Early, Early Bird Coordinated School Health Annual Conference Registrtion now OPEN

Save $25 per person by registering before July 1 for the 2013 Coordinated School Health Conference!   The Missouri Coordinated School Health Coalition will host a conference and hold a conversation on what’s hurting our kids and what we can do about it. Come learn with national experts about suicide prevention, playground safety, dating violence, bullying, distracted driving and much more. Get to know more about local resources such as the Missouri Safe Kids Coalition, and the Center for Education  Safety. Plan to attend the viewing of the nationally acclaimed movie “Bully” on Thursday evening at no cost. You may also register now for pre-conference sessions at the rate of $50 for one half-day session or $75 for two half-day or one all-day session.  Topics will include Mental Health First Aid for Youth, Sports Injury and Concussion Management in the School Setting, Dating Violence , Hot topics in School Health including the Medical Home Concept for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs, and more.  We will confirm session topics with you closer to the conference.   Register by clicking the link below and paying by credit or debit card or by mailing a check.

Register Now!

Hotel rooms are available at a conference rate of $87 per night for singe and double occupancy.  Please call the hotel directly to make room reservations or click on this link for on-line reservations   The program and other supporting materials will be posted to the website at www.healthykidsmo.org as they become available.  Please call or email if you have questions.  We look forward to partnering with you in December as we learn from our speakers and from one another how to make our schools healthier and safer for all our children!

Missouri School Health Profile: 2012 Key Findings

The School Health Profiles survey has been conducted every even-numbered year since 1994 by the Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) in collaboration with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). School buildings with any of the grades six through 12 in which grade six is not the highest grade in the building are randomly selected to participate. Two different questionnaires are sent to the building principal – one for the principal and another for the person designated as the lead health education teacher. The principal survey addresses school health policies and programs while the teacher survey focuses on health curriculum and instruction. Both surveys were developed by the CDC.
In 2012, 391 secondary schools were randomly selected to participate from which 303 principals (77 percent) and 306 lead health education teachers (78 percent) completed questionnaires. The response rates were sufficient to generalize results to regular and charter public secondary schools each year the survey was conducted in Missouri.

The findings are available on the coalition website: http://www.healthykidsmo.org/topics/docs/pe-Missouri-SHP-KeyFindings-2012.pdf

April is the “Month of the Military Child”

April is the “Month of the Military Child”

 

In 1986 the U. S. Army began the “Month of the Military Child” (MOMC). Now MOMC includes military youth of all branches.  During April, designated as the Month of the Military Child, military children are applauded for the daily sacrifices they make and the challenges they overcome by being a part of a military family. The Department of Education, the Department of Defense, the entire federal government and all sectors of our communities are asked to honor military children by providing a variety of resources, programs and opportunities to show their support.

 

There are numerous ways that schools and communities can honor military-connected students during the Month of the Military Child. The Department of Defense Education Activity’s (DoDEA) has  resources that can be found at their website, http://www.militaryk12partners.dodea.edu/, which includes the Students at the Center guidebook, a research-based grant program, and special education professional development for military-connected local education agencies and school liaison(s) at each military location.  These resources will help military-connected students with transition issues addressed by the Interstate Compact and other concerns.

Source: U.S. Department of Education

 

Tornado/Severe Weather Workshop Helps You Prepare for Spring

Photo courtesy of Joplin School District

The Center for Education Safety, working in conjunction with the University of Missouri, Science & Technology – Rolla, will host a workshop based on the science and lessons learned in recent tornados such as the 2011 tornado at Joplin and the 2006 tornado at Caruthersville. In addition to National Science Foundation (NSF) scientists, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – National Weather Service scientists will also articipate in presenting information on the science of prediction of tornados and severe weather. The goal of the workshop is to engage school officials responsible for emergency planning, as well as their respective community’s public safety and emergency management leaders, to examine and update their school’s existing emergency sheltering plans, based on the information presented at this workshop.

Tornado/Severe Weather Sheltering in Schools
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
University of Missouri – S&T, Rolla, MO
$40 (includes noon meal and other refreshments)

Register Online

Apply Now for 2013 PEP Grant!

Each year, the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) awards millions of dollars to schools and community-based organizations to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs. Visit www.Grants.gov and search by CFDA number 84.215. The application deadline is April 12, 2013.

via PEP Grant Applications Open Tomorrow!

New Website Teaches Side Effects of Junk Food

Many schools sell a wide variety of junk foods and sugary drinks to students and research shows that students eat less of their lunch, consume more fat, take in fewer nutrients and gain weight when schools sell such unhealthy fare outside of meals. Experts are calling for strong nutrition standards for competitive foods to help ensure all students are well-fed and prepared to learn.

The overall goal of a new website, Bag the Junk, is to provide school employees and other members of the school community with information on competitive foods, to help you act as informed champions for healthy snack foods and beverages in schools.

Bag the Junk is an informational website to support the NEA Health Information Network’s Healthier School Food Advocacy project. The Healthier School Food Advocacy project is a national initiative to improve the nutritional quality of snack foods and beverages sold in school vending machines, cafeteria à la carte lines, school stores and fundraisers. These foods and beverages are collectively known as “competitive foods” because they compete with school meals for students’ spending.

via  NEA HIN Bag the Junk

 

Fact Sheet Details Missouri Child Deaths by Accidental Injury or Violence

Unintentional injuries and violence are the leading causes of death, hospitalization, and disability for children ages 1-18. This fact sheet provides a Missouri snapshot of data on the injury-related Maternal and Child Health Block Grant National Performance Measures and Health Status Indicators, with a special focus on disparities based on race, gender, and rural/urban residence.  The fact sheet is intended to be a helpful and easy-to-use tool for needs assessments, planning, program development, and presentations.

The Children’s Safety Network (CSN) National Injury and Violence Prevention Resource Center, funded by the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Bureau, works with states to utilize a science-based, public health approach for injury and violence prevention (IVP). CSN is available to provide information and technical assistance on injury surveillance and data; needs assessments; best practices; and the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs to prevent child and adolescent injuries.

via Missouri 2013 State Fact Sheet | Children’s Safety Network.