Student Well-Being

MCPS provides effective proactive services and responsive supports to address the full-range of social and emotional well-being and mental health needs of students, staff and families. Some of these supports/resources include:

• Student Well-Being Teams – A collaborative, multi-disciplinary problem-solving team to support students and families by reducing barriers to learning, conducting outreach, problem-solving, and supporting students who are demonstrating mental health concerns and/or not attending or engaging in school.
• Social Emotional Learning Curriculum – Lessons that address the physical, social, and psychological needs of students so that they have the capacity to stay safe and resilient and seek help from trusted adults when needed.  Coming soon is the new “The Leader in Me” curriculum designed to teach leadership, create a culture of student empowerment, and increase academic performance.
• Our Minds Matter – Student led club focusing on building social connectedness, help-seeking behavior, and positive coping skills, while also providing opportunities to practice healthy habits, support peers and friends, and share mental health resources and tools.
• Mindfulness – Simple and effective techniques that can help students, staff, and families live a happier and more balanced life by learning and practicing skills to manage and respond to emotions.
• Personal Body Safety Lessons – Grade-level, age appropriate lessons developed to empower students to recognize and report suspected cases of abuse without fear of reprisal.
• Signs of Suicide Prevention Program – Classroom lessons led by mental health staff and teachers to educate secondary students about the relationship between depression and suicide. Program goals are to increase knowledge and adaptive attitudes towards depression; decrease suicide attempts and deaths by suicide; encourage help-seeking behavior on behalf of oneself or a friend; reduce the stigma and reinforce that mental illness requires treatment; and engage parents/guardians and staff members in prevention efforts through education.
• Waymaking – A video series that highlights a variety of mental health and well-being resources for staff, students and families.
• Be Well 365 webpage  – Information and resources about current district-wide well-being activities and a list of all of the staff members that provide well-being support in schools.
• SUPRE - Substance Use Prevention and Resiliency Education (SUPRE) is a screening and psychoeducational substance use program designed for high school students who have committed their first substance use disciplinary incident on school property. The goal is to increase student and parent/guardian awareness of the potential consequences of substance use.
• SEME – The Student Empowerment Mentoring Engagement (SEME) is designed to ensure that students and families optimally experience well-being building blocks, including access to basic resources; mental/social/emotional/physical health; supportive, positive relationships; and engaging work and activities.
• Restorative Justice – An approach to actively engage and problem-solve physical, psychological, social and disciplinary issues that affect students and the community.
• Newcomers Support – ESOL Transition Counselors support students from a cross-cultural perspective to help them succeed academically and adjust to a new social and cultural environment.
• Parent Academy – Virtual workshops that provide families with useful information and resources to support their children's academic and emotional well-being, as well as to help them be college and career ready.
• All In! – Attendance program to address chronic absenteeism by ensuring students have the supports they need to stay on track for success in school and in life.