Dear Shrewsbury Families,
I hope your summer so far has included many opportunities to enjoy yourselves with family and friends! In this brief update I want to 1) make you aware of important resources for student mental and emotional health and 2) ask for your feedback regarding the year ahead.
1) Before the pandemic, we were concerned about rising rates of mental and emotional health issues among our students. For many, the challenges of the pandemic exacerbated these issues, and we know it has been difficult for families to access professional help given the high levels of demand and limited availability of providers. Despite this, it is critically important that you reach out for help if you have a concern about your or your child's mental or emotional health. Please scroll down to see the resources at the bottom of this message for important information to get urgent or non-urgent assistance, including a terrific new resource.
2) As we continue our preparations for the opening of school on September 1, we are asking you to share your thoughts regarding how you think our schools can best support our students' well-being and learning in the year ahead. We know that the challenges of the past year had a variety of impacts on our students, and that many have questions or concerns about how the evolution of the pandemic and the Delta variant may impact our schools. Your insights as parents and caretakers regarding how we can best address your children's academic, social, and emotional needs will be valuable to us. Please click on the following link to participate in an online exchange through the ThoughtExchange platform, in order to share your thoughts or questions regarding what will help your child(ren) have a successful 2021-2022 school year, and how our schools can best support students in the year ahead: https://tejoin.com/scroll/369376079.
We are looking forward to a new school year with our schools operating full time and in person. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer, and thank you for your continued support of our schools.
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools
MENTAL & EMOTIONAL HEALTH RESOURCES
If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, fear for your safety or that of others, please call 911 immediately.
If your concerns are of a less urgent nature, the following mental health crisis resources may be helpful:
- Youth Mobile Crisis Intervention
- Worcester Team: 1-866-549-2142
- Emergency Mental Health Services (EMH)
- 508-334-3562 - UMass Memorial Hospital
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
- 1-800-273-8255
Shrewsbury Youth & Family Services
Shrewsbury Youth & Family Services is Shrewsbury's private, non-profit counseling and social services agency, providing a diverse offering of programs and services that help to strengthen and support youth and families, including counseling. Email: info@syfs-ma.org Phone: 508-845-6932
New Mental Health Resource and Referral Service for Shrewsbury
The Shrewsbury Public Schools is pleased to announce our partnership with William James College INTERFACE Referral service. The William James INTERFACE Referral Service is a mental health resource and referral Helpline available Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm at 888-244-6843. The Helpline is available to Shrewsbury residents and/or public school students in subscribing communities across Massachusetts to access outpatient mental health services. What makes this service unique is that they do not provide merely a list of providers, but rather matched referrals to mental health professionals and practices who best meet the caller’s needs, insurance or fee requirement, specialty request, location, and availability. The Helpline is staffed by mental health professionals, as well as graduate level students from William James College. Additionally, here is a link to a YouTube video about INTERFACE, as well as a flyer in English and Spanish with what to expect when you reach out to INTERFACE.
Handhold (Massachusetts-based website with information on child mental health and emotional well-being for parents & caretakers)
https://handholdma.org
Shrewsbury Public Schools Well-Being Guide
https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/district/well-being-guide