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UPCOMING EVENTS:
PARENTING WORKSHOPS
Provided by COPE Center
To register call:
973 - 783-6655
Saturday March 12
10:00am - Noon:
BIG EMOTIONS
Helping your child to identify feelings and to manage them appropriately.
Saturday April 9
10:00am - Noon:
LEAVE ME ALONE
Improving communication and setting boundaries with your child.
Saturday May 14
10:00am - Noon:
CROSSING THE DIVIDE
Co-parenting strategies to put your child first.
Saturday June 11
10:00am - Noon:
IT'S NEVER TOO LATE
Launching your teen or young adult. |
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Major funding and support for the Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Parthership come from the Montclair Public Schools, the NJ Department of Health & Senior Services, Child & Adolescent Health Program and the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network. Other past and present funders include The Healthcare Foundation of NJ Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Montclair Community Intervention Alliance, Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence, Mountainside Health Foundation, Mountainside Hospital Community Benefits, Rutgers University (grant from NJ Department of Education), United Way of North Essex, and from private donors.
This newsletter was made possible in part by grants from the Montclair Community Intervention Alliance, and the Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction. |
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MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR:
This issue of HEALTHWISE is devoted to those school professionals who are, to my mind, the "soul" of Montclair's schools. They are the nurses and Student Assistance Counselors, unsung heroines and heroes, who skillfully serve and care for our children each day.
A Student Assistance Counselor and a nurse at Hillside elementary were the catalysts behind the creation of our now ten-year old Health and Wellness Partnership. At that time, in 1998, my daughter was a fourth-grader, and it was the beginning of the year all school assembly. After Principal Chiles spoke, a petite woman with a gentle, but clear and strong voice, welcomed everyone to Hillside. Addressing all the third to fifth grade students, what she said next is what struck me most powerfully. "If you ever have anything at all you want to talk about, come up to my office and put your name on my chart. I will come and get you." That woman was Student Assistance Counselor, Pat Madej. At that moment, I knew that my child was in good hands.
My other introduction to health and wellness was the school nurse, Pam Barnes, RN. When a minor but chronic health issue disturbed my daughter's lunch each day, Ms. Barnes, thinking that perhaps the problem was social, offered to have my daughter eat lunch with her. That gesture still fills me with gratitude when I think about it, which is often.
In the many years that I have been part of the school system, I have gotten to know and deeply respect the nurses and student assistance counselors in all of Montclair's eleven schools. Reach out and get to know them. You and your children will be rewarded.
Joanne Aidala,
Director
montclairhealthandwellness.org |
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FEATURE ARTICLES | |
"WHAT DOES A SCHOOL NURSE DO?"
by Karen Straim, Associate Director
Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Partnership
As parents, we know that children must be healthy and feel well to concentrate on learning. When we send our children off to school for the day, it is important that their health needs will be met. In the Montclair Public Schools, the school nurses address the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of our children. Their ultimate goal is to support student success in the learning process. Our school nurses have specialized training - each is a Registered Nurse (RN) with a minimum of a bachelor's degree in nursing and a post bachelor's state certification in school nursing. There is one school nurse in each elementary school and middle school (except Renaissance, which has a part time nurse), one in the 9th Grade Academy and two part time nurses in the high school.
What do school nurses do? In accordance with NJ Department of Education protocols and schedules, school nurses conduct height, weight, blood pressure, vision, hearing, and scoliosis screening of our children. They notify parents and guardians of any abnormalities found. In addition, the school nurses promote and maintain optimal student health by: To read more click here |
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"WHAT DOES A 'SAC' DO?"
by Joanne Aidala, Director
Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Partnership
What is a SAC? You have probably heard the word before but for many parents and caregivers it is not clear what they do, if there is one at your child's school, or where in the school you can find them.
A SAC is a Student Assistance Counselor. There is a part-time SAC in each elementary school, a full-time SAC in each middle school, and three at the high school. They have many functions but their primary goal is to work with students and families to address social-emotional issues that may hinder academic and social success. A Student Assistant Counselor's work is fully aligned with district goals; namely, improving academic achievement, closing the achievement gap and enabling all students to remain in their home district in the least restrictive settings.
According to Linda Lendman, SAC at Bullock and Nishuane elementary schools, a Student Assistant Counselor's work is primarily preventative. "On the elementary level, our work includes running social skills groups for all students, facilitating special subject groups (divorce, loss, community service) and working very closely with caregivers and teachers. We also help with emergencies, economic issues, and referrals for community service."
At the middle school level, SACs assist students in navigating the social and academic stress they encounter in their teenage years. As they grow up, students begin to tackle issues such as peer pressure to engage in high risk behaviors and relationship challenges. Much of student stress is rooted in the normal response to peer, family and school tensions. Occasionally, however, students' impaired ability to cope is acted out in a way that can be defiant and even self-destructive. Addressing these issues early can enable students to thrive.
To read more click here |
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