OMS School Counseling Newsletter
March 2025
School Counseling Team
Dear Families,
As we move into March, we reflect on the meaningful work done last month during Random Acts of Kindness Week. Throughout February, our counselors had the privilege of guiding students in expressing appreciation for the teachers and staff at Ottoson. Writing notes of gratitude not only brightened our school community but also highlighted the power of taking a moment to recognize the positive influences around us.
Gratitude is a powerful tool for building resilience and improving mental well-being. When we take the time to appreciate the people, moments, and things that matter most to us, we naturally cultivate a more positive outlook, even in the face of life's challenges.
In addition to our focus on kindness, we've been meeting with students to review their Panorama Survey results and offering referrals to support groups designed to address stress and anxiety. These groups will begin in March, providing students with a space to develop coping strategies and find support among peers.
In this month's newsletter, you'll find valuable resources including webinars for parents on mental health, as well as district and community programs designed to support your child's well-being.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to your student's counselor. We're here to help!
Warm regards,
The Counseling Team
How to help your child with anxiety: SPACE workshop
The Arlington Public Schools counseling team is excited to offer another parent workshop series on the SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) treatment model. SPACE is designed for families who find themselves struggling to navigate and support their child's anxiety. The next round of workshops will take place in April. More details in the link below!
- Do you have a child struggling with anxiety?
- Do you find yourself modifying daily routines, avoiding certain places or activities, or doing things for your child to prevent their distress?
- If yes, this workshop might be a great fit for you...
Click the link to learn more and see if SPACE could support your family!
Cartwheel Webinars: Disordered Eating & Motivating Kids to do "Boring Stuff"
Tuesday, March 4th, 7-8pm ET / 6-7pm CT
Motivating Kids to Do the “No Fun, Boring, and Tough” Stuff
Do you want to help your student succeed in life but struggle with working together on tasks and goals? Many educators and parents feel frustrated and thwarted in their efforts to teach responsibility, motivation and persistence to students, especially those with ADHD or learning differences.
Join Cartwheel and Dr. Sharon Saline for insight and tools on how to effectively motivate all kinds of students both at school and at home. Building upon a strength-based, collaborative approach, Dr. Saline will show you how to teach all-important executive functioning skills related to motivation and tools to increase buy-in and reduce conflict in home and at school.
This virtual event is part of Cartwheel's free webinar series for parents, caregivers, and school staff.
Please feel free to share this email broadly and
Course selection for 2025-2026
For Current 7th Graders:
Starting on March 10th, your student will have the opportunity to choose electives for next year through PowerSchool. Stay tuned for more details in Principal Rubino's weekly newsletter!
For Current 8th Graders:
Your student will soon be able to select courses for 9th grade! We’ve linked the Program of Studies for you to explore together. For more guidance on course selection, click here. We want every student to start high school on a positive note, so please keep in mind that honors classes do require more outside-of-school work compared to A-level classes. If your student feels ready, they can always transition into honors classes in 10th grade after building confidence.
Additionally, this slideshow will be a helpful resource as you support your student with their course choices. It’s a brief introduction to academics at AHS, originally shared with the Class of 2029. During the event, prospective students had the chance to tour the building, meet teachers, ask questions, and get a feel for our vibrant school community.
Family Learning Sessions
First Tuesday of Month, 7-8pm ET (4-5pm PT)
Dates: 9/3, 10/1, 11/5, 12/3, 1/7, 2/4, 3/4, 4/1 & 5/6
All parents are invited to join anonymously via YouTube Live, or watch the recording afterwards. There is no cost to participate.
Bryt also has Parents Supporting Parents Conversationss
Middle/High School Parents
Third Tuesday of Month, 7-8pm ET (4-5pm PT)
Dates: 10/15, 11/19, 12/17, 1/21, 2/18, 3/18, 4/15 & 5/20
BIPOC Parents
Fourth Tuesday of Month, 7-8pm ET (4-5pm PT)
Dates: 10/22, 11/26, 1/28, 2/25, 3/25, 4/22 & 5/27
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to announce its new MPY Parenting Solutions Library. The MPY Parenting Solutions Library is offered at no charge, in partnership with Peace At Home Parenting Solutions, a non-profit located in Mansfield, Connecticut. Peace At Home Parenting Solutions is a dynamic hub of trusted knowledge and compassionate support that inspires parents to create positive change for their children, their families and themselves. Through this new partnership, MPY is pleased to offer proven resources to help students’ families thrive.
Peace At Home Parenting Solutions specializes in empowering parents with evidence-based strategies to foster nurturing connections that safeguard their children's mental well-being. The trainings are presented by experts with advanced degrees and the trainings focus on child and adolescent development, including difficulties in school, mental health challenges, neurodiversity, LGBTQ+ identity formation, racism, and grief. These trainings present easy-to-use strategies for long-lasting change
Community Resources
Camp Starfish is a therapeutic summer program located in Rindge, NH that uses a 1:1 staff-to-camper ratio to support children with a variety of emotional, behavioral, and social challenges including:
- Autism
- ADHD
- Anxiety
- Developmental Delay
- Depression
- PTSD
- And Many More
We have a variety of programs available for Summer 2025 including 5-day programs for first-time campers, 2-week traditional summer camps, 5-day teen programs, and a transitional living program for young adults.
