Have you been thinking about presenting at the NWD/MTAHPERD Convention August 7-8, 2012 in Bozeman? Please visit the tab on the left for more information!

Planning is in full force for the 76th Annual MTAHPERD Convention. This year we will again be partnering with Northwest District to have a combined conference featuring teachers from Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Japan!

We know all of you have something that you do in your classrooms that would be great to share, so consider presenting at this year's convention.

What: MTAHPERD/NWD Convention

Where: Bozeman High School, Bozeman, MT

When: August 7-8, 2012

Be on the lookout for more information regarding keynote speakers, and highlight sessions, as well as pre-convention sessions being offered.

We hope to see you all there!!

Thanks to Susan Court at OPI, we have become privvy to the National Sexuality Education Standards that have just been released. Please read the article below for more information and follow the links to the standards page.

Groundbreaking National Sexuality Education Standards Set the New Gold Standard for Sexuality Education in Public Schools

Today, four leading health organizations released the first-ever national standards for sexuality education in schools. Published in the Journal of School Health, the ground-breaking National Sexuality Education Standards: Core Content and Skills, K–12 provide clear, consistent, and straightforward guidance on the essential minimum, core contentfor sexuality education that is developmentally and age-appropriate for students in grades Kindergarten through grade 12.

 The standards are the result of a cooperative effort by the American Association of Health Education, the American School Health Association, the National Education Association Health Information Network, and the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education, in coordination with the Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative. Nearly 40 stakeholders including content experts, medical and public health professionals, teachers, sexuality educators, and young people developed the standards in a two-year process.

 “These National Sexuality Education Standards provide teachers, schools, school districts, and state education agencies with a new national standard—the minimum they need to teach to set students on a path to sexual health and responsible adulthood,” said Jerry Newberry, Executive Director of the National Education Association Health Information Network (NEA HIN). “They set forth essential sexuality education core content and skills responsive to the needs of students and in service to their overall academic achievement.”

 For years, research has highlighted the need to provide effective, comprehensive sexuality education to young people. The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the industrialized world and teens bear a disproportionate impact of the sexually transmitted disease (STD) and HIV epidemics facing our nation. One in four sexually active teens has a STD and two young people every hour become HIV positive. Furthermore, there is also a pressing need to address harassment, bullying, and relationship violence in our schools, which have a significant impact on a student’s emotional and physical well-being as well as their academic success. TheNational Sexuality Education Standards set the groundwork for the minimum of what sexuality education should look like in America’s public schools.

 “These standards are presented in a user-friendly way, making it possible for a health education teacher or parent, say, of a seventh-grader, to easily find out what is the next step in the learning process for a thirteen-year-old in regards to sexual health,” said Stephen Conley, Executive Director of the American School Health Association.

 The standardsfocus on seven topics as the minimum, essential content and skills for K–12 education: Anatomy and Physiology; Puberty and Adolescent Development; Identity; Pregnancy and Reproduction; Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV; Healthy Relationships; and, Personal Safety. Topics are presented using performance indicators—what students should know and be able to do by the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12—and are based on the National Health Education Standards.

“The National Sexuality Education Standards translate an emerging body of research related to school-based sexuality education so that it can be put into practice in the classroom,” said Brian Griffith, President Elect of the Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education. “These standards, developed by education and health professionals, present sexual development as a normal, natural, healthy part of human development that should be a part of every health education curriculum.”

 The National Sexuality Education Standards were developed to address the inconsistent implementation of sexuality education nationwide and the limited time allocated to teaching the topic. General health education is given very little time in the school curriculum. Even less time is dedicated to sexuality education. According to the School Health Policies and Practices Study, a national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent School Health, a median total of 17.2 hours is devoted to instruction in HIV, pregnancy, and STD prevention: 3.1 hours in elementary, 6 hours in middle, and 8.1 hours in high school. Studies have repeatedly found that health programs in school can help young people succeed academically and programs that included health education have a positive effect on overall academic outcomes, including reading and math scores.

 To view the complete National Sexuality Education Standards, click here. To schedule an interview, please contact Danene Sorace, Consultant to the FoSE Initiative, at 717.585.0503.

 The American Association of Health Education serves educators and other professionals who promote the health of all people through education and health promotion strategies.

The American School Health Association works to build the capacity of its members to plan, develop, coordinate, implement, evaluate and advocate for effective school health strategies that contribute to optimal health and academic outcomes for all children and youth.

