by the Calgary Catholic School District, Board of Trustees https://www.cssd.ab.ca/BoardOfTrustees | [email protected]
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Mental Health and School Re-Entry
At the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), the return to school each September is usually greeted with excitement at meeting old friends, making new ones, as well as the anticipation of amazing new learning opportunities. While all these elements remained present for our families, staff, and students as we resumed school, we do know that re-entry this year has presented unique challenges.
This past spring, the COVID-19 pandemic, a once-in-a-century event, demanded significant changes to how our more than 5,500 staff delivered education to over 59,000 students. This unprecedented situation continued to require significant adjustments even as we opened our doors in September. We also know that uncertainty still exists and that the future course of this pandemic remains highly variable. Over the next few months, we will need to be able to pivot between a variety of potential learning scenarios.
This dynamic has understandably contributed to increased levels of anxiety among our students, staff, and families. Please know that your Board of Trustees appreciates this dynamic and that we continue to advocate for funding for additional mental health supports.
To assist staff and students with re-entry, a strategic plan for addressing mental health was developed by CCSD. It includes providing resources for principals to share with staff and lessons for staff to share with students. All regular supports for addressing mental health for students and staff have remained in place, such as our school-based and district mental health supports and our Employee and Family Assistance Program.
If you or someone you know could benefit from mental health support, CCSD has the following pages on our website with resources and links to a variety of local supports:
- School Guidance and Counselling – https://www.cssd.ab.ca/Students/GuidanceAndCounselling/Pages/default.aspx
- Community Resources during COVID-19 – https://www.cssd.ab.ca/News/COVID-19/CommunityResources/Pages/default.aspx
We are all in this together. As a community of faith, let’s continue to support and look after each other.
