Issue 20 Fall 2024

orange shirt day: A Day of Remembrance

Every year on September 30th, we reflect on the history and legacy of the residential/boarding school system across Canada and the United States. We honor the resilience of Indigenous survivors while remembering the children who did not make it home. Orange Shirt Day stems from Phyllis Webstad’s story, where her new orange shirt was taken away on her first day at residential school. This day raises awareness about the impact of these institutions and promotