Category: Health Services for Schools

Nominations Open for Maine School Nurse of the Year

The Maine Association of School Nurses (MASN) announces a call for nominations for the Maine School Nurse of the Year (SNOY) 2024-25! This award recognizes an outstanding school nurse for his/her contributions to the school and community they serve. The award provides recognition to an individual who demonstrates leadership in 6 areas of practice: care provision, program management, health education, professional development, community involvement, and research.

The individual selected will receive a $500 cash award and be recognized at the July 2024 Maine School Nurse Summer Institute.

We are accepting applications now. The nomination form and the information necessary to begin this process can be accessed on the MASN website. The application deadline is May 3, 2024. For more information, please click here.

If you know a school nurse who inspires you with his/her dedication to their school community, please consider nominating him/her for this prestigious award!

All information is located on the MASN website.

Directions:

1.) Completed nomination packet must include:

  • Nomination Form
  • Reference letters (3-5) with at least one from administration
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Written report addressing the six content areas

2.) Submit original and 3 copies by April 25, 2023 to SNOY Coordinator, Erin Taylor. Email etaylor@capeelizabethschools.org for mailing address.

Questions? Please contact: Erin Taylor, School Nurse at Pond Cove Elementary School by calling 207-799-7339 x3113 or emailing etaylor@capeelizabethschools.org.

Celebrate National School Counseling Week Feb. 5–9

National School Counseling Week 2024, “School Counseling: Standards-Based, Student-Focused,” sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be celebrated from Feb. 5–9, 2024, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students are positively impacted as a result of what school counselors do. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career.

School counselors are actively engaged in helping students examine their abilities, strengths, interests, and talents; in working in partnership with parents as they encounter the challenges of raising children in today’s world; in focusing on positive ways to enhance students’ academic, career and social/emotional development; and working with teachers and other educators to provide an educational system where students can realize their potential and set healthy, realistic and optimistic aspirations for themselves.

“School counselors work with all students to remove barriers to learning by addressing students’ academic concerns, career options and social/emotional skills,” said Jill Cook, ASCA executive director. “School counseling programs help to increase student achievement and provide a much-needed resource for students, parents, teachers and administrators. School counselors are integral to student success.”

More than 100,000 school counselors nationwide will be participating in the week’s festivities. Many schools will be hosting special events and activities to call attention to the countless benefits of a comprehensive school counseling program.

As part of its celebration for National School Counseling Week, the Maine School Counselor Association (MESCA) will be gathering in the Hall of Flags at the State House on February 9th at 2:30pm. School counselors, educators, and administrators are invited to join our school counselors in recognizing their positive contributions to Maine schools.

For more information, please contact Ken Rautiola, Mental Health Distinguished Educator, Maine Department of Education at kenneth.a.rautiola@maine.gov – office hours 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey 2023 Data Highlights

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) jointly released the 2023 Maine Integrated Youth Health Survey (MIYHS) results on Friday, December 15, 2023. The MIYHS data provides schools with up-to-date trends around health behaviors and experiences for Maine middle school and high school students. Results of the survey also give educators an important snapshot of adolescent well-being connected to key health topics.

Maine schools play a critical role in shaping mental, physical, and social growth among our youth. The MIYHS results highlight an increasing need for quality, comprehensive health education and the implementation of proven strategies to educate the whole child. Questions on the survey address behaviors connected to substance use, nutrition, physical activity, sexual behavior, health status, and protective factors, to name a few. The MIYHS highlights trending topics in the areas of mental health, suicide ideation, depression, specific health conditions (diabetes, asthma, obesity), housing stability, and school connectedness.

Building on our understanding of young people’s environments can only expand our opportunities to improve the world around them. The MIYHS results serve as a mechanism to help guide our work in education, to provide resources for students around healthy decision-making, and to deliver tools to young people for the navigation of their pre-teen and teenage years. In 2023, 77% of high schoolers reported having a connection to a teacher who cares about them and supports them (up from 73% in 2021).  Maine high schools can utilize this data to make connections with their students and provide programming to connect with a higher percentage of students.  Additionally, vaping use decreased significantly with students who indicated they had vaped at least one time (29% in 2021 to 16% in 2023).  The messaging being shared around the dangers of vaping is growing and could impact strategies for the reduction of other harmful behaviors.

