January Content
- Calling All Health and PE Teachers! Barriers to Teaching Health Education Survey
- Poe Center For Health Upcoming Opportunities
- 2026 NC Child Hunger Leaders Conference
- FactForward Webinar: Building Teen Friendly Health Services
- SEL Day is March 2nd
- 2026 America's Healthiest Schools Application Is Open
- February Character Challenge: #KindnessMattersNC
- January/February Health Observances
Please complete the Barriers to Teaching Health Education Survey
WCU is seeking input from current Health and PE teachers to better understand the challenges in teaching health education. The anonymous survey should take about 6 minutes to complete and can be accessed via the QR code or link below. Please feel free to share this survey with other Health and PE Teachers. Thank you for your support!
Link: https://wcu.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6gPAOlFOmFuBRb0
Questions? Contact Amy Stringer, PhD: AStringer@wcu.edu.
QR Code:
The Poe Center has several Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA), Adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), and Community Resiliency Model (CRM) trainings happening in January and February, plus a YMHFA training in Spanish coming up in March 🎉
See the descriptions and details at:
Events from January 21 – February 18, 2025 – Poe Center for Health Education NC
(All below are free.)
Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis.
Mental Health First Aid for Adults teaches people how to recognize signs of mental health or substance use challenges in adults ages 18 and older, how to offer and provide initial help, and how to guide a person toward appropriate care if necessary.
The CATCH My Breath program provides up-to-date information to teachers, parents, and health professionals about the use of e-cigarettes, including JUUL devices. Participants will leave equipped to teach students the knowledge and skills to make informed decisions.
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
10:00am - 12:00pm
Register here: https://cvent.me/qWw2ZN
This engaging and interactive workshop will equip professionals with practical strategies to create adolescent and young adult friendly environments. We will explore the essential components of teen and young adult friendly health services, discuss opportunities to improve access and comfort young patients, and highlight resources to support your work.
What you will gain from the Webinar:
- Clear understanding of the key characteristics of adolescent friendly healthcare
- Insight into barriers that prevent youth from accessing care and strategies to address them
- Awareness of current tools and resources to strengthen teen and young adult practices
- Practical approaches to creating welcoming clinic spaces
- Personalized action plan to integrate at least one new teen friendly practice into your organization
The goal of the webinar is to support and strengthen the capacity of healthcare professionals to build trust, increase accessibility, and promote positive health outcomes for our young people.
SEL Day is March 2nd - Sign Up for #SELday | SEL Day
SEL4NC will have numerous events (in-person and virtual) scheduled for this week, so stay tuned! Sign up here to stay up to date: Join Us | SEL4NC
Social Emotional Learning Alliance for the United States | SEL4US
Since 2007, Alliance for a Healthier Generation's annual recognition program has honored schools for the key role they play in advancing the health and well-being of students, staff, and families.
The 2026 Award Guide is here to help school teams with step-by-step support for understanding the award criteria, preparing evidence, and writing strong responses that fully illustrate their implementation of whole child health best practices.
NEW FOR THIS YEAR:
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Writing Prompts for Strong Responses: Based on examples from successful applications, these prompts add clarity and depth to help schools provide complete information and reduce the need for follow-up clarification when details are unintentionally left out.
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Expanded Types of Evidence: Revised language includes photos and documents to gives schools more flexibility and avoid the burden to create materials that are not part of their regular practice.
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Suggested Use of AI Tools: Keep these guidelines in mind to balance efficiency, accuracy, and the on-the-ground implementation details application reviewers require.
The 2026 America’s Healthiest Schools application window runs from January 13 to April 14.
🌟 Embrace the spirit of kindness throughout February with our #KindnessMattersNC Challenge! Inspired by the heartwarming stories shared by Steve Hartman, this month-long initiative encourages teachers, leaders, students, and families to engage in daily acts of kindness. Whether integrated into morning meetings and content area classes, each day presents an opportunity for reflection, writing, and fostering a culture of compassion.
📝 Access daily videos and journal prompts to guide your reflections.
🗓️ Mark your calendars! Random Act of Kindness Day is celebrated on February 17 every year. We're extending the celebration throughout the month, making February dedicated to spreading kindness.
📸 Share your experiences on social media using the hashtag #KindnessMattersNC! Teachers and leaders are encouraged to spread positivity by showing how kindness has impacted the school or encouraging students to create their own kindness videos—just like Steve Hartman! Educators can submit evidence of school initiatives or student work to NCDPI. Your submissions may be featured on our NCDPI social media, newsletters, and website. Also, be sure to share your experiences on your social media using the hashtag #CharacterMattersNC!
Let's celebrate February with kindness, compassion, and uplifting stories. Together, we can create a ripple effect of positivity that extends far beyond our classrooms.
#CharacterMattersNC #KindnessMattersNC
December / January Health Observances Include:
- January is Cervical Health Awareness Month
- January is Blood Donor Month
- January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
- January is Thyroid Health Awareness Month
- January 18th - 24th is Healthy Weight Week
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- February 2nd - 6th is National School Counseling Week
- February is Black History Month
- February is American Heart Month
- February is Active Classrooms Month
- February is National Children's Dental Health Month
- February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month
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