A Note from Southeast Mental Health
These are challenging times. Feeling stress about the COVID-19 pandemic is normal. A healthy amount of stress helps us react in a way that protects ourselves and our loved ones when needed. Too much uncontrolled stress, however, is unhealthy. Our children are looking to us at every moment for how we respond and react to the changes happening daily. They are watching how we respond to the news stories, how we tell them spring break trips are canceled, and how we communicate that school is closed.
Research tells us that the presence of a compassionate, safe adult calms kids and reduces their stress level. Managing stress is the most important step in taking care of your children’s and your own mental health during this time.
Families and children can do the following to manage stress and anxiety associated with COVID-19:
Set limits on your exposure to news and media related to COVID-19. Allow yourself to get the facts but avoid overexposing yourself as this can cause increasing anxiety and worry.
Stay present. In uncertain times, it is not unusual to worry about the future. Try to keep perspective on what is going well.
Focus on what you can control. Just as children find calmness when they have a sense of control, adults do as well. Attempt to control your family’s routine, quality time together, modeling of good hygiene habits, and social distancing.
Talk to each other. Engage, daily, in open check-ins and compassionate conversations. Listen to each other and attend to your needs and those of your family members.
Enjoy being together as much as you can. Many caregivers don’t often have the opportunity to watch their children learn. As we are home together, take the time to see their schoolwork and participate in their learning.
Keep yourself healthy. Eat good things, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, get physical exercise, avoid excessive use of alcohol or other substances, take care of your mind and body.
Social distancing does not mean social isolation. Stay connected to friends and family, virtually or by phone. We are maintaining physical distance to keep us all healthy; we must maintain our relational closeness to protect our mental wellness. Practice this daily.
Here are some questions a child might ask. Answering truthfully with age-appropriate responses is perfectly ok:
Q: Why can’t I play on the playground with those two boys who are there? A: We need to take a break from playing closely with other kids so we can all stay healthy.
Q: Why can’t I see grandma? A: If we give grandma space like this, it can help make sure she stays healthy.
Consider ways to help children stay connected to older relatives through phone calls or video chat. Read more here for tips on doing this.
Below are some tips for different age groups. For a comprehensive resource to help children understand and communicate about what’s going on, visit SAMHSA’s Talking with Children: Tips for Caregivers , Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks.
Early Elementary-Aged Students
Ask age-appropriate questions and provide age-appropriate responses. Do you have any questions about why we are not going to school right now?
Limit the amount of information you initiate, let your child lead the conversation.
Correct misinformation calmly. Relate the situation, such as coronavirus symptoms, to something they can understand, like a cold or the flu. When they are sick, their doctors take good care of them and help them get better, and that is what doctors are working to do now.
Reassure your child that they are safe and adults are working hard to keep everyone healthy.
Help your child feel a sense of control and teach them what they can do to keep your family and others healthy by practicing good hygiene (washing hands while singing twinkle, twinkle little star and catching your cough).
Middle School-Aged Students
Limit television viewing and exposure to social media. Much of what your adolescent might hear or see about COVID-19 may cause anxiety or could be inaccurate. Children and adolescents tend to personalize events and do not always have the larger context to process some of the information they may hear without experiencing a great deal of anxiety.
Be honest and accurate. Provide facts about the symptoms of COVID-19, talk about the measures being taken to help people.
Validate their feelings, fears, and anxiety. Don’t be afraid to check in regularly. Ask how your child is feeling. Have they heard any new information about COVID-19 they would like to talk about? Be a safe and supportive outlet for your child.
High School-Aged Students
Discuss the issue in a more in-depth fashion. Ask and answer questions.
Together, look at appropriate sources of COVID-19 facts. Provide factual information about the current status of COVID-19. Having such knowledge can help facilitate a sense of control and limit anxiety.
Resources:
Some children or adolescents may be at greater risk of becoming preoccupied with questions or anxious about the COVID-19 crisis. This could be expressed through physical, emotional symptoms, or changes in sleep or eating habits. If you’re worried about these signs, you can call the Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255.
Telehealth options are becoming increasingly available for ongoing support. For additional resources or to find a provider, visit mentalhealthcolorado.org.
