May is Mental Health Matter Month
IPSF is proud to continue to commit $250,000 annually to help support Mental Health programs throughout the district. Mental health is important for every student in maintaining a well-balanced life. While studies indicate that up to 20% of children in America have a diagnosable mental illness, every student experiences times in their lives when they feel down, stressed out, or overwhelmed by some aspect of their life. Maintaining good mental health means having the skills and strategies to address problems in ways that are positive and knowing how to seek support if needed.
Building resiliency is central to IUSD’s strategy for addressing mental health and promoting wellness among all students, preschool through high school. Age-appropriate social emotional learning programs and other supports are in place to provide students with the knowledge and tools they need to recognize and deal with stressful situations.
Join IPSF in Support of Mental Health in Irvine schools! [btnsx id=”2410″ text=”DONATE TODAY” link_type=”url” link=”https://ipsf.net/mentalhealthmatters/” link_target=”new_window”]
SPEAK UP, WE CARE
As part of IUSD’s Speak Up, We Care campaign, students and parents are encouraged to actively participate in becoming aware of, accessing, and using the district’s mental health and wellness resources. The current theme, Be Well, focuses on wellness – mental/emotional; physical/nutritional; and social/community – as a pathway to building resilience and enabling our students to thrive.
What can you do to help your child “Be Well”?
- Try a mindful practice yourself and share it with your child. “Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.”
- Watch this “Just Breathe” video with your child and discuss how taking deep breaths can help us focus.
- Consider downloading the free version of the Calm app to guide you with relaxation techniques.
- Encourage and help your child to connect with friends, family, and community through “fun” activities.
- Consider taking a break to enjoy the parks or community events in Irvine.
- Use “100 Things to Do This Summer” to help brainstorm fun things to do.
A website has been created that supports the Speak Up, We Care campaign. Please click on this link for additional resources: iusd.org/WeCare.
For a list of elementary and secondary mental health and wellness resources available by school site, click here.