Dear Madison Families,

As we approach the holidays, it's important to recognize that this time of year can bring both joy and challenges for our students and families. The holiday season may intensify feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, or isolation and we want to ensure that every student and family has access to the support they need.

As our students are out of school and staff on break, here are some resources for you in the community because your child’s well-being continues to be our priority.

Supporting Your Child

• Maintain Open Communication: Encourage your child to share their feelings and listen without judgment. Be attentive to changes in their behavior or interests such as withdrawing from friends and/or family, their typical energy levels, sleep disturbance, unexplained physical ailments, and potentially a persistence in emotions such as sadness, hopelessness, or anger.

• Establish Routines: During the break, consistent daily routines can provide a sense of stability when they are not in school. As there can be travel or changes to the usual routines and daily interactions, we encourage working with them to find moments during the day to establish a ritual or practice a coping strategy. For a list of ideas and more detailed information, check out these options or you can print out this checklist.

• Seek Professional Help: Don't hesitate to reach out to mental health professionals as needed - for your child or yourself - in how to navigate the holiday season. 

Resources for You
If you’re unable to check in with your primary healthcare providers, here are some services dedicated to supporting youth mental health:-

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free, confidential, 24/7/365 support to anyone in the U.S., whether or not they are thinking about suicide. 

  • Simply dial or text 988.  

  • For ASL support, dial 711-988.  

• Crisis Text Line is a free, secure online platform providing 24/7 support to anyone experiencing any type of crisis. To reach a trained volunteer Crisis Counselor:

  • text HOME to 741741 or initiate a chat via WhatsApp.

  • En español, envía un mensaje de texto con la palabra AYUDA al 741741. 

• Lane County Youth Crisis Response which provides 24/7/365 support and help to parents and caregivers when a child or teen is experiencing a mental health crisis. 

  • Call 1-888-989-9990 for immediate response or visit Riverview Crisis Support to learn more.

• YouthLine Lines for Life is a free, confidential teen-to-teen crisis and help line. No problem is too big or too small. Teen and young adult volunteers - who are trained and supervised by mental health professionals - are available to help daily from 4:00pm-10:00pm PST (adults are available by phone at all other times):

  • CALL: 877-968-8491

  • TEXT: ‘teen2teen’ to 839863

  • CHAT: http://www.theyouthline.org/ 

  • Translation services are available upon request. 

Wishing you and your loved ones a safe and healthy holiday season.

Sincerely,