Youth and Child Mental Health Week is taking place May 2 to 9 and the Upper Grand District School Board’s theme this year is “Have a SUPER week.”
SUPER stands for the mental health and wellness skills that student and staff will be building each day of the week.
Monday will be Social connection. Tuesday will be Uplifting emotions. Wednesday will look at Personal health – sleep, nutrition, exercise. Thursday will be Emotional calming and Friday will be Resilient thinking.
Mental health is how people think, act and cope with life and the stressors and challenges that are part of living, board officials state. Someone’s state of mental health can influence the way they look at themselves, their life and others around them.
It also strongly influences an individual’s ability to learn and achieve goals.
Throughout the week, students and staff will be increasing mental awareness by promoting an understanding of mental health wellness, making the mind/body connection, providing approaches to improving mental wellness, increasing coping skills, developing stress management and relaxation techniques and increasing positive lifestyle behaviors (i.e. physical activity, good sleep hygiene, having a support network).
Classrooms in the Upper Grand District School Board will have activities addressing SUPER throughout the week.
Some additional activities that will be happening in the county include:
– May 1, a kick-off day at Arthur Public School sponsored by #GetInTouchForHutch and the school; and
– May 6, an all-school mental health walk at Elora Public School starting at 10am. Before the walk Myrna Hutchison from #GetInTouchForHutch will make a presentation to the Grade 7 and 8 students.
