NHS Wellness Team's Monthly
Student Well-Being Bulletin - March, 2018
Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.
Welcome to the Wellness Team's monthly bulletin. The NHS Wellness Team is a group of administrators, support staff and service providers who work together to focus on the well-being of our students. This bulletin provides a space where we will share helpful articles with families and provide important information about events going on at Natick High School or in the community to benefit all students well-being.

We hope everyone stayed safe during the snowstorms! With more snow on the way, check out some movies that are sure to lift your spirits!
**Ten Films that Highlight the Best in Humanity Link Here
Upcoming Events in the Area:
Come Hear What Current Students or Recent Graduates with Asperger Syndrome have to Say about their College Experience
Date: Sunday, March 25th
Time: 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Price: $40/family
Where: 51 Water Street, Suite 206 Watertown, MA 02472
Register : Click Here
Workshop for Parents/Guardians of People with Developmental Disabilities: Talking with your Kids about Sexuality
Date: Tuesday, April 3rd
Time: 6:30 p.m.-8:00p.m.
Where: Cameron Middle School-Framingham, MA
More Information : Click Here
Upcoming Events at NHS:
Personal Pathways to Success: Two Presentations
Thursday, March 29th @ Natick High School
* *Disabilities Services at the College Level (6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m.)
**Career and Training Fair (7:00-8:30 p.m.)
When: Tuesday, March 20th
Where : NHS Auditorium
Time: 7:00 p.m.
The opioid crisis has highlighted how addiction can impact individuals from any family or background, leaving many communities to wonder what can be done to prevent addiction. Using humor and her engaging approach to describing teen development, Dr. Potee provides her audiences with powerful information and tips about how they can reduce the risks of addiction among young people.
Natick Public Schools is proud to provide the Gender & Sexuality Resource to our LGBTQ+ students, their families/friends, staff and community. The Gender & Sexuality Resource is designed to connect people in our community with reliable and meaningful LGBTQ+ resources and organizations, both locally and nationally.
For More Information:
**In support of the victims of school shootings, the walkout has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 20th at 10:00 a.m.
This is a school activity led by students and is for students; we will not be able to welcome people onto campus--just as we don't allow community members onto campus during a regular school day. For safety and management purposes, and in keeping with the national and regional management and intent of this event, it will be exclusively a for-students event and is not intended for community members.
Upcoming Events in the Area:

Inspiring Courage: Family Journeys and Gender Identity Program (3/18)
The heart of the program will be a panel of parents and grandparents, who will share their family journeys on supporting a loved one who is claiming a gender identity or transitioning. They will share the struggles they have faced, the ways their families have been strengthened, and the support they have found helpful.
More Information: ** Click Here

Advocates Girl Talk Group:
This group is designed for adolescent females (ages 14 to 17) who want to engage in learning positive coping mechanisms for anxiety and depression symptoms. To learn more click Link Here

 High Flight Program:
Established in 1998 in response to a community need for positive activities and leadership opportunities for at-risk teens, the High Flight program is an Adventure-Based Experiential Education and Leadership Development Program designed to support youth and teens in their development of self-confidence, self-worth and life skills. High Flight encourages teens to challenge themselves with positive risk-taking, pushing their personal limits in a safe, accepting and supportive environment.
More Information: High Flight
Helpful Articles:

Presentations From Special Event on Vaping at NHS: "Nicotine effects on heart rate, blood pressure; alters brain (prefrontal cortex, receptors) Function (executive function, attention (deficits), cognitive function, emotional regulation)"

If the World is Scary, How Can Our Children Not Be Scared? " If I try to suppress my children’s negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts, their stress and worry has nowhere to go but to fester. With the idea of Maybe, my children can recognize they are scared or worried about what is happening in the world and at the same time recognize there is an opening they can take whenever they are ready."

An Influential Group of Doctors Says All Teens Should Get Screened for Depression: " The new guidelines emphasize the need to identify young people who are at higher risk of developing depression than their peers. These are adolescents who may have experiences of trauma or substance abuse, have experienced depression previously, or have a family member with a history of depression or another psychiatric disease."
Recommended Reads:

 Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy, and Fulfilling Lives - Rachel Simmons

He's Not Lazy: Empowering Your Son to Believe in Himself - Adam Price, PhD