TALLAHASSEE — The Department of Education’s Just Read, Florida! office in partnership with the Division of Emergency Management and several other emergency management partners, is conducting its annual statewide short essay contest for high school students as part of the 2007 Hazardous Weather Awareness Week, February 11 through 17. High school students from across the state are encouraged to participate.

“This contest provides students with a wonderful opportunity to use creative and critical thinking skills regarding a topic that is both authentic and important to the citizens of Florida,” said Just Read, Florida! Executive Director Evan Lefsky, Ph.D.
 
Students are asked to play the role of mayor of a community that is being threatened by a major hurricane similar in size and strength to Hurricane Katrina and develop a preparedness plan.  An overall statewide winner and six winners and their respective teachers will be selected from each of the seven emergency management areas in the state. The state winner will receive $500 and a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio. The winning student in each of the remaining emergency management areas listed will receive $250 and a NOAA Weather Radio.  The teacher of the statewide winner will receive $250 and a NOAA Weather Radio and the respective teacher for each of the six remaining area winners will receive $100 and a NOAA Weather Radio.  Winners will be recognized during an award ceremony to be held in Tallahassee on Monday, Feb.12, 2007.
 
"One of the goals of Hazardous Weather Awareness Week is to promote a culture of preparedness throughout all grade levels,” said State Meteorologist Ben Nelson with the Division of Emergency Management.  “We encourage high school students to enter this thought-provoking contest and share their ideas on community hurricane preparedness."

The essay contest is part of an annual public awareness campaign that includes distribution of the "Florida Hazardous Weather Guide" to middle school classrooms, children's books in elementary school classrooms, and a poster contest for fourth and fifth graders. Also a part of the campaign is the statewide "Tornado Drill" conducted by the Florida offices of the National Weather Service. All entries must be electronically submitted to the Just Read, Florida! Web site at www.JustReadFlorida.com/hwaw <http://www.justreadflorida.com/hwaw> essay contest by 11:59 p.m. EST, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2007.
 
For more information and a complete list of contest rules and requirements, please visit: www.JustReadFlorida.com <http://www.justreadflorida.com/>  or www.floridadisaster.org <http://www.floridadisaster.org/> .

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 9:31 PM

The State - South Carolina

December 02, 2006
Students who habitually bully other students will find such behavior listed on their discipline records as of Jan. 1. For the first time, the state is requiring each of South Carolina's 85 school districts to define bullying and outline procedures to track and punish such behavior. Read more >>>

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 10:05 PM

January is National Mentoring Month

"Pass it on. Become a Mentor" is theme for the next National Mentoring Month <http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy2007/nmm/intro.htm> in January 2007.

This year's campaign goal is to recruit volunteer mentors to work with young people from underprivileged backgrounds to help them reach their full potential. The Harvard School of Public Health is delighted to honor music pioneer Quincy Jones as the first-ever "Mentor of the Year."

Resources:

For further information about National Mentoring Month, visit http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/chc/wmy2007/nmm/intro.htm.

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The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention <http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/> is a component of the Office of Justice Progams <http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/> in the U.S. Department of Justice <http://www.usdoj.gov/> .

Subscribe <http://puborder.ncjrs.gov/listservs/subscribe_JuvJust.asp> or unsubscribe <http://puborder.ncjrs.gov/listservs/Unsubscribe_JUVJUST.asp> to JUVJUST.
Visit the OJJDP Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp.

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 4:48 PM

A $10 million federal grant will help 10 Miami-Dade schools start career academies that administrators hope lead to increased student success.

BY TANIA deLUZURIAGA

tdeluzuriaga@MiamiHerald.com

It used to be easy for students at Booker T. Washington Senior High to get lost in a crowd. But since the school divided itself into three smaller career academies two years ago, principal Rosann Sidener says she's seen a renewed interest from her students. Read more >>>

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 10:30 AM

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- Visit Coral Gables Elementary School and you might
see kindergarteners striking a pose for balance and first-graders taking
time to meditate and relax. Read more >>>
http://www.nbc4.com/health/10512534/detail.html

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 10:25 AM

Brief information about new passport requirements for 2007 for travelers to and from the U.S. "All travelers will be required to have passports -- including U.S. citizens returning to the U.S. by air from throughout the Western Hemisphere -- on January 23, 2007." Also includes material about sea and land travel, and links to official passport sites for U.S., Canadian, and Mexican citizens. From the Travel Industry Association and Travel Business Roundtable.

http://getapassportnow.com

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 6:38 PM

http://www.dbsalliance.org

Living and coping with depression or bipolar disorder can be difficult, but there are a number of high-quality online resources that can be very useful to those with these conditions, or for those who work directly with these individuals. The homepage of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) can be of great help in this area, as their site includes everything from their “Real Recovery” podcasts to such basics as factsheets on both diseases. A good place to start here would be with any of the five primary sections, which include crisis intervention resources and recovery steps. Visitors can also view many of these materials in Spanish and they may also wish to sign up to receive the DBSA’s electronic newsletter.

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 6:19 PM

Many children discontinuing use of ADHD medication

New study reveals reasons why, offers solution for better treatment

Conway, Ark. – December 15, 2006 - Social stigma and feeling lifeless and/or alienated from one's peers are some of the reasons why children and adolescents stop taking prescription stimulant medications used to treat attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a new study published in the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing.

