early this evening. It is likely this setting change WILL LOG EACH CHILD OUT, and each child will need to log back in. Unfortunately, there is no way around this. If you need help logging back in your child's teacher will be able to assist you. Please be patience as they may have several families they need to talk through this.

Our GSD Website is frequently updated to support families through the in-person school closure. If you visit the GSD main page, which can be found HERE, you can find information on technology support and online learning as well as District COVID-19 memos.

Email: mullinsj@gibdist.net
Website: https://www.gibdist.net/
Phone: (734) 379-6390
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jenna.mullins.5621
Twitter: @mullinsjennaj