The August School Safety Newsletter is out and can be found on OPI's Emergency and Planning Website, along with other current and helpful resources pertinent to school safety.
For more information about school safety resources, contact Brian Patterson, School Safety Program Specialist at 406.594.0059.
OPI Health Enhancement would like to start highlighting some of the beautiful resources and national organizations that are doing great work to further health and well-being and keep kids active nationwide. Some of these are nonprofits that grants and people like you support, others are state or federal programs working hard to keep us informed about the front line of technology and science of health and physical education.
The first organization we're highlighting is Action for Healthy Kids. This national nonprofit, through the collective efforts of volunteers and partners, is transforming schools into healthier environments where children can truly thrive. Their focus on promoting physical activity in schools and communities, along with providing resources for educators and schools, is inspiring. They advocate that schools are the ideal platforms to instill healthy practices, emotional regulation, and physical well-being in students, giving us hope for a healthier future.
For educators, Action for Healthy Kids offers a wealth of resources and support. They provide ideas to enhance policies and programs on various health topics, tools to assess your school’s health, and guidance on where to find grants to implement changes. They also empower educators to play a key role in promoting health and well-being in schools. Furthermore, they provide resources for parents to become more involved in their children's education.
For more information, contact Genie Zeeck at 406.444.3178
Cessation Programs are important for youth who want to quit using tobacco products. Research indicates utilizing supports like quit programs can increase quitting success rates by 40%. My Life, My Quit is a great free resource made available to Montana youth by the Montana Tobacco Use Prevention Program (MTUPP.) The Truth Initiative also offers a free app called This is Quitting that has had good results and SmokeFree Teen is a quitting resource for youth and offers help quitting all tobacco products. MTUPP is putting together “Quit Kits” for schools that will provide a helpful resource for students who've been identified as vaping at school and want to try to beat their nicotine addiction and quit. These kits will help students face nicotine withdrawals with an activity booklet, stress balls and fidgets, toothpicks, and hard candies as well as a list of quitting programs for youth. Hopefully, these kits will be available soon; we'll keep you posted. MTUPP has an online store, where all tobacco use prevention resources (including brochures, school signage, and eventually these quit kits) are located. Just sign up for a free account and everything that you order for your school will be shipped to you free of charge.
The OPI Tobacco Use Prevention Program was presented to over 9,000 students grades 4-12, in Montana schools last year, we'd be happy to come to your school this year. If you'd like to inquire about free student anti-vaping presentations for your school this year, follow this link.
For more information about OPI resources around tobacco use prevention, contact Kris Minard at 406.444.0785 or Dr. Beth Dominicis.
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The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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