COUNSELOR’S CORNER

• Ever Fi Online Learning Module- https://everfi.com/partners/k-12-educators/financial-education/
• Young Americans Bank: https://yacenter.org/
• https://www.tatteredcover.com/book-list-young-ameritowne-ya
• https://creditcards.usnews.com/student#teaching-teenagers-about-money-credit

DSISD has a strong mental health team to serve our students.  We know it can be hard to ask for help, but we are here to support parents and students. 

Colorado teens are under a rising amount of stress and pressure (CPR, 2020) and we need to provide health and wellness resources to educate our students to make healthy choices. The choices we make and the habits we form while we are young become the foundation for the lives we lead as adults.

Suicide Prevention

Colorado Public Radio has reported that the youth suicide rate has increased by 58% in the past three years. In September of each year, our mental health team teaches all students the Signs of Suicide Program to inform kids how to get help for themselves and their classmates.  Another way for students to get help is through the Safe To Tell website.  As a parent, it’s important to be aware of common warning signs, and when acted upon, can save lives. Take a moment to familiarize yourself with warning signs and remember that suicide is preventable! Below are resources if your student is struggling with mental health:

Additional resources including mental health basics, digital wellness, healthy relationships and supporting LBGTQ+ students can be found here.

DSISD is committed to supporting the whole child, incorporating a student’s social-emotional skills in addition to their academic success.  SEL is at the heart of how our teachers engage students at DSISD.  

Denver Public Schools focuses on supporting students with the Center for Social And Emotional Learning (CASEL) five competencies: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, relationship skills, and social awareness.

Mindfulness

A growing body of evidence suggests that mindfulness practice can benefit teens, assisting them to cultivate empathy, improve concentration and manage impulse control. Mindfulness can help adolescents navigate the challenges of day to day life. For adolescents, this work begins with educating them about their brains and teaching them that mindfulness instruction is like getting the user’s manual for their brain.  Resources for practicing mindfulness can be found here.

Restorative Practices

Restorative Practices are essential to our work with students.  These practices allow us to approach school discipline in a way that focuses on repairing harm rather than doling out punishment.  Our School Dean leads this work of training teachers and students. Click here for an article on how Restorative Practice is working in three DPS schools and here for an explanation of Restorative Practice.

Trauma-Informed Practices

Trauma-Informed Practices are a part of daily work with students.  Our team deeply understands that trauma can contribute to educational barriers for students interfering with emotional and physical health.  Our goal is to help children and become more resilient in the face of serious challenges.  Click here to learn more and for resources on childhood trauma.

DSISD has a part-time School Health Professional focusing on substance abuse prevention for all students, small groups for targeted students and individual intervention for students with intensive needs.  Through an evidence-based program called Teen Intervene students are provided with screening, intervention, and referral. Getting help can feel overwhelming but intervention is important for students.   You can contact our School Health Professional, Haley Figueroa at Haley_Figueroa@dpsk12.org.

Youth Connection with Parents is a Key Protective Factor
DPS Substance Use Prevention Program published this important blog post about connection and the relationship between youth who experience higher levels of connectedness as teens and the decrease in risk of mental health challenges, violence, sexual risks, and substance use of those youth.

Be the Influence

Denver Public Schools is collaborating with an organization called Be the Influence (BTI). BTI is a parent support program for a network of parents who are dedicated to doing all they can to keep their teens safe and away from drugs for as long as possible. BTI provides access to a secure database of this network of Denver parents who pledge to host teen parties free of alcohol, marijuana, nicotine and other drugs. BTI sends out bi-monthly newsletters to its parents with parenting tips and facts about alcohol and drugs. We invite you to check out www.betheinfluence.us for more information about this community.

Vaping 
Educating students about the health risks of vaping is important. Teen vaping is growing at a staggering rate. A December 2018 study found that 37.3% of 12th graders had vaped in the previous year, up from 27.8% in 2017.Click here for Children’s Hospital Colorado’s advice and strategies for parents on how to talk to your child.    Stanford  has developed  the Vaping Tobacco Prevention Toolkit to give in depth information about vaping.   

Marijuana
Smart Colorado is a local organization that engages and informs Coloradans on the risks that marijuana poses to youth.  The Smart Colorado website is a good place to get information on THC potency, the different forms of marijuana and the health impact of marijuana on youth.  

• Speak Now Colorado: Quick, relatable tips to talk to your teen about drug and alcohol use.  
• Denver Rap: This website has many different resources for community events/support and drug and alcohol treatment:
• What Parents Need to Know About Teen Vaping
• Stanford Vaping Tobacco Prevention Toolkit