Counseling

Dear RHMS students and families,

The coming days and weeks feel quite unpredictable and we want you to know that we are here to support you. This is a very different time for all of us and we miss getting to see you at school every day. The disruption to our normal patterns and day-to-day life can be very stressful for students and families. This has become a critical time for both physical care and mental/self-care. Below we have gathered resources that can be accessed at this time. We will continue to add new information to our website, so please check back often.

Your Counselor cares about You and Your Family.

Carolyn Stelling - 6th Grade Counselor

Veronica Nelson - 7th Grade Counselor

Danielle MacDonald - 8th Grade Counselor

If you wish to be connected remotely to the YES Behavioral Support Specialist serving RHMS, please leave a message for Mina Kirilov at 425-747-4937, extension 2790. You can enter the extension at any time during the YES voicemail greeting. Be sure to leave your name and phone number. It may take one or two days before you receive a call back. If you need immediate assistance or are in a suicidal or high risk crisis please call 911 or Crisis Connections 866-4CRISIS (206-461-32222).

School Closure Resources and Information

Mental Health

TeenLink — 866-TEENLINK

This Washington-based service is staffed by teen volunteers who receive 60 hours of training and often have experienced mental health issues themselves. The peer-to-peer connections make young people feel more comfortable sharing their concerns. The service can connect teens to local resources as well.

You can call 1-866-TEENLINK (833-6546) to talk by phone from 6-10 p.m. nightly or text from 6-9:30 p.m. every night. You can also call, chat or text in to connect with an adult substance use specialist from 1-6 p.m. Tues-Sat.

If you are an adult looking to help a young person, there are resources on the TeenLink website, or you can call 1.866.4CRISIS.

Crisis Connections — 866-427-4747

This 24/7 number provides immediate support and resources for people in emotional crisis and will help you determine if you or your loved one needs professional help. They provide immediate translation into 155 languages.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Disaster Distress Helpline — 800-985-5990

This 24/7/365 service from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides crisis counseling for people going through both natural and human-caused disasters. It’s free, multi-lingual and confidential. You can also text TalkWithUs to 66746.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline— 800-273-8255

The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals. MORE resources for youth

Crisis Text Line

Specifically anxious about Coronavirus? Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Counselor.

National Alliance on Mental Illness - Great mental health resources

Food

Order a grab and go meal through LWSD - Available Monday through Friday from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm for pick-up at RHMS.
Pantry Packs - Available FRIDAYS for pick-up from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm at RHMS.
HopeLink Food Program - In response to the arrival of COVID-19 in our community, pre-packed boxes of food will be available for all participants to pick up. Just follow the signage to the door where they will be given out at your local center. Each household will be able to pick up enough food for 21 meals per person (or two weeks worth of food) (En Español).

You do not need to register. Go during open hours and you should be able to pick up the boxes.

Kirkland/Northshore Food Bank and Emergency Services
11011 120th Ave. NE
Kirkland, Washington 98033
P: 425.889.7880
Mondays/Tuesdays 1 - 4PM
Wednesdays 3 - 7PM
Thursdays 10AM - 1PM
Fridays 1 - 4PM

Redmond Center
8990 154th Avenue Northeast
Redmond, Washington 98052
P: (425) 869-6000
Mondays/Tuesdays 1 - 4PM
Wednesdays 3 - 7PM
Thursdays 10AM - 1PM

Bellevue Food Bank and Emergency Services
14812 Main St.
Bellevue, Washington 98007
P: 425.943.7555
Mondays/Tuesdays 1 - 4PM
Wednesdays 3 - 7PM
Thursdays 10AM - 1PM

Hopelink: Comida - En respuesta a la llegada de COVID-19 a nuestra comunidad, tenemos cajas de alimentos pre-empaquetadas disponibles para que todos los participantes las recojan. Sólo tienes que seguir la señalización hasta la puerta donde se entregarán en tu centro local. Cada hogar podrá recoger suficiente comida para 21 alimentos por persona (o dos semanas de comida).

No es necesario registrarse. Vaya durante el horario de servicio y recoja sus cajas.

Redmond Center
8990 154th Avenue Northeast
Redmond, Washington 98052
P: (425) 869-6000
Mondays/Tuesdays 1 - 4PM
Wednesdays 3 - 7PM
Thursdays 10AM - 1PM

Bellevue Food Bank and Emergency Services
14812 Main St.
Bellevue, Washington 98007
P: 425.943.7555
Mondays/Tuesdays 1 - 4PM
Wednesdays 3 - 7PM
Thursdays 10AM - 1PM

Shelter

King County 2-1-1 connects people to the help they need. They provide the most comprehensive information on health and human services in King County. Whether it’s for housing assistance, help with financial needs, or to find the location of the nearest food bank. To begin, text your zip code to 877-211- 9274.

Resources for Parents

Parents, family members, and other trusted adults play a valuable role in helping children make sense of what they are hearing about COVID-19 and their associated fears or concerns. The CDC has created some guidelines to help with these conversations.

Remain calm and reassuring
Make yourself available to talk and to listen
Avoid language that might blame others
Pay attention to what you child us hearing/seeing on TV, online
Provide information that is honest and accurate
Teach and reiterate to your child the daily actions to reduce germs.
From the National Association of School Psychologists and the National Association of School Nurses- Talking to children about COVID-19
Locally, families and students can call the Washington State Department of Health’s Coronavirus hotline with questions at 1-800-525-0127.

Things students can do during the closure

During the school closure, check PowerSchool Learning frequently for updates from your teachers. This is a great time to practice the skills you have learned, finish any late work, and take care of yourself by doing something you might not typically have time for! Below is a list of activities we hope you will try. Your counselors have listed a few of our personal recommendations.

Read a book

Revisit our Summer Reading list for some great titles
Download Libby and check out a book with your King County Library Card! (iOS/Android)

Try out a Mindfulness app (HeadSpace, Calm, Insight Timer)

Video chat with a friend

Write letters to family

How to send a letter

Exercise

Yoga 15 minutes of Yoga with Adrien
Dance to your favorite music
Go for a walk or run

Bake or cook

Easy recipes from Tasty

Visit a museum virtually

Virtual Museum Visits
Tours and online exhibits to 2,500 museums and galleries around the world
Tour The Louvre online

Visit a zoo virtually

Visit San Diego Zoo virtually
See the web cams at Georgia Aquarium
Enjoy the Monterey Bay Aquarium live cams

Explore National Parks from home

Visit Yellowstone National Park
Visit Yosemite National Park

Travel around the world and beyond online

Tour the Great Wall of China
Take a trip to Hawaii with Google Earth
Get yourself to Mars

Journaling/Writing

Things to write about/prompts:

Expressing gratitude - What are you grateful for today? This can be done as a daily exercise.
Daily reflection- what was high moment, a low moment, what do you want to accomplish tomorrow?

Week of 03/30/2020

RHMS Families,

We understand that the current situation impacts students and families in different ways. If you are a family in need (food or other resources) please reach out to your student’s school counselor (emails below), leave a message at 425-936-2460 and then press 4 or check the RHMS Counseling WEB Page.

We can’t always have control over the many challenges currently happening in our world, but we do have the power to take care of ourselves. This can be a very stressful time for you and your family. So, we wanted to share few stress buster tips for both parents and students:

Breathe
- Relax your jaw; wiggle it back and forth. Make sure your tongue is not pressed against the roof of your mouth.
- Sit with your hands on your stomach and your feet on the floor. Breathe in through your nose so deeply that you feel your hands move (5 seconds). HOLD for 2 seconds. Breathe out through your mouth for 6 seconds.
Take a shower or a bath. Changing the temperature of your body helps with stress. Make sure you are breathing (#1).
Put some ice in a bag and hold it in your hand. Focus on how it feels (10 minutes). Make sure you are breathing (#1). If your thoughts wander, try to refocus on how the ice feels in your hand.
Trace the outline of your right hand with your left finger. Focus on how that feels. Make sure you are breathing (#1). If your thoughts wander, try to refocus on how it feels to trace the outline of your hand. Repeat.
Download a mindfulness video. Lay on a bed or couch; close your eyes and listen to the message. Make sure you are breathing (#1).
Squeeze your hand into a fist as hard as you can. Your knuckles should turn white. Make a fist as you breathe in and hold fist as you hold your breath; release fist as you breathe out. Repeat.

Breathing is the most important way to release stress; add one or all of the stress busters listed above to help with anxiety.

Here are a few more tips from the Seattle Seahawks Weekly Challenge.

Best wishes,

Carolyn Stelling, Counselor 6th Grade cstelling@lwsd.org

Veronica Nelson, Counselor 7th Grade vnelson@lwsd.org

Danielle MacDonald, Counselor 8th Grade dmacdonald@lwsd.org

Week of 03/23/2020

Dear Rose Hill Middle School Families,

Important Note: Your counselor cares about You and Your Family. This letter has some important information. The most important thing is that you can reach out to us and we will respond.

