Student Wellness How Can Parents Help? In recognition Mental Health Week

The Fredericton High School Parent School Support Committee would like to share some information on mental health and student wellness with you.

Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual: realizes their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and can make a contribution to their community. First a definition:

In reviewing data from the NB Student Wellness Survey (SWS 2015-16) two important themes emerged.

Kids need more information about where to get help when they are experiencing difficulty, and they need more sleep.

Knowing where to get help and getting sufficient sleep are both protective factors.

A protective factor is something that helps prevent the development or worsening of an undesirable health condition (such as mental illness).

In the SWS only 24% of FHS students responded “describes me a lot” to the statement “I know where to go in my community to get help”.

When asked if they get 8 or more hours of sleep a night only 21% of FHS students answered yes.

We believe parents can play a strong role in: helping their kids know where to get help, and helping them get enough sleep.

Students have access to the LINK program which has useful tools when kids are trying to find help in the community.

There are posters at FHS with LINK information, and various teachers have a LINK badge which indicates they can help a student in need.

Please chat with your teen about the LINK program using the document provided on the PSSC webpage or by visiting: http://thelinkprogram.com/en/helping-tree/fredericton

Also included on the PSSC webpage is information on helping your teen to get more sleep.

Suggestions include: limit naps during the day, get exercise every day, avoid caffeine, limit screen time before bed, and make sure they are not trying to do too much.

Let’s work together to improve mental health with our kids.

fhs.pssc@gmail.com Thanks for watching. If you have any questions or comments please email us at: fhs.pssc@gmail.com