Friday Beat
May 26, 2017 Edition
The newsletter that takes a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child approach.
Announcements
Alert: Mumps Outbreak in North Texas
Tarrant County Public Health is investigating an outbreak of mumps associated with Texas Christian University (TCU) in Fort Worth. Twelve mumps cases were identified in TCU students during the months of March, April, and the first 2 weeks of May. Parotitis onset dates range from March 19 through May 14. Classes for the spring semester ended May 12. Commencement ceremonies at the university took place May 13. Please report suspected mumps cases to Austin Public Health at (512) 972-5555.
Heat Safety Awareness Day/Don’t Fry Day—May 26, 2017
Sponsored by the National Weather Service (NWS), Heat Safety Awareness Day is a good time to think about the heat-related dangers that come with living in Texas. The NWS website offers a variety of resources to educate and prepare for sun safety: Heat Awareness Campaign (article and infographic); Education and Outreach (safety quizzes, videos, and NWS Jetstream Free Online Weather Classes); and Maximum Heat Index Forecast (maps/tables providing this forecast for several cities in Texas one week in advance). Finally, the NWS website also offers many links to important information about Ultraviolet (UV) Safety for Don’t Fry Day.
Awards for Excellence in Texas School Health (AFE)
The AFE program recognizes local school health initiatives with four types of awards. Does your school or district have a health project in place that previously won the AFE Discovery Award? If the project has been in place since earning the Discovery Award and has expanded, then it may be eligible to receive the Vanguard Award of $1,000. Only one award is offered in recognition of such unique projects that have grown over time. Please contact the School Health Program at (512) 776-7279, if you have any questions about project eligibility or completion of the 2017 Vanguard Award Application. All AFE applications are due by August 31, 2017.
Professional Development Opportunities
30th Annual School Nurse Conference—June 5, 2017
From 7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CDT, the Children’s Health will host Therapeutic Techniques to Calm Disruptive Behavior in the School Setting. Participants may attend the Conference in Plano, Texas, or via webinar. Four contact hours of continuing nursing education may be earned.
Creating a Trauma Informed School—June 9, 2017
The National Center for School Engagement (NCSE) will present this training from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. MST in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The training is relevant for anyone who works with large numbers of low-income or at-risk students, understanding that a student’s ability to self-regulate attention, emotion, and behavior is prerequisite for achieving academic competency.
Health Education
World No Tobacco Day (WNTD)—May 31, 2017
The theme for this year’s World Health Organization (WHO) WNTD observance is “Tobacco – a threat to development.” The Penn State PRO Wellness website contains interactive infographics that show the harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke and the benefits that quitting smoking provides over time. Plus, there are quizzes on e-cigarettes and secondhand smoke that give instant feedback about your responses. Texas residents who want to quit smoking can contact the Texas Quitline for free and confidential counseling services, support, and information.
Physical Education Physical Activity
Playground Safety this Summer
Based on an American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) news release, this HealthDay article reminds us about the importance of evaluating the safety of public playgrounds in order to prevent injuries. The ACEP provides tips for adults supervising children at playgrounds and refers readers to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) website. It contains a Public Playground Safety Checklist and a Sports, Fitness and Recreation webpage with a variety of safety alerts.
Nutrition Environment & Services
USDA Food Allergies Blog Post
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is highlighting National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month with the blog post Supporting Safety in the School Environment. It underscores the fact that schools play a major role in helping students manage food allergies. In fact, approximately 20-25 percent of epinephrine administrations in schools have been for children who did not know they had an allergy at the time of the reaction. Additional information and resources, several available in Spanish, can be found on the USDA website.
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for 2017-2018
Each May, states are required to publish a list of districts and schools that are eligible to participate in CEP during the upcoming school year. The Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) has an interactive map that allow users to access each state’s list. The FRAC map links to this Texas Department of Agriculture webpage, where readers can download the List of Potentially Eligible CEs and Schools. The deadline for Local Educational Agencies to submit applications to elect the CEP for School Year 2017-2018 is July 1, 2017.
Health Services
2016-17 National School-Based Health Care Census
The School-Based Health Alliance (SBHA) has launched the Census, which is shorter and easier to complete than in past years. The person who is most knowledgeable about the care delivered by each school-based health care program should complete the survey of about two dozen questions, and sponsoring organizations can enter data for all of their sites at once. Currently only one of the school-based health care programs in Texas has started and completed the Census.
Family Engagement
Take a Healthy Summer Break!
This English/Spanish infographic from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) may be downloaded or ordered by schools and summer meal programs. Schools and community groups can distribute it to families to increase awareness about the importance of making healthy choices during summer months. Parents may find it easier to implement the actions on the infographic with This Summer, Eat Smart to Play Hard: A Parent’s Guide. The six-page brochure includes a recipe and the Family Challenge; it also is available in Spanish and may be downloaded. Both of these resources contain information about finding summer meals in your community.
National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has developed 8 Tips for Talking to Your Teen and Ocho Consejos para Hablar con sus Hijos/as Adolescentes. This one-page resource provides tips meant to guide trusted adults through a thoughtful, rational conversation about a subject that can be awkward.
Community Involvement
Vision Zero and Safe Routes to School: Partners in Safety
This report highlights the potential benefits of closer alignment between Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and Vision Zero, a movement that works to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries. Working together, Vision Zero and SRTS advocates can leverage data-driven approaches to improve safety, advance equity, and focus investments in areas with the greatest needs first. The related infographic spurs thinking around this synergistic relationship.
Quote to Note
“There is only one day left, always starting over: it is given to us at dawn and taken away from us at dusk.”
— Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher, author, and playwright
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The articles and hyperlinks to external websites appearing in Friday Beat are intended to be informational and do not represent an endorsement by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Other websites may not be accessible to people with disabilities. External email addresses may also be provided as a courtesy. If you choose to correspond, please be advised that DSHS policies may not apply. For information about any of the programs listed, contact the sponsoring organization directly. For comments or questions about Friday Beat, email the School Health Program at or call (512) 776-7279.
Public Domain. Permission granted to forward or make copies as needed.
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