ADHD is a common neurobehavioral disorder, affecting 4.4 million children in the United States between the ages of 4 and 17. Following diagnosis, 56% are treated with prescription stimulant medications. According to the study, many stop using these medications even while they are still exhibiting symptoms of the disorder, despite research indicating these medications are effectively reducing hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention.

The study also found that while ADHD is a chronic disorder, none of the adolescents interviewed had received ongoing education about their condition. As college students, many used the medications irregularly, sometimes in doses exceeding the prescribed amount, and often at night – factors that may exacerbate the side effects.

Julie B. Meaux, PhD, RNC, lead author of the study, suggests that "dialogue between the child, parents and healthcare provider about the general effects, side effects and potential abuse of prescribed stimulant medications is essential," adding "careful administration of dosages, based on input from the child, is exceedingly important."

This study is published in the current issue of the Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact professionalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net

Julie B. Meaux, PhD, RNC is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing at University of Central Arkansas. She can be reached for questions at juliem@mail.uca.edu.

The Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing bridges the gap between research and practice by publishing peer-reviewed reliable, clinically relevant, and readily applicable evidence. The journal integrates the best evidence with pediatric nurses' passion for achieving the best outcomes. For more information, please visit www.blackwellnursing.com/jspn.

Blackwell Publishing is the world's leading society publisher, partnering with 665 medical, academic, and professional societies. Blackwell publishes over 800 journals and has over 6,000 books in print. The company employs over 1,000 staff members in offices in the US, UK, Australia, China, Singapore, Denmark, Germany, and Japan. Blackwell's mission as an expert publisher is to create long-term partnerships with our clients that enhance learning, disseminate research, and improve the quality of professional practice. For more information on Blackwell Publishing, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com or www.blackwell-synergy.com.

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 5:22 PM

Intelligent children more likely to become vegetarian

IQ in childhood and vegetarianism in adulthood -- 1970 British Cohort study

Intelligent children may be more likely to be vegetarian as adults, suggests a study published online by the BMJ today.

Recent evidence suggests that vegetarianism may be linked to lower cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of obesity and heart disease. This might help to explain why children who score higher on intelligence tests tend to have a lower risk of coronary heart disease in later life.

The study involved 8179 men and women aged 30 years whose IQ was tested at age 10 years.

Twenty years later, 366 (4.5%) of participants said they were vegetarian. Of these, 9 (2.5%) were vegan and 123 (33.6%) stated they were vegetarian but reported eating fish or chicken.

Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher occupational social class and to have higher academic or vocational qualifications than non-vegetarians, although these differences were not reflected in their annual income, which was similar to that of non-vegetarians.

Higher IQ at the age of 10 years was associated with an increased likelihood of being vegetarian at the age of 30. This relation was partly accounted for by better education and higher occupational social class, but it remained statistically significant after adjusting for these factors.

There was no difference in IQ score between strict vegetarians and those who said they were vegetarian but who reported eating fish or chicken.

The finding that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarian as adults, together with the evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on heart health, may help to explain why higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life, write the authors.

Alternatively, the link may be merely an example of many other lifestyle preferences that might be expected to vary with intelligence, but which may or may not have implications for health, they conclude.

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 5:20 PM

PERI to Hold Online Symposium on Confronting Violence in Our Schools

Free Program to be Conducted on PERI Website January 8-12, 2007

We would like to invite you to participate in a virtual symposium to address the growing problem of violence in our nation's schools. The program, which is being sponsored by the Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI), a nonprofit research institute, will be conducted entirely online and there is no cost to participate. Registration is open to all. You can register online at www.riskinstitute.org.

The symposium, "Confronting Violence in Our Schools: Planning, Response, and Recovery," will be presented on the PERI Website at www.riskinstitute.org the week of January 8-12, 2007. Lauren Eib, Risk Manager for the Tucson Unified School District in Tucson, AZ will moderate the program. The goal of the program is to offer practical advice for dealing with real issues surrounding school violence - not just the high profile incidents that make headlines but the real issues of school violence that schools and communities face everyday.

The symposium will explore what steps we can take to prevent violence in our schools and how best to respond and recover when tragedies occur. We will offer practical advice on issues such as:

PERI Virtual Symposium Programs are conducted online in the Symposium Center located on PERI’s Website at www.riskinstitute.org. Each day during the week-long program, specially commissioned papers written by recognized experts will be presented on the PERI Website. You can log on at your convenience throughout the week of January 8-12, 2007 and comment on the issues and ideas presented, ask questions, and discuss your own strategies for preventing and responding to school violence.

PERI is sponsoring this program as a public service and we hope to make the program as inclusive as possible. We encourage you to forward this invitation to your colleagues, friends, clients, members, or others who may interested in learning more about this important topic. This is a unique learning opportunity for school officials, law enforcement, counselors, community leaders, and others with an interest in keeping our schools safe. There is no cost to participate and registration is open to everyone.

You can sign up to participate in the Symposium Center on the PERI Website at www.riskinstitute.org.

For more information, contact Pamela Marino at pmarino@riskinstitute.org.

# posted by SchoolCounselor.com @ 9:58 AM