Mental Health Monthly

Updates from Manning's Mental Health Team.

ICAP (Individual Career and Academic plan)

A multi-year process that intentionally guides students and families in the exploration of career, academic and postsecondary opportunities.

The program the district uses is called Naviance. Students complete grade specific tasks each year until they graduate. Having a complete ICAP is a Jeffco Public Schools graduation requirement. Student and families have access to the website and student's accounts 24/7.

Here is what each grade level's ICAP lesson involves.

6th grade Lesson: ICAP introduction, complete Strengths Explorer, Outdoor Lab reflection and Postsecondary Workforce Readiness (PWR) Goal.

7th grade Lesson: Complete CareerKeys assessment and Postsecondary Workforce Readiness (PWR) Goal.

8th Grade Lesson: Warren Tech presentation, Career Cluster Assessment and Postsecondary Workforce Readiness (PWR) Goal.

Ask your student to show you their ICAP today!

The mental health team has been in Social Studies classes teaching the MindWise Signs of Suicide lesson.

Through the program, students learn:

• That depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help.
• How to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend.

• Who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it.

You can find a copy of the Information letter with more information on the Manning Weekly Update for the week of Jan 17th.

Surrounding Jeffco High Schools will be visiting Manning during Access to present and help student register for their 2023 Fall classes. Here are the upcoming schools and dates:

• Tuesday January 31st Golden High School
• Monday February 6th Wheat Ridge High School
• Tuesday February 7th (School Presentation) Lakewood High School
• Wednesday February 8th Arvada West High School
• Tuesday February 14th (Class registration) Lakewood high School

Other Important dates can be found HERE on the Manning website

We are so excited to be working with Mr. Vogl to incorporate (V)irtual (R)eality to support student's mental health and coping skills, specifically in the areas of stress and anxiety. We will be working with a program called "Nature Treks" to help students cope with their stress and anxiety during the school day. This program helps by letting students virtually explore different locations, discover a variety of animals and find their own place in the where they can find peace, calm and relaxation.

For more information on how Manning is using VR, reference the letter from Ms. Yocum HERE

For information on the Nature Treks program, visit their website HERE

Students who earn a cumulative GPA of 3.65 by the end of the first semester of 7th grade may apply to the Manning Chapter of National Junior Honor Society. If all criteria are met, those students will participate in the NJHS Induction Ceremony in May of that year.

Students must continue to meet the criteria for NJHS after the Induction Ceremony. Students not meeting the criteria after their Induction will be placed on Academic probation for 9 weeks. If after 9 weeks the criteria have not been reached, students will be removed from NJHS.

Meeting notes, slides and more information can be found at this link on the Manning website.

School Counselor (Last Names A-L)

This is my 8th year as a school counselor, 7 of those years at the middle school level. I graduated with a Masters in Arts in Counseling and Human Services from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2014.

I became a school counselor because of my passion for sports and the influence my coaches had in my life. I wanted to "coach" youth on how to be good students and eventually good people in society.

In my free time I like to spend time with my dog Sawyer and be outside in nature. I also play professional Women's Tackle Football for the Denver Bandits in the Women's National Football Conference.

Email: Britney.Derhak@jeffco.k12.co.us
Phone: (303) 982-0452

School Counselor (Last Names M-Z)

Hello, my name is Jill Shulsinger-Wall. I have lived in Colorado most of my life and love walking, hiking and biking. I love animals and usually have one or two special needs animals running around my house. I am married and my husband, Steve and I have 3 wonderful daughters.

I started off my career working for the City and County of Denver and then a consultant as an Industrial and Organizational Psychologist. I started working in education in the middle of my career as an Assessment Coordinator for Denver Public Schools. Although the Assessment Coordinator job was not the job for me, I discovered that I loved working in education. After DPS, I worked as a tutor in the AVID program in Littleton and knew that school counseling was the path for me. I continued to work in AVID programs at various schools in Englewood and Cherry Creek school while working on my School Counseling degree. For the past 6 years, I have worked as a school counselor in Douglas County at the middle school level.

Email: jill.shulsinger-wall@jeffco.k12.co.us

(Social Emotional Learning Specialist)

Kari is a Licensed Social Worker (LSW) and the Social Emotional Learning Specialist (SEL) at Manning. While she wears many hats, her primary focus in the SEL role is to support Manning’s healthy climate and culture.

Prior to doing SEL work in Jeffco she graduated from the Graduate School of Social Work at the University of Denver with a Masters in Social Work (MSW), school social work certificate, and a focus on family systems. Additionally, she received her Master’s in Education and taught in Chicago Public Schools; through work in residential settings and schools, she has been involved with people across the lifespan. Middle school is a great match for her passions, education, work history, and quirky personality.

When not at Manning, Kari enjoys bouldering, skiing, hiking, making art, spending time with her dog, friends and family. If you talk with her long enough, eventually she’ll recommend a podcast or 12.

You can follow her on Instagram @sel_by_gray

Email: Kari.Gray@jeffco.k12.co.us
Phone: (303) 982-1514

What Counselors can help Parents/guardians with:

Provide information for a variety of social, emotional, career and academic needs.

Support in child’s academic and career planning.

Better understand the social and psychological aspects of child development.

Work with the school to plan their child’s education.

Learn more about school programs.

Become aware of community resources available to them and their children.

AND MUCH MORE!

What Counselors can help Students with:

Academic and career planning.

Individual Career and Academic Plans (ICAP).

Provide information for a variety of social, emotional, career and academic needs.

Crisis intervention and prevention.

Teach a variety of skills individually and in groups.

Establish and maintain cooperative relationships.

AND MUCH MORE!

How and Why to Contact a Counselor?

Concerns over student achievement

Family health problems

New school registration and orientation

Test interpretation

Discussing special needs of their child

Early discussion of potential crises

Family difficulties or concerns

Additional things Counselors Do:

Individual Counseling

Small Groups

Career Exploration

Academic Support

Collaboration

Crisis Response

Behavior Intervention

Referrals to Community Resources

Teaching Classroom Lessons such as ICAP

Parent Consultations

Confidentiality is of the utmost importance to us. We believe that each student and their families deserve to be treated with the deepest respect and discretion. We will guard your privacy as much as permitted by law.

Limits to confidentiality when:

• the student poses a danger to self or others
• there is a court-ordered disclosure
  
• consulting with other professionals, such as colleagues, supervisors, treatment teams and other support personnel, in support of the student
  
• privileged communication is not granted by state laws and local guidelines (e.g., school board policies)
• the student participates in group counseling
• substance use and treatment are concerns

If you have any questions regarding confidentiality, please feel free to contact a team member.