In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, our teachers and social workers at Center Street, Denton Avenue and Searingtown spent a week raising awareness around mental health with the theme, All Feelings Are Okay and teaching students that it is what we do with our feelings that matters. Some healthy ways to address feelings they shared with the students included talking to someone, using coping strategies like deep breathing, taking a walk or getting a drink of water.

Teachers facilitated a variety of activities in classrooms such as Feelings Charades, Roll and Try Coping Tools, and read alouds. As a school-wide activity, students drew a variety of emotion emojis that were placed on a mural as a daily reminder that “All Feelings Are Okay.”

The goal of these activities is to normalize talking about mental health, taking care of our mental health and taking steps to address needs as they arise.

We are thankful to all our teachers who took part in these essential life lessons, as well as our social workers, Ms. Wong, Ms. Mirabile and Ms. Pugliese, who are focused every day on the health and well-being of our students.