HEALTHY SCHOOLS INITIATIVE (HSI) FALL 2021 NEWSLETTER
MESSAGE FROM SEQUOIA HEALTHCARE DISTRICT Dear Healthy Schools Initiative (HSI) community, The Covid-19 Pfizer vaccine has recently been authorized for use in children, ages 5 to 11. This is an essential step in combatting this pandemic. Not only will the vaccine help prevent children from getting Covid-19, but it will help prevent or reduce the spread of the virus, which in turn protects our entire community. Please watch for announcements about vaccination of your child from San Mateo County Health, San Mateo County Office of Education, and your health care provider. This issue of the HSI newsletter includes updates from your school district about supports and programs to help during the reopening of schools. Thank you to parents, teachers, and staff who take part in the daily task of ensuring that students stepping onto our campuses are healthy and ready to learn. I want to especially thank our dedicated school nurses, who work tirelessly to keep all children safe in our eight Healthy Schools Initiative partner school districts. We encourage you to learn more about our Healthy Schools Initiative by visiting: seqhd.org/hsi.
Karen E. Li, MD Director of School Health Healthy Schools Initiative
PRESENTATIONS
SCHOOL DISTRICTS WE SERVE
ACHD Conference
Parent Green Folder
FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
WE ARE ALL PERFECTLY HUMAN I don’t know about you but I was hoping that the start of the 21/22 school year would be “back to normal.” However, I’ve come to accept that this is the “new normal”. We are forever changed because of the pandemic but we must also move forward finding the positives along the way. What hasn’t changed is that our schools are once again full of students where we can again reconnect with both students and other teachers in meaningful ways. More than ever, the MPCSD is focusing on the Whole Child Learning and Developmental Framework where Healthy and Collaborative Relationships, and Integrated WellBeing are the foundation for a meaningful learning experiences.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING - MENTAL HEALTH FOR ALL When adults believe that emotions matter and that they are key in supporting a child’s emotional learning, they can use their own social and emotional skills to create and set an emotionally supportive tone for learning. This is why the MPCSD is not only continuing the ongoing counseling programs in the schools but finding ways to support teachers and families. MPCSD is in our second year of learning about the RULER Approach across the entire district. The focus this year is for the leaders and educators to be trained in key aspects of RULER before they bring it to the classroom. This is so that the adults in the school are comfortable with the RULER skills and tools before introducing them to students. Expanding parent education and family support around a students’ emotional needs builds a greater well-being for families, models healthy relationships, and promotes untold educational benefits in the classroom. With the ongoing support of the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Foundation, MPCSD is partnering with the StarVista Counseling Center to provide short-term mental health support to parents and caregivers of MPCSD students. In addition, the MPAEF is also supporting Calming Corners at the elementary schools and a Wellness Center at the Middle School. With the support of the Sequoia Healthcare District, the Peninsula Healthcare District, and the San Mateo County Office of Education, Care Solace continues to be available to all 23 school districts in San Mateo County. Removing the barriers of connecting families with local mental health related programs is an ongoing need.
MPSD FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
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FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE SO WE CAN STAY IN SCHOOL MPCSD learned so much this past year with our COVID protocols which allowed us to limit outbreaks and exposures. As we started the year, we continue to follow the CDPH Guidelines and continue our mitigation factors of masking, social distancing, and vaccinations whenever possible. What we do know is one effective tool for limiting the spread of COVID is testing. This year we are doing weekly pooled testing through Concentric by Gingko for both students and staff.
EQUITY LENS - REAL CONVERSATIONS In an effort to support the context-specific equity needs of Menlo Park City School District and Ravenswood City School District, Marissa McGee has joined the team as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator. Marissa has spent her career in communities that have been historically underserved due to systemic inequities. She taught in Washington, D.C., where she also served as a Parent Advocate. Before joining MPCSD and Ravenswood, Marissa worked in Oakland as a Program Consultant at New Teacher Center. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a focus on Social Stratification and Inequality, and a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Stanford University, where she currently serves as a lecturer. She is also the author of Free the Curls, a children's book that is scheduled to be released in 2022. As the DEI Coordinator, Marissa will strive to elevate the voices of those who have been historically marginalized while making changes at institutional and structural levels. Marissa is a rising star and it would be safe to say that she is home grown which makes it all the more exciting to have her sharing her experience. Before attending Stanford, she attended Ravenswood Schools before attending East Side College Prep in East Palo Alto. In an interview with Kidnuz, Marissa shared that “Though conversations about race and discrimination can cause discomfort, these conversations have the potential to result in change. So, the first step is to talk.”
PARENT RESOURCES https://www.rulerapproach.org/
www.kognito.com
MPSD FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
https://mpaef.org/
http://www.mpcsdspeakerseries.com/
www.circleuped.org
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FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
PARENT EDUCATION
MYTHBUSTERS: The Truth About the California Public Higher Education System Cuca Acosta (UC); Bernie Day (CCC); April Grommo, EdD (CSU); and Heather Lattimer, EdD (CSU)
Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 5:30pm – 6:30pm PT, Online Event (Webinar) In this webinar, representatives of the University of California, California State University, and California Community College systems will counter some of the most common myths about each system and the systems’ relationships to one another. Register here.
