Happy New Year! 

Many people make resolutions this time of year, but perhaps a more meaningful way to mark the new year is to choose a word or theme to reflect on and aspire towards over the next 12 months. It’s also a good time to remind your student about prioritizing their own wellness.

Wellness is so much more than physical health and fitness. It encompasses emotional, social, spiritual, financial, vocational, intellectual, and environmental well-being too. All these areas of our lives are interconnected, improving one area can have a positive ripple effect on the others.

As your student embarks on this new year, encourage them to consider what wellness means for them. Tell them not to feel pressured to overhaul everything at once. Instead, they could start by picking 1-2 areas to focus on improving. Even small, consistent changes can make a big difference over time.

And remind them that no matter what happens, you are there for them. 

You are their safety net.  

Safety Net 

by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer

This morning I woke
thinking of all the people I love
and all the people they love
and how big the net 
of lovers. It felt so clear, 
all those invisible ties 
interwoven like silken threads 
strong enough to make a mesh 
that for thousands of years 
has been woven and rewoven 
to catch us all. 
Sometimes we go on 
as if we forget 
about it. Believing only 
in the fall. But the net 
is just as real. Every day, 
with every small kindness, 
with every generous act, 
we strengthen it. Notice, 
even now, how 
as the whole world 
seems to be falling, it 
is there for us as we 
walk the day’s tightrope, 
how every tie matters. 
Safety Net