Keene High School Counseling Department

Free *Flu Vaccines for KHS Students
Tuesday October 9th
11am - 1pm - North Lobby
Permission Forms are available on the KHS website or in the KHS Health Office

*All vaccines are given by members of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Pediatric Keene Office. Students do not need to be patients to receive the vaccine.

Questions? Contact the KHS Health Office 603-352-0640 x3046 or Pediatric Office 603-354-6666 x4

❤️ We can't thank you enough for joining us for a few hours on Tuesday, September 11th! Just what the students and staff at KHS needed! ❤️

September 10th
World Su***de Prevention Day

A special thanks to our community partners for making our Health and Wellness Fair such a success and for joining us for Open House!

Tuesday, September 11, 2018
11:00 am - 1:00 pm in the LGIA
Stop in and see us!!

Wednesday, September 19th
10:00 am - 11:00 am in the LGIA

Thursday September 13th 11:00 - 1:00
KHS Mental Health and Wellness Fair

KHS will host a mini Mental Health and Wellness Fair in the North Lobby during all lunches. During this time, students will have an opportunity to visit the information tables of community prevention partners and agencies. These agencies and information tables promote the mental health and well-being of adolescents. The focus will be on mental health awareness, coping skills, general wellness, and the supports and resources their organization offer.

Monday, September 10th 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

KHS students will have an opportunity to visit information tables in the North Lobby during all lunches to learn more about coping with anxiety and depression; recognizing signs and symptoms of su***de; how to help a friend; understanding grief after su***de; and what KHS community supports and resources are available. The tables will also offer free give-aways, opportunities to make stress balls, watch streaming videos, and other interactive activities.

Please encourage your child to stop by and visit our tables during lunch next week!

During Advisory on Tuesday, September 4th KHS shared the following with KHS students and staff.

"This morning I have sad news to share with you. As many of you may already know, a Blue House junior died on Friday, August 30th. As many of you may also know, a Green House junior died on August 16th. Both students were well liked by students and staff at Keene High School and we know this is a very difficult time for many of us.

Today’s advisory is a time to be together and to ask questions if you have them and to express feelings if you are comfortable doing so. During this time I ask that you be sensitive and respect how this tragedy may impact
others in our school community."

The KHS Crisis Team provided information and guidance to Advisors to use with their students. Below is a summary of what was shared.

Advisors were encouraged to give students time to process the information and help students share their thoughts and feelings. Below are the four guidelines shared with Advisors.

Acknowledge the situation. This included sharing the facts around the death of each student.
Express Concern. This included empathizing with students’ loss.
Be genuine with communication and don’t hide feelings. This included language such as:
“I want you to know I care.”
“I am not quite sure what to say, but I want you to know that I care”
Offer support. This included reminding students that members of the School Counseling Department were available throughout the day to meet with students individually and in small groups.

These losses have raised many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school, especially our students. We will continue to have counselors available for any student who may need or want help or support. We encourage you to monitor your child over the next several days and weeks and to use members of the School Counseling Department as a resource and to contact them with questions or concerns.

The School Counseling Department provides prevention programming throughout the year. This programming is aligned with National Awareness and Prevention events and programs. Next week KHS will participate in World Su***de Prevention Day on September 10th and host a Mental Health and Wellness Fair on September 13th. Community resources will be available during Open House on September 13th.

We are saddened by these losses and over the next few days will work to resume a regular schedule and normal routine, continuing to monitor student needs.

It is with sadness that Keene High School shares with the community the passing of a current student at KHS. As you may know this is the second student that has passed away in the past two weeks in our school community. In response to the student’s passing, members of the school counseling department, along with other support staff, will be available at Keene High School on Tuesday, September 4th. We encourage students in need of support to reach out to a member of the school counseling department, teachers, or other staff members. Counselors will be available in the Large Group Instruction Area (LGIA) throughout the day on Tuesday.

It is important to note that we were not able to share this information with students prior to school dismissal.

During this difficult time we encourage communities to pull together, watch out for one another, and share concerns, observations, and resources. We remind you that it is extremely important to closely monitor your child and their peer groups. Please pay special attention to social media for any signs that are concerning. Please feel free to contact the School Counseling Department on Tuesday to talk to your son/daughter’s school counselor if you have concerns or need additional support.

If you are concerned for your child below is a list of community resources.

Monadnock Family Services (MFS) 603-357-4400
MAPS Counseling Center 603-355-2244
Antioch Psychological Services Center 603-352-1024
Samaritans (Su***de Prevention Hotline) 603-357-5505
Call your local Police or call 911 if it is an emergency