Mental Health
One of SIAC's main areas of focus is supporting students' mental health.
Part 1 of Our Vision: Communication
SIAC members surveyed their peers about different aspects of the bell schedule, such as block periods, later start times, and access periods, and analyzed the feedback and data they collected. The council then created a document that highlighted positive feedback, concerns, questions, and requests that students had regarding the bell schedule. This document was shared with administrators at Amador Valley High School, who were considering changes to the bell schedule. In this way, SIAC served as the liaison between the student body and site administrators, who were making important decisions that would affect students.
Amador Valley HS is piloting a modified block schedule for the 2017-2018 school year. The new schedule has block periods, later start times, and access periods on two days of the week.
Amador Valley HS is piloting a modified block schedule for the 2017-2018 school year. The new schedule has block periods, later start times, and access periods on two days of the week.
Part 2 of Our Vision: Action
At a meeting with Mr. Gannon, SIAC members learned about the PUSD Student Tip-line, an anonymous tip-line that students can call or text for support, help, or assistance. They can also report various issues that they have identified at their school.
SIAC saw the tip-line's potential to support students' mental health, but very few students were aware of the tip-line's existence. To tackle this issue, SIAC created a new flyer to publicize the PUSD Student Tip-line. Copies of the flyer were posted on the campus of every secondary school site, and teachers will received a copy of the flyer at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year to post in their classrooms.
Part 3 of Our Vision: Empowerment
In order to empower students in the PUSD with the opportunity to openly discuss mental health issues and possible solutions, SIAC organizes an annual event called "Let's Address Stress."
Event 2018
Let's Address Stress took place on Wednesday, March 28th from 7-8:30 PM in the Pleasanton Public Library. We had a student panel and a guest speaker. This event was organized in partnership with the Pleasanton Youth Commission and the AV Wellness Committee. Our student panel included PUSD high school students and alumni who spoke about their experiences dealing with stress, how they manage stress, and how we can reduce student stress levels. After the panel, our guest speaker, psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Kostalnick, gave a talk titled "Bracing for Impact.” He discussed how to navigate the changes of life as students transition from high school to college.
Around 200 PUSD students attended the event, and the panel was interactive with the audience and answered questions that students posed. Afterwards, students wrote causes of their stress on sticky notes and put them on a large banner. Overall, it was a refreshing and empowering experience for students to talk about stress and pressure in their every day lives and listen to advice from a professional.
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