Student Services Newsletter
February is Heart Health Month
February is American Heart Month, a time when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health. The Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is shining a light on hypertension (high blood pressure), a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
What is high blood pressure (hypertension)?
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on your activities. Having blood pressure measures consistently above normal may result in a diagnosis of high blood pressure (or hypertension).
The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for other health problems, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
Your health care team can diagnose high blood pressure and make treatment decisions by reviewing your systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and comparing them to levels found in certain guidelines.
The guidelines used to diagnose high blood pressure may differ from health care professional to health care professional:
- Some health care professionals diagnose patients with high blood pressure if their blood pressure is consistently 140/90 mm Hg or higher.2 This limit is based on a guideline released in 2003, as seen in the table below.
- Other health care professionals diagnose patients with high blood pressure if their blood pressure is consistently 130/80 mm Hg or higher.1 This limit is based on a guideline released in 2017, as seen in the table below.
What can I do to prevent or manage high blood pressure?
Many people with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure into a healthy range or keep their numbers in a healthy range by making lifestyle changes. Talk with your health care team about
- Getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week (about 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week)
- Not smoking
- Eating a healthy diet, including limiting sodium (salt) and alcohol
- Keeping a healthy weight
- Managing stress
What can parents do?
Ask your doctor to measure your child’s blood pressure starting at age 3. Helping children keep a healthy weight, eat nutritious foods, and get regular physical activity can lower their blood pressure and reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease later in life. Try these tips to help your child keep a healthy weight and normal blood pressure:
Food and Drinks
- Offer nutritious, lower-calorie foods such as fruits and vegetables in place of foods high in added sugars and solid fats. Try serving more fruits and vegetables at meals and as snacks.
- Provide foods that are low in sodium (salt). Sodium raises blood pressure. Nearly 9 in 10 U.S. children eat more sodium than is recommended. Learn more about sodium.
- Make sure water is always available as a no-calorie alternative to sugary drinks, and limit juice.
Physical Activity
- Help your child get the recommended amount of physical activity each day. Choose from many age-appropriate activities.
Healthy Weight
- Be aware of your child’s growth. Learn how obesity is measured in children, and use CDC’s Child and Teen BMI Calculator to screen your child for potential weight issues.
Get Involved
- Be a role model! Eat healthy meals and snacks, and get the right amount of physical activity every day.
- Help shape a healthy school environment using CDC’s Parents for Healthy Schools resources.
Professional school counselors collaborate with administrators, teachers, staff, families and the community to ensure all students have the opportunity to design a rigorous and relevant academic and career program. Professional school counselors design and implement a comprehensive school counseling program that includes educational and career planning activities for all students designed to assist students in reaching academic, career and personal/social goals.
Academic and college and career planning provides all students with the opportunity to identify strengths, areas in need of improvement and areas of interest early on so students and their families can set post-secondary goals and make informed choices to support students in reaching the desired outcome. The focus of academic and career planning is threefold: to help students acquire the skills to achieve academic success, to make connections between school and life experiences and to acquire knowledge and skills to be college and career ready upon high school graduation.
Possible Reasons to Contact Your Child’s School Counselor
- Academic skills support
- Career preparation
- Post-secondary planning and college application process
- Support for parent deployment or pending PCS
- School transition/adjustment concerns
- Coping, problem-solving, decision-making concerns
- Organizational, study and test-taking skills
- Peer relationships and conflict resolution
- Divorce, separation and family changes
- Experiencing loss, death and grief
- Substance abuse awareness
- School-based and community resources information or referrals
- Suicide intervention and prevention
- Bullying intervention and prevention
Brush, Floss, Smile!
Smile! February is National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM)
This is a great time to promote the benefits of good oral hygiene, because developing good dental health habits (including regular dental visits) helps children get a jump start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.
7 Random Acts of Kindness Kids Can Do at School
In a world where kids can become anything they dream, you can help them choose to be kind — and it can start at school. No matter a child’s age or grade, these seven random acts of kindness ideas can help kids make a lasting impact and encourage others to lead with kindness.
1. Sit With Someone New at Lunch
Everyone deserves to feel included at school. One of the best ways to help others feel seen and appreciated is by getting to know them, and what better way than over lunch. Encourage kids to expand their horizons and sit with someone new — especially if they see another person sitting alone. Kids can talk about their hobbies, where they live and their favorite teachers. Who knows? A new best friend might be sitting right in front of them.
2. Smile in the Hallway
There’s nothing more uplifting than a spontaneous smile from someone — and the benefits are mutual. Research shows smiling can help relieve stress, elevate mood and help people feel more positive. Kids can share a smile to turn a tough day around or as a small act of kindness for someone else.
3. Give Someone Your Full Attention
In a world full of distractions, giving someone your full attention can be one of the greatest (and unexpected) random acts of kindness. Students can practice giving someone their full attention by:
- Putting away mobile devices
- Listening intently
- Making eye contact while the other person speaks
- Nodding in acknowledgment
- Waiting for the other person to finish before speaking
- Asking the other person if they’d like feedback or an opinion
4. Thank a School Employee
It takes many people to run a school, and everyone makes valuable contributions, from teachers to administrators, coaches, janitors and other staff members. Encourage students to thank the people who work at their school. It doesn’t have to be for something specific; it can just be “thank you for everything you do.” Saying “thank you” makes the other person feel appreciated and helps foster an attitude of gratitude in kids, which is the perfect mindset to build a great future.
5. Leave a Note of Encouragement on Someone’s Desk or Locker
Kids can do simple random acts of kindness by leaving a note of encouragement on a classmate’s desk or locker. Here are some smile-worthy phrases kids can write on a sticky note:
- You are special!
- Keep up the great work!
- I loved your project!
- Thanks for being you!
- You are awesome!
- You’ve got this!
6. Clean Up Around Campus
Encourage kids to keep their school campus clean by picking up litter when they see it, recycling and notifying a teacher or staff member if something needs fixing. Random acts of kindness like this make staff members’ jobs easier, show student pride and cultivate a sense of responsibility.
7. Help Someone Study for a Test
Kids who excel in certain subjects can assist their classmates who need extra help. Not only will they get an A+ for their efforts, but it might inspire others to be more helpful.
OUR SERVICES
The Vance County Schools (VCS) Student Services team is a collaborative effort of our Executive Director of Student Services, Social Workers, Counselors, Trauma Conflict/Dropout Prevention, Social Emotional Learning Interventionist, Data Managers, Testing/Accountability, Nurses, Safety and Security, and private mental health agencies in this region. The purpose of the Student Services team is to provide support and connect students to resources that will help them become successful members of the community. They serve as advocates, coordinators, consultants, advisors, and liaisons between school, home, and the community. Our team strives to reach success for all students by helping improve academic achievement, maintaining a safe and orderly environment, using resources effectively and efficiently, integrating advanced technology into all aspects of communication, and providing high quality professional development in order that all students have the opportunity to become successful members of the community.
INTERVENTION
The Vance County Student Behavioral Health Team is available to assist in all social, emotional, and trauma related issues. If you need support with issues such as, bullying, cyberbullying, sexting, suicide intervention, or attendance, please reach out to our team.
#252-492-2127