March Newsletter

• Upcoming Dates and Reminders - March
• NEW! BMS Counseling LinkTree
• March is Women's History Month!
• SEAL Class Updates
• This month from March 18th - 24th, Westford Public Schools will once again be participating in Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
• Community Resources
• Articles, Webinars, and Resources for Students/Caregivers
• Social Media Awareness
• PowerSchool
• Requesting Parent/Team Meetings

In addition to our monthly Counseling Department Newsletters, the BMS Counseling Department will be sharing important information and resources through our NEW LinkTree Account.

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Since 1995, presidents have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made to the United States and recognize the specific achievements women have made over the course of American history in a variety of fields.

Resources

• Women's History Month quotes to inspire
• Women's History Month reading challenge
• Explore Women’s History Month online
  
• Explore International Women’s Day online
• Explore National Women’s History Month Museum Exhibits online
• Read Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow online
• Listen to the Cultivating H.E.R. Space Podcast
• Listen to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast

We just completed our SEAL classes for Term 2. Below are the highlights of what we learned:

The main focus of 7th grade SEAL is learning about and understanding stress in order to manage it effectively in our lives. Students learned about good stress vs. bad stress and identified their own individual stressors (good and bad). Students learned how to proactively minimize negative stress through self care. They also identified the symptoms and behaviors they tend to exhibit when they are experiencing undue stress, and the effective coping strategies they can enlist to relieve the type of stress they are experiencing.

Students learned that one very powerful stressor is the way we think about things and ourselves. Students learned how negative thinking can significantly affect the stress we feel, and how to pay attention to our thoughts. By paying attention to our self-talk, we can challenge negative thinking within ourselves and reframe our thoughts to help ourselves manage stress more effectively and feel good about ourselves. Students culminated their knowledge of how to manage and relieve stress by making posters of their own individual go-to “Stress Relievers and Positive Affirmations”.

Finally, we reviewed the coping strategies learned last year for dealing with difficult situations and emotions. The students refreshed their coping skills “toolkit” of the acronym

HA HA SO :

get HELP from trusted adult(s)

ASSERT your needs by practicing and using assertiveness skills

use HUMOR to defuse negative situations/lighten emotions

AVOID unhealthy situations through good decision making

engage in/reframe with positive SELF-TALK

OWN IT, take responsibility for your actions/behaviors, so that you can learn from your experiences and move forward positively.

Our students are amazing! They were able to relay how they actively practice these strategies in their everyday lives to relieve stress and cope positively.

We look forward to working with the rest of the 7th graders on these important life skills in Term Term 3 SEAL. Best wishes to all for a happy and productive spring!

~Mrs. Searl & Mrs. Voutselas

Dear Parents:

During your students’ SEAL classes, they have learned about effective communication through using assertiveness. During adolescence, students’ relationships with their peers are of utmost importance to them. This is a natural part of this developmental stage. Adolescents at this age, otherwise known as “tweens” are actively trying to identify themselves and where they fit in. Their peer group plays a large role in helping them find their way. Friendships can come and go as students’ interests and values change. Conflict can occur amongst peers when relationships change, however. Students can greatly benefit from learning healthy ways to share their feelings without causing situations to escalate into more negative interactions when conflict occurs.

Response style identification was taught to students in their grade 6 SEAL class. Passive, aggressive and assertive behavior were also discussed. Students were told that assertive behavior is an effective way to communicate because it allows them to share how they feel, why, and what they need in a way that is not aggressive (without blame, threats or hurtful language). At the same time, assertiveness skills allow one to get their needs met instead of being passive, (not speaking up for oneself and not getting their needs addressed). Assertiveness is a coping strategy that can help students share their feelings and their needs. It creates a bridge of understanding between two parties. When we are understood, we are more likely to get our needs met.

In addition to asserting oneself, five other coping strategies were taught to your student. These coping strategies are from a model created by Michelle Garcia Winner who is a speech pathologist, author and national speaker, and an expert in social communication skill development. The model she developed is called HAHASO ( an acronym that stands for HELP, ASSERT, HUMOR, AVOID, SELF TALK and OWN IT). Each strategy was introduced to your students through group game play followed by discussion and real-life examples.

These coping strategies are intended to help students in teasing or bullying situations, but they can also be used to help students handle any difficult situation that causes them overwhelming feelings.

