WELLNESS COMMITTEE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS
(Open Committee Positions)
2026-27 MEETINGS/WORKSHOPS
Please look in the weekly newsletter for upcoming workshops and meetings
Want to join the MS54 Wellness Movement? Or just say hi? Email us at wellness@ms54pta.org.
At MS54, we are committed to caring to the physical, mental, and social health and well-being of our students as an essential part of education. The Wellness Committee, founded by the School Leadership Team in 2015, invites the entire school community — administrators, teachers, support staff, students, and parents/guardians — to develop wellness initiatives that become part of the way of life at our school.
Our mission is to listen carefully and inclusively to our community’s wellness needs and to respond in meaningful ways.
To start, the NYCDOE Office of School Wellness Programs Newsletter provides a wealth of information for students and parents.
Free Mental Health Support For Teens
The NYC Department of Health has introduced a free mental-health resource for teens called Talkspace. The online therapy platform offers a convenient and confidential space for teens (13-17) to connect with licensed therapists through digital channels such as messaging, video sessions and live chats.
MS54 TEEN DIGITAL RESOURCES
Podcasts – From teen expert Lisa Damour, offering practical advice grounded in extensive clinical experience:
- Ask Lisa: How Can We Roll Back Our Kids’ Technology Use?
- Ask Lisa: Can Teens Really Study While Scrolling?
Monitoring Tools – Commercially available tools can help establish digital boundaries without requiring constant parental intervention: Links are provided for informational purposes only and are not an endorsement.
- Qustodio
- Bark
- Tech Lockdown
Organizations – Offering research-based guidance on navigating kids and technology:
- Common Sense Media – Parents’ Ultimate Guides: Practical guides and controls for popular platforms, along with broader resources for families.
- Child Mind Institute – How Much Should You Monitor Your Teen’s Social Media? With additional guidance on media use by age and cyberbullying.
- Center for Humane Technology – Youth Toolkit: Helping teens understand the attention economy and persuasive technology.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Hispanic + Latine Mental Health Resources
Click here for The Mayor’s Office of Community Mental Health PDF with multiple resources for the Hispanic + Latine community including youth and family focused resources.
The Science of Well-Being for Teens
Marble Health Parent Workshops
Free parent workshops are held online via Zoom and developed by clinician and researcher Annie Graham. Live captioning is available in 35 languages, including Spanish, Mandarin, French, and Russian. Register here for the courses offered below
- Developing Emotional Intelligence
- Navigating Today’s Student Health Challenges: Vaping, Alcohol, & Other Substances
- Thriving Together: Improving Family Communication
- Manejo del tiempo de pantalla (por primera vez en español)
- Managing Screen Time
- Supporting Children Through Grief and Transition
Less Awkward
Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett are the pioneers who changed how the world talks about growing up – the original architects of the modern puberty conversation. Their website lessawkward.com has an amazing pod cast covering a wide range of puberty topics and limited free resources available to download.
The Child Mind Institute
Brief videos to help children mange intense emotions. These videos can help kids learn to handle intense emotions without giving in to the urge to act in impulsive ways that can make problems bigger.
Self-Care
Askwith Education Forum | The Crisis in Adolescent Mental Health – YouTube
The Crisis in Adolescent Mental Health — Hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education, speakers include host Josephine Kim, Linda Charmaraman, Lisa Damour, Alisha Moreland-Capuia, and Richard Weissbourd. March 21, 2023
Teens are Struggling Now. What can Parents do? (2/28/2023, NY Times). Wise, strategic tips for communicating with your teen (and the whole family).
Check out the wonderful conversation on how self-care is rooted in community from Jamil Zaki, Stanford University associate professor of psychology and author of The War for Kindness: Building Empathy in a Fractured World.
Tool-Kit for Talking About Mental Health and Seeking Help (developed for NYC employees; generally relevant)
Food Resources
Lemontree’s Free Food Locater on the Upper West Side.