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Dear School and District Leaders,
I’m pleased to announce the launch of our new Mental Health Toolkit and Mental Health and Well-being webpage.
The toolkit and webpage are designed to assist school district leaders, administrators, staff, and school-based mental health professionals and community partners in promoting the mental health and well-being of school communities.
Mental health, and mental health promotion, center on the recognition, acknowledgment, and appreciation of individual and collective strengths, resilience, values, self-determination and ways of knowing and being. Unlike mental illness, which emphasizes labels, diagnoses, or “fixing” deficits, mental health promotion celebrates the unique qualities that each person, family, and group bring to the school community.
This toolkit addresses six, primary content areas: (1) Leading from Strength to Promote Mental Health; (2) Addressing Traumatic Stress; (3) Elevating Student Voice; (4) Centering Racial Equity and Anti-racism; (5) Promoting Inclusive School Environments; and (6) Delivering Multi-tiered Systems of Support.
The website includes information about ODE’s current mental health-related activities and initiatives such as Adi’s Act (suicide prevention) and the Strengthening Mental Health in Education initiative with OHA, as well as providing many tools and resources for students, families, school staff and leaders.
I encourage you to explore these resources. Please contact Dr. B Grace Bullock with any thoughts and comments on these tools.
Thank you,
Colt Gill
Director of the Oregon Department of Education
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