In applying each of these strategies of HAHASO:

• Students are encouraged to seek Help from a trusted adult at school and at home depending on when they are experiencing difficulty.
• They are encouraged to Assert their feelings by identifying how they are feeling, why, and what they feel could help them (what they need).
• Humor is to be used safely in a sense to disarm an instigator by de-escalating or diffusing a situation by making light of a situation not oneself or the other person (for example, someone says: “ I don’t like your shirt, it’s ugly”, you reply: “Good thing I’m wearing it and not you”). This remark shows the bully or teaser that what they are saying is not going to upset them or cause a dramatic reaction (which is mostly likely what is looked for in these situations). If one shows they are not bothered then the behavior may stop. Humor is also something that can make us feel better when we are sad, upset, and/or grieving. Watching funny shows, sharing jokes or happy memories can lighten our mood. However, we emphasize that Humor should never be used to make fun of others or be at others’ expenses.
• Avoid as a coping strategy is used to stay away from people or situations that cause feelings of stress. Students are asked what they could do if there were a group of students in the cafe who weren’t particularly kind. Would they seek them out or avoid them if possible? Or if there were students on the bus who weren’t kind that sat in the back of the bus, would you go sit with them or sit away from them and avoid them? We can also avoid frustrating situations by ignoring them or distracting our mind by reading a book or listening to music, etc..
• Self Talk refers to using positive language to remind ourselves of our strengths, things we are looking forward to, and how we can and have gotten through difficult situations in the past.
• Lastly, Own-It is simply taking responsibility for our part in an experience. For example, f you fail a test and tell yourself, “Well I guess I could have studied more”, you are owning it and taking responsibility for your part in the outcome. Another example would be, in a heated exchange with someone where both have spoken unkind words, one can own their part by apologizing for what they said that was hurtful or offensive. Ultimately owning it allows you to be accountable for your actions and take responsibility in an experience as a part of life that you can learn and grow from.

We’re sharing this information with you so that when the time is right, you can remind your student of these coping strategies and response styles. We can ask our students, “Was that an aggressive response? How can we change it to make an assertive response?” Or, if they exhibit passive behavior where their rights are being neglected, ask them, ``What would be an assertive statement that could tell someone how you are feeling and what you need”?

Perhaps a game could be made up about coping strategies. Come up with scenarios that have actually happened in real life and/or, as a family, make up scenarios and choose which strategies could be used and how they could be used effectively given the situation.

When skills are reiterated between school and home, they are more likely to be absorbed by learners and used. The goal here is to help promote confident students, who feel empowered to advocate for their needs by communicating effectively and coping effectively with difficult feelings or situations.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and implement/reinforce these strategies at home when the time is right. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns!

Mrs. Jodie Voutselas, Adjustment Counselor

Mrs. Paige Leone, Grade 6 School Counselor

Please see flyer for more information!

The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) is pleased to offer proven resources to help students' families thrive. Parents can watch or just listen to experts who get right to the point solving big and small challenges. Each Library includes 10-minute videos and handouts.

Click on the bar below to access the videos and handouts in each library!

Westford | Mental Health Services

Nicole Laviolette - Community Wellness Coordinator

The Community Wellness Coordinator provides community outreach and education to the Westford community on availability of programming and services to support individual and family well-being. The Coordinator will increase overall awareness of community supports by sharing wellness information and resources, with a focus on mental health and substance use disorder with Town departments, schools and community groups.

Alison Christopher, LICSW - Town Social Worker

Contact Information : 978-399-2325 ~ achristopher@westfordma.gov

The social worker can provide one on one phone or in person visits for consultation and assessment of needs including: financial concerns, food insecurity, housing, medical care planning, mental health, domestic violence, disability related issues, and family issues. She can provide support, referrals, advocacy and direct connections with appropriate resources. Provides assistance in applying for a wide range of financial benefit programs and case management services.

Raising Healthy Kids in a Digital World
Five keys to parenting children with ADHD

How and when to seek mental health support for your child or teen

Recognizing and treating OCD and tic disorders in children and teens

Breaking generational cycles: Rewriting parenting patterns

🔜 SAVE THE DATE FOR FUTURE CARTWHEEL WEBINARS

Sign up for our webinar email list to receive registration links

The BRYT Family Engagement team offers FREE weekly family support groups open to ALL parents/caregivers of K-12 students, regardless of whether their child is currently in a BRYT Program. These are peer groups where parents/caregivers can give and receive support in navigating the challenges of parenting during this time. We offer four groups a week — three that are open to all parents/caregivers and one that is designed specifically for parents who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color.

