Download a printable English & Spanish PDF newsletter here or read below.
Let's Talk Newsletter
Fall 2024 Edition
Welcome to the 2024-2025 first edition of our community newsletter!
The intent of these newsletters will be to keep parents and families informed with vital information to support the well-being of our youth. In each newsletter, you’ll find valuable resources, facts on substance use prevention, mental health tips, and fun family activities to help keep your children healthy and safe.
Together, we can support our youth in making healthy choices. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming events and important training like Youth Mental Health First Aid. Briseida Chavez and Anna Ramirez are dedicated Cannabis & Commercial Tobacco Prevention Professionals from the Student Support Department at ESD123, committed to providing valuable resources and support to empower families and promote healthy choices for youth in our community.
Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress
- Get enough sleep. Aim for 8-10 hours per night. Set an early bedtime.
- Eat healthy. Have fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and low-fat or no-fat dairy. Limit foods with unhealthy fats, salt, and added sugars.
- Move more and sit less. Try to be physically active each day. Exercise at least 30 min each day.
- Take breaks from electronics and social media. Try to turn off screens while doing homework or with friends and family. Put your phone out of reach when you get into bed.
- Make time to unwind. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. Try to do some other activities you enjoy.
- Connect with others. Talk with people you trust about your concerns and how you are feeling. Connect with your community-based or faith-based organizations.
- If you are in immediate distress or are thinking about hurting yourself, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or chat at https://988lifeline.org/.
- Source in English
- Source in Spanish
Get the Facts!
You are the most powerful influence in your child's life! The StartTalkingNow.org website has resources for you!
- Be a Reliable Source of Information and Facts. Peer pressure is more likely when teens have misperceptions about their peers’ use - “everybody’s doing it” - or when substance use is inadvertently “glorified.” For adolescents, the science is clear: ANY use puts them at risk.
- Non-use is self-care. The adolescent brain is uniquely vulnerable to substance use. 90% of adults with a substance use disorder started using marijuana, alcohol, or nicotine before age 18.
- “It’s just a few beers” is just not a reality. For youth, all substance use is connected.
- Teen substance use is not a rite of passage. Unlike when many parents/caregivers were young, most teens DO NOT USE substances today. Help them know they’re not alone when they make One Choice– they’re the majority. The One Choice Toolkit can help! Visit the site for more information.
Resources
Back to school can be a difficult time for both parents and children. Parents can make this time easier by helping their youth build healthy habits, building refusal skills, and being a reliable source of information and facts.
Ask us for lockboxes! LocksSaveLives.org Medication safety can start with YOU! You can make a significant impact right here in our community. Ask us about obtaining a FREE medication lock box. Contact Briseida Chavez, [email protected], or Anna Ramirez, [email protected], if you are interested in obtaining a lock box or lock bag!
Be on the Lookout for Prescription Drug Take Back Day! Do you have old or unused medications at home? Prescription Drug Take Back Day is a great opportunity to safely dispose of them! This national event happens twice a year, and local collection sites will be available to help you keep your home and community safe from misuse. Keep an eye out for the upcoming date and collection locations in our area! Let’s work together to prevent prescription drug misuse and protect our families.
Upcoming Activities
Red Ribbon Week - Oct 23-31, 2024
Go Red for Red Ribbon brings awareness to living a drug-free life by lighting up buildings, landmarks, businesses, and bridges in red! Celebrate Living Drug Free. Print out the Red Ribbon Theme sign, add your name, hold it up and post a photo that shows us you’re committed to living drug free. Use the hashtag
#LiveDrugFree.
Facebook & Twitter: @RedRibbonWeek
Instagram: @RedRibbonCampaign
Training for Adults
Adult Mental Health First Aid in English
Register here for Adult MHFA.
Oct. 10, 2024 | 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
ESD 123 | 3924 W. Court St. in Pasco
Youth Mental Health First Aid in English
Register here for Youth MHFA.
Dec. 11, 2024 | 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
ESD 123 | 3924 W. Court St. in Pasco
For more information you can visit www.esd123.org/services/student-support or contact Briseida Chavez, [email protected] and Anna Ramirez, [email protected]. This newsletter is a product of the ESD 123 Student Support Department.