Seeking to buffer some of the pandemic’s impact on children and teens, the Orange County Department of Education has collaborated with CHOC and the nonprofit Western Youth Services to develop a new online toolbox packed with self-paced trainings, apps and other mental health resources.
As the Daily Pilot reported this week, the RESET Toolbox was created to engage and support young people as they cope with social isolation, toxic stress, economic hardship and other adverse experiences. The longterm goal is to help participants build resilience and become better equipped to succeed during and after the COVID-19 era.
RESET stands for “Resilient: Essential Social Emotional Trainings.” The initiative is funded by the Orange County Health Care Agency with money from the federal CARES Act.
“We surveyed teachers, parents, community members and community-based organizations on what it is that they need, and then we found resources to provide them in the RESET Toolbox,” Lorry Belhumeur, chief executive of Western Youth Services, told the Daily Pilot.
You can check out the toolbox yourself and sign up for a tour or trainings at www.resettoolbox.com.
And here are some of the other stories we’ve been following this week.
- English teacher Ernesto Cisneros set out to write a book that was relatable to his students at Mendez Fundamental Intermediate School. What resulted was “Efrén Divided,” an acclaimed novel about a boy whose mother is detained by immigration agents. The fictional work was inspired by his own family and experiences in Santa Ana.
- With its limited COVID-19 vaccine doses, county health officials have prioritized candidates who are at least 65 years old after concluding that age group is particularly vulnerable to complications. Educators and food service workers can expect to wait at least two more weeks, County Health Officer Dr. Clayton Chau told supervisors.
- OCDE is inviting teachers from public and private schools from across the county to submit original artwork that could be displayed at the OCArts4All Virtual Art Showcase.
- The 30,000-student Anaheim Union High School District has approved a tentative calendar that could reintroduce in-person instruction in a hybrid model on March 31. The plan is pending a review of health conditions and clearance from the school board on March 4.
- In the Huntington Beach Union High School District, which currently offers in-person instruction through a hybrid model, a number of teachers have taken a leave of absence, citing medical reasons or child care issues.
- Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Newhope Elementary fifth-grader Vivian Nguyen recently requested a new sound system to amplify the voices of student performers in her school’s multi-purpose room. It was an act of altruism that will reverberate throughout the campus for years to come.
- More than 200 young historians representing 25 schools will once again showcase their original websites, papers, documentaries, performances and exhibits at the National History Day-Orange County competition hosted by OCDE. This year’s event is virtual.
- Some parents in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District have been live-streaming school board meetings on their own. Now the PYLUSD Board of Education is considering whether to do so officially.
- The pandemic has made it challenging to assess the language skills of English learners, EdSource reports. The federal government waived testing requirements last year, but states are proceeding with their assessments this year.
- And finally: Students at Red Hill Lutheran School in Tustin recently engaged in distance learning of a different sort, as they chatted with an astronaut about 250 miles overhead in the International Space Station.
This is the part where we encourage you to keep up with local education news stories by bookmarking the OCDE Newsroom, subscribing for emailed updates and following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.