The SCC runs on an academic year schedule, so back to school means back to work...on wellness! This year we have some exciting plans for improving our School Liaison program, relocating Sixth Grade Ethics Days (due to construction in our usual spots), and bringing back and revising the Prom Note program, which fell by the wayside when paper tickets went away. We're also starting to plan our spring speaker event, so stay tuned for more information on all of these!

As we did last spring and through the summer, we are continuing to post important wellness, parenting, and other content for parents and kids on Twitter and Facebook. Please follow and like us @mcleanscc so we can build our coalition and share important events and resources.

This year the SCC is planning to make our School Liaison program more robust. Liaisons represent each elementary, middle, and high school in McLean/Langley High School areas, including private schools. Liaisons meetings are used for communications in both directions, sharing SCC information with schools/PTAs/PTOs/PTSAs, as well as bringing to the SCC what parents are hearing and/or needing in their school communities that coincides with our mission. It's also useful for parents from different schools to communicate amongst each other, as there is no longer an FCPS administrative grouping that includes McLean and Langley pyramid schools. This year we would like to keep liaisons more engaged by sharing content (speakers, resources, etc.), holding coffee discussions, and growing their expertise in our mission areas. Everything is on the table, including creating social events or bringing in FCPS representatives who run interesting program topics. For example, years ago we held a yoga night where we talked about mindfulness and shared the practice of yoga. We'd love to have your ideas! Share them with us at  info@mcleanscc.com.

In a study involving 2,222 high school students, researchers observed that ninth graders who regularly used e-cigarettes were almost four-times more likely to start using cigarettes, cigars, or hookahs before they entered their sophomore year.   Journal of the American Medical Association, June 2018 

On  Wednesday,  September 26th at 7pm in the MHS Lecture Hall ,  Brian Maslowski from FCPS will be speaking on vaping and juuling. Brian will educate our parent community about the prevalence and methods of adolescent e-cigarette use.   Additionally, he will display sample devices and answer any questions you may have.   We look forward to supporting our students by becoming a more informed parent community. All are welcome!

Registration  is now open for the fifth annual  FCPS Mental Health and Wellness Conference  that, for the first time, will also include an Our Minds Matter Teen Summit for middle and high school students, sponsored by the Josh Anderson Foundation. The conference will be held from 8am to 1:30pm at Fairfax High School on Saturday, September 29. Dr. Scott Brabrand, FCPS Superintendent, will open the conference, and Dr. Amy Przeworski, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University, will present the keynote message: Using Stress to Your Advantage in Achieving Academic Success and Emotional Well Being. Participants in this conference, which is free to staff, parents, and community members, will be able to choose from 35 breakout options (many offered more than once). Additionally, there will be more than 50 resource tables available, representing public and private agencies providing wellness-related services within our schools and in our community. Details and registration are HERE.