Wellness Rooms Bring Serenity to Students at Pasadena Unified
It may be dubbed the “Well Nest” or the “Water Cooler” but whatever they’re named, wellness rooms are bringing a sense of calm to kids across the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). “A campus wellness room staffed with a qualified, caring wellness teacher creates an immediate response to students’ social-emotional needs,” said Dr. Julianne Reynoso, PUSD’s Assistant Superintendent, Student Wellness and Support Services. “These rooms invite students to relax for a short time and reflect on how to improve school interactions.” PUSD schools are now using existing spaces to create dedicated wellness areas that can address students’ needs in a safe, almost spa-like space. Some rooms include aromatherapy, soothing sounds, calm lighting, kinetic sand, slime, fidget toys, lemon water, bean bag chairs and murals. All are staffed by an experienced Response to Intervention (RTI) teacher or behavior specialist.
While PUSD has provided wellness professionals at all sites for years, previously, calm rooms were also used for discipline – the current spaces are not. No one gets “in trouble” in the wellness room. Some PUSD students are still experiencing after-effects of the pandemic such as anxiety, frustration, food and housing insecurities, and grief.
While PUSD has provided wellness professionals at all sites for years, previously, calm rooms were also used for discipline – the current spaces are not. No one gets “in trouble” in the wellness room. Some PUSD students are still experiencing after-effects of the pandemic such as anxiety, frustration, food and housing insecurities, and grief.
Dr. Jodi Marchesso
While PUSD has provided wellness professionals at all sites for years, previously, calm rooms were also used for discipline – the current spaces are not. No one gets “in trouble” in the wellness room. Some PUSD students are still experiencing after-effects of the pandemic such as anxiety, frustration, food and housing insecurities, and grief.
McKinley School specialists handle the wide range of issues in two wellness areas – one for middle schoolers and another for elementary students. Behavior teacher Linda Ortega says it’s a safe space that helps kids refocus, reset, and regroup, usually for 10 or 15 minutes maximum.
“I have seen some positive changes in the students. They’re taking a minute to think about how they should react when someone is making fun of them or when they’re getting bullied on the playground,” Ortega said. “I’m working with them on coping strategies – what can you do in lieu of putting your hands on another child?”
“When students are feeling dysregulated or anxious, if they need a moment or they’re feeling a lot of big emotions, it’s a place where they can go and work through their emotions with someone who’s an expert,” explained Dr. Jodi Marchesso, principal at Sierra Madre Elementary School (SME). “Then we can have a restorative conversation with them about what went wrong, what we can do next time.”
“I think it’s really cool,” said Kai, an SME 5th grader. “I really like the bean bags and the lights and the smell – it smells really good – and all the stuff you can do when you need to get your energy out or calm down.”
Jacqueline Snell, who runs McKinley’s “Water Cooler,” calls herself a first responder to students adding, “If you’re depressed, you have anxiety, you’re bereaved or you cannot focus, we are here to listen and be here for you.”
McKinley students can also enjoy Meditation Mondays, Teatime Tuesdays (with art therapy), Wellness Wednesdays, Therapy Thursdays and Funday Fridays. On any day of the week, all PUSD Student Wellness and Support Services can be found at pusd.us/wellness.
Jacqueline Snell