It's important to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health. Always seek immediate help if someone engages in unsafe behavior or talks about wanting to hurt themselves or someone else. These resources offer supportive listening by phone, text, or chat:
Be Well 365 will ensure that students have the necessary skills to:
MCPS is committed to the academic success and to the physical, social and psychological well-being of every one of our students. Student learning is our purpose, and we know that students perform better academically when they are healthy in body, mind and spirit. The two go hand in hand to produce young people who are successful in school and in life.
MCPS has launched a new video series, Waymaking, which highlights mental health and well-being resources for staff and students as families adapt to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The show is hosted Dr. Christina Conolly-Chester, Director of Psychological Services for MCPS.
See the entire series on YouTube
Prevention and Resiliency Education (SUPRE)
Substance Use Prevention and Resiliency Education (SUPRE) is a screening and psychoeducational substance use program designed for high school students who have committed a substance use disciplinary incident on school grounds. It is designed to address the essentials of Be Well 365, especially Mental and Emotional Health and Physical Health and Wellness. The goal of SUPRE is to increase student and parent/guardian awareness of the potential consequences of substance use. Students should be referred to this program by the school administrator responsible for handling the behavioral consequences for the substance use incident.
Through a collaborative effort, Robert Alvarez, the Deputy Director of Training Operations for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and MCPS staff members created, revised and edited the program in order to ensure fidelity in its implementation. Trained MCPS Restorative Justice Specialist will be co-facilitators. SUPRE classes will be held at the Carver Educational Services Center or if needed, a virtual platform will be available on Zoom.
Social-emotional well-being can directly influence academic outcomes. When students are in tune with their emotions, they pay attention to the right things and make sound decisions. Mindfulness serves as a strategy for both staff and students to reduce stress and anxiety, strengthen attention and focus, support social and emotional growth, and better resolve day-to-day conflicts. The goal is to navigate and respond to daily tasks and challenges in healthy and productive ways.
MCPS has created a series of videos called Mindful Moments to address the stressful time we find ourselves in. The goal of this series is to deliver simple and effective tools for us all to manage our anxiety and stress that can be accessed and used at any time, on demand.
To understand more about the practice of Mindfulness and its benefits, to participate in Mindfulness activities, and to explore additional resources, please visit our Mindfulness webpage.
Office of Student and Family Support and Engagement
Girls on the Run Montgomery County
Caring Communities: Linking School Culture and Student Development
Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, and Academic Development
You Need To Teach Your Kids To Fail. Here’s How.
The School Climate Connection with SEL
SEL’s Results in Cleveland and Austin
What Makes Social-Emotional Learning So Important?
What We’ve Learned About Implementing Social-Emotional Learning