The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District is celebrating National School Psychology Week which goes from November 8 – 12, 2021. During the week, schools throughout the country will celebrate to highlight the important work school psychologists do to help students thrive.
The 2021 theme is Let’s Get in GEAR (Grow, Engage, Advocate, Rise). The theme’s acronym provides a challenge to grow personally and professionally. It encourages school psychologists to engage in best practices and advocate for children’s access to mental health and learning supports. The rise implies resilience and renewal despite the challenges of the past.
KPBSD Superintendent Clayton Holland told KSRM that this past year has been challenging for students because of COVID-19 and, as a result, more students have been reaching for help:
“There’s definitely an increased need for people to touch base and see how students are doing and making sure their mental well-being is okay. It’s not just them. It’s staff, families. People want to reach out and want to talk and make sure they’re doing okay. They do a lot of proactive work, too, in that realm. They are doing things like participating in sources of strength, which is a big program we have in the district to help with mental health issues and really focus on the positives and outreach to other people. Yes, this year, I think last year, this year, definitely an increase in the supports that are needed. It’s been a trying time for everyone, and students are no different.”
Eleven school psychologists working in the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District provide a range of services to support students’ academic achievement and social-emotional well-being. They collaborate with staff and students, provide suicide prevention classroom presentations, respond to critical incidents, provide feedback on district policies, assess individual students, participate in meetings with parents, and grow as professionals.
For more information, click here.
