Martin Luther King, Jr. High School

Dekalb County Schools

Additional Support Services and Resources

STUDENT SUCCESS AGENCY ( SSA)- MENTORING PLATFORM

DCSD has a virtual ( email & text message only) mentoring platform for our Middle and High School Students!! All DCSD Middle and High school students are eligible to join the Mentoring platform called Student Success Agency. Attached are two parent flyers, a handbook on the program, and the parent consent form the student will have to upload to SSA.

The mentors will communicate with the students by email and text message. This is not a face-to-face mentoring program.

The agency provides:

Mentors ( they call them agents)
On-Demand Tutoring
On Demand Homework Help
Guidance on financial aid and FAFSA Processes
College and Career Advising
Job Application Assistance
Life Skill Development

Your students' first step is to text "AGENT" to 214-544-9204, which will connect them with an onboarding team
The student will then submit the digital parent consent form ( attached).

AGAIN, YOUR STUDENT MAY BEGIN TO SIGN UP NOW!!!

SSA Flyer.pdf

SSA Parent Info Brochure (1).pdf

HOW TO GET AN SSA AGENT MENTOR - Multipage.pdf

SSA Consent Form.pdf

Parents, Students and Educators, please see this updated List of Cyberbullying Resources!!!!

Please review the attached flyer that promotes the Bullying Prevention Virtual Tour , which will take place on Wednesday, December 2, 2020 at 2pm Est. Please use the following link to register to attend this event:

Below is the unique link for your school’s virtual program.

https://www.bigmarker.com/NoHateTour/MLK-High-School-No-Place-For-Hate-Virtual-Assembly

No Place For Hate Assembly.jpg

The month of September has been designated as "Suicide Prevention" month.

Below are links to additional resources and information:

Suicide Warning Signs & Risk Factors English.pdf

5 Action Steps for Helping Someone in Emotional Pain English.pdf

Suicide Warning Signs English.pdf

This is the link to GCAL where students or adults may chat or text:

https://www.georgiacollaborative.com/providers/georgia-crisis-and-access-line-gcal/

The Georgia COVID-19 Emotional Support Line provides free and confidential assistance to callers needing emotional support or resource information as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Emotional Support Line is staffed by volunteers, including mental health professionals and others who have received training in crisis counseling.

Hours of operation: 8 am - 11 pm

Call 866.399.8938.

Speaking to Your Student about COVID-19

Concern about coronavirus can make both children and families anxious. It is important that we communicate to our students the facts about the virus in an age-appropriate way and reassure them that they are safe at home.

Here are some resources to communicate with your student about COVID-19:

This article provides some guidelines to communicate what is happening with COVID-19. https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/health-crisis-resources/talking-to-children-about-covid-19-(coronavirus)-a-parent-resource?fbclid=IwAR2Fiiy4zJDEYZbRFA3-pAgNRABOr-AeFD17Te7KyLPJBBnMYrjPPHANCfk

These guidelines include:

Remain calm and reassuring
Make yourself available
Avoid excessive blaming
Monitor television viewing and social media
Maintain a normal routine to the extent possible
Be honest and accurate
Know the symptoms of COVID-19
Review and model basic hygiene and healthy lifestyle practices for protection
Discuss new rules or practices at school
Communicate with your school
Keep explanations age-appropriate
This article and video provide more tips on how to talk to your child about coronavirus: https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus/?fbclid=IwAR2Oa-LC3mSOZY9IKRZhxkawUsHVe_uyuBKS51wKVlww7UAGZNWsn_c2omM
Video created by the CDC to explain coronavirus to kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPsY-jLqaXM&feature=youtu.be

Helping Students Cope with Stress and Anxiety

This disruption to routine and the overwhelming level of information about COVID-19 can result in students feeling stressed and anxious. It is important to give your student a sense of control by including them in positive meaning-making about the situation and brainstorming ways they can spend this time in a positive and productive way. Encouraging your student to find ways of helping others during this time can frame this time of uncertainty as a time of growth.

