Wellness Center

The Wellness team will run a six-week mindfulness group during academy on Wednesdays starting Mar 13. We are partnering with Dr. Kristen Freeman (St. Mary’s professor and parent of Acalanes students) in facilitating the group. The purpose of this group is twofold: first, to introduce mindfulness breathing techniques to help students improve anxiety and stress-related symptoms; and second, to explore the potential positive impact on students’ academic performance. These sessions will focus on developing coping strategies and tools to manage stress and anxiety in the school environment, ultimately aiming to enhance classroom performance and attention.
 
If you have any students that are interested, please email Patrick Turner (Wellness Coordinator). A pass will be sent to students to inform them and provide consent forms to complete and return.
 
If you have any questions or concerns and or want more information on what mindfulness is, feel free to reach out to Patrick Turner as well.

With SAT’s right around the corner, it may be beneficial to discuss test anxiety with your AHS student. Test anxiety is actually a form of performance anxiety that affects 25-40% of students. While it’s perfectly normal for a student to feel nervous before a test, test anxiety can be overwhelming for students and disrupt their concentration and ability. Here are a couple steps you can take to support your student in combating their test anxiety:
 
– Positive Self Talk can go a long way in altering one’s perception of their ability. Encourage your student to talk to themselves about how they would talk to a friend or loved one experiencing the same anxiety. We are often our own worst critic and in many instances, we talk to ourselves more negatively than we would ever talk to someone else.
 
– Acceptance of mistakes can also shift your student’s mindset around their ability. First, remind your student that trying their best is realistically the most they can do. Even when trying our absolute best, people still make mistakes. Second, model this behavior for your students. Are you shaming your student when their best effort isn’t “good enough” or beating yourself up when you make a mistake? Offer grace in the face of mistakes. We’re all human after all.
 
-Teach test taking basics to your student so they might feel more confident
when the time comes to take a test. Believe it or not, study skills and test taking strategies are learned. Just because students have to take tests, doesn’t mean they are actually equipped to do so successfully.

Contra Costa County Office of Education is offering a free virtual learning opportunity called Fentanyl Awareness & Overdose Rescue Training. This event is for educators, parents and other caring adults that are interested in current information related to the national fentanyl crisis and what can be done to keep kids in our community safe. Presenters include members of the Medication Education and Disposal Safety (MEDS) Coalition, CourAGE Youth Health Coalition, county educators and parents. This event takes place on Thursday, Mar 7 from 6-7:30pm and while it is free, registration is required.

Contra Costa County Office of Education is offering a free virtual learning opportunity called Fentanyl Awareness & Overdose Rescue Training. This event is for educators, parents and other caring adults that are interested in current information related to the national fentanyl crisis and what can be done to keep kids in our community safe. Presenters include members of the Medication Education and Disposal Safety (MEDS) Coalition, CourAGE Youth Health Coalition, county educators and parents.This event takes place on Thursday, Mar 7 from 6-7:30pm and while it is free, registration is required. 

For many people, February is seen as a month of love but it’s important to reflect on what “love” brings to mind. Romantic love is not the only type of love that should be celebrated this Valentine’s Day! Personally, I think the most powerful form of love is the one that we think of the least.
 
Self-love means a respect, positive regard for, and appreciation of ourselves. Self-love can affect every aspect of our lives and when self-love is nurtured, the possibilities for positivity in our lives flourish. Self-love lends itself to healthier interpersonal relationships, healthier ideas around self-image, healthier self-care habits, and an overall more positive outlook on life. With self-love, boundary setting becomes easier and low self-esteem and comparison to others becomes less frequent. This Valentine’s Day, discuss the power of self-love with your AHS student. Try out these self-love affirmations:

• I am kind to myself
• I am worthy of good things
• Everything I need is within me
• I accept love from myself

February is upon us. For many people, February is seen as a month of love but it’s important to reflect on what “love” brings to mind. Romantic love is not the only type of love that should be celebrated this Valentine’s Day! Personally, I think the most powerful form of love is the one that we think of the least.
 
