HEALTHY MINDS

Brain Health Matters for all.

We have one brain for our entire lifespan.  Brain health, like physical health, can be nurtured and strengthened through preventive approaches to mental wellness.

Did you know we can make our brains more fit?  We sure can!  No, we can't lift weights or do cardio with our gray matter, but we can strengthen our mind by practicing brain boosting strategies that create new neural pathways.  Simple, everyday practices can lead to more happiness, more peace, less stress, better academic achievement, healthier social connections, and sense of purpose that can lead to future success.

It is a goal of Seymour Community School District to educate the whole child for lifelong success intellectually, socially/emotionally, and ready for career, college or community.  As such, we strive to build a culture of learning centered on emotional wellness and mental fitness that is a solid foundation for future success.

Seymour School Based Mental Health Grant 2021-2023

Grant funds were awarded to the Seymour Community School District to support the development and sustainability of comprehensive, school based mental health systems.  The focus of our work is education/prevention, early intervention and providing a continuum of supports within our schools to all students who may have unmet social/emotional needs.

We strive to:

*promote a culture of wellness

*focus on resiliency building and coping skills

*improve student connectedness & belonging

*increase accessibility to care for mental health needs

We do this by:

• assessing needs and using data for programming and action planning 3x annually

• implementing comprehensive school counseling & social/emotional learning for all

• providing tiered social/emotional learning opportunities for all students

• utilizing the WI DPI Mental Health Literacy Instructional Units grades K-12

• facilitating Hope Squads grades 5-12

• providing Youth Mental Health First Aid training to all staff

• assessing student risk behaviors through Youth Risk Behavior Surveys and using data for action planning

• partnering with Samaritan Counseling to offer universal wellness screenings (gr 5, 7, & 10)

• partnering with Aurora Advocates to offer SFAP services to all families within our district

• providing information to families regarding mental health issues and resources

• analyzing activity & assessment data to determine outcomes & continued action planning

Jen Siudzinski has been a dedicated educator for all students since 1997.  She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Special Education at UW-Madison in 1996 and a Master's Degree in School Counseling at UW-Whitewater in 2001.  Her professional journey:

• Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher, Verona Middle School, Verona, WI

• Cross-Categorical Special Education Teacher, Mendota Mental Health & Juvenile Corrections Facility, Madison, WI

• EBD Self-Contained Teacher, Winnequah Middle School, Monona, WI

• At-Risk Teacher & Program Coordinator, Monona Grove School District, Monona, WI

• School Counselor, Seymour Middle School, Seymour, WI

• School Counselor, Rock Ledge Intermediate School, Seymour, WI

• Coach for Bellin Kids4Running, Cross Country, Soccer, and Cheerleading

In her spare time, Ms. Siudzinski can be found supporting and cheering on her own children in their life endeavors.  Her oldest attends UWGB majoring in Social Work and her youngest is a multi-sport high school varsity and Club soccer/AAU basketball athlete.  To self care, Ms. Siudzinski enjoys spending time with her family at Wheeler Lake, golfing, running, listening to music & attending concerts, spending time with friends, walking her dog, hiking, snowboarding, and going to and watching sporting events, especially anything football or basketball...Packers, Badgers, or Bucks!  Additionally, Ms. Siudzinski grounds herself by practicing daily mindfulness, positive reframing through gratitude and growth mindset work, and by focusing on "1,000 Things Went Right Today!"  A huge part of her work with students is s dedicated to focusing on solutions, resilience and overcoming adversity through growth mindsets and the superpowers of brain.