Monthly, the LTHS Guidance & Counseling Department will make an "imprint" on the Lacey community by reviewing upcoming events and pertinent counseling-related topics. Further, this newsletter will celebrate select youth accomplishments, including the UPstander award, which is a feature of this month.

In this edition, the following will be reviewed:

1.***Mental Health & Wellness Night: May 2, 5-8 PM***

2. Mental Health Awareness Volleyball Game: May 5, 3:45 PM

3. UPstanders

4. State Testing for Freshmen and Juniors

5. Counselor Contact

See below for our featured Breakout Sessions for the Mental Health & Wellness Night:

Breakout Session 1: Anxiety Breathing Fundamentals: If you are living with one of the many forms of anxiety, you are painfully aware of the symptoms. You might feel as if your thoughts are racing and your heart is beating entirely too fastly. It can make falling asleep nearly impossible or wake you during the night. If you are currently living with an anxiety disorder, you may greatly benefit from learning different breathing techniques and styles to bring the mind and body back to calm. Learn the basics of anxiety and breathing in this quick, concise yet informative session. This will be presented by Adrienne DiPaolo.

Breakout Session 2: Healthy Stress Management: Life can be stressful! We often feel overworked and overscheduled. Children and adults feel the effects of our busy lives, It is important that we are aware of stressors and how to handle it in healthy ways. Those attending this breakout session will learn from educator Ms. Carly Londrigan, Lacey Township High School Counselor, about how to identify life's pressures and experience balance.

Breakout Session 3: Art Therapy vs. Art as Therapy: Art therapy serves as an expressive medium that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Participants will learn about the benefits art therapy has to offer, and have the opportunity to engage in a guided art therapy directive. *No art experience required! Focus is on the process and inner experience, rather than the final product. This will be presented by Lacey teacher, Lauren Dean.

Breakout Session 4: Boosting Immunity: The immune system has an integral function in one's physiology--and caring for it is of utmost importance to increase likelihood of health and decrease likelihood of diseases. In this breakout session, attendants will learn from two Lacey nurses about tips and tricks to boost immunity for those of all ages.

Breakout Session 5: Building Your Mindfulness Toolbox: In the fast paced world of the 2020's, mindfulness techniques are of utmost importance. Engaging in mindfulness eases stress and anxiety. Lacey Student Assistance Coordinator Mrs. Kelly Brown has provided training on this topic for nearly 20 years and has a Masters of Holistic Health Studies; those attending this session will create a toolbox to help decrease stress symptomology in many arenas of life.

Breakout Session 6: Communicating and Connecting with Youth: The world is continuing to evolve, and communicating and connecting with youth must now be very intentional. Those attending this session with learn from Roberta Rapisardi, MS.Ed., CPS from RWJBarnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery. Roberta is trained in Strengthening Families, Communities that Care, Nurtured Heart Approach and Community/Culture Based Interventions. She will use her experience in social-emotional learning and family programs to educate adults in attendance.

Breakout Session 7: Healthy Parent-Child Relationships: How to Support Your Child’s Mental Health: Have you ever felt like you and your child speak completely different languages at times? This breakout session will be spent identifying and discussing those communication barriers often found in any parent child relationship. As well, how learning positive communication and validation skills can improve your child’s mental health long term. This will be presented by Ocean County Harbor House.

Breakout Session 8: Supporting Students with Chronic Absenteeism and School Anxiety: Chronic absenteeism caused by school anxiety has become increasingly challenging for schools, parents, and students themselves. This session will present solution-focused strategies for educators and families to work cooperatively, recognizing the nature of school phobia and supporting the transition back to the classroom. An emphasis will be placed on addressing the root causes of school refusal, by promoting social and emotional skills, teaching resilience, and supporting students’ overall mental health and well-being. This will be presented by Dr. Ryan Eckert.

Breakout Session 9: The Stop Sign Before the Accident: The Maximilian Foundation aims to serve as the "stop sign before the accident." This non-profit organization is trying to save our children by strengthening their self-esteem and self-worth by providing programs to local schools to prevent them from getting into self-destructive behaviors. Those who attend this session will learn about not just the history of the Maximilian Foundation, but also the present and future, from Founder/CEO, Mr. Rick Schmid.

Breakout Session 10: Understanding Addiction: As mental health issues becoming increasingly pressing, addiction has also been more prevalent in our county and area. Those attending this session will learn about the complications of substance abuse, addiction and its impact on families. Ms. Elyse Winkle, Lacey Township High School Student Assistance Coordinator, will be presenting this session.

Breakout Session 11: Partners in Education: Families and Community Members are key factors in illuminating the development of the Whole Child, and they need advocacy too! The Whole Child is an initiative which began focusing on meeting the comprehensive needs of children assuring they will be: healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged in 21st century education. The 21st century requires new approaches for each child to reach their maximum potential. This includes the research that says "the more people involved in the educational process of the student, the greater the rate of success of the students, as partners in education, their well-being needs to be considered a priority. The objective of this presentation is to provide practical examples that the Families and Community Members can apply to enhance and improve their quality of life, to a state of wellness. This session will be presented by Dr. Maria Paradiso-Testa.

Together, the Ocean County Health Department, Lacey Township High School's Men's Volleyball Team and the Lacey Township High School Guidance & Counseling Department are hosting a collaborative event on Friday, May 5. The Men's Volleyball event will be a Mental Health Awareness Game, and it is open to all! Our Lacey Lions will be boasting a proud bright green color, in honor of mental health awareness. This has been carefully coordinated by Head Coach Mr. Joseph Romayo, LTHS Teacher of History.

This event comes and the special uniforms will be worn at a special time, as May is Mental Health Awareness Night. We look forward to this partnership and hope that all reading this will consider attending! Admission is free, and mental health matters!

UPstanders (noun):

A community-engaging anti-bullying program that facilitates celebration, family togetherness and local economy stimulation.

LTHS Guidance & Counseling Department is coordinating a new program called UPstanders. UPstanders recognizes students on a monthly basis for contributing to a positive school climate, aligned with positive traits, detailed in the "LION'S PRIDE" acronym.

This month, for "I", we recognized one student per grade level that exemplifies INTEGRITY! Students were nominated by LTHS staff.

Each UPstander will be rewarded a gift card to a local restaurant. Parents will be strongly encouraged to take their whole family to this family dinner.

As our UPstander partner, we are very thankful to Lacey's Playa Bowls for their sponsorship of this month's gift cards!

The spirit of this program is multi-pronged and seeks to achieve the following:

1. Encourage the facilitation of a positive school climate;

2. Celebrate our youth for being contributory to a healthy community;

3. Engage our local small businesses;

4. Promote family togetherness through a meal.

As research shows, it is often through a positive family environment that students increase their overall sense of belonging— and those with a strong sense of belonging have prosocial behaviors, helping to facilitate a positive school climate.

We appreciate Playa Bowls' partnership, our student’s positive behaviors and our nominating staff! We are pleased to announce our UPstanders:

Kiera Wimbush, Senior

Silah Mrazek, Junior

Alexandria Katsianis, Sophomore

Melanie Santamaria, Freshman

Congratulations to these young adults, their parents and their families! Enjoy a treat at Playa Bowls celebrating this success!

Click on their icon to order today!

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 on May 2-5; Juniors will be assessed in Science on May 16-19.

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 icon below, which will provide practice tests. Freshmen, please click on NJSLA for English and for Mathematics. Juniors, please select NJSLA for Science.

BEST OF LUCK!

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.