Parent Forum #10 (English) – Helping Your Child Build Good Habits Eran Magen, PhD, founder, Parenting for Humans
Friday, November 12, 2021, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PT, Online Event (Meeting)) Join us for a new Parent Forum (English) with Eran Magen, PhD, a parent-child communication expert. Register here.
Friends, Frenemies, and Friendlier Friends: Navigating School Social Dynamics Ana Homayoun, author, educator & Phyllis Fagell, clinical counselor, author of Middle School Matters
Thursday, November 18, 2021, 1:00pm – 2:00pm PT, Online Event (Webinar) Join Ana Homayoun, author, educator, and founder of Green Ivy Educational Consulting, and Phyllis Fagell, licensed clinical counselor and author of Middle School Matters, for a conversation about “friends, frenemies, and friendlier friends” in the time of Covid. Register here.
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FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
PARENT EDUCATION Grief and Loss in Children and Teens: What It Looks Like and How to Help Jaymie Byron, MFT, Director of Community Outreach & Education, Kara
Tuesday, November 30, 2021,
5:30pm – 6:30pm PT, Online Event (Webinar) Jaymie Byron, MFT, Director of Community Outreach Education, Kara, will share what grief and mourning can look like for children of all ages. Kids react differently to loss, based on where they are developmentally. Jaymie will also provide practical ways to support a child through the grief process. Register here.
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence Anna Lembke, MD, Psychiatrist, Stanford School of Medicine, New York Times Bestselling author
Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 12:00pm – 1:00pm PT,
Online Event (Webinar) In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and bestselling author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain…and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. Register here.
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FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
EDUCACIÓN PARA PADRES
CAZADORES DE MITOS: La verdad sobre el sistema de educación superior pública de California Cuca Acosta (UC); Bernie Day (CCC); April Grommo, EdD (CSU); Heather Lattimer, EdD (CSU)
Martes, 9 de noviembre de 2021, 5:30pm - 6:30pm PT, Evento en vivo (seminario web) En este seminario, representantes de la Universidad de California, la Universidad Estatal dey la California comunidad de California Los universitarios sistemas contrarrestarán algunos de los mitos más comunes sobre cada sistema y las relaciones de los sistemas entre sí. Enlace de zoom aquí.
Foro de padres #15 (Español) Las Drogas, mi Hijos, y Yo Edwin Fernandez, LCSW, One Life Counseling Center
Miércoles, 17 de noviembre de 2021, 5:30pm - 6:30pm, Evento en vivo (seminario web) Únase a nosotros durante esta conversación en la que no solo escuchará algunas de las respuestas a estas preguntas, sino que también aprenderá formas proactivas en las que los padres podemos ayudar a nuestros hijos a decir no a las drogas. Enlace de zoom aquí.
Amigos, amigos enemigos y amigos más amigables: navegando por la dinámica social de la escuela Ana Homayoun, autora, educadora y Phyllis Fagell, consejera clínica, autora de Middle School Matters
Jueves, 18 de noviembre de 2021, 1:00pm - 2:00pm PT, Evento en línea (seminario web) Únase a Ana Homayoun, autora, educadora y fundadora de Green Ivy Educational Consulting, ya Phyllis Fagell, consejera clínica licenciada y autora de Middle School Matters, para una conversación sobre “amigos, enemigos y amigos más amigables” en la época de Covid. Enlace de zoom aquí. FALL 2021 HSI NEWSLETTER
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INICIATIVA ESCUELAS SALUDABLES (IES) BOLETÍN DE OTOÑO DE 2021
MENSAJE DEL DISTRITO DE SALUD DE SEQUOIA Querida comunidad de Iniciativa Escuelas Saludables (IES), La vacuna de Pfizer contra el Covid-19 a sido autorizada para uso en niños de 5 a 11 años. Este es un paso esencial en la lucha contra esta pandemia. La vacuna no solo ayudará a evitar que los niños contraen Covid-19, sino que también ayudará a prevenir o reducir la propagación del virus, lo que a su vez protege a toda nuestra comunidad. Esté atento a los anuncios sobre la vacunación de su hijo de San Mateo County Health, la Oficina de Educación del Condado de San Mateo y su proveedor de atención médica. Este número del boletín de IES incluye actualizaciones de su distrito escolar sobre apoyos y programas para ayudar durante la reapertura de las escuelas. Gracias a los padres, maestros y personal que participan en la tarea diaria de garantizar que los estudiantes que pisan nuestros campus estén sanos y listos para aprender. Quiero agradecer especialmente a nuestras dedicadas enfermeras escolares, que trabajan incansablemente para mantener a todos los niños seguros en nuestros ocho distritos escolares asociados a la Iniciativa de Escuelas Saludables. Lo alentamos a que aprenda más sobre nuestra Iniciativa de Escuelas Saludables visitando: seqhd.org/hsi.
Karen E. Li, MD Director of School Health Healthy Schools Initiative
PRESENTACIONES
DISTRITOS ESCOLARES
Conferencia de ACHD
Carpeta Verde para Padres