Carolyn Stelling (6th Grade) cstelling@lwsd.org
Veronica Nelson (7th Grade) vnelson@lwsd.org
Danielle MacDonald (8th Grade) dmacdonald@lwsd.org

Our thoughts are with you as our school, community and world navigate this challenging time. The Rose Hill Middle School counseling department is committed to supporting our students and families while our school is closed. We believe that it is essential that students and families continue to receive support to cope with the increased anxiety and stress that this difficult situation brings. Our counseling team will remain active during the school closure. We will provide ongoing support through:

Email - We are all checking email and will be happy to answer questions, share resources, and assist you and your student.
Newsletter -The counseling team will be sending out a weekly newsletter to families. The newsletter will include helpful articles, information about community resources and activities to keep your students engaged.
RHMS Counseling Web Page - We will be updating the counseling department’s web page with resources, activities, and tools. https://rhms.lwsd.org/studentsfamilies/counseling
Scheduled appointments - We will be available for phone appointments. You may schedule an appointment with your student’s school counselor through email.

As you know, COVID-19 has been characterized as a pandemic. The uncertainty and continual changes of this situation has brought on a lot of fear and worry. As we go through this together, it is important that we remember to stay positive, focus on what we have control over and remain connected to each other.

Here are five strategies to build resilience and help cope with this unique situation:

Stay positive: Remember to keep calm. If you show anxiety or fear, your child will pick up on this and also feel nervous and afraid. Changes to the environment and routines can create unease. Having calm, panic-free discussions can ease emotions around these changes. Check-in on how your child is feeling and acknowledge and address their worries.
Stick to the facts: It is important to have thoughtful conversations regarding COVID-19 to dispel anxiety or fear. Look at the facts. Consider your child’s age and emotions to determine how to frame these conversations to ensure your child understands. Let them know that our leaders are doing everything they can, and you are up to date on current information. Highlight positive news. Discuss that not everything they hear or see is accurate.
Consider media consumption: When looking online, consider the source and fact-check to prevent fake news, and think before you share. Be mindful of how much media you are checking and minimize how often you are reading stories. Try to keep a healthy balance (both online and offline) in your daily routines and lifestyle.
Eliminate stigma: It is important to be aware of how COVID-19 is explained to your child to avoid any person/group being blamed. Communicate that if someone has a fever or cough, this does not mean this person has COVID-19.
Boost your coping strategies: Change or uncertainty can create some levels of worry or anxiety. When this occurs, use positive coping strategies to manage these emotions. As every person is different, so too are our coping strategies. Coping strategies can include: positive self-talk, singing, journaling, dancing, reading, drawing, music, a gratitude list, prayer, meditation, coloring, exercise, cooking, baking, talking to a friend or family member, or other activities that give you joy. If you notice your child is still worried or anxious, be assured that this is a normal reaction. If you find that additional support is needed, please reach out to one of our counselors.

Warm regards,

Rose Hill Middle School Counseling Team

Carolyn Stelling (6th Grade) cstelling@lwsd.org
Veronica Nelson (7th Grade) vnelson@lwsd.org
Danielle MacDonald (8th Grade) dmacdonald@lwsd.org

If you wish to be connected remotely to the YES Behavioral Support Specialist, serving RHMS, please leave a message for Mina Kirilov at 425 747-4937, extension 2790. You can enter the extension at any time during the YES voicemail greeting. Be sure to leave your name and phone number. It may take one or two days before you receive a call back. If you need immediate assistance or are in a suicidal or high risk crisis please call 911 or Crisis Connections 866-4CRISIS (206-461-3222).

Counseling Office Staff

Carolyn Stelling
6th Grade Counselor
Veronica Nelson
7th Grade Counselor
Danielle MacDonald
8th Grade Counselor
Janitzia Pizarro
Registrar

Remote Hours: 8:00 am - 3:00 pm

Phone messages: 425-936-2460

Fax: 425-385-3934

Reasons to contact your counselor

need someone to talk to about school, family or friends
questions about your schedule
need help in your classes or improving your grades
general questions

Family Access to Skyward & PowerSchool Learning

Parents and guardians with a registered email in our system can access their student's current grades, class assignments and class calendars through PowerSchool Learning and Skyward. If you need assistance, more information can be found on the LWSD website.

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