School Wellness Symposium

The Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals will be hosing an event in Columbia, MO, November 17-18, entitled “School Wellness Symposium – Building Bridges Together.” The target audience is for K-12 educators, counselors, support staff, health professionals, higher education, clergy, and community decision-makers.

SCHOOL WELLNESS TOPICS THAT WILL BE PRESENTED:

Closing Gaps in Achievement and Opportunity: Tyrone Howard
Race and Culture in Schools: Tyrone Howard
Creating A Culture of High Expectations: Anthony Colannino
Making Equity Matter: Maisah Howard
Trauma-Sensitive Classrooms: Maisah Howard
Building Relationships: Linda Jordan
Anxiety and Depression: Polly Patrick
Cultural Competency: Erica Battle
Social-Emotional Learning: Denise White
Hope in Learning: Venola Mason
Self-Care: Adam Drummond
Chemical Dependency: Linda Jordan
School Safety: Missouri School Boards Association
Medicaid 101: Missouri School Boards Association (Kim Ratcliffe) NKC Schools (Perry Hilvitz)

Registration and hotel information can be found here.

Grants Awarded

Congratulation PTA Grant Winners:

Espy PTA of Nixa

Russell Blvd. Elementary PTA

The PTA Connected Be Internet Awesome Family Workshop Grant, sponsored by Google, has awarded these 2 local PTAs in Missouri with $1,000 in funding and materials to host Be Internet Awesome Family Workshops in their school communities during the 2019-2020 school year.

Scholarship Opportunity: Prudential Spirit of Community Awards

The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is looking for Missouri’s top youth volunteers of the year! Students in grades 5-12 are invited to apply for the 2020 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards if they have made meaningful contributions to their communities through volunteer service within the past twelve months. Winners will receive $1,000 scholarships, medallions and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C. with a parent or guardian for four days of recognition events from May 2-5, 2020. Applications are due by November 5, 2019.

· More information and application

National School of Excellence Program – Enrollment Open Now

Enrollment for the 2019-2020 National PTA School of Excellence program year is now open at PTA.org/Excellence until October 1!

The National PTA School of Excellence program supports and celebrates partnerships between PTAs and schools to enrich the educational experience and overall well-being of all students. By enrolling in this program, PTAs are making a yearlong commitment to identify and implement an action plan for school improvement based on PTA’s National Standards for Family-School Partnerships.

Visit PTA.org/Excellence for much more information about the program, including answers to Frequently Asked Questions, informational videos, and stories about how other schools have found success with this program.

Preventing Suicide – Article from Child Mind Institute

Child Mind Institute

Helping children when and where they need it most

Many people are reluctant to talk about suicide, fearing that being open about it will make more people — especially adolescents — see it as a viable way out of whatever distress they’re feeling. But evidence shows the opposite: Asking a child we are worried about if she has thoughts of killing herself can actually help prevent her from going through with it.

Today is National Suicide Prevention Day, and we join many other groups in sharing information about ways we can fight the sharp increase we’re seeing in adolescent suicides. We explore warning signs that a child might be feeling suicidal, ways to lower the risk of a suicide attempt, and how to help kids cope with the suicide of a classmate, as well as their own painful feelings.

Caroline Miller, Editorial Director | ✉