SAP COUNTY COORDINATION UPDATE

January, 2014

www.sap.state.pa.us

Pennsylvania Network for Student Assistance Services Interagency Update

SAP Launches Free Online Bridge Training

Last year, the Pennsylvania Network for Student Assistance Services (PNSAS) developed an integrated SAP K-12 training for both elementary and secondary Student Assistance Team (SAP) team members. For those who were trained and certified as a SAP team member under either the elementary or secondary model before the development of the integrated K-12 SAP Training, a free Bridge Training is now available online. This training will be available through August 2014. Successful completion of the training will provide participants with certification that enables them to serve on elementary through high school SAP teams. The training is available through the Northeastern Education Intermediate Unit at http://moodle.iu19.org/ (click on Student Assistance Program Bridge Training Modules). For more information, contact your PNSAS regional coordinator (see map and contact information at http://www.sap.state.pa.us/uploadedfiles/pnsasmap11-12-13.pdf ).

The Pennsylvania Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative (PAYSPI) PSA Contest

The Pennsylvania Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative (PAYSPI) is proud to offer the 2014 Pennsylvania High School PSA Contest for Youth Suicide Prevention. PAYSPIinvites high school students to submit a public service announcement (PSA) focused on youth suicide prevention.

There are five categories for submission:

1. VideoPSA – 30 seconds

2. VideoPSA – 60 seconds

3. AudioPSA – 30 seconds

4.PSA Poster - 2’x3’

5.PAYSPI Logo Design

Each high school is invited to submit one entry per category. Winners for each category will be honored in late May or early June. Entries are due no later than February 28, 2014. The entry form, contest rules and detailswill be posted athttp://www.paspi.org/in January.

SAP Team and Liaison Surveys

The annual SAP Team Surveys and Liaison Survey forms were released from the PA Network for Student Assistance Services in November, 2013. The surveys are also available on the SAP website at www.sap.state.pa.us. If you have not done so, please complete these surveys and return to your regional coordinator right away. These surveys provide important information about SAP teams and SAP liaisons which allow us to serve you better and contact you when needed. Please contact your regional coordinator for further information.

SAP Team Highlights

Looking for some new ideas for your SAP team for the New Year? A new section of the SAP County Coordination Update is SAP Team Highlights. This will feature what teams across the Commonwealth are doing in their efforts to reach students and families. What ways do you market your SAP team to students, staff, and the community? Does your SAP team sponsor any events in your school? Share your ideas with SAP colleagues across Pennsylvania by contacting your regional coordinator (see the regional map and contacts here).

SAP BACK TO BASICS

Who should be on a SAP team? How often should a SAP team have maintenance? How do you run an effective SAP team meeting? With the start of the New Year, we will be answering those and other SAP team basics in this section of the SAP County Coordination Update. This will highlight information that is found in current SAP documents and on the SAP website. This will provide a cost effective means of encouraging best practices, procedures and maintenance of all SAP teams. Please check back next month for information on the making of a SAP team.

RESOURCES

January 2014 – National Mentoring Month

The theme is Mentoring Works! This theme allows us to discuss mentoring as a key youth development strategy in many areas (e.g. mentoring works to help young people achieve academic success; mentoring works to help young people make responsible decisions…). For details and events, visit http://www.nationalmentoringmonth.org/.

Big Bowl Vote, February 3, 2014

You’re Invited to GET IN THE GAME!

Middle and High School Students VOTE on their FAVORITE Super Bowl commercials!

DID YOU KNOW?

Of that wide viewing audience, about 18% will be youth under 21... If your child (student) is one of them, he or she will be exposed to alcohol advertising. That is why you need to GET IN THE GAME!

Last year, more than 20,000 middle and high school students in 32 states participated in the Drug Free Action Alliance (DFAA) Big Bowl Vote 2013, which once again revealed the youth appeal of alcohol advertising. Through research, we know that the more youth are exposed to alcohol in advertising, the more likely they are to consume alcohol underage.