Self-love means a respect, positive regard for, and appreciation of ourselves. Self-love can affect every aspect of our lives and when self-love is nurtured, the possibilities for positivity in our lives flourish. Self-love lends itself to healthier interpersonal relationships, healthier ideas around self-image, healthier self-care habits, and an overall more positive outlook on life. With self-love, boundary setting becomes easier and low self-esteem and comparison to others becomes less frequent. This Valentine’s Day, discuss the power of self-love with your AHS student. Try out these self-love affirmations:

• I am kind to myself
• I am worthy of good things
• Everything I need is within me
• I accept love from myself

We are so excited to have students back to start the new year! It’s very common for people to use this time to set new goals for the upcoming year. Goal setting is a great way to set up yourself, and your student, for success. Discuss setting SMART goals with your student:

• Specific– narrow goals are more efficient for planning and execution.
• Measurable– how will you know that you are making progress toward reaching your goal?
• Attainable– it’s important that goals are realistic and can actually be achieved.
• Relevant– be sure that your goals align with what you find important in the short and long-term.
• Time based– when setting an end date to assess whether you have met your goal, the date should be both motivating and achievable.

Setting, working toward, and achieving SMART goals is extremely beneficial to mental health. Everyone likes to feel capable and accomplished. This can help improve self esteem, as well as fostering an internal locus of control. 

Please encourage your AHS student to stop by the Wellness Center during lunch time tomorrow, Monday Dec 18, to visit with therapy dogs before finals officially begin.
 
We will also be open for students needing support during finals week with a modified schedule:
Monday- regular hours
Tuesday- Friday, 8am-1pm
 
While winter break is a great time for self care and connection, this time of year can also be difficult for many. Thankfully, the CCCOE Wellness In Schools Program (WISP) has done the heavy lifting in compiling a list of easyto access local and national resources should you find your AHS student in need while away from school. As always, dialing 211 will connect you with a database of community resources, including Contra Costa Crisis Center, and dialing 988 will connect you to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. 
 
The Acalanes Wellness Center wishes you a happy holiday season!

The countdown to first semester finals is on! These are sure to be highly stressful times for most students. In addition to the standard stressors such as jobs, extracurriculars and homework, changes in the weather, as well as the desire to perform well on finals, all have the potential to throw students for a loop. To help your student perform at their best, help them beat stress by utilizing “Four As”:

• Avoid unnecessary stress- teach your students the importance of boundaries and prioritization. It is okay for them to say no to people and activities that might  add extra stress during finals preparation.
• Alter the situation- encourage your students to talk about their stress instead of keeping it in. This is also a great opportunity to reinforce the value of self care activities that might help them decompress instead of overloading on academics.
• Adapt to the stressor- take the time to help your students shift their behaviors toward things that will benefit them during this time. Scientists recognize that teens need 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Unfortunately, most teens sleep only 7 hours each night and during finals, they may be tempted to sleep even less. Sleeping, and even eating, regularly not only decreases stress but powers your students bodies to perform their best mentally.
• Accept things you can’t change- finals aren’t going away. By accepting this reality, students have greater control over the things they can change in relation to finals. Study time, gratitude, personal time and self care are in your students’ control. Each of these things can work toward positively influencing their finals experience.

Finally, encourage your students to participate in the fun activities offered during the school day. There are a ton of school-wide activities taking place this week (Dec 11-15) that can help your student chill out and de-stress, including Winter Week dress up days, movie showings and hot cocoa for all. The Wellness Center is also bringing in therapy dogs on Dec 18 for de-stressing puppy hugs before finals officially start!
 
Happy All-idays to you and your loved ones from your Wellness Center team!
 
(Source: Keep Calm During finals by Lisa Brickert, MSW, LCSW

With finals right around the corner, it may be beneficial to discuss test anxiety with your AHS student. Test anxiety is actually a form of performance anxiety which affects 25-40% of students. While it’s perfectly normal for a student to feel nervous before a test, test anxiety can be overwhelming for students and disrupt their concentration and ability. Here are a few steps you can take to support your student in combating their test anxiety:

• Positive Self Talk can go a long way in altering one’s perception of their ability. Encourage your student to talk to themselves the same way they would talk to a friend or loved one experiencing the same anxiety. We are often our own worst critic and in many instances, we talk to ourselves more negatively than we would ever talk to someone else.
• Acceptance of mistakes can also shift your student’s mindset around their ability. First, remind your student that trying their best is realistically the most they can do. Even when trying our absolute best, people still make mistakes. Second, model this behavior for your students. Are you shaming your student when their best effort isn’t “good enough” or beating yourself up when you make a mistake? Offer grace in the face of mistakes. We’re all human after all.
• Teach test taking basics to your student so they might feel more confident when the time comes to take a test. Believe it or not, study skills and test taking strategies are learned. Just because students have to take tests, doesn’t mean they are actually equipped to do so successfully.