OMS School Counseling Newsletter

Dear Families and Caregivers,

We hope this message finds you well! As we progress through the school year, we wanted to share a few important reminders and resources to help your child thrive at school.

First, consistent attendance is key to learning. While students can often complete missed assignments in Google Classroom, they miss out on the valuable in-person instruction and classroom interactions that deepen their understanding. Whenever possible, we encourage scheduling travel during school vacations. If your child is absent due to medical reasons, please be sure to reach out to our school nurses at ottoson.nurse@arlington.k12.ma.us.

We’re also proud of our students for doing a great job keeping their phones and smartwatches turned off and stored in their backpacks during the school day. This focus on minimizing distractions supports a positive learning environment.

For middle school students navigating social media and cell phone usage, it’s important to set clear boundaries, encourage real-life interactions, and discuss online safety topics like cyberbullying and privacy. Creating phone-free zones, setting screen time limits, and utilizing parental controls can help foster healthy habits.

We’ve included a helpful resource to support you in guiding your child through the use of social media. Click here to read.

Thank you for your continued partnership in making OMS a great place to learn and grow.

Warm regards,
The OMS Counseling Team

The Arlington Public Schools Counseling Department is excited to offer a parent/caregiver workshop on the SPACE (Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions) treatment model. SPACE is designed for families who find themselves over-accommodating their child’s anxiety.

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!

Jan 14, 2025 12:00 PM

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) involves hurting oneself to manage strong emotions like pain, anger, sadness, or stress. This behavior can signal emotional distress and increase suicide risk, making it crucial for caregivers, school staff, and providers to understand and support those affected.

Register here for Cartwheel webinar

Join Us Online – Tuesday, January 14 @ 12pm ET

Register for Anxiety in Kids and Teens 101 here.

Experiencing anxiety is a natural part of growing up, and there’s no question that kids and teens face many very real reasons to feel anxious. Typically, they learn to navigate those feelings. But when anxiety persists and becomes seemingly unmanageable, it can impact schoolwork, relationships, and even development.

So what should parents, teachers, and other adults know about recognizing unhealthy anxiety in children and adolescents? How can they best support a young person who is struggling? And when is professional help advised?

In this previously recorded session, Lisa W. Coyne, PhD, provides an overview of childhood anxiety, explains what sets it apart from anxiety disorders and other mental health conditions, and offers practical strategies for helping kids and teens feel less anxious.

Can’t join our session live? Sign up anyway! You’ll receive a recording by email a few days after the webinar.

Addressing and Preventing Self-Harm in Kids & Teens

In this previously recorded session, Michael R. Hollander, PhD, shares signs and symptoms that there may be self-harm occurring in a child, offers methods to teach loved ones better coping mechanisms, provides insight into when it may be time to seek professional help, and answers questions about self-harm in children and adolescents.

Join us: Friday, January 31 @ 12pm ET

Register for the webinar on addressing and preventing self harm here.

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

Access with this link

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

Join with this link

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

Join with this link

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

APS Family Support Request

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.

The Dan Kelly Foundation

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

Sanborn Foundation

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.

Winter Brochures

Arlington Center for the Arts

Arlington Recreation Department

Arlington Boys and Girls Club

Fidelity House Fall Program

APS does not endorse any of these practices specifically and we are sharing things as resources for Arlington families.

Association for Autism and Neurodiversity (AANE) - has immediate openings for Parent Coaching. Click Here for the link to AANE Parent Coaching.

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.

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

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

Cartwheel Care

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

Parent Support Groups are offered through Child Therapy Boston.

Their therapists understand the unique position that parents are in. Parenting kids with anxiety, dysregulation, ADHD, Mood Disorders, and challenges with school or peer relationships can be hard. Traditional advice, books, and parenting “methods” don’t always apply to the unique situations you might find yourselves in.