The District invites you to complete the APS Family Support Request Form. It is designed to give families an avenue to request support and helps the District and schools understand the needs and concerns of families in order to provide the most effective support and resources. Once you complete this form we will share your responses with the family engagement department and/or school social workers or counselors to support your child(ren)/ family.
Youth, Media, and Well-Being Research Lab in Wellesley is hosting a free virtual afterschool club for middle school girls about designing healthier social media experiences, hosted by researchers from the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab and Wellesley College students. The club meetings are drop-in sessions (students can come for just one meeting or attend the entire series!) with our first session on March 14. Any middle school girl is encouraged to apply on a first-come, first-serve basis. We are especially interested in reaching under-resourced girls in the Metrowest area. Interested students can apply using this link (https://bit.ly/DigitalWellbeingClub) up until the day of the club sessions.
Financial assistance for youth sports. (DK4) is committed to helping kids thrive by providing athletic opportunities for children of all ages, skill levels, and diverse backgrounds. We believe that sports can harness the power in kids by building character and confidence, teaching perseverance and teamwork, which ultimately fosters the development of skills needed for responsible citizenship
Financial assistance for Arlington residents living with cancer
Parent Support through PPAL (Parent/Professional Advocacy League) They offer workshops on a range of topics from navigating your child's IEP, to active parenting. The also have a series in Spanish.
Enrichment Opportunity
Dive In is a tuition-free academic program for high-achieving current 6th and 7th graders from low-income families. You can read more about us here.
They have an upcoming info sessions on February 20. The application is now open until March 15, 2025Summer Camp options:
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University is the only vet school in New England and we offer the opportunity for middle school learners (as well as high school and college students) to explore veterinary medicine in a highly interactive and hands-on environment here on our North Grafton campus. The middle school program is designed and reserved for current 7th and 8th graders and available both during the April break and in late June.
Each middle school session is a week-long, in-person, full-day, commuter experience led by our faculty and students in our veterinary labs and classrooms - including our new state-of-the-art simulation lab - and on our farm. Students will learn and gain exposure to things like how to suture and palpate, be introduced to handling small and large animals, as well as learn basic animal CPR and ultrasound, AND even practice a variety of skills on our near life-like and animatronic simulation models; the same ones our students use!
Camp Kesem is a free overnight summer camp for children 6-18 who are impacts by a parent's cancer. More information about Camp Kesem can be found here.
There are a variety of summer camp options for students impacted by the death of a family member. Please see The Children's Room website for the options.
Winter Brochures
Arlington Recreation Department
Mental Health Resources
Mental Health and Parent Supports
APS does not endorse any of these practices specifically and we are sharing things as resources for Arlington families.
Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders (CIMAID)
Are you worried about your child or teen’s internet use?
If you think your child or teen’s online activities are causing problems with sleep, school, relationships, or other aspects of their physical, social, and mental health, we can help.
The Concord Center is excited to announce that they are now running an Accelerated Outpatient Program (AOP) for adolescents with moderate to severe anxiety disorders and/or obsessive compulsive disorders. For more information, please use this link. They also have monthly free parent workshops which can be found here. In addition the adolescent DBT group will be starting in March.
The McLean Anxiety Mastery Program (MAMP) has openings for kids (6-19) with primary anxiety and/or OCD to be seen in our intensive group-based outpatient program. We treat kids with a range of symptom severity, from those with mild symptoms, have never had treatment before, and can get momentum sooner, as well as those with more acute symptoms. If you know of any youth experiencing anxiety and/or OCD and think the program might be a fit, please have children's families submit applications found on our website:
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/treatment/mamp. Here is a link to the application for your reference: https://www.mcleanhospital.org/sites/default/files/2022-11/MAMP-Application-11112022.pdf.
McLean Hospital Child and Adolescent Outpatient Supports. Their Group and Bridge services are insurance based, while their Anxiety Mastery Program and DBT Program are hybrid insurance and fee for service
iLearn Wellness Group - iLearn is a relatively new clinic offering partial hospitalization, half day psychiatric treatment (like IOP - coming in February!) and outpatient treatment services for adolescents in Newton. They accept many major insurances.
Advocates Crisis Team If you are wondering if you should call the mobile crisis team to assess your child. This slideshow may help you with the process.
Looking for child psychiatric services? This practice is new in Lexington and accepting new patients. They are out of network for most insurance carriers. ReThink Minds
Ottoson School Counseling- many great resources are linked here, including previous newsletters.
Massachusetts Launched a new Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) to serve as an entry point for timely, high-quality and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders, including routine appointments, urgent visits, and 24/7 community-based crisis intervention as an alternative to hospital emergency departments. CBHCs receive enhanced state funding through alternative payment models to support flexible, person-centered treatment.
Community Supports (Food, Mental Health, Housing, etc.)
Greater Massachusetts Special Needs Events
Services are available to all Arlington Public Schools students and families.
Services are virtual and include short-term individual and group therapy, parent/caregiver
consultation. Following an initial session, additional services may include medication evaluation
and prescription, and longer-term outpatient referral support.
Referrals to Cartwheel Care go through your student’s school counselor