SLL Monthly Newsletter
August 2025
May 2026
May is Mental Health Awareness & Trauma Informed Care Month
May is Mental Health Awareness and Trauma-Informed Care Month
Mental health and school success are closely linked, and untreated mental health challenges can create significant barriers to academic, social, emotional, and career success. Since 1 in 5 (20%) of youth ages 13-18 live with a mental health condition, schools and communities must take a proactive stance in promoting student mental health awareness and support.
May has been designated as county-wide Mental Health Awareness and Trauma-Informed Care Month. The District is collaborating with community stakeholders to support the Get Your Green On campaign, which aims to promote awareness of mental health, educate people about and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness, and encourage action on mental health issues.
These initiatives align with the District's 2022-2027 Strategic Plan Theme C. Below are some recommendations that can be taken to show support.
- Display the Care and Connect posters for staff in a lounge, mailroom, or other highly visible area to promote awareness of resources and Care Cards.
- On May 21 Recognize the School Behavioral Health Professionals and celebrate the unique contributions they make to support mental wellness within your school. Encourage staff to wear green in support of Get Your Green On and Mental Health Awareness.
- Click on the links below to connect to brief wellness practices for teachers, students, employees, parents, and community resources.
- Review the Get Your Green On community partner resources here.
- Implement mental health awareness programs or teach mental wellness lessons (e.g., Living Skills in the Schools, Resilience Builder, The Power Program, Monique Burr, Lauren’s Kids, Skills for Learning and Life, The Zones of Regulation, and RethinkEd) at your school site.
- Attend a Youth Mental Health First Aid state-mandated training.
May SLL Themes
This month we will continue to focus on Responsible Decision-Making Skills as we wrap up our sixth unit, "Making Responsible Decisions for Ourselves and Our Community":
May 4th - May 8th: Demonstrating Leadership Skills (Responsible Decision-Making) - A leader is someone who can inspire, motivate, and empower others to meet a common goal. We all have the ability to learn and demonstrate leadership skills, such as being trustworthy and hardworking, having a positive attitude, communicating clearly, making responsible decisions, and encouraging others.
May 11th - May 15th: Review Week - Use these Review Weeks to reteach any themes that are relevant for your students.
May 18th - May 22nd: Celebrating & Reflecting - Use this week to review, celebrate, and reflect on the progress we have made with social, emotional, and academic learning.
May 26th - May 29th: Making Summer Plans for Our Well-Being (Responsible Decision-Making) - Use this week to support students with making personal and collective goals to promote their social, emotional, and physical well-being throughout the summer.
SDPBC educators can find lessons and resources to support these SLL Themes on our SLL Resource Center under the "Elementary", "Middle School", and "High School" tab. To access the SLL Resource Center, log in to your District portal and search "SLL". Click on the SLL Heart Tile.
SLL Summer Family Time Activity Ideas
Our SLL Summer Family Time Activity resources are now available. You can find the link to these OPTIONAL resource available in English, Spanish, Haitian-Creole, and Portuguese on our SLL Resource Center.
