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The Best Gifts We Can Give
Gifts don’t just come wrapped and tied with bows. The best are those that truly impact someone’s life. As health and physical educators, we have the opportunity to give students the gift of health, wellness, perseverance, inspiration, perspiration, motivation, competence, confidence, and love.
As you head into the holiday season, I encourage each of you to focus on the impact of your work. Take time to reflect on the gift you are giving your students, and encourage students to think about the gifts of their hard work. Celebrate the impact. Congratulate each other on the accomplishments.
If there are outcomes that haven’t yet materialized, give yourself the time and grace to strategize next steps. Talk to students. Learn more about their experiences in your class. Identify strengths to leverage. Brainstorm strategies to overcome barriers. Be the learning partner your students need to reach their potential.
Thank you for the gifts you give each and every day. Whether they are acknowledged or not, they have the power to define students’ physical, mental, emotional and social health for a lifetime. Not even jolly old St. Nick has that power!
Happy holidays! May you deck the halls with love and laughter!
Please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anything I can do to support you, your site, or district.
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Health and Physical Education Coordinator
San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE)
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What You Need To Know About 2022-23 Physical Fitness Testing (PFT)
The California Department of Education (CDE) recently announced that PFT procedures and requirements for 2021-22 will remain in place for the 2022-23 school year, including:
- PFT should only be administered during the testing window from Feb. 1 through May 31.
- All students in grades 5, 7, and 9 will participate in physical fitness using the FITNESSGRAM assessments and their results recorded.
- There will be no submission of student-level data. Participation information will be collected and reported on the School Accountability Report Card (SARC).
- Information related to calculating a student’s body mass index (height, weight, gender, birthday, etc.) should not be collected.
- Healthy Fitness Zones (HFZs) should not be used.
- Students with disabilities are to be given as much of the test as their condition will permit.
Please email Paige Metz if you have any questions.
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Hang Out With Fellow Health and Physical Educators
Hang out with your health and physical education peers at the SDCOE Health and Physical Education Hangouts on the first Wednesday of every month from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and receive the latest updates, resources, materials, and best practices in health and physical education. Use this Zoom Link to join each month.
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Health Education Framework Series Empowers Teachers to Develop Students’ Health Literacy
The Health Education Framework (HEF) Series, a combination of asynchronous and synchronous professional learning, is designed to help teachers implement skills-based instruction to build students’ health literacy. Click the following links to learn more about the complete spring afternoon series, or attend individual sessions. All sessions are scheduled for 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
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Session 1: Framework Overview (Jan. 11)
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Session 2: Nutrition and Physical Activity, AND Mental, Emotional, and Social Health (Jan. 18)
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Session 3: Growth, Development, and Sexual Health, AND Injury Prevention and Safety (Jan. 26)
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Session 4: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs, AND Personal and Community Health (Jan. 31)
New Offering: Attend all four sessions of the SDCOE Health Education Series in one day on March 22 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Click the following link for more information and to register for the SDCOE Spring HEF One-Day Professional Learning Event.
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Check Out the New and Improved Physical Literacy Institute!
Participate in conversations designed to explore the concept of physical literacy and to identify strategies and actions to provide instruction to strategically impact students’ understanding, skills, mindsets, values, and habits associated with physical activity. Together, we will utilize standards-based instructional design, social and emotional learning, universal design for learning, and culturally and linguistically relevant teaching to provide meaningful learning experiences for students. The Physical Literacy Institute will take place online from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 10, Jan. 24, Feb. 14, Feb. 28, and March 14. Visit the Spring Physical Literacy Institute Registration for more information and to register.
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Plan Ahead to Attend State and National Conferences
Looking to update programming, identify exciting ways to engage students, or network with colleagues? Plan ahead to attend one of the following events!
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New Resources to Support SB 224 Mental Health Education Requirements
The California Health Education Community of Practice/Health Education CISC Sub-Committee has recently posted resources related to SB 224 on the California Health Education Website. There is now a specific webpage for Mental Health Education (SB 224). It is on the “Administrators” pull-down menu at the top of the page. On this page you will find:
Additional resources will be added to this website throughout the school year.
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New 988 National Suicide Prevention Hotline
Individuals in need of immediate mental health assistance can now dial/text 9-8-8 or web chat at 988lifeline.org to connect with counselors trained to understand how you are feeling and connect you to resources that are specifically tailored to your needs. The counselors at 988 are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Educators are encouraged to share this information with students and families.
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CDE Releases Toolkit to Evaluate Health Education Instructional Materials
The CDE recently released a Health Education Instructional Materials Evaluation Toolkit to help districts and sites vet instructional materials to ensure that instruction is aligned to Health Education Model Content Standards for California Public Schools, Health Education Framework for California Public Schools, and California Education Code requirements for health education instruction including:
- Nutrition education
- Suicide prevention
- Comprehensive sexual health education
- Human trafficking
The CDE will offer a webinar later this spring to provide specific insight on how to use the toolkit effectively.
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ASHWG Reviews Curricula for Compliance with California Healthy Youth Act
The California Healthy Kids Resource Center, together with the Adolescent Sexual Health Work Group (ASHWG), conducted an intensive review of growth development and sexual health curriculum in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act. A total of nine publishers submitted curricula to be reviewed. Access all of the curricula reviews by expanding the Links to Compliance Assessment Tools and Resources tab, which includes the following:
- A table that lists the curriculum reviewed along with the information on where it can be borrowed or purchased
- Compliance assessment tools (used to grade the curricula against Education Code) that are specific to each curriculum that was reviewed
- A California Healthy Kids Curricula Review introduction methodology that describes the law, review process, and the compliance assessment tool grading
This 2020-21 California Healthy Youth Act curricula review is intended to be an update of previous reviews done by ASHWG, and these reviews are posted on the California Healthy Kids Resource Center webpage. Reviews can be found by scrolling down the home page and clicking Links to Compliance Assessment Tools and Resources. For additional information, visit the CDE CHYA webpage. A recording of a recent webinar explaining how to use CHYA compliance reviews will be available later this month.
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New and Updated Resources to Support LGBTQ+ Youth
The CDE has added significant updates to its Supporting LGBTQ+ website, including specific resources to support educators, students, and families. Even better news is that they include links to local resources in San Diego County. Be sure to share this information with administrators, counselors, teachers, and families. In addition, schools may use this information to update their comprehensive sexual health instruction to make sure that experiences are inclusive and accessible for all students.
Also, the San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council’s Youth Services Committee — under the leadership of San Diego Pride, the SD LGBT Community Center, The North County LGBTQ Resource Center, and Trans Family Services — created the LGBTQ+ Youth Standards of Care. The standards outline best practices and relevant resources that reflect and comply with California Education Code and related laws.
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San Diego County Live Well Schools: Tools for Schools Searchable Resource Database
Check out the Tools for Schools searchable resource database from Live Well Schools. More than 300 resources, searchable by topic, will connect you to programs, partnership ideas, policy strategies, and tools to meet short-term needs of students and families and facilitate long-term planning for schools and districts. Tools for Schools provides a wide array of resources based on a broader definition of wellness that includes social and emotional health and a focus on addressing health disparities. | |
If you have any questions or comments about Health and Physical Education Monthly Update, please contact Paige Metz.
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Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at SDCOE and in our districts across the county.
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