Dear Families,
You may have heard about the new series on Netflix, “13 Reasons Why”, which romanticizes a young girls suicide, and you may know that suicide is the leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10-17.
We want to do everything possible to prevent feelings of self-harm and suicide in our students, which is why we have asked a specialist from QPR Institute to visit with all 7th, 8th and 9th graders tomorrow, Tuesday May 2, 2017, to discuss suicide prevention. In addition, our school counselor and administrator will be attending a networking event with educators from around the state titled “Stress & the Teenage Brain: Understanding Suicide & Self Injury & What Educators Can Do To Help”, in order to better help facilitate our teachers’ knowledge and skills to support students during this period of development.
Professional organizations nationwide recommend that children do not watch this series. If you choose to allow your child to watch this series, we recommend that you watch it together and use it to guide conversations about healthy relationships and coping strategies. Please open this dialogue with your child if you have not already done so.
More resources and information can be found below and, if you feel the need, please reach out to a trained mental health professional.
13 Reasons Why, and Its Unintended Consequences” by Brooke Fox, LCSW: https://goo.gl/4koume
– Suicide Prevention Resources: https://goo.gl/5JVxB7
– Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide: https://goo.gl/rGXVPE
– 13 Reasons Why Talking Points: https://goo.gl/GMynLP
– Hope4Utah: http://hope4utah.com/
– National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/(1-800-273-8255)
– SafeUT Smartphone App: https://healthcare.utah.edu/uni/clinical-services/safe-ut/
If you have questions about the program please contact kweaver@mariamontessoriacademy.org or vcruze@mariamontessoriacademy.org If you would like to attend with your student please feel free to do so, contact the school for the schedule of when your child will be attending the workshop.
As always, thank you for your support.
Kacee Weaver, M.Ed.
Curriculum Instructional Specialist
Maria Montessori Academy
801-827-0150