Matt Burgy, Head of School
January 19, 2024
Dear Oakridge Family,
For those of you who don’t know, we had the great pleasure of inviting an absolutely incredible counselor to our staff this year, Jennifer Novoselsky. Quickly, she has become ensconced into our wonderful community, and has made a significant impact. Her joy is infectious, and if you had the opportunity to meet with her, I am sure you share my sentiment that our school is indeed lucky to have her as a resource to our faculty, staff, students, and parents. I am happy to have her “take over” my message this week. Enjoy!
Warmly,
Matt Burgy
Head of School
Jennifer Novoselsky, School Counselor
Greetings Owls,
Launching into 2024 has been so exciting and I am grateful for the time I have spent working with our Owls at all divisions this school year! You will hear that there is a mental health crisis in this country. This isn’t about some children or some communities, it’s everyone and we need everyone working together to help our youth! The Oakridge School is lucky to have a leader that recognizes our mission can’t be accomplished without a focus on social emotional learning (SEL). This fall, I was able to attend the “Changing the Odds” conference at the Momentous Institute, where leaders in mental health of our youth provided great insight into the mental health needs of our communities. Every single speaker referred to the effects of the pandemic on all of us. Prior to the pandemic, the mental health community was concerned about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) as a childhood crisis. The work on how these Adverse Childhood Experiences affect development is ever expanding into medicine and education. Adverse Childhood Experiences are composed of 10 criteria and 1 in every 8 in the middle class have experienced 4 or more of these. These experiences can lead to behavior concerns or health challenges if they are not mitigated or coped with. Post pandemic we have all experienced a long-term high stress situation. For me it meant being at home with my husband, my three kids and our dogs. I bet each of you remember where you were when schools started closing and the news of the new virus became all we watched on TV. For my family it was more “family time” than I could have ever asked for. That came with some really great memories of heating the pool and ordering takeout for Easter. We left the pool heated for days in April, just hanging out. It also came with arguments over sleep schedules, school schedules or lack of them and space restraints as my husband and I figured out how to “Work from home”. Significant stress and fear over how to handle teenagers that pushed boundaries, and wanted to see friends. Debate on whether or not our youngest could be on her cell phone, and what those rules should be in light of the “new normal”. My grief at being unable to see my best friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer and so many others in my life. When you see me, ask me to tell you the story of how our fish died during this crazy time. All of these experiences were just in my household! I know from conversations with many of you that you too have stories from this time. Over the two years of the pandemic, all of these stressors and many others were present in our lives and our world was changed. Add in the ever-evolving technology and social media access that youth of today have at their fingertips and you can see why they need our support and guidance more now than ever! Through understanding how our brains process trauma and how we develop resilience, students, staff, and families can appreciate the value of social emotional learning and self-care. SEL is a way of being and occupying a space, so students become the change makers!
At The Oakridge School I am working with our entire community to understand how the brain works, and the effects of “Trauma” on developing brains. Neuroplasticity is the most exciting science in years. Our brains may stop getting bigger, but they never stop developing new pathways. We all learn from our experiences, good and bad. Mistakes help shape us! Everyone has a unique story and our amazing brain's ability to rewire, allows us to rewrite some of those stories and reinforce others. This Spring, we will have many speakers come in and speak at our Wellness Wise Series. This is for you! If you weren’t able to attend the ECC First Tuesday with Courtney Guhl-Huckaby of Terra Therapies or today’s program on Anxiety with Kasey Salyer at Salyer Counseling be on the lookout for recorded clips of the knowledge that these ladies shared. No matter what age your child is, they are going to face challenges. Let them struggle! Help them see that obstacles are temporary and solvable and that no one is out to get them. Help them take action, but don’t do it for them. Let them feel what it is like to approach life with a growth mindset. I look forward to getting to know each of your families and supporting your children and your family through the challenges life will inevitably bring. Remember each challenge is an opportunity for learning and growth. Our brains are wired for change if we allow it!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Novoselsky