To further assess the impact of advertising on youth, we invite you to participate in the DFAA BIG BOWL VOTE 2014. Through a simple, two-question, student questionnaire given Monday morning following the Super Bowl, middle and high school students share their impressions on what advertisements they remember seeing and which commercial was their favorite.

DFAA will collect and summarize the data, and you’ll receive the results just days after the Super Bowl. This valuable, fresh and local information can then be used to educate parents, students, lawmakers and the media about the effects of alcohol advertising on youth.

Check in on Twitter!

If you are a fan of twitter, check in with #bbv14 to follow the conversation during the Big Game! In order to engage students, we’re stepping into their world of technology. What better way to reach the average teen than their cell phone (or home computer)! To gain access to instant feedback on the ads from youth, we will be encouraging middle and high school students to TWEET about their favorite and not-so-favorite commercials, during and after the big game.

So, get your group ready for the Big Bowl by downloading the free Big Bowl Vote Playbook that includes everything you’ll need to quickly and easily implement your local student questionnaire, with additional ideas on student engagement and follow-up activities. Click here.

Communication Skills Building Helps Community Leaders Who Work with Parents

In November of 2013 the Office on Women’s Health launched Communication Skills Building for Parents of Preteen Girls (“Communication Skills Building”). Communication Skills Building helps community leaders strengthen the communication skills of parents and caregivers of preteen and teenage girls. Research shows that girls who have strong and open lines of communication with their parents and caregivers are more likely to finish school and less likely to get involved with drugs and alcohol or become teenage parents. Important conversations on hard topics should begin as early as possible, or between the ages of 9 and 11. Communication Skills Building helps community leaders work with parents and caregivers to address difficult topics, such as:dating, appropriate dress, internet dangers, peer pressure, and time management. Website: The Communication Skills Building website includes facilitator’s guides, online videos, tip sheets for African-American and Hispanic (Spanish- and English-speaking) communities, and additional resources. Trainings: We will offer online trainings for community leaders to learn more about the program. We will email you once the dates for the upcoming webinars are announced.

Comprehensive School Safety Report

The Center for Safe Schools is pleased to inform you that the Pennsylvania State Police released its comprehensive School Safety Report for public/private schools, which outlines safety guidelines that can assist school districts in creating a culture where our schools and children are safe.

This School Safety Report for public/private schools is available to view on the Pennsylvania State Police Web page at http://www.psp.state.pa.us by clicking on the left navigation Public Safety tab. The report addresses roles and responsibilities, school security forces, access controls, lockdown and evacuation procedures, and family reunification, media and communications.

For additional information regarding the School Safety Report or to schedule a risk and vulnerability assessment please email the Pennsylvania State Police, Domestic Security Division, at or contact Sgt. Carl J. Veach at 717-346-2698.

Children of Alcoholics Week, February 9-15, 2014

Children of Alcoholics Week - is celebrated internationally each year during the week in which Valentine’s Day falls. Did you know that one in four children is in an environment where alcohol abuse or alcoholism affects their day to day life? The problem often goes unsolved or ignored while children living with an alcohol-dependent parent suffer in silence. The campaign is led by The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA). And the aim of the week is to raise awareness of the problems faced by children of alcohol-dependent parents and it's about letting them know that there is support there for them. If you're interested in helping out, find more ideas at the Children of Alcoholics Week website.

Access 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health Data

The public-use data and documentation files for the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) are now available for download, online analysis, and Quick Tables. The files include variables on serious mental illness (SMI) and any mental illness (AMI), based on a revised estimation methodology.

It is important to note that the revised mental illness variables in the 2012 data files are not comparable to the mental illness variables currently available in the 2008 to 2011 data files. NSDUH data files, with revised SMI and AMI variables for 2008 to 2011, will be released in the next few months. It is recommended that the more accurate, revised SMI and AMI variables be used in estimation of mental illness once the updated 2008 to 2011 data files are released.

NSDUH is the primary source of national and state-level estimates on the prevalence, patterns, and consequences of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use and abuse in the general U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. NSDUH

data are collected annually through nationally representative interviews with approximately 70,000 randomly selected individuals age 12 and older.