Southeast Mental Health (En Espanol)
These are challenging times. Feeling stress about the COVID-19 pandemic is normal. A healthy amount of stress helps us react in a way that protects ourselves and our loved ones when needed. Too much uncontrolled stress, however, is unhealthy. Our children are looking to us at every moment for how we respond and react to the changes happening daily. They are watching how we respond to the news stories, how we tell them spring break trips are canceled, and how we communicate that school is closed.
Research tells us that the presence of a compassionate, safe adult calms kids and reduces their stress level. Managing stress is the most important step in taking care of your children’s and your own mental health during this time.
Families and children can do the following to manage stress and anxiety associated with COVID-19:
Set limits on your exposure to news and media related to COVID-19. Allow yourself to get the facts but avoid overexposing yourself as this can cause increasing anxiety and worry.
Stay present. In uncertain times, it is not unusual to worry about the future. Try to keep perspective on what is going well.
Focus on what you can control. Just as children find calmness when they have a sense of control, adults do as well. Attempt to control your family’s routine, quality time together, modeling of good hygiene habits, and social distancing.
Talk to each other. Engage, daily, in open check-ins and compassionate conversations. Listen to each other and attend to your needs and those of your family members.
Enjoy being together as much as you can. Many caregivers don’t often have the opportunity to watch their children learn. As we are home together, take the time to see their schoolwork and participate in their learning.
Keep yourself healthy. Eat good things, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, get physical exercise, avoid excessive use of alcohol or other substances, take care of your mind and body.
Social distancing does not mean social isolation. Stay connected to friends and family, virtually or by phone. We are maintaining physical distance to keep us all healthy; we must maintain our relational closeness to protect our mental wellness. Practice this daily.
Here are some questions a child might ask. Answering truthfully with age-appropriate responses is perfectly ok:
Q: Why can’t I play on the playground with those two boys who are there? A: We need to take a break from playing closely with other kids so we can all stay healthy.
Q: Why can’t I see grandma? A: If we give grandma space like this, it can help make sure she stays healthy.
Consider ways to help children stay connected to older relatives through phone calls or video chat. Read more here for tips on doing this.
Below are some tips for different age groups. For a comprehensive resource to help children understand and communicate about what’s going on, visit SAMHSA’s Talking with Children: Tips for Caregivers , Parents, and Teachers During Infectious Disease Outbreaks.
Early Elementary-Aged Students
Ask age-appropriate questions and provide age-appropriate responses. Do you have any questions about why we are not going to school right now?
Limit the amount of information you initiate, let your child lead the conversation.
Correct misinformation calmly. Relate the situation, such as coronavirus symptoms, to something they can understand, like a cold or the flu. When they are sick, their doctors take good care of them and help them get better, and that is what doctors are working to do now.
Reassure your child that they are safe and adults are working hard to keep everyone healthy.
Help your child feel a sense of control and teach them what they can do to keep your family and others healthy by practicing good hygiene (washing hands while singing twinkle, twinkle little star and catching your cough).
Middle School-Aged Students
Limit television viewing and exposure to social media. Much of what your adolescent might hear or see about COVID-19 may cause anxiety or could be inaccurate. Children and adolescents tend to personalize events and do not always have the larger context to process some of the information they may hear without experiencing a great deal of anxiety.
Be honest and accurate. Provide facts about the symptoms of COVID-19, talk about the measures being taken to help people.
Validate their feelings, fears, and anxiety. Don’t be afraid to check in regularly. Ask how your child is feeling. Have they heard any new information about COVID-19 they would like to talk about? Be a safe and supportive outlet for your child.
High School-Aged Students
Discuss the issue in a more in-depth fashion. Ask and answer questions.
Together, look at appropriate sources of COVID-19 facts. Provide factual information about the current status of COVID-19. Having such knowledge can help facilitate a sense of control and limit anxiety.
Resources:
Some children or adolescents may be at greater risk of becoming preoccupied with questions or anxious about the COVID-19 crisis. This could be expressed through physical, emotional symptoms, or changes in sleep or eating habits. If you’re worried about these signs, you can call the Colorado Crisis Services at 1-844-493-8255 or text “TALK” to 38255.
Telehealth options are becoming increasingly available for ongoing support. For additional resources or to find a provider, visit mentalhealthcolorado.org.
