COMMUNITY WELLNESS IN THE WORKS is authored by Ms. Cailyn Gilvary, District SELect Leader, and Ms. Tiffany Steiner, Director of Intervention Services and Student Wellness.

100% Accountable teaches us that we are not limited by our past, our future is not predetermined, and our lives are what we choose from this moment onward. With a focus on recognizing fears and excuses, this mindset allows us to break down barriers, freeing our minds and focusing our energy to take the critical steps to meet our goals.

4 Key Components in this Mindset include:

• Own Your Life
• Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
• Focus Your Energy
• Grow Through Life

100% Accountable and "The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors" by Drew Daywalt

During the Week of Read Across America, student members of the Wall High School Multi-Cultural Club, Heroes and Cool Kids, Peer Leaders and Anti-Bullying Task Force read "The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors" by Drew Daywalt to each 3rd-grade class in Wall Township!

The Read Across Wall Township Committee planned the activity to reinforce community connection, a love or reading, the power of role models, and the mindset, 100% Accountable. "The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors" teaches lessons about learning from losses, being challenged (in a good way), using personal talents to shine, and celebrating the victories of everyone.

What a way to be 100% Accountable!

Read Across Wall Township Committee:

Interventionist, Lisa Ventrella

Media Specialists, Tessa Hawley and Doug Sacks

WHS Counselors, Moira Barocas and Danielle Lucas

Director of Wellness, Tiffany Steiner

Community heroes celebrate Read Across America by reading to students at Old Mill School.

The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc. and the Seeing Eye visited our 6th graders this past month. Students learned about training and the how incredible work of these amazing animals provides others with endless possibilities. Even Shadow, WIS's therapy dog, joined the party!

Wall High School demonstrated what it means to live Passion First while being a Wall Knight.

The Social Club and Peer Leaders created these amazing videos to showcase personal passions! With the help of Mrs. Susan Morin, WHS Teacher and Ms. Danielle Lucas, School Psychologist, we can see passions from our students' and teachers' perspectives.

Student Video, "Passion First"

Staff Video, "Passion First"

What are limiting beliefs?

A limiting belief is a thought that you think is the absolute truth and stops you from doing certain things. These beliefs can be personal but don’t always have to be solely about you. They could be about how the world works, ideas, and other people.

When they create a self-awareness that stops you from chasing after your dreams, forming healthy relationships with people, and creating change in any area of your life, you should consider some of the below tips to help.

7 tips to overcome your limiting beliefs:

1. Ask yourself what would happen if you’re limiting belief is wrong.
2. Push yourself to step outside your comfort zone and take a few risks at a time.
3. Get creative and think of new beliefs.
4. Put your new beliefs to the test to see if they are true.
5. Be proud of your personal development and further a growth mindset.
6. Make sure your environment is organized and free of clutter.
7. Take care of your mental health and regularly evaluate your well-being.

We all face difficult and trying times. It is a part of life. Most of us, however, miss the lessons these difficulties can teach. Let's explore how to grow through what you go through so that you can come out of the storm stronger, wiser, and much better off.

Shift Your Perspective

It’s easy to stay down and in the dumps when you are going through tough times. Thoughts like “Things will never get better,” “I’ll always have to deal with this,” or “I’ve tried everything” prevent us from learning and growing. Grow through what you go through by shifting your perspective. Instead of letting these types of limiting thoughts plague your mind, ask yourself, “What haven’t I tried?” This question will immediately shift your perspective and cause you to use your mind to figure a way out.

Challenge Your Fears with Your DREAM TEAM

We don’t have to go through difficulties alone.

One of the major benefits of leaning on your DREAM TEAM is that they can see things that you cannot. They have a different perspective that you can tap into that will allow you to learn the lesson these trying times are trying to teach.

Fear will keep you from growing and learning through difficult times. Typically, there are some hard decisions to be made and scary steps to be taken in order to grow. Ask yourself, “What am I afraid of and how is fear holding me back?” Really dig deep and then engage your DREAM TEAM.