Download the 2012 Data Files | Access the 2012 Study

Tools Available to Help Prevent Prescription Drug Overdoses

Did you know that one hundred people in the U.S. die from drug overdoses every day and that three out of four prescription drug overdoses are caused by opiates? Learn how to prevent overdoses from prescription opiates with the Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit, developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Read More

TRAINIng Opportunities

PA Physical Health/Behavioral Health Learning Community - Rethinking Adolescent Behavioral Health in Primary Care

The Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians (PAFP) is offering a 3-part Adolescent Behavioral Health Workshop. These online web-based workshops come with free CMEs thanks to the partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare and many physical health/behavioral health partners across the commonwealth.

Watch online anytime and earn patient safety CMEs:

· Part I – Practical Implementation of a Brief Adolescent Psychosocial Screening

· Part II – Case Studies of Common Behavioral Health Scenarios

· Part III – Patient-Centered Medical Home as a Protective Factor

The lectures were taped at the PAFP’s November CME Conference held in Erie. The speaker is highly rated, and attendees reported that they plan to screen more often, using more strategic interviewing techniques and team-based care. Family Physicians who attended these workshops report that they plan to seek out community resources and reach out to local mental health providers.

PDE Conference 2014 Making a Difference: Educational Practices That Work!
February 5, 2014-February 7, 2014
Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, PA
Hershey Lodge reservations will be accepted at 800-437-7439


Conference Highlights: RtII, Leadership, Behavior, Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Secondary Transition, Legal Issues, Parent Engagement, Gifted Education, Alternative Education, Facilitation, Telespeech, and Progress Monitoring.
Registration Questions: Debra Jordan, or 800-441-3215, ext.7224
Content Questions: Donna Salkin, or 800-441-3215, ext. 7267

Feb. 23-25, 2014: “One Student at a Time,”

24th Annual PA Association of Student Assistance Professionals Conference, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College.

The PASAP Conference will again be held in conjunction with PAMLE (Pennsylvania Association of Middle Level Educators). This combined event will allow participants to attend sessions hosted by both organizations.

More information and registration is available at www.pasap.org.

SAVE THE DATE

Trauma and Learning: Navigating the Crossroads.

Pennsylvania Community of Practice on School-Based Behavioral Health will present a webinar series in early 2014 addressing what educators need to know about trauma and its effects on students: "Trauma and Learning: Navigating the Crossroads." The webinar series will address three major issues: 1) the physiological effects of trauma on student growth and development; 2) student's perspective on their schools' response to trauma; and 3) what educators need to know in order to assist students struggling with trauma. The series features multiple presenters including experts in psychology and school safety as well as youth, who will speak about their own experiences. Registration information will be available at www.papbs.org and www.pattan.net . The webinars will be archived and made available as streaming media on both websites, following the live broadcast. For more information, contact James Palmiero or Jenny Randolph.

National Prevention Week May 2014

National Prevention Week is a SAMHSA-supported annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of, and action around, substance abuse and mental health issues. National Prevention Week 2014 is about Our Lives. Our Health. Our Future. We’ll be highlighting the important role each of us has in maintaining a healthy life and ensuring a productive future. Check the SAMHSA website at http://beta.samhsa.gov/about-samhsa-beta for updates and contacts to prepare for this event.

April 9-10, 2014: “Inspiring Hope—Fostering Success,”

Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey Hotel, Harrisburg.

Sponsored by the PA Council for Children, Youth and Family Services.

More information at http://pccyfs.org/Spring_Conf.html

April 22-23, 2014: Pennsylvania Family Group Decision Making Conference

Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey.

Sponsored by the Office of Children, Youth and Families and others.

Annual Star Center Conference

May 16, 2014

Details will be posted as they become available

Fourth Annual PAPBS Implementers' Forum

May 28-29, 2014

Hershey Lodge and Convention Center

Hershey, PA

Watch for more information at www.papbs.org

June 10-12, 2014: Pennsylvania Autism Training Conference (PATC)

Eden Resort, Lancaster.

Sponsored by the Department of Public Welfare

More information at www.autisminpa.org.