Message From Principal McKillop
We have kicked on Mental Health Awareness month here at ConVal! Today, many students and staff members wore yellow to show support for mental health awareness. Many are also wearing "mental health matters" stickers that have an image of the yellow tulip. Throughout the week school counselors visited Health and Wellness classes to assist with suicide prevention lessons. Today in TASC homerooms there was a viewing of the third film in our mental health trilogy (Angst) with time to debrief.
This week was also educator appreciation week. Even though we appreciate our educators all year long, this week we were able to honor our amazing educators in an extra special way. Thank you to the students that did special things throughout the week. Thank you to the various student groups that hosted a breakfast, luncheon, and car wash for our staff this week. Thank you to the many parents that donated treats to help celebrate our staff. We are grateful for all contributions and all of the support!
I was able to visit our ATC programs this week (on our campus) to see what our students were working on. I was fortunate to pop into graphic design, business, manufacturing, engineering, teacher education, digital photo and video, and computer networking & programming. We truly have some amazing resources for our students and faculty that are vested and excited to teach!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Heather
Email: conval.highschool@conval.edu
Phone: (603) 924-3869
Counseling Information/Update
Online Resources for Mental Health
As part of mental health awareness month, the school counseling department wants to highlight some helpful resources for students and families regarding the topic of mental health. Rather than sharing a long curated list, we’ll pass along helpful resources in bitesized bits. Here are two resources that we think are great:
- https://www.seizetheawkward.org/ - This past week, one theme that we’ve been stressing at the high school is being willing to have conversations with those we care about regarding mental health. Our willingness to talk about it reduces the stigma associated with mental health difficulties, and helps those struggling feel more supported. That said, it sometimes isn’t that easy to initiate. This website is tailored toward teens and young adults, and encourages folks to lean into these conversations – even if they sometimes might not feel comfortable to have. The website offers information for things to consider before, during and after having a conversation with someone regarding mental health concerns. School counselors are always here as a resource to help.
- https://mentalhealthliteracy.org/: This is a great, general site designed for anyone – teens to adults - looking to increase their literacy around mental health topics. The Mental Health Literacy team is committed to creating and delivering the highest quality mental health literacy information, research, education and resources. Materials are provided in a variety of mediums that include videos, animations, brochures, e-books, face-to-face training programs, and online training programs. Materials are specifically designed to meet the needs of children, youth, young adults, families, educators, community agencies and health care providers.
AP Exams
Details were sent, via email, to students (and a parent/guardian) that are registered to take an AP exam. If you did not receive a communication and you believe your student registered to take an AP exam, please contact Tim Cotreau (tcotreau@conval.edu). AP Exams begin next Friday, and run through June 3rd, depending on the course. The schedule was published in last week’s newsletter and was included in the information that went out to student’s and families.
Region 14/ATC Information & Update
New Automotive Instructor
The Region 14 ATC is pleased to welcome Ken Kalilainen as the new automotive instructor for the program located at Mascenic High School. Mr. Kalilainen is an Army veteran and has had an extensive career in the automotive industry. Most recently, Mr. Kalilainen has been employed as a Jaguar / Land Rover technical trainer, specializing in high voltage and electric vehicles. He is excited to meet our community and to get to work on the SWITCH electric car next school year!