Findings from the MIYHS data continue to expose concern for marginalized populations (gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual identity). Students continue to experience varying levels of trauma and distress with substance use and abuse, mental health, access to essential services, and protective factors. An understanding of what Maine students encounter in their daily lives can assist adults in furnishing the resources necessary to improve all areas of health and wellness for young people.

The Maine Department of Education and Office of School and Student Supports have multiple resources for making connections between youth and adults.  The materials are centered on supporting mental health, strengthening relationships, and improving overall health.  Helping our students develop skills and connections that can protect them from unhealthy behaviors is essential now more than ever.

To find out more about MIYHS and view 2023 results, please visit: https://www.maine.gov/miyhs/

Other Resources:

Contact DOESchoolandStudentSupports@Maine.gov with any questions.

Open for Additional Applicants: Comprehensive Electronic Health Record Pilot Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA #202305111)

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is accepting applications from school administrative units (SAUs), publicly supported secondary schools, and Education in the Unorganized Territory (EUT) who meet eligibility requirements stated in RFA# 202305111 as an ongoing open application period.

Using American Rescue Plan, state reservation funds, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) will cover costs of implementing a comprehensive electronic health record of up to $6000 which includes a nominal stipend for an SAU designated electronic health record champion. This widespread pilot aims to show that maintaining an electronic health record is beneficial to both local schools and the State of Maine as it will increase the efficiency of services provided, decrease the burden of reporting health data, allow for data-informed decisions and policy, and increase revenue possibilities with MaineCare.

Proposals submitted that meet the requirements will be accepted on a first come, first served basis until funds are no longer available or by May 31, 2024.

Eligible school administrative units that are interested in the Comprehensive Electronic Health Record Pilot Grant Program opportunity may access the application and the previously released question/answer document through the Grant RFPs and RFAs webpage.

All questions about the Comprehensive Electronic Health Record Pilot RFA should be submitted to the Grant Coordinator: Emily Poland, Office of School and Student Supports, Emily.Poland@Maine.gov

 

Judy Doran of MSAD 35 Named Maine 2023 School Nurse of the Year

(Pictured [left] Angie Buker, President MASN [right] Judy Doran)

The Maine Association of School Nurses (MASN)  is proud to recognize Judy Doran of Maine School Administrative District 35 as Maine’s 2023 School Nurse of the Year. This annual award recognizes an outstanding Maine school nurse for their contributions to the school and community they serve. The award provides recognition to an individual who demonstrates leadership in six areas of practice: care provision, program management, health education, professional development, community involvement, and research.  

Judy Doran began her nursing career in Alaska working for the US Public Health Service. She then transitioned to Family Care and Pediatrics in Rochester, NH and York, ME. For the past 16 years, Judy has worked in MSAD 35 as a school nurse. In 2015 she became the MSAD 35 District Nurse Coordinator and also serves as a float nurse. She is a trusted medical figure within her school community – not just among students, but also among staff and nurse colleagues. One colleague has described her as the, “consummate professional.” Her superintendent described her as a “difference maker.” Her community described her as an exemplary school nursing leader whose clinical judgment is steeped in evidence-based practice, who has stellar organizational skills, and her ability to navigate the most complicated school health scenarios.  

A common theme across all the letters written in support of Judy’s nomination focused on her dedication and compassion for her students, her school staff, her nurse colleagues, and her community. Her supporters also highlighted her leadership and advocacy.  

State Representative Michele Meyer described Judy’s leadership and advocacy on behalf of her nurse colleagues as “a strong advocate shining a long-overdue light on the mental health of the members of her profession.” Judy has connected with Ms. Meyers on many health-related issues, most recently the need for improvement with supportive policies and practices to reduce workplace stress and increase workplace support for school nurses. Judy has spoken and written passionately about the essential need to address school nurse mental health due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Judy has written editorials for local newspapers, My American Nurse , and has contributed to the school nurse blog, The Relentless School Nurse. In one of her posts published on March 2, 2023, Judy focused her writing on what it means to be a ‘relentless nurse’. She wrote that nurses, “have the capacity to turn on a dime and shine the conversation on the matter at hand. A nurse’s gears are always turning. It’s amazing and appreciated! And that is to say, you are. Relentless. Fearless. Proud.”

MASN receives nominations for the Maine School Nurse of the Year award and selects a Maine School Nurse of the Year (SNOY) annually. To learn more about the process and see a listing of past and present awardees visit MASN’s Website.