[10/12/09] - IASN Newsletter October 2009

 

The newest edition of the IASN newsletter is available online now.  See how IASN is working for you! 

  View the October 2009 IASN Newsletter

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[09/04/09] - Indiana School Nurses: Partners in Student Achievement

The IASN fall conference registration form and conference brochure can be found at http://www.inasn.org/conference.php Registration will be open until November 1.

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[06/07/09] - Legislation to improve student to school nurse ratios introduced in Congress.

Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (NY) introduced legislation focused on addressing issues in nursing, including improvement of the student to school nurse ratios. To read the article click on the link.

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[04/13/09] - Registration for the New School Nurse Orientation is now open

Please see the conference page for more information and to register.

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[03/30/09] - National School Nurse Day- May 6, 2009

May 6, 2009 National School Nurse Day
"School Nurses: Meeting Needs of Today's Students"

National School Nurse Day is celebrated on the Wednesday within National Nurse Week.   National Nurse Week is always May 6th through May 12th. 

NASN National School Nurse Day Proclamation

Celebration Suggestions from NASN

What School Nurses can do:
Be proactive in planning the celebration and promoting activities associated with this special day . . .
     Contact the state governor to issue a proclamation
     Note School Nurse Day in your school calendar
     Construct a bulletin board at school on the role of the school nurse
     Write an article in school and/or district newspapers 
     Disseminate the NASN School Nurse Day Press Release

What Schools and School Personnel can do:
Recognize Your Professional School Nurse . . .  
     Contact school board members and the superintendent and invite them to visit the school nurse     
     Recognize the school nurse with appropriate momentos of appreciation such as:
          An NASN Book Store Gift Certificate or
          A one-year NASN Membership 
     Hold a recognition reception for your School Nurse
     Have students make cards for the School Nurse
     Include information about School Nurse Day in all school communications

What Communities and Community Agencies can do:
     Communicate with school nurses to develop improved communications
     Highlight the contributions School Nurses make through displays at local hospitals, libraries, and governmental buildings
     Host an NASN live continuing education program for the school nurses in your area

What Parents can do:
     Learn more about the role of the school nurse in your community
     Visit the school nurse
     Ask the PTA to host a celebration breakfast

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[03/29/09] - School Connectedness

From the Division of Adolescent and School Health, NCCDPHP, CDC. Visit the DASH Web site at www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth or the CDC Web site at www.cdc.gov.

New Publication on School Connectedness from CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH)
School connectedness is the belief by students that the adults and peers at their school care about their learning and about them as individuals. Research indicates that students who feel connected to their school are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors and succeed academically. In particular, connected students are less likely to use alcohol and other drugs, miss school, have sex at an early age, or be involved in violence or behaviors that increase their risk for injury (such as drinking and driving). They are also more likely to attend school regularly, stay in school longer, and have higher grades and classroom test scores.
To help schools enhance this important protective factor, CDC scientists have created a guide that synthesizes available research on school connectedness and outlines strategies for fostering it.

School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth identifies six evidence-based strategies that teachers, administrators, school staff, and parents can implement to increase the extent to which students feel connected to school.
This strategies document is available for free download at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/AdolescentHealth/connectedness.htm.

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[03/28/09] - 2008 School Nurse Administrator of the Year- Jolene Bracale

Jolene Bracale is the 2008 Indiana School Nurse Administrator of the Year.  She is the Health Services Coordinator at Hamilton Southeastern Schools in central Indiana.  Jolene was presented her award in early November by, then Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Suellen Reed.   
Jolene will represent Indiana when NASN chooses the National School Nurse Administrator of the Year at the national conference in Boston, June 24-28, 2009.

Congratulations Jolene!

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[03/27/09] - Action for Healthy Kids Simplifies Wellness Policy Evaluation

Monitoring how implementation of a school wellness policy is going and measuring its impact has just gotten easier. Action for Healthy Kids has launched a convenient monitoring component as a part of its 8-step Wellness Policy Tool. Although most school districts have implemented wellness policies as required by a 2004 Federal mandate, the majority still do not monitor their policy’s implementation – a critical step to ensure policies are improving nutrition and physical activity practices in schools.

“This is an excellent tool that can be used to help school districts assess the strengths and weaknesses in their wellness policies,” says Katie Wilson, PhD, SNS, school nutrition director, Onalaska (Wisconsin) School District and president, School Nutrition Association board of directors.

“The assessment tool is very comprehensive and I think it will benefit schools who take time to do the assessment and evaluation,” says Dr. Yibo Woods, nutritionist with Child Nutrition Division at Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The new, web-based monitoring component is fully customizable for each school. It offers an implementation “desk top” where users post all provisions of their wellness policy, then note progress, next steps, resources needed, and people responsible for each. A unique scoring system allows schools to evaluate their progress against benchmarks for best practices, as well as their adherence to federal wellness policy mandates. The tracker also provides links to helpful resources based on areas needing improvement.

This new component is based on Action for Healthy Kids’ Wellness Policy Fundamentals, which were developed in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food Research and Action Center, and the United States Department of Agriculture.  Access the Wellness Policy Tracker at http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/policymonitor/index.php.

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[03/24/09] - Healthy Child Care America Launches New Web Site

We are proud to announce that the new Healthy Child Care America Web site is now live and can be accessed by visiting www.healthychildcare.org ( http://www.healthychildcare.org/ )!

This new and improved site is easy to navigate and provides early education and child care information to health care professionals, child care professionals, and families. The new site provides enhanced access to information and resources. A clear structure and improved search function makes finding information easier than before. Check back in March to visit our "Resource Library", a database with a wealth of resources related to early education and child care. Users will be able to search by topic, type of resource, AAP materials, and/or materials for families.

Attention: All links have changed (except for the homepage). Feel free to share our resources by linking directly to these new Web pages.

Please take a moment to check it out. We hope you enjoy the Healthy Child Care America Web site!

Renee Jarrett
Program Coordinator
Early Education and Child Care Initiatives Div of Developmental Pediatrics and Preventive Services American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007-1098

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