End of the Year Testing

Thank you to all of the students, teachers, principals, staff, and parents who made our TNReady and end of the year testing so successful. Students worked hard and we are so proud of them. This assessment gives our students yet another opportunity to shine and show off their learning and hard work from this school year.

Although testing is over, all schools are encouraged to FINISH STRONG! We want all of our students to have opportunities to complete any learning experiences that our curriculum provides.

Summer Camp Information

If you are interested in your student attending summer camp, please reach out to your child's school for details and availability. Transportation and meals are provided at no cost. This is a fabulous opportunity for your child to extend his/her learning while having some fun.

Congratulations, Mrs. Sarah Ziegler!

Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Sarah Ziegler. She is a regional semi-finalist from the Southeast CORE region for Instructional Supervisor of the Year. She will be completing the next round of the application at the end of this month. We are proud that Mrs. Ziegler has advanced to the honor of a regional semi-finalist.

Coordinated School Health Updates

May 2022

*Healthy Horizons was held for all 4th grade students and interested parents April 29th at Jasper First Baptist Church. Students had a great day learning how to make healthy lifestyle choices for the future.

*Life Skills Health Curriculum is being taught in elementary, middle and high schools weekly this semester. The students are engaged and sharing their thoughts during these classes.

*Did You Know?

An inadequate mental health system affects individuals, families and communities. It is more important than ever to build a strong mental health system that provides the care, support and services needed to help people build better lives.

• 1 in 5 U. S. adults experience mental illness each year?

• 937,000 adults in Tennessee have a mental health condition? That’s more than 5x the population of Knoxville.

• In Tennessee, 252,000 adults have a serious mental illness?

• 1 in 6 U. S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year?

• 58,000 Tennesseans age 12-17 have depression?

• High School students with depression are more than 2x more likely to drop out than their peers?

• 54.4% of Tennesseans age 12-17 who have depression did not receive any care in the last year?

• On average, 1 person in the U.S. dies by suicide every 11 minutes?

• In Tennessee, 1,161 lives were lost to suicide and 230,000 adults had thoughts of suicide in the last year.

• 1 in 4 people with a serious mental illness has been arrested by police at some point in their lifetime?

• About 2 in 5 adults in jail or prison have a history of mental illness?

• 7 in 10 youth in the juvenile justice system have a mental health condition?

• Did you know that individuals with co-occurring physical health, mental health, substance abuse challenges and social determinants of health needs, have higher health costs, yet experience poorer health outcomes?

• If you are not taking care of your wellness, you will be taking care of your illness?

Healthy Habits

Dynamic Dietetics has started a free support group on line for people wanting to eat better. No gimmicks or sales pitch. It’s free and one can unsubscribe at any time.

http://dynamicdietetics.com/healthy-habits/

By joining Health Habits, you can look forward to:

• Recipes with healthy substitution recommendations

• Educational and motivational videos

• Monthly virtual support group meetings on the 4th Thursday of every month

• Access to a weekly accountability log asking questions about your habits from the previous week (optional)

Sample Questions:

• How many minutes of exercise did you get OR how many daily steps did you average this past week?

• How many times did you eat fast food this past week?

• Excluding potatoes, did you eat at least 2 servings of vegetable MOST days this past week?

• Did you drink at least 36 ounces of water MOST day this past week?

National Crisis/Mental Health Resources

Mental Health Association of East Tennessee

http://www.mhaet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Child-and-Adolescent-Suicide.pdf

*Volunteer Behavioral Health Information

First time appointment 1-877=567-6051

Crisis Line for Adult Clients 1-800-704-2651

Crisis Line for Child and Adolescents Crisis Services 1-866-791-9221

*National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 800-273-TALK (8255) for free 24/7 support

Call 888-628-9454 for Spanish support

https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network

https://tspn.org/

Crisis Text Line

https://www.crisistextline.org/

Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the United States, anytime.

*The Trevor Project 866-488-7386 or text “START” to 678-678 for mental health support specialized for the LGBTQ+ communities

*Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Line

Helpline 800-985-5990 or text “TALKINGWITHUS” to 667-46 to connect with a trained crisis counselor

Tennessee Department of Mental Health& Substance Abuse Services

https:www.tn.gov/behavioral-health/mental-health-services.html

In order to help promote healthy habits, Dynamic Dietetics has started a FREE online support group for people wanting to eat better. No gimmicks or sales pitches. It’s free and one can unsubscribe at any time.

By joining Healthy Habits, you can look forward to:

• recipes with healthy substitution recommendations
• educational and motivational videos
• monthly virtual support group meetings on the 4th Thursday of every month
• access to a weekly accountability log asking questions about your habits from the previous week (optional)

Click the link to subscribe: Healthy Habits - Dynamic Dietetics or click on the following link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qGKxgSKskGR0jNyyg-pHVBqpiAV2OU7C/view?usp=sharing

Addressing mental health symptoms early is critically important for overall health. From social determinants of health to genetics, many factors are in play when it comes to mental health conditions, but there are protective measures that can prevent mental health conditions from developing or keep symptoms from becoming severe.

• While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health.
• About half of Americans will meet the criteria for a diagnosable mental health condition sometime in their life, with symptoms starting by age 24 for the majority of people.
• The average delay between symptom onset and treatment is 11 years, meaning a lot of people spend months or years facing mental health challenges before getting a diagnosis. It is never too early to seek treatment for your mental health. Intervening effectively during early stages can save lives and is critically important for people living with mental health conditions.
• When facing a mental health concern or living with a mental health condition, it’s common to feel like no one understands what you’re going through. You aren’t alone – help is available, and recovery is possible.
• Starting July 16, 2022, call 988 for matters of mental health crisis. Calling 988 will connect you directly to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which is staffed by trained crisis counselors 24/7, 365 days a year.

Read more here: https://www.mhanational.org/mental-health-month

The latest update to the TN Family Portal https://familyreport.tnedu.gov/login, will be available May 6 and allows Tennessee families to view released items from Spring 2021 TCAP along with their student’s results. Users may access the items through the new Test Questions tab in the Family Portal.

All released items in the Family Portal also include item rationales. The rationales provide an explanation for why students may have selected a given answer choice, including what misunderstandings may have caused them to select an incorrect answer.

The At-Home Decodable Book Series is now available for free for all Tennessee families of K–2 children to encourage at-home reading practice to help young learners become stronger readers. This launch is part of the family component of the state’s Reading 360 initiative to help boost strong reading skills amongst Tennessee students.

Each free decodable packet has 7 decodable booklets, which contain 20+ exciting stories full of sounds and words to practice. Families can read the stories at home with their child to help them sound out words and build their reading skills.

How to Order:

All Tennessee families can order one packet for each of their kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students. The booklets will be delivered to the mailing address provided. The decodables order form, a step-by-step ordering guide and FAQs can be found here:

• Decodables Order Form for Tennessee Families
• Decodables Order Form Instructions and FAQs for Tennessee Families

MCHS, 6:00 p.m.

SPHS, 8:00 p.m.

May 20th, 2022

WHS, 6:00 p.m.

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.”
— Walt Whitman