Work/Life Coaching Sessions Available for Education Workforce

Individual Work/Life Coaching sessions are available upon request through StregthenME, Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services program, which offers free stress management and resiliency resources to promote the health and well-being of all Mainers.

These sessions provide access to 1:1 confidential coaching with a licensed mental health counselor to assist with stress and explore wellness options and resiliency. Up to six 50-minute sessions, conducted via Zoom or phone.

To inquire about or schedule a session, please send an email to StrengthenME@northernlight.org or call 1-800-769-9819.

Seizure Management & Resource Guide

School nurses and staff can be prepared to recognize and treat seizures in the school setting. Seizures may occur for many reasons, including infection, fever, traumatic brain injury, neurological disorder, or related to a drug or medication. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 0.6% of children aged 0 to 17 are estimated to have seizure conditions. One of the most prevalent neurological illnesses affecting children and young people is epilepsy, a condition characterized by recurrent seizures with no other identifiable cause.  An epilepsy diagnosis extends beyond having seizures; it can impact many areas of a child’s life, including education. It is approximated that about half of the children with epilepsy struggle academically. The purpose of this resource guide is to assist school nurses and school staff in providing a safe and supportive environment for individuals with seizures and epilepsies to maximize educational and developmental opportunities.

The Department is happy to release the Maine Guide to School Health Services: Seizure and Epilepsy Resource Guide for school nurses to utilize within their schools. The purpose of this resource guide is to assist school nurses, educators, and all school staff members to help students with a seizure disorder participate fully and meet goals pertaining to academics, physical education, and extracurricular activities. This can be accomplished through clinical assessments, monitoring, nutrition, exercise, staff/student education and risk reduction measures. This document provides relevant, up-to-date information collected after review and collation of the most current content available from several national organizations. The Office of School and Students Supports Coordinated School Health team is pleased to provide this resource in order to support the evidence-based best practices for students with seizures in Maine schools.

The full Guide and other resources can be downloaded here. You may contact DOESchoolandStudentSupports@Maine.gov with any questions.

MaineHealth Virtual Workshop: MindUP – A School and Community-Based Mental Health Resource

The following virtual workshop is being hosted by MaineHealth to Maine schools.

We are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis across the country, especially in the wake of the acute pandemic. The literature indicates it will take many strategies across community and clinical settings to address this.

MindUP is one school and community-based strategy that is based firmly in neuroscience and has proven to be effective to improve stress regulation, to enhance tools for self-regulation, and has demonstrated positive effects on reducing aggression and managing stress, including through four randomized control trials. Although its use and research has been focused in K-12 schools, MindUP can easily be taught in other settings and with adults.

We are fortunate to have implemented MindUP in several schools in Maine, including with the leadership of the Spruce Mountain public schools (RSU 73) in Jay, Livermore Falls, and Livermore and the Healthy Community Coalition at Franklin Community Health Network. David Evans Shaw, a Maine-based philanthropist, has generously funded the efforts to bring MindUP to Maine.

If you or others are interested in learning more and how you can bring MindUP to your school or community setting, please join leaders from RSU 73, Franklin Community Health Network, and MindUP for a one-hour informational zoom on Thursday February 16th, 11:00 am ET – 12:00 pm ET.

We ask that you register here in advance for this meeting.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The meeting will be recorded, and registrants will receive a link to the recording afterward.

Learn more about about MindUP here (PDF).

Monthly Sessions: Mental Health Promotion in the School Setting

Project ECHO© presents Mental Health Promotion in the School Setting ECHO Monthly Sessions begin on January 23, 2023, the 4th Monday of the month from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm on ZOOM.  Bring your most challenging cases to colleagues and a panel of subject matter experts for review and recommendations. Access tools to foster positive social, emotional, and behavioral skills, and well-being for all. Join as your schedule allows. CEUs available upon survey completion.

Audience: Anyone working in the School Setting
Cost: Free

SESSION TOPICS:

  • Supporting Students with Anxiety
  • Building Emotional Resilience
  • Solutions for Challenging Behaviors
  • Trauma Sensitive De-Escalation
  • Promoting Rational Thinking
  • Connecting: Family-School-Community

Register here. (Once you register, you’ll receive convenient, day-of Zoom access direct to your inbox.)
Download a PDF flyer.

For further questions contact sbillings@mcd.org.

30 Maine School Nurses Complete National Certification in School Nursing 

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) efforts to provide opportunities to the current workforce of school nurses to build upon their expertise and to promote evidence-based practice in all Maine schools, the Maine DOE hosted a National Certification in School Nursing (NCSN) Review Course created by Nurse Builders this past fall.

Fifty Maine school nurses participated in the course that was delivered online synchronously by Dr. Janice Selekman, DNSc, RN, NCSN, FNASN. As of January 1, 2023, 33 individuals have taken the certification exam with 30 passing. Those 30 are now able to use the NCSN credentials, which is a nationally accredited credential that validates specialized knowledge and expertise as a school nurse. We now have 30 more school nurses within the State of Maine who have met nationally recognized standards for providing excellence in school nursing care.

The National Association of School Nurses endorses national certification of school nurses through the National Board for Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN). School nursing is a subspecialty of public health nursing, incorporated into the baccalaureate nursing programs’ curriculum. Baccalaureate nursing education develops leadership, critical thinking, quality improvement, and systems thinking competencies attained through a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in nursing and validated by specialized certification in school nursing (IOM, 2011).

Congratulations to the following Maine School Nurses who completed the NCSN certification!

Jean Barbour, Falmouth Schools
Melissa Bishop, Mount Desert Island Regional School System
Brenda Bladen, Kittery School Department
Jennifer Bowdish, Brunswick School Department
Nell Bridger, Portland Public Schools
Angie Buker, MSAD 46
April Chapman, Blue Hill Consolidated School
Michele Cooney, RSU 40
Jean Cote, Waterville Public Schools
Candace Crocker, AOS 98
Sarah DeWitt, Winslow Public Schools
Heather Emerson, RSU 40
Jody Gray, RSU 4
Crystal Greaves, MSAD 46
Emily Guyer, RSU 5
Lori Huot, Maine DOE
Brittany Layman, RSU 22
Melanie Lord, Yamouth Schools
Monique Michaud, MSAD 27
Shirah O’Connell, Portland Public Schools
Tara Oxley, Erskine Academy
Alyssa Rainey, Waterville Public Schools
Cathryn Sherman, Brewer School Department
Elizabeth Spaulding, Portland Public Schools
Janneke Strickland, RSU 9
Melissa Tringali, Gorham Schools
Sherri Vail, RSU 40
Rosemary Wiser, MSAD 44
Jessi Woodman, MSAD 6