The Office of Coordinated Student Support Services added a Youth Tobacco Prevention specialist in December. Nebraska districts have shared that vaping is one of the top health concerns in their buildings since the 2019-2020 school year. This concern is reflected in our newest Nebraska youth data around vaping, which outlines that 33.7 % of our 9-12 grade youth are vaping.

A recent study found that 81% of youth who used e-cigarettes, did so to cope with feelings of stress and/or depression. Vaping with or without nicotine has been shown to impact impulse control, especially in young adults whose brains have not fully developed.

Additional data of note outlines that 46% of Nebraska youth who report vaping are interested in quitting despite the heavy marketing that youth experience from tobacco companies. In December 2022 Juul Labs agreed to pay $1.7 billion to settle more than 5,000 lawsuits by school districts, local governments, and individuals who claimed that its e-cigarettes were more addictive than advertised.

A national youth text support line is available to receive quit support, and additional vaping quit strategies are linked here. If you need support or resources for vaping education, contact Ranae Aspen at ranae.aspen@nebraska.gov.

View additional 2021 youth risk behavior data at the NDE Whole Child Website.

The Hastings High JAG (Jobs for America's Graduates) class engaged in a health initiative where youth selected to create marketing materials to support a whole child component and selected mental health. Check out the flyers they created, these were posted around the school. An incentive to get students to try different coping skills was held and prizes were awarded.

Check out this new tool to help both educators & school personnel and parents/caregivers better understand the health, wellness, and wellbeing of their children. Utilize fact sheets, brochures, webinars/podcasts and so much more.

Click the picture to print & disseminate in your school.

A school's efforts to support the implementation of a positive school climate are more likely to succeed if leaders consistently make space to discuss implementation.

This tool provides discussion prompts divided into 4 buckets:

1. Positive classroom culture

2. Integration of social-emotional practices into instruction

3. Effective implementation of evidence-based programming

4. Student-centered discipline/restorative practice.

Ideally, take 5-10 minutes weekly in a scheduled team meeting such as grade level meetings to intentionally work to increase supportive schoolwide practices!

Evidence demonstrates the important link between the health of students and academic achievement, particularly related to healthy eating, physical activity, chronic health conditions, and safe and positive school environments. While this link is intuitive to many teachers and education leaders who see the effects of nonacademic barriers to learning on a daily basis, there is often a disconnect when it comes to incorporating these into a School Improvement Plans (SIP).

Are you on the School Improvement Team? Take this guide to your team! If not, who values health & wellness that is? Share the guide with them.

Download Guide

For many families, a new year means a fresh start—a chance to set resolutions, build new habits, and change up routines that are no longer working.

Healthier Generation has teamed up with Del Monte Foods to help families achieve their nutrition goals in 2023, with nourishing, kid-pleasing recipes and fun resources to bring fresh inspiration to family meals.

Plus, through the Del Monte Foods Choose Good Do Good program, you can feed your family while supporting nutritional programming for children across America. Each qualifying purchase receives a discount and helps Healthier Generation provide nutritional resources to students at 3,000 schools.

The National After-School Association and Education Development Center are working together to provide health and wellness resources to advance health equity.

Check out this 1 page full of resources: Guides, Lesson Plans, Play Breaks, SEL Playbook, A Beautiful Day Website & much more!

We are looking for classrooms and after-school clubs to join us piloting our Eastern Sprint! This trail is about 280 miles in distance and will be ready in February.

Sign up Here!

Walk to Unlock Nebraska invites students and teachers to combine exercise and learning through a fun, competitive virtual platform that rewards physical activity with fascinating historical, geographical, and agriculture information about our state.

The program provides checkpoints along routes across the state for youth (and their teachers!) to virtually visit while tracking physical activity time, steps and/or miles. Walk to Unlock Nebraska was created with the idea of combining academic enrichment and physical activity:

1. This learning experience is targeted for students in kindergarten through eighth grade
2. Multiple lesson topics include science, social studies, math, language arts, nutrition and more
3. Integrated curricular ideas are included to be used as tools for learning both in the classroom and at home
4. Virtual field trips are available to enhance the journey

GoNoodle is a series of web-based videos, games, and activities focused on introducing short bursts of physical exercise (1-15 minutes) into the day. For children of all ages who need to burn up energy to concentrate on learning, this is a simple solution.

Now is the time when indoor recess happens, use this video next time!

January is National Teen Driving Awareness Month.

• The YRBS Survey/CDC states that compared with other age groups, teens and young adults often have the lowest seat belt use rates. In 2017, only 58.8% of high school students always wore seat belts when riding as passengers.
• Teen drivers aged 16-19 are three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than drivers over the age of 20
• In 2017, 40% of motor vehicle crash deaths among teen drivers and passengers aged 13-19 occurred between 9 pm and 6 am, and 51% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday according to the YRBS Survey/CDC.

Jan. 11th - National Milk Day

Observes the first time – 1878 – milk was delivered to homes inside sterilized glass bottles sealed with waxed paper. Discover Dairy have numerous lessons/activities for all ages.

Jan 21st National Hug Day - The simplest and most effective way of expressing affection.

Jan. 24th National Compliment Day - Challenge your students to compliment five people on January 24th – and then enjoy the sparkle in their eye and the extra bounce in their step. Ideas to engage students

Join us on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month to learn best practices and healthcare updates with CNE credits available for no charge!

• Session 9 | ADHD Behavioral Interventions (January 11, 2023)
• Session 10 | Anxiety & Depression and the Impact of Social Media (January 25, 2023)
• Session 11 | Project ADAM (February 8, 2023)

Sessions are held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 3-4 pm CST. These sessions will be delivered via Zoom utilizing this link. The same Zoom Meeting ID and Password will be used for all meetings. Pre-registration is encouraged.

School Safety provides several resources schools can use to help prevent the spread of infectious diseases, in the categories of: hand hygiene, cleaning & disinfecting & ventilation. Check out the resources here.

New School Nurse Huddle happens the second Tuesday of every month from 1:30-2pm. All new school nurses are welcome to attend!

Reoccurring Zoom link below:

https://childrensomaha.zoom.us/j/95640065920?pwd=amgzZ1VKNnA3YmM1cUlBeEhhd2J0QT09

Meeting ID: 956 4006 5920
Passcode: 123456

The Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model, formerly known as a Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP), consists of ten interactive components. Schools by themselves cannot, and should not be expected to address the nation’s most serious health and social problems. Families, health care workers, the media, religious organizations, community organizations that serve youth and young people themselves also must be systematically involved. However, schools could provide a critical facility in which many agencies might work together to maintain the well-being of young people.

Email: jessie.coffey@nebraska.gov
Website: https://www.education.ne.gov/csss/
Location: 500 South 84th Street, Lincoln, NE, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NDECordinatedStudentSupportServices
Twitter: @NDE_CSSS