More infographics....This Time on Sleep

Lots of infographics today. Thank you to Larry Ferlazzo and his Websites of the Day for some of these. These two infographics I found on his blog as well and they are good. Simply put, our teens do not get enough sleep. Maybe studying these charts may help them understand the importance of sleep. Hopefully, they are all getting lots of sleep now that summer break is here!

30 Lesser Known Facts About Sleep infographic

Great Resources for Information on Sleep (or Lack of) and It's Effects on Teens

  Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo and his website Websites of the Day, I found some great resources on the amount of sleep young people need. And most importantly, the effects of getting too little sleep. One of the most important things I learned from these resources came on the Infographic found towards the bottom of this resource page. Brains are constantly developing through the first 16-24 years of life and they do most of this while a young person sleeps. So if a young person is not getting enough sleep, then their brain cannot develop as quickly. Interesting! Lots of good stuff to learn and a great reminder to keep the electronics out of the room and have your child get plenty of sleep, even on the weekends and during the summer!

Click here for Sleep resources!

This Week is National Suicide Prevention Week

 

       This week is National Suicide Prevention Week in our country. Our recent local data on the Iowa Youth Survey shows that we have anywhere from 5-12% or our middle school students thinking about suicide, making a plan to commit suicide, or even attempting suicide. At the high school, those numbers rise to near 19% in some cases. That means 1 in 5 of our high school age students have had suicidal thoughts! If that is not scary enough, state and national averages are very similar. As a counselor, it is sad and downright scary to think that a handful of kids that walk into my classroom every class period could be contemplating suicide. This is a problem affecting our teens today. But it is not just affecting teens, it is affecting adults. Adults who have lost their job, going through family splits, and especially adults returning from active duty in combat. This is a great week for all of us to re-focus on each other and reach out to someone who is in need. People who are contemplating suicide typically do not reach out for help. They feel hopeless (Hopelessness is the #1 cause/symptom of suicidal ideation) so they will not seek help. We need to seek them. We need to help them. We need to give them hope. Only then can we start lowering those scary percentages listed earlier in this post. So please keep your eyes, ears, and hearts open this week and every week for those who need a lift. And please try to provide that lift or help them find the help they need. I have placed a link below with TONS of resources and information about suicide such as warning signs, support numbers and groups, and what the common person can do to help. Please click the link and educate yourself so that you can be part of the solution. Thank you!

Suicide prevention Week information and resources

----Lots of information on the website above, but I did want to copy/paste information from one part of the website showing you just how severe the problem is and why we need to work to prevent this from happening. See information below.

Scope of the problem

Suicide occurs when a person ends his or her life. It is the 10th leading cause of death among Americans. But suicide deaths are only part of the problem.  Suicide attempts impact a larger population—more individuals survive suicide attempts than die. And they are often seriously injured and in need of medical care.

Suicide Deaths in the United States

• There are far more suicides each year than homicides. In fact, in 2009, the number of suicides was  about twice that of homicides.
• More than  36,000 people kill themselves each year.

Suicide Attempts in the United States

• There are an estimated 12 attempted suicides for every one suicide death.
• More than 374,500 people with self-inflicted injuries are treated in emergency rooms each year.
• More than 163,000 people are hospitalized each year due to self-inflicted injury.

Age Group Differences

• Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 25- to 34-year olds and the third leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year olds.
• Suicide among 45- to 54-year-olds is a growing problem; the rate of suicide is higher in this age group than in any other.
• Although older adults engage in suicide attempts less than those in other age groups, they have a higher rate of death by suicide.  Over the age of 65, there is one estimated suicide for every 4 attempted suicides compared to 1 suicide for every 100-200 attempts among youth and young adults ages 15-24.

Gender Disparities

• Men die by suicide four times as often as women and represent 78.8% of all U.S. suicides.
• Women attempt suicide two to three times as often as men.
• Suicide rates for males are highest among those aged 75 and older.
• Suicide rates for females are highest among those aged 45-54.
• Firearms are the most commonly used method of suicide among males.
• Poisoning is the most common method of suicide for females.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities

• The highest suicide rates are among American Indian/Alaskan Natives and Non-Hispanic Whites.
• Asian/Pacific Islanders have the lowest suicide rates among males while Non-Hispanic Blacks have the lowest suicide rate among females.