Here are a couple of things you can do to overcome fear and grow through what you go through:

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• Challenge your fears. How likely is it that you fear will happen? Realization makes overcoming fear much easier.
• Visualize a better outcome. Typically when we imagine our fears, we visualize the worst. Change this around and visualize the best possible outcome. Stop letting worst-case scenarios dominate your thoughts. Imagine the best happening for you.

Remember to Grow Through What you Go Through!

Help us celebrate the following Wall community members as they are recognized by the Crimson Knights Foundation for their excellence in community leadership!

This year, the Foundation is honoring:

• Chief Sean O’Halloran, Chief of Police for the Wall Township Police Department - Excellence in Community Leadership Award
• Tiffany Steiner, Director of Intervention Programs and Student Wellness K-12 - Meritorious Administrator Award
• Joshua Tennant, Chairperson of the Science Department and Wall High School Teacher - Exemplary Faculty Award

This event is open to all! Click here for additional information and to purchase tickets.

DATE: Tuesday, March 28th

TIME: 5:30-7:00 pm

LOCATION: West Belmar Elementary School

Dinner served /child activity planned| Door prize | Transportation can be arranged upon request.

Please RSVP here!

Digital citizenship has been defined as knowing how to use the internet effectively day-to-day. But this definition is too narrow and doesn’t keep up with ongoing advances in technology and the ways we use it. Instead, we should think about digital citizenship as encompassing the skills children need to “fully participate academically, socially, ethically, politically, and economically in our rapidly evolving digital world,” as defined in Youth and Digital Citizenship+.

Parents and caregivers can help their kids experience and create positive online interactions by addressing key social skills and competencies within a digital context.

Tips for Parents:

• Discuss the importance of respect and empathy online. Use the above DO YOUR WORDS... drive the conversation.
• Talk to your child about the possible consequences of their online actions. Go beyond how others may feel. A conversation about being misunderstood and judged or how inappropriate posts can limit future opportunities is necessary for children to understand.
• Often, young people turn to their online communities when they are experiencing challenges in the physical world. Identify examples where seeking support from unreliable sources may have compounded challenges or created more harm. The reality that some people online take advantage of those who need help is a valuable discussion to stay safe.

• Parents and caregivers can help their kids experience and create positive online interactions by addressing key social skills and competencies within a digital context.

Online safety is a key part of digital citizenship. It’s about keeping personal information and digital devices secure and maintaining mental and physical well-being while engaging online. T

Tips for Parents:

• Teach your child about password protection and why it’s important.
• Talk with your child about information that is okay to share with others online and information that is important to keep private.
• Review community guidelines and privacy settings together.
• Find a way to engage with your child regularly to discuss their experiences online. You can talk about their latest Roblox successes while playing basketball, ask about any new TikTok or Instagram Reels they’ve seen while driving to the mall, or open a conversation about questionable outreach from unknown folks on Discord or Twitch while eating dinner.
• Ask your child to help you learn how to play their favorite game, scroll videos together, or use a maps app to find a new park. This is a great way to get an inside peek into their online lives.
• Get help when they ask questions or express concerns that you may be unsure of how to respond.

Very often kids can feel as though they are controlled by their anxious thoughts and feel helpless in stopping them. You may hear your child repeatedly talk about certain topics with concern. A great activity to deal with limiting negative beliefs or worries is to create a “worry box”.

• Decorate a box with your child- use modge podge, glitter, markers, stickers, etc. The box will be the spot in which they keep their worries when they don’t have the time to talk to someone or change their thinking on their own.
• Write worries on a piece of paper and place it in a box to be addressed at a later time. This gives a sense of control over negative thoughts or anxiety.
• Set aside a certain time of day to talk to talk through the worries. Before bed is a great time to help their minds find relief and get better sleep.

• When they no longer feel as though they need to address a certain worry that is in the box, the piece of paper can be ripped up and thrown in the garbage, which is a therapeutic activity in itself.

• Encourage other family members to make a worry box as well! Your examples of expressing and coping with anxiety teach resilience!

Is accountability a difficult concept for your child to understand? The below breakdown of accountability and why and how to live an accountable life is a great resource to facilitate the discussion.