PREVIOUS WEBINAR RECORDINGS

September When It’s Hard to go to School

October What Parents Need to Know From Their Kids About Supporting Their Mental Health

November Communicating Around Conflict: Big Feelings & Hot Tempers

December Maximizing Joy in your Family Life

January Parenting Your Child who has Self Harming Behaviors

February Everything You Ever Wanted to Ask About Crisis Services

March The "Well Sibling" Syndrome: Supporting your child when their sibling has significant mental health challenges

UPCOMING bryt FAMILY ENGAGEMENT WEBINARS

April: Parenting a Child who is using Recreational Substances

May: Parenting in the Age of Technology

FLIFF ( And Gambling Apps for Kids)
What?

• Fliff is an online "sportsbook" app that allows kids to place bets using virtual currency—or real money if users include credit card information. It's technically for users age 13 and up, but there's no age verification process.
• There are also other, similar apps that describe themselves as "fantasy games" or "sweepstakes contests."
• Even though the currency that kids use might be virtual, the gambling mechanisms and bet-placing activities are exactly like real online gambling for adults.

Now What?

• Ask kids what the appeal of these kinds of apps might be. What are the risks? Find out what they already know about gambling in general.
• Talk about how these apps use both virtual and real money. Discuss why these apps allow kids to use them and bet with fake money: What's in it for them in the long run?
• From a media literacy angle, discuss advertisements of the past for candy cigarettes or, more recently, devices like Juul that sold kid-friendly flavors.

WIZZ (and "meet new friends" apps)

What?

• Wizz is one of many apps to "meet new friends," which means a user age 13 and up can swipe Tinder-style and see profiles of people that include a picture and information like their location, interests, and zodiac sign. Users can then chat with each other.
• It uses an AI-based age verification system that determines age based on a submitted picture. The goal is to match people of similar ages.
• Recently, there's been an increase in reports of sextortion in relation to Wizz. In these situations, older users are mismatched (or misrepresent their ages), they connect with younger users, and then they take the chat to another platform where the sextortion takes place.

Now What?

• As we've unfortunately had to report recently, there has been an increase in sextortion, and not just on Wizz. Kids need to understand what it can look and feel like if someone is asking for private info or pictures, and what to do if it happens to them. Primarily, they need to tell a trusted adult to get help—and not give any pictures, no matter the threats.
• Discuss the appeal and the risks of apps like Wizz: How is meeting someone via a profile different from meeting someone new in person? Though strongly discouraged, if kids do decide to use an app like Wizz, they should never share personal information, be aware that people misrepresent themselves, and know what to do (report, block, get help) if the person they've connected with means harm.
• Finally, determining age with the use of AI software (like Yoti, in this case) isn't perfect. Encourage AI literacy, and let kids know that the safeguards these apps promise are also far from perfect.

Not sure how to access your student's schedule and/or Progress Report? Please see below:

1. Use your device (Go to: https://westford.powerschool.com/public).
2. Download the 'PowerSchool Mobile' app on your phone - see image on the right for how to access your account. Once logged on, click on the "My Schedule" icon in the left nav and you'll see your student's schedule.

Please use the link below to email the School Counseling Department for assistance in setting up a 20 minute meeting with your child's core teachers (Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts, School Counselor). Meetings take place on certain days of the week based on teacher planning time, the grade and cycle day of the week. If you would like any additional Blanchard teacher or staff member to attend, please note that in the appropriate field as well. Thank you.

Click this LINK to request a 20 minute parent/team meeting. We will respond to your request very soon.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Jennifer Schaffer at 978-692-5582 x 6172 or at jschaffer@westfordk12.us

Paige Leone - 6th Grade School Counselor

Lisa Searl - 7th Grade School Counselor

Julie McCoy - 8th Grade School Counselor

Jodie Voutselas - 6-8 School Adjustment Counselor

Jen Schaffer - School Counseling Administrative Assistant

Website: https://sites.google.com/westfordk12.us/bmsguidance/school-counseling-home
Location: 14 West Street, Westford, MA 01886
Phone: (978) 692-5582

January 2024

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September 2023

2022-2023 Newsletters