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I M P R I N T
Thoughts from LTHS Guidance & Counseling
| Spring 2024 |
Regularly, the LTHS Guidance & Counseling Department will make an "imprint" on the Lacey community.
In this edition, the following will be reviewed:
SAVE THE DATE! Mental Health & Wellness Night
1. A Mental Health Partnership with the Forked River Rotary Club
2. A Special Thank You to TLC
3. Community Partnerships in Our Time of Need
4. Test Anxiety Tips
5. teen Mental Health First Aid
6. Lacey's Mental Health Resource Guide
7. Counselor Contact
SAVE THE DATE! Mental Health & Wellness Night
In Lacey, we believe in creating a positive, family-like community that is supportive and uplifting. As such, on Monday, April 29, 2024, we are hosting a Mental Health & Wellness Night in partnership with Central Regional School District. Those attending this event will have the opportunity to learn about tools to understand and handle the stressors of life!
Our target audience is the whole family! There will be a free dinner, courtesy of the LTEA/NJEA. Further, parents/adults and students in grades 8-12 will learn from our keynote speaker and breakout sessions. Childcare will be provided for children aged 3-12.
Generally speaking, the structure of the event will be as follows:
Resource & Dinner Hour: 5:00-6:00
Introductions & Keynote: 6:00-6:45
Breakout Session #1: 6:50-7:20
Breakout Session #2: 7:25-7:55
End of Event: 8:00
Within two weeks of the event, registration for particular breakout sessions will be available.
Monday, Apr 29, 2024, 05:00 PM
Lacey Township High School, Haines Street, Lanoka Harbor, NJ, USA
1. A Mental Health Partnership with the Forked River Rotary Club
On Tuesday, March 19th, Lacey Township School District received a generous $20,000 check, sponsored by the Forked River Rotary Club. The Forked River Rotary Club has committed to sponsor approved mental health initiatives within the Lacey school system.
A special thank you goes to all of the Forked River Rotary Club members, and especially Mr. Tony Angona, who led the efforts for this impactful sponsorship.
2. A Special Thank You to TLC
As our community knows, Lacey has endured several losses over the past few months.
During this sensitive time, we are fortunate to have the support of the Traumatic Loss Coalition. The Traumatic Loss Coalition has guided us tremendously, and provided an immense amount of support to both our students and our staff. In these counseling efforts, which were second-to-none, we wish to especially thank the following therapists, who have helped hundreds of our Lacey students since the Fall:
Mrs. Isabel Morales, LPC
Mrs. Cara Paolillo, LCSW
In addition, we were fortunate to glean wisdom from Mr. George Scott, MFT, 20+ year veteran with the State's Traumatic Loss Coalition, at our evening event on Monday, March 25th. If you wish to review his informative slide deck, it is accessible on the District's website in the scrolling feature, and through this link.
3. Community Partnerships in our Time of Need
In addition to the support of the Traumatic Loss Coalition, we are thankful for various other community institutions that aided us in our time of need. Specifically, Susan Tellone and Shantell Hawthorn of the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide have been sources of expertise, and generously hosted our Hope and Healing event in January.
Also, we wish to acknowledge the meaningful partnerships with the following organizations/institutions:
Central Regional School District Administration & Counseling (Darryl Heale)
COMPASS (NJ4S/Ocean County, Dave Seegert)
Barnegat Township School District Counseling
Berkeley Township School District Counseling
Brick Township School District Counseling
Jackson Township School District Counseling
Lakewood Township School District Counseling
Mobile Response
Ocean County Vocational Technical School District Counseling
Point Beach School District Counseling
Point Borough School District Counseling
Southern Regional School District Counseling
Toms River Regional School District Counseling
Though our circumstances have been challenging, the strength of our broader Ocean County community has become apparent. Again, we thank you.
We also wish to thank Lacey's very own Yadiel, who drew the "helping hands" picture featured in this section.
4. Test Anxiety Tips: NJSLA
Many students struggle with feeling nervous or having symptoms of anxiety prior to taking a major exam. We encourage all of our youth to review this article from the Mayo Clinic, with tips and tricks to soothe test anxiety.
Per the New Jersey Department of Education, all freshmen and all juniors will be testing in Lacey Township High School in the month of May. In order to schedule these tests in the least disruptive way possible, in the same format as NJGPA, tests will be administerested during first period only on testing days. Freshmen will be assessed in English and Mathematics; Juniors will be assessed in Science.
On testing days, non-testers will report to their regular schedules. Further, all students will be expected to attend their classes in periods 2-4 after their test completion.
We recommend that freshmen, juniors and their families click on the NJSLA icon, which will provide practice tests. Freshmen, please click on NJSLA for English and for Mathematics. Juniors, please select NJSLA for Science.
Additional testing opportunities can be found in the visual below.
BEST OF LUCK!
5. teen Mental Health First Aid
We wish to thank RWJBarnabas Institute for Prevention and Recovery, and specifically, Brian Preiser and team, for providing the entire junior class with an opportunity to become certified through teen Mental Health First Aid. The grant provided by this RWJBarnabas availed a life-changing opportunity for our teens.
To read more about this program, please review the letter send to all juniors and their parents here or by clicking the tMHFA image.
6. Lacey's Mental Health Resource Guide
Especially as Lacey shifts into Spring break, it's important for our families to have access to mental health resources.
If you want to learn more about this topic now, see Lacey's Mental Health Resource Guide.
7. Counselor Contact
We are thankful for our strong counseling team at Lacey Township High School. Feel free to contact your student's counselor below, using the emails and extensions listed below.