Good evening Mountain Lion family,
The news came out today regarding school closures through the end of the school year. Although many felt that announcement was coming, it was still hard for us to hear. We all entered the field of education because we wanted to work with kids, watch them grow and develop and prepare them for the rest of their lives. We all care deeply and miss our students – our campus is very quiet and we are saddened not having our students on campus with us.
Today we began rolling out online/digital/virtual learning opportunities. This will look different for some of your classes but know that our teachers are committed to provide meaningful lessons for our students. As I walked across campus this morning we saw some of our teachers interacting with students on Zoom, while others were using other media to connect with their kids. This is far from perfect and not how we envisioned our fourth quarter to look like. Our teachers will continue to push out lessons and be available for questions and concerns during their "office hours." We are grateful for your understanding and support. As we learn more and have more information to share with you we will do so. There are a lot of questions about Prom, Graduation, Promotion – the things that mark big changes and transitions in our students lives. We hope to have a better idea on what those might look like later this week. It is heartbreaking for our Class of 2020 and know that we feel their pain about all of this.
Below is some information from our counseling department and our college and career offices.
Counseling
Please see the attached flyer with school closure information from the Counseling Department. In addition, we wanted to provide you with some resources during this stressful time. Please see below and the attached documents.
Mountain View High School Counseling Department is aware that the current situation in regards to the coronavirus can increase feelings of stress and anxiety for our Mountain View families. In response to this and in an effort to help our students and families manage their emotions, we want to provide some helpful strategies and resources. These resources are attached and below and also available in your student's graduating class google classroom.
Here are some helpful strategies:
- Deep breathing exercises. Deep breathing lowers your heart rate and blood pressure helping you relax and relieve stress.
- Listen to calming music.
- Get plenty of sleep. Lack of sleep negatively affects our ability to regulate emotions and think clearly.
- Do something you enjoy- Read a book, write poetry, draw, etc.
- Do progressive muscle relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique that involves slowly tensing then releasing each muscle group in the body. It can help relieve the physical effects of stress and anxiety.
- Go for a walk, even if it's just around the block or in your own yard. It can help break the tension and give you a chance to think things through.
- Try a quick meditation, imagery, or grounding exercise. These can elicit the relaxation response, which is opposite to the body's stress response.
- Talk to someone about your thoughts and feelings. Expressing your worries to someone willing to listen can help you cope with them.
- Work out or do something active. Exercise is a great antidote for stress.
Please make sure with all of these strategies, you practice recommended CDC precautionary protocols.
College and Career Center
Lori Wray is available via email l.a.wray@maranausd.org or l.a.wray@g.maranausd.org
Parents of seniors! Please continue to view your student's graduating class Google Classroom for university and scholarship up-dates. I recommend that students check their MVHS school Gmail and the email account from the university or college. Also, do not hesitate to reach out to me, Lori Wray, or to your student's chosen university representative.
Scholarship Due Dates
The Dove Mountain Rotary Scholarship-Due April 14th
https://dovemountainrotary.org/SitePage/scholarships
Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce Scholarship-Due April 17th
Parents of juniors! Now is the perfect time to start researching universities, studying for the SAT, etc. If your student uses College Board, they may win scholarship money. https://opportunity.collegeboard.org/?navId=bf-cbos
Take care, be safe and thank you.
Todd Garelick
Principal
Mountain View High School
(520) 579-4427
Deep_Breathing,_Imagery,_Progressive_Muscle_Relaxation.pdf (62.4 KB)
