This message is from the Counseling Department staff at Amherst Regional High School. First and foremost, we want to back our Superintendent in prioritizing the health and safety of your family and those around you. We know this is a difficult time to navigate and we will continue to be a resource for you here at ARHS.  Please note the following messages from the ARHS counselors:

1. If you or a family member faces an emotional health crisis, please contact Clinical and Support Options immediately. CSO has an emergency hotline open 24 hours a day and can be reached at (413) 586-5555. Here is a link to their website:   https://www.csoinc.org/ emergency-crisis- stabilization-services

2. Counselors will respond to emails within 48 hours and sooner when possible.

3. Counselors will review all student course registrations through Powerschool while school is closed and will contact students individually if they have any questions. For students who did not register via Powerschool:  If you completed a paper registration form, please take a photo of it and send it to your caseload counselor (email addresses below) and or email your counselor the list of your requests. (Remember all students need at least one back up for each elective.)  All students can still expect to receive a paper Course Verification Form with everything they signed up for in late spring and changes will still be able to be made at that time. Let us assure you that we will be working hard to make sure all students have their requests in Powerschool well before any student is placed into any classes next year (as in years past, students will not be placed into classes until the summer). Here is a link to the Program of Studies if needed (the link is in the first sentence on the page): http://www.arps.org/ amherst-pelham-regional-high- school/course-registration

4. Upon the re-opening of school, counselors will do their best to reschedule meetings with families that were supposed to occur over the next few weeks, such as Case Conferences and 504s.

5. Karen Peters, our BRYT clinician is continuing to reach out to families connected to BRYT and offering related support.

6.  Our trusty College and Career Counselor, Deidre Cuffee-Gray will continue communication with junior and senior families.

7. In consideration of the range of emotions students may be having, we are attaching a few resources related to relaxation techniques, coping skills, and deep breathing. There is also a mandala that families may want to print and color to unwind and work on together.

We send you all our very best during these weeks of transition and uncertainly and please know we have every intention of continuing to support the students at ARHS.

Best regards,

Lisa Zephyr (zephyrL@arps.org)

Sherry Balzano (balzanos@ars.org)

Kelly Larcheveque (larchevequek@arps.org)

Alessandra Mucci-Ramos (ramosa@arps.org)

Deidre Cuffee-Gray, College and Career Counselor, (cuffee-grayd@arps.org)

Karen Peters, BRYT Clinician