Whole Child Quarterly
Michigan School Health Coordinators' Association
Healthy Students are Better Learners
Happy New Year! Before we begin diving into 2020 and the content of our newest newsletter, we would like to take a moment to share some exciting updates with you from our last MiSHCA meeting in December. Our organization is committed to continuous learning with the hopes of sharing knowledge and skills with others around the Whole Child.
During our December meeting we had the privilege of learning from Amy Peterson, STD Interventions Unit Manager with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Amy’s presentation included content of STD trends and news from the world of HIV, such as Undetectable = Untransmittable. If you are interested in learning more about viral suppression related to HIV, please check out the video below or click on the link above.
Other information that was shared with MiSHCA during the December meeting was an update on the digitization of the Michigan Model for Health™ curriculum. The Michigan Model for Health™ Website Project is grant funded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund and the project is led by the grantee, the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health in collaboration with project team members and stakeholders.
Michelle Le Feve, Michigan Council for Maternal & Child Health (MCMCH) Project Manager, provided folks with an overview of the digitization process and a demo of the digital curriculum. Over half of the curriculum has been digitally converted and many new improvements have been occurring through the entire process. Please stay tuned for more updates.
In this edition of the newsletter you will find information about:
Michigan Model for Health™ revisions to address vaping and marijuana
Whole Child partnerships with MEMSPA and Michigan ASCD
Legislative information related to Senate Bill 600 and House Bill 4282
MiSHCA wishes you the best as you begin the 2020 year.
Michigan Model for Health™ in the Spotlight
MMH Revisions to Address Vaping & Marijuana
The recent trend of increased vaping among adolescents prompted the release of emergency rules to address the crisis here in Michigan. In addition, the November 2018 passage of Proposal 1 allowing cannabis use among adults over the age of 21 is sure to have an impact on the accessibility of marijuana among school aged youth.
Work has begun to update and revise the Michigan Model for Health™ curriculum to incorporate both vaping and marijuana prevention content in the elementary, middle and high school curricula. The topic of marijuana will be introduced along with e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and hookah beginning in early elementary school grades.
Projected updates and revisions will be available for the beginning of the 2020 school year.
Partnerships
MiSHCA Partners with Other Statewide Organizations to Promote the Whole Child!
In 2017, the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association, (MEMPSA), working collaboratively with MiSHCA and other partners submitted an application to the Michigan Health Endowment Fund to support schools in the development and implementation of a health goal and action plan in their school improvement plan. MEMPSA was awarded the grant and implemented this initiative in 24 elementary schools across Michigan over a two year period. The IHSIP project involved multiple components including assessment of the school environment to support the nutrition and social and emotional needs of students; developing a health goal and school improvement plan around nutrition and social and emotional health; implementing the Michigan Model for Health™ curriculum in all classrooms along with environmental strategies to support healthy student behaviors; and conducting program evaluation to assess outcomes related to these efforts. Additional state partners supporting the IHSIP project included the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Michigan Department of Education, (MDE) and the Michigan Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
Senate Bills 600 & 601 and House Bill 4282
MiSHCA's Legislative Committee has been working diligently to provide updates about recent senate and house bills that involve health and physical education. In an effort to educate legislators, MiSHCA developed an infographic about the importance of health education for school aged children (see below).
Senate Bills 600 & 601 intend to amend the Michigan Merit Curriculum to give more flexibility to our local school districts for graduation requirements so that students have more opportunities that will allow them to be career and college ready upon graduation. This bill would eliminate Health and Physical Education (1 credit) as a requirement for graduation.
House Bill 4282 would allow a student to take the 30 hour MiOSHA training INSTEAD OF, the currently required for graduation, high school Health class.
Save the Date: 2021 Connecting with Kids through School Health Conference
Monday, Jun 21, 2021, 08:00 AM
Great Wolf Lodge Traverse City, Traverse City, MI, USA
Did you miss our first newsletter?
Michigan School Health Coordinators' Association
Email: Michiganshca@gmail.com
Website: https://mishca.org/
Twitter: @Michiganshca
Free or low-cost health coverage for children under the age of 19, or pregnant women of any age. Call the MI Child and Healthy Kids hotline at 1.888.988.6300 or michigan.gov/michild