Articles about managing stress and coping with anxiety:

Five ways to help teens deal with coronavirus anxiety: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/well/family/coronavirus-teenagers-anxiety.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimeswell&fbclid=IwAR3pxh-faP-VgxUS_p2kWfX9fVzEQfKM4yZj8VNFF7w1BQgGRjE277YgNiA
CDC article about stress and coping: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/managing-stress-anxiety.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fcoping.html
CDC article about helping children cope with emergency situations: https://www.cdc.gov/childrenindisasters/helping-children-cope.html
Ways to avoid passing anxiety on to your kids: https://childmind.org/article/how-to-avoid-passing-anxiety-on-to-your-kids/
Further ways to support kids during this COVID-19 Crisis: https://childmind.org/article/supporting-kids-during-the-covid-19-crisis/
LA County Public Health Department tips about coping with stress during infectious disease outbreaks: http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/CommunicableDisease-StrategiesForCoping.pdf
Tips to manage your own stress during infectious disease outbreaks: https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/sma14-4885.pdf
Ways to take care of your mental health in the face of uncertainty: https://afsp.org/taking-care-of-your-mental-health-in-the-face-of-uncertainty/
What to do and what not to do when your child is anxious: https://childmind.org/article/what-to-do-and-not-do-when-children-are-anxious/

Resources to help your student cope with the stress and anxiety:

GoZen: Programs to Manage Stress & Build Resilience for Kids: https://gozen.com/allprograms/
Mindfulness Exercises for Kids & Families: https://mindfulnessexercises.com/mindfulness-exercises-for-kids-families/
Body Scan Meditation for Kids: https://www.mindful.org/body-scan-kids/
Guided Breathing Exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awc8MLSpjlQ
Mindful Breathing Meditation Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmFUDkj1Aq0
Stress-Relief Guided Breathing Exercise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfs5TJZ6Nk
Child-Mind Institute Parent Resources for Coping with COVID-19: https://childmind.org/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=childmind.org&utm_campaign=Weekly-03-16-20
A Holistic Resource Guide for Parents During COVID-19: https://www.wholechildcounseling.com/post/coronavirus-resources-for-kids-parents-counselors-and-educators

Limiting Access to Television and Social Media

Ideas for Activities that Do Not Involve a Screen

Play board games as a family
Go for a walk outside
Go for a bike ride
Bake/cook for fun
Read a book
Write in a journal
Make a card or write a letter and mail it to a friend or family member
Make something out of all those Amazon boxes
Create experiments with supplies found around the house
Get a start on early spring yard work (if weather permits)
Practice an instrument
Create art

Activities for Families and Students During School Closure:

Journaling prompts for middle schoolers: https://www.journalbuddies.com/journal_prompts__journal_topics/writing-prompts-for-middle-school-kids/
Free coloring pages: https://coloringhome.com/teenage-coloring-pages-free-printable
Baking recipes: https://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/easy-baking

Creating a Media Contract with Your Student

https://smartsocial.com/social-media-contract-dcc2/

During times like this, processing too much information from media can cause more panic and anxiety in students. We recommend limiting the access your student has to media to allow your student space to process all the information and to ask questions. Here are some guidelines for creating a media contract with your student:

Set family expectations for all devices - whether it is the TV, tablets, computers, or cell phones, set clear expectations about the use of devices and be a role model for your students.
Guidelines about when and where the device can be used - although this time away from school and work can be stressful, it can also be a time to reconnect as a family. Set guidelines about not using phones while eating meals together or before bed.
Encourage your student to stop and think before they post - misinformation can result in more panic during this stressful time. Encourage your student to research before reposting anything or to think about if that information will be helpful to others or have negative consequences.
Respectful behavior and completing online school work earns more privileges - in an effort to motivate students to complete the online school work they are receiving, technology privileges can be used as a reward.
Have open communication about media content - be open about the information you are aware of and have open discussions with your students about what is going on currently as we are getting new updates each day. If there is a question that you don’t have the answer for, research the information together on reliable websites or news outlets.