May Monthly Objectives: Prioritising Mental Health

As an educator, you play a critical role in the lives of your students. You help them develop academic skills, foster their creativity, and provide guidance as they navigate their future. However, one of the most important things you can do for your students is to help them prioritise their mental health. By empowering your students to prioritise their mental health, you’re helping them build the skills they need to thrive academically and beyond.

Tips for Empowering Students to Prioritise Their Mental Health:

1. Create a safe and supportive environment: Students need to feel safe and supported to discuss their mental health. Create a welcoming environment where students feel comfortable doing this.
2. Encourage self-awareness: Help your students develop self-awareness by discussing emotions, stress, and self-care.
3. Encourage students to reflect on their mental health and how it affects their academic success and future.
4. Encourage taking a break: Have students watch the video, Why you should take a break.
5. Teach coping skills: Help students learn how to manage stress and anxiety in healthy ways by providing resources and teaching coping skills, such as deep breathing, mindfulness, and exercise.

This May, use myBlueprint’s All About Me and Education Planner platforms to help students prioritise their mental health reflection in your classroom. Scroll and read today’s blog post to learn more!

K-6 Newsletter (or K-7)

Title: Prioritising Mental Health

Mental health is a critical component of overall well-being. Yet, many students may not feel comfortable talking about their mental health or may not know how to prioritise it. This can lead to problems like stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues that can impact their academic success and future.

Use these resources with All About Me to support students’ mental health:

• This lesson introduces students to cyberbullying. Mental health and safety go hand and hand and it is important for students to feel safe and know what to do in case of cyberbullying: Cyberbullying
• This lesson focuses on courageous expression through art: Courageously Creative
• Watch this Reflection Video to learn more about how to guide student reflection in All About Me!

Implementation Ideas for MAY!

1. Invite students to name their emotions. This could be overall, towards a specific prompt, or a situation. Invite them to add this to their All About Me portfolio (Add Box > Add Media > Add Audio or Video > add title #GetReal) and reflect on how others might feel during this time.
2. Help students mindfully build essential competencies — May’s focus is Self-Empowerment. Self-empowerment refers to the process of taking control of one’s own life, making choices and decisions that align with personal values and goals, and developing the confidence and skills to overcome obstacles and challenges. Watch this month’s episode to learn more: S1E6 of Competencies without a Classroom

7–12 Newsletter (or 8–12)

Title: Prioritising Mental Health

Many students may not feel comfortable talking about their mental health or may not know how to prioritise it. This can lead to problems like stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues that can impact their academic success and future.

Use the resources below with myBlueprint Education Planner to support students’ mental health:

• This exemplar demonstrates some ideas for building a Mental Health portfolio in the student account: Mental Health Portfolio
• This activity will help students explore the topic of mental health, learn ‘The 5 Golden Rules’ in supporting others with mental health, and engage in open and honest dialogue around mental health and mental health issues
• This activity will help students explore the topic of mental wellness and help them create a portfolio to explore, identify, and document their own mental wellness experiences and strategies

Implementation Ideas for MAY!

1. Transition portfolios are a great end-of-year activity and a fantastic way to communicate student progress! Learn about transition portfolios here: High School Transition
2. Help students mindfully build essential competencies — May’s focus is Self-Empowerment. Self-empowerment refers to the process of taking control of one’s own life, making choices and decisions that align with personal values and goals, and developing the confidence and skills to overcome obstacles and challenges. Watch this month’s episode to learn more: S1E6 of Competencies without a Classroom

myBlueprint CONTESTS!

Engage students in the valuable practice of completing grade-specific pathways planning tasks in the Education Planner Pathways Planning Contest!

1. The contest runs from April 3, 2023 to May 12, 2023
2. There are prizes for both teachers and students
3. Check out the Contest Details for more information and sign up HERE

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Want to learn more? Email support@myBlueprint.ca, sign up for a drop-in webinar or watch our bite-sized video tutorials.