The National Education Association – Health Information Network works to improve the health and safety of the school community through disseminating information that empowers school professionals and positively impacts the lives of their students.

The Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education utilizes advocacy, partnerships, professional development and resources to build the capacity of school health leaders to implement effective health education and physical education policies and practices that support success in school, work and life.

The Future of Sex Education (FoSE) Initiative is a partnership between Advocates for Youth, Answer, and the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS) that seeks to create a national dialogue about the future of sex education and to promote the institutionalization of comprehensive sexuality education in public schools. To learn more and view the complete National Sexuality Education Standards, please visit www.futureofsexed.org.

AAHPERD NATIONAL CONVENTION AND EXPO

BOSTON, MA

SEPTEMBER 13-17, 2012

This year plans to be the best yet. With information and voting coming on reorganization of AAHPERD, a full slate of great teachers giving sessions, and the Capital High staff receiving their STARS Award, there is no better reason to go to Boston this spring (oh and its over St. Patty's Day!)

Registration opens December 1 with Early Bird pricing lasting until January 19, 2012...don't wait!! Many from Montana are planning to head out there. It is a great experience and you will definitely come away with exciting new things to do in your classrooms.

Let's Move in School in Montana

We are currently working on developing a page devoted to Let's Move in School in Montana. If you have any great ideas, photos, success stories, or big questions about this initiative, please let us know so we can create an awesome knowledge base! Please visit the Let's Move in School website and sign your school up for a LMIS event!

This Just In!

• The Montana Asthma Control Program has revised their trainings, and they are a great opportunity to receive OPI credits! Visit this website www.asthmamontana.com to check them out!
• We have added a Convention 2012 Page. Please be sure to check this page out for up-to-date information on our 2012 Convention in Bozeman!
• The following link is a great resource for the School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Acticity. PAN_Guidelines_Executive_Summary[1]
• In an effort to ensure that HE and PE are ultimately included in ESEA, we are asking that you once again contact members of the Senate HELP Committee with the following message.  We think that targeting Kirk (Andrew_Adair@Kirk.Senate.Gov),Roberts (Joshua_yurek@roberts.senate.gov), Bingaman (Peter_Zamora@Bingaman.senate.gov), and Murkowski(Karen_Mccarthy@murkowski.senate.gov) will have the most impact.   We know Senator Burr is already on board with physical education. We hope that other Republican offices will also support the inclusion of physical education and adopt health education as a core subject as well. Here are definitions of health education that we have previously circulated to members on the HELP Committee. School health education is (part of the coordinated school health program that includes…) the development, delivery and education of planned, sequential, and developmentally appropriate instruction, learning experiences, and other activities designed  to protect, promote, and enhance health literacy, attitudes, skills, and well-being of students, pre-kindergarten through grade 12. -  Joint Committee on Health Education and Promotion Terminology (2000).   Comprehensive School Health Education – this definition is actually incomplete, but is usable. The development, delivery, and evaluation of planned, sequential, and developmentally appropriate pre-kindergarten through grade 12 instruction and learning experiences designed to promote the health literacy, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and well being of students. The content taught is standards-based, includes multiple health topics, and addresses the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social dimensions of health.  Health Education Any combination of planned learning experiences using evidence based practices and/or sound theories that provide the opportunity to acquire information, attitude, and skills needed to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors.   Coordinated School Health An organized set of policies, procedures, and activities, designed to protect, promote, and improve the health and well-being of students and staff, thus improving a student’s ability to learn. It includes but is not limited to comprehensive school health education; school health services; a healthy school environment; school counseling; psychological and social services; physical education; school nutrition services; family and community involvement in school health; and school-site health promotion for staff. Our original e-mail along with staff contact information is provided below.

• The Convention 2011 page has been updated and includes pictures, handouts, and other pertinent information!
  

• Have you heard that the food pyramid is no more? Check out the USDA's new MyPlate logo and information today!

• Check out the Events page for great new workshop offerings from Journeys from Home in Joliet, Miles City, Helena, and Billings this summer--now FREE for all MTAHPERD Members!

And from previous updates to the site...

• Looking for a GREAT awareness test video to show to your kids? Check out this one minute video--you and your kids will want to watch it more than once.

• New York Road Runners Launches Free Coaching Tools--A Running Start offers a FREE online collection of 83 coaching videos developed by New York Road Runners to teach the fundamentals of running. Created with a team of expert youth coaches and exercise physiologists is designed for coaches and PE teachers who want to teach kids how to run. Check out this great website that already has things organized by elementary, middle, and high school levels!