DSHS School Health Program Friday Beat - January 20, 2023

Friday Beat
January 20, 2023 Edition

The newsletter that takes a Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child approach. The Friday Beat is a free publication of the Texas Department of State Health Services. It is edited and compiled by the School Health Program.

Announcements
Vision, Hearing, and Spinal Screening Reporting Period Open
The vision, hearing and spinal screening (VHSS) reporting period began on January 15, 2023. Report results are required to be submitted to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) online through the Child Health Reporting System (CHRS) by June 30th of each year. The last day to submit your report for this school year is June 30, 2023. After June 30th, the reporting system will shut down and late reporting cannot be submitted. Visit the Vision and Hearing Screening webpage for more details. Please use the new URL to access CHRS production web application from now on: https://chrstx.dshs.texas.gov.

Funding Opportunities
2022-2025 School Safety Standards Formula Grant
The Texas Education Agency is now accepting applications for the 2022-2025 School Safety Standards Formula Grant. The purpose of the grant is to assist Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in meeting new school safety standards including security related costs like metal detectors, cameras, and monitoring tools. These funds allow LEAs to implement the new safety standards applicable to Chapter 61, Sub-chapter CC, 61.1031 of Commissioner's Rules. Visit the TEA Grants Opportunities webpage to apply for the 2022-2025 School Safety Standards Formula Grant by February 17, 2023.

GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation and KidsGardening are accepting applications for the GroMoreGood Grassroots Grant. The grant is designed to bring gardens to communities across the United States. Any nonprofit organization, school district, university, or tax-exempt organization with at least 15 youth is eligible to apply.
Awards will be given to 160 programs to start or expand their youth garden or greenspace. A total of $95,000 will be awarded. Visit the KidsGardening website to learn more about eligibility and apply by February 10, 2023.

Nutrition Environment and Services
Seeds of Success Toolkit
KidsGardening has compiled a Seeds of Success toolkit to support edible school gardens. The toolkit was created from a wealth of knowledge from school gardeners across the country to provide the necessary resources to initiate and sustain a successful school food garden. Topics include planning, designing, funding, safety, and more. Resources include downloadable chapters and recorded webinars.

Health Services
Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel Toolkit
The American Diabetes Association has updated their school guide, Helping the Student with Diabetes Succeed: A Guide for School Personnel. The guide reflects changes in diabetes technology and treatment in a school setting. This resource can be used by school nurses and staff, families, and policy makers.

Texas Tobacco Quitline
The Texas Tobacco Quitline is a toll-free service available for those ages 13 and older who want to quit tobacco or are thinking about quitting tobacco. Call the Quitline at 1-877-YES QUIT (1-877-937-7848) or by visiting www.yesquit.org to learn more about how you can quit tobacco.

Using the Whole School, Whole Child, Whole Community (WSCC) Model to Implement Wellness Policies and Sustain Chronic Health Condition Management in Schools 
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) has released their learning activity, Using the WSCC Model to Implement Wellness Policies and Sustain Chronic Health Condition Management in Schools. The ‘gold standard’ model school wellness policy, developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, was updated in June 2020. This course offers information on the updated model wellness policy including recommended language to address all ten components of the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model and the (2020) NASN supplemental language to address chronic health condition management. The course is free and offers .5 Continuing Nurse Education contact hours.

Social and Emotional School Climate 
Start with Hello Virtual 
The Texas School Safety Center is hosting their virtual training program, Start with Hello. This program teaches students to be more socially inclusive and connected to each other. The program offers activities and curricula for all ages and seeks to empower students to end social isolation. This training allows participants to begin the Start with Hello program cycle of students training students. Participants will learn to assess the impact of loneliness and isolation in school communities. The training is over Zoom and lasts 2.5 hours. Registration dates and more information are available on the Texas School Safety Center website.

Physical Environment
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Idle-Free Schools Toolkit
The U.S. EPA has an Idle-Free Schools Toolkit to help schools run an effective idling reduction campaign reducing student exposure to toxic vehicle exhaust. The toolkit also provides the resources to make this a student-run science or community involvement project, providing students with the opportunity to learn how to run a public service campaign while expanding their science and math skills.

Kids Art Contest 2023
Take Care of Texas is hosting a Kids Art Contest. All kindergarten–5th grade students in Texas are invited to submit artwork. The contest theme is water. All artwork entries should depict ways Texas can conserve water and keep water clean. Six student winners will be selected and the teacher with the most entries will also win a prize. Artwork needs to be submitted by February 24, 2023. Winners will be announced April 5, 2023.

Quote to Note

“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” -Tony Robbins

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The articles and hyperlinks to external websites appearing in Friday Beat are intended to be informational and do not represent an endorsement by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Other websites may not be accessible to people with disabilities or server restrictions. External email addresses may also be provided as a courtesy. If you choose to correspond, please be advised that DSHS policies may not apply. For information about any of the programs listed, contact the sponsoring organization directly. For comments or questions about Friday Beat, email the School Health Program at schoolhealth@dshs.texas.gov or call (512) 776-7279.

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