Mr. Barry's Minute Meetings This Week!

Mr. Barry has taken on the challenge to meet with all 174 6th graders individually for 1 minute this first week of school. He will be asking students 4 questions and getting some class data by putting it into the survey below. Hopefully, by meeting Mr. Barry 1-on-1, Mr. Barry will learn more about each student and each student will know who the school counselor is and that the student can talk to Mr. Barry at anytime about anything. Please do not answer the survey questions below as the survey is active and the results should only be due to the 6th graders answers. Thank you!

Big Cats/Little Cats Carlisle Mentoring Program WANTS YOU!

   We are entering our 3rd year of a program our counseling team calls "Big Cats, Little Cats". It is our in-house mentoring program. Most of our mentors are high school students and they mentor students between Kindergarten and 8th grade. It has been a great and successful program, but one of the downsides is that we don't have enough mentors to meet with all the students who have asked for a mentor each year. A program called Kid's Hope also provides adult mentors, but that is only up until 6th grade. Which means our middle school is usually very short of mentors, sometimes we have none! Between Kid's Hope ending and our middle school being a bit of a drive for high school students, we need to look for other options for mentors. That is where I hope you come in. I am looking for about 8 adult mentors for our middle school students, maybe more or less as student need arises. I already have about 3-4 adults paired up with a middle school student, but I know some students will ask as the year begins. I copy/pasted a letter we have used in the past when recruiting high school students. I thought it explained pretty well what you would be asked to do. But it basically boils down to our middle school students needing some homework help, but also needing just a positive adult role model outside of their family to play games with, chat with, learn about life with, and to spend time with. Unlike Big Brothers/Big Sisters, our program is totally in house and on-site....no weekends/weeknight activities outside of the school needed or wanted. Just about 30-45 minutes a week to visit with your Little Cat and see how things are going and help them where you can. If you have interest or think you can help, please call or email me and we can start the process of helping you become a mentor. 

Carlisle Big Cats/ little cats

Mentoring program

Volunteers must:

Ø  Be able to commit 30 minutes- same day and time each week

Ø  Be available for the entire school year

Ø  Provide assistance with school work

Ø  Be a positive role model

Ø  Be able to meet at the Middle School during school hours

Volunteers will mentor children to help them develop academically, socially, and behaviorally.  Studies show that spending one-on-one time with a child greatly enhances his/her self-esteem, relationships with others, avoidance of substance abuse, and academic performance.

Volunteers will have meeting with the building counselor at the beginning of each school year and will be monitored on a consistent basis by the Carlisle School Counseling Department.

If you have additional questions, please contact:

Benjamin Barry, Counselor

Carlisle Middle School

515-989-5413

Ben.barry@carlisle.k12.ia.us

Two Pieces of Good News About the Fight Against Smoking!

Two recent "good news" pieces came across my desk via the Partnership for a Drug Free America blog. We have been seeing data similar to this with our Iowa Youth Survey that we take every 2 years. Every time we take it, the amount of students trying cigarettes, smoking cigarettes monthly, and/or smoking daily goes down. This is great news. Now, we get some bad news in that report too, but the cigarette/tobacco news has been good. These two new articles below are even more good news. The next step is to keep adults from giving minors cigarettes and to make sure adults are keeping their cigarettes in their possession at all times. Even better....to stop smoking altogether and set a good example for teens! Please take a moment to click and read the short articles below.

Graphic Anti-Smoking Ads Working click here!

Sales of Cigarettes to Minors at All Time Low click here!

Nutrition is Important! See the Two Infographics Below

As we transition from summer to school, nutrition is always a big topic. And middle school makes the topic even more important as kids are more often making their own eating choices and eating A LOT of those choices since they are growing so much. Take a look at these two infographics that might open some kids and parents eyes on some bad choices teens might make. (And don't worry, I make some of these choices too...the key is to limit the choices if you can't eliminate them. I need to do better!!)


Via: Term Life Insurance

Click here for the 2nd infographic....a great one about calories!

Infographic Showing Young People's Current Nutrition and Habits.

