Bus routes 29 and 16 will run late this morning.
Dates for the flu clinics have been set! Look for forms to be sent home in the next few days.
Bus Route #32 is running approximately 30 minutes late today.
We apologize for this unexpected delay.
Cub Scouts is hosting an interest meeting for K-5 students and their guardians this Thursday, September 16th from 6pm-7pm at the De Soto Area Council Service Area. There will be activities, scouting skills, and more! Come see all the great things Cub Scouts has to offer!
At tonight’s monthly school board meeting, the El Dorado School Board voted to continue the mask policy for students and staff.
The current policy requires masks, or other appropriate face coverings, for all persons present on school campuses or in school vehicles or buses, including staff, students, visitors, and others while they are inside buildings or on buses.
The Board made two changes to the policy:
--double-layered neck gaiters can be worn.
--teachers and students can take their masks off when positioned 6 feet away from others as directed by a teacher.
To view the ESD Mask Policy, visit bit.ly/ESDMaskPolicy.
Please see the attached memo with information regarding isolation/quarantine from the Arkansas Department of Health.
The regular monthly meeting* of the El Dorado School Board will be held tonight at 6:00pm in the Central Office Board Room. The public is invited to attend.
*Monthly meetings are held on the second Monday of the month unless otherwise announced.
Are you interested in applying for WOA? The deadline to enroll for the 2nd Quarter is October 3rd. If you wish for your child to be considered for enrollment, please visit bit.ly/WildcatOnlineAcademy to complete the Application to Request to Enroll.
We remember.
There will be a free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic held at the South Ark Outdoor Expo tomorrow, Saturday, September 11th from 9am-4pm at the El Dorado Conference Center. No appointment is necessary. The vaccine is available to ages 12 and up.
#SuicidePreventionMonth
Step Five: FOLLOW UP
After your initial contact with a person experiencing thoughts of suicide, and after you’ve connected them with the immediate support systems they need, make sure to follow-up with them to see how they’re doing. Leave a message, send a text, or give them a call. The follow-up step is a great time to check in with them to see if there is more you are capable of helping with or if there are things you’ve said you would do and haven’t yet had the chance to get done for the person.
This type of contact can continue to increase their feelings of connectedness and share your ongoing support. There is evidence that even a simple form of reaching out, like sending a caring postcard, can potentially reduce their risk for suicide.
To learn more about #BeThe1To and the Five Steps, visit bethe1to.com.
#SuicidePreventionMonth
The next step in #BeThe1To is: HELP THEM CONNECT.
Helping someone with thoughts of suicide connect with ongoing supports (like the Lifeline, 800-273-8255) can help them establish a safety net for those moments they find themselves in a crisis. Additional components of a safety net might be connecting them with supports and resources in their communities. Explore some of these possible supports with them – are they currently seeing a mental health professional? Have they in the past? Is this an option for them currently? Are there other mental health resources in the community that can effectively help?
One way to start helping them find ways to connect is to work with them to develop a safety plan. This can include ways for them identify if they start to experience significant, severe thoughts of suicide along with what to do in those crisis moments. A safety plan can also include a list of individuals to contact when a crisis occurs.
For more information on the 5 steps, visit Bethe1to.com.
#SuicidePreventionMonth
Step three: KEEP THEM SAFE.
First of all, it’s good for everyone to be on the same page. After the “Ask” step, and you’ve determined suicide is indeed being talked about, it’s important to find out a few things to establish immediate safety. Have they already done anything to try to kill themselves before talking with you? Does the person experiencing thoughts of suicide know how they would kill themselves? Do they have a specific, detailed plan? What’s the timing for their plan? What sort of access do they have to their planned method?
Knowing the answers to each of these questions can tell us a lot about the imminence and severity of danger the person is in. For instance, the more steps and pieces of a plan that are in place, the higher their severity of risk and their capability to enact their plan might be.
A number of studies have indicated that when lethal means are made less available or less deadly, suicide rates by that method decline, and frequently suicide rates overall decline. Research also shows that “method substitution” or choosing an alternate method when the original method is restricted, frequently does not happen. The myth “If someone really wants to kill themselves, they’ll find a way to do it” often does not hold true if appropriate safety measures are put into place.
The Keep Them Safe step is really about showing support for someone during the times when they have thoughts of suicide by putting time and distance between the person and their chosen method, especially methods that have shown higher lethality (like firearms and medications).
To learn more about the Keeping Them Safe step or the #BeThe1To movement, visit bethe1to.com.
#SuicidePreventionMonth
The second step is to BE THERE.
This could mean being physically present for someone, speaking with them on the phone when you can, or any other way that shows support for the person at risk. An important aspect of this step is to make sure you follow through with the ways in which you say you’ll be able to support the person – do not commit to anything you are not willing or able to accomplish. If you are unable to be physically present with someone with thoughts of suicide, talk with them to develop some ideas for others who might be able to help as well (again, only others who are willing, able, and appropriate to be there).
Being there for someone with thoughts of suicide is life-saving. Increasing someone’s connectedness to others and limiting their isolation (both in the short and long-term) has shown to be a protective factor against suicide.
In the Three-Step Theory (or more commonly known as the Ideation-to-Action Framework), David Klonsky and Alexis May also theorize that “connectedness” is a key protective factor, not only against suicide as a whole, but in terms of the escalation of thoughts of suicide to action. Their research has also shown connectedness acts as a buffer against hopelessness and psychological pain.
By “being there,” we have a chance to alleviate or eliminate some of these significant factors.
For more information about #BeThe1To, visit bethe1to.com.
From the El Dorado School District, THANK YOU!
In honor of #SuicidePreventionMonth, we will be releasing a series of graphics that will list the 5 steps you can take to help someone in suicidal crisis.
The first step is to ASK.
If you think someone might be considering suicide, take the first step and #BeThe1To ask. Ask directly, “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”
Asking in this direct, unbiased manner, can open the door for effective dialogue about their emotional pain and can allow everyone involved to see what next steps need to be taken. Do not ever promise to keep their thoughts of suicide a secret.
The flip side of the “Ask” step is to “Listen.” Make sure you take their answers seriously and not to ignore them, especially if they indicate they are experiencing thoughts of suicide. Help them focus on their reasons for living and avoid trying to impose your reasons for them to stay alive.
Studies show that asking at-risk individuals if they are suicidal does not increase suicides or suicidal thoughts. In fact, studies suggest the opposite: findings suggest acknowledging and talking about suicide may in fact reduce rather than increase suicidal ideation.
Learn more about #BeThe1To by visiting bethe1to.com.
Want to know what's for breakfast and lunch? Cafeteria Menus are available on the El Dorado School District app under the Dining section of each school or on our website at https://www.eldoradopublicschools.org/page/food-services. *Due to national supply shortages, online menus allow for parents, students, and staff to be aware of necessary changes to the monthly menu.
No school Monday, September 6 in observance of Labor Day.
The Home Access Center (HAC) website is currently having technical issues. If you are having trouble accessing your student's HAC account, please be patient. The site should be up and running again within the next 24 hours.
Questions about who has to quarantine and who doesn't? Check out this visual that helps explain two different situations.