March 31, 2020 Dear Holly School District RE-3 Community, Thank you for all your patience and understanding during this trying time for our school district. As you are aware, Governor Polis issued an Executive Order on March 18 directing all schools to suspend in-person instruction through April 17, 2020, in order to limit the spread of Coronavirus 2019. Additionally, you should be aware that the governor said there is a high possibility in-person instruction will not resume this school year. As a result, changes will be necessary for some important educational functions, such as the number of teacher-pupil instructional hours, special education and graduation requirements. Waivers for instructional hours The Colorado Department of Education has waived the minimum number of school days and teacher-pupil instruction hours normally required under state law. Instead, districts must make every effort to provide alternative learning opportunities during this time. For Holly School District RE-3, this means that we are not expected to extend the school year or start early next year to make up for lost in-person instructional time. As a result of the possibility of an extended period of disruption on in-person instruction, we will transition to continuous learning through a combination of online and packet-based learning. We are working with our teachers and staff to make adjustments as needed in order to continue the high-quality support your children are accustomed to at Holly School. Services to students with special needs Our schools will make every effort to provide appropriate special education and related services for students with disabilities. We have been given some flexibility on how to provide these services, so we are thinking about other ways to meet the needs of students with disabilities based on the nature of a student’s disability and individual needs of the student. To support students with identified IEP-related services, we will work with our schools to determine whether it is appropriate to provide alternative services or delay services in coordination with students’ parents and IEP teams. We may also determine whether we can make up for a gap in access to the curriculum or delay in services with additional services in the future. Graduation considerations Graduation requirements across Colorado are locally determined by school districts and charter schools. This means that we have flexibility to adjust requirements for the class of 2020 based on this unprecedented time of disruption to our schools. Graduation requirements for Holly School District RE-3 will remain unchanged, as students are still progressing in their scheduled curriculum through the online and packet-based instructional program we are providing. We are also looking into alternative options to an in-person graduation ceremony for the end of the school year. The governor has suggested that it will be unlikely that we will be able to conduct traditional graduation ceremonies, and we want to ensure that our students and families still have a way to mark this important occasion. We will get back to you as more information becomes available. Thanks again for your support during these difficult times. Sincerely, Jackie Crabtree Superintendent Holly School District RE-3 | From CHSAA (4/1/20): Good afternoon,
Per state and local extensions on school closures and mandatory social-distancing, the CHSAA Spring Activities Moratorium has been extended to April 30th. Please know that this will be the last possible extension that will be acceptable before a definitive decision will be made on spring activities.
Guidance will be given for next steps on how activity/athletic programs can operate for the remainder of the year or until the first Sunday prior to Memorial Day should spring activities be cancelled. We will not mandate decisions after that date but our office will provide recommendations knowing that Federal, State and Local guidelines will determine your decisions to uphold social distancing/public gatherings in the best interest of your school communities and your students safety.
Update on membership questions:
Take care and We will continue to update the membership in a timely manner!!
Sincerely, Rhonda Blanford-Green Commissioner-CHSAA |
COVID Parent Letter, 3/23/20
HOLLY SCHOOL RE-3
Dusty Heck, PreK-12 Principal
719-537-6616; Fax 719-537-0315
P.O. Box 608
206 N. 3rd St.
Holly, CO 81047
Dear Parents/Guardians:
For the week of March 23rd through March 30th. The Holly School District is planning on having learning packets available for remote learning, available for pick up Tuesday, March 24th from 12-4:30 PM. If you are unable to pick up your packet during this time please call the school during normal school hours. Students will be receiving review packets for this week, we are planning on more of an online classroom format for the JH/HS classes when possible. When returning your students work please drop it off Monday March 30th from 12-4:30 PM.
When dropping off/picking up student packets we are having a drive-through plan, please remain in your vehicles and we will have a staff member available to gather materials to bring it out to your vehicle.
We know that this is a new adventure for all of us. Please be understanding and patient as we work together to make the learning experience for your child as beneficial as possible. We also ask for your support to make sure that your child completes their assignments.
If you have any questions please feel free to give us a call here at the school Monday through Thursday 8 AM-4:30 PM.
Sincerely,
Dusty Heck
Home of the Holly Wildcats! 
Contact Information: 206 North Third P.O. Box 608 Holly,Co 81047 Holly School 719-537-6616 Holly Daycare 719-537-5920 Holly Bus Barn 719-537-5921 Holly School Fax 719-537-0315 Holly School District Mission The Holly School District shall strive to provide a safe environment for all students and staff and meaningful opportunities and innovative educational programs for all students so that they reach their learning potential, including the attainment of the district’s academic standards, through partnerships between home, school and the community. |