Thank you to Larry Ferlazzo and his Websites of the Day blog, I found this infographic about the nutrition, or lack of nutrition our young people are getting. It also contains some information about their habits and what media and media advertisements they are exposed to. The "results" section is probably the most alarming. Click on Larry's blog by clicking here to read and see more. You can also click on his "best sites for learning about nutirtion food safety" to learn more.




Here is one part of the infographic, but there is a 2nd smaller infographic on his blog post.

Free School and Sports Physicals on May 9th!

I could not get the flyer posted, but I copy/pasted all the information from the flyer into the blog space below. So, nothing flashy, but the info is good and important to read. If you need your child to complete a physical, especially a sports physical (think ahead to next year's sports and get it done early!!), you could get a free sports physical and your child could get some great information, some snacks/refreshments, and even meet some of the Iowa Barnstormers and get their autographs! All the information you need is listed below, including a contact name and number. RSVP early to make sure you get in. Good luck!


Free School and Sports Physicals
Youth Sports Injury
Prevention Clinic
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
5:30 PM—8:30 PM

Iowa Ortho & Physiotherapy Associates Downtown
450 Laurel St. Des Moines

Free to all Middle or High School athletes!
Mercy Family Medicine Residency will provide Sports Physical Exams


Sports Injury Prevention Information will
be available for Parents & Coaches:
•  ACL Injuries
•  Nutrition
•  Over Use Injuries
•  Concussions


Iowa Ortho &
Physiotherapy Associates will provide:
•  A musculoskeletal examination.
•  Reassessment of old injuries with
advice for injury prevention


Parent/Guardian must be present in order to provide consent.
Free will donations will be collected and donated back to each kid’s school athletic program.
The Iowa Barnstormers players will be available to sign autographs and talk to athletes.
Refreshments and snacks will be provided.


RSVP by May 2nd to:
Troy Kleese at troy.kleese@physiocorp.com or call 515.323.6485

FREE Groceries, health checks, resources, and fun SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12th!!!

Not going to put a big long post out about this, but I just learned of a great free resource happening tomorrow in downtown Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. Please pass the word and get the message out. Click "here" to go to the page describing this, but long story short, an event called "Convoy of Hope Des Moines" is happening from 10 a.m. until supplies run out at the Wells Fargo Arena TOMORROW (Saturday!). Everything from free groceries to free haircuts to free vision and health screenings. This is an amazing opportunity for families in area who are in need. So please use this event if you can or need to. If not, please contact someone who can benefit. No IDs are needed, just attend if you need this help. We all need help from time to time....we need to learn to use that help and be thankful for that help when it is offered. This is a great chance to use it. Email or contact a Carlisle counselor if you want more information (although we are just learning about this ourselves)

Convoy of Hope website click here!

Eating Disorders in the News...What Can Parents Do?

I read every word of the recent story in the Des Moines Register about the story of Krista Phelps, a great track athlete and student, who passed away earlier this summer due to complications brought on by anorexia. I am not sure how long the story will be available through the Register's online website, but here is the link:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20108010342

I have posted the full article and information that accompanies the article in my Life Skills room on our "Health and Mental Health in the News" bulletin board. It is a tough read at times, but an important read for students and parents and it works to get the discussion going as to what can we do to work with students or children who suffer from eating disorders.

First off, learning the warning signs that an eating disorder might be present. This WebMD article does a great job of laying out some signs bullet point by bullet point of anorexia and bulimia.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/how-to-spot-eating-disorder

Next, treating the disorder. Although I have a Master's in School Counseling, if a student is suffering from an eating disorder, that student likely needs more support and treatment than I can give. Talking about it is the first step, and one of the hardest steps. From there, consulting your family doctor and going from there is next. This link has a ton of information, but towards the bottom it gives tips for how to talk to someone you feel might be suffering from an eating disorder, how to suggest treatment, and what treatments are available. My role in all of this would likely be in support and post-treatment help and support.

http://helpguide.org/mental/eating_disorder_treatment.htm

My last link is one geared more for teens and comes from the Center for Young Women's Health. But let's make sure we remember, eating disorders are not just found in girls and women, they can be in adolescent boys and men as well, just not as likely. We need to be on the lookout for anyone showing the signs of an eating disorder, not just middle school girls.

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/eating_disorders.html

Email me if you have questions or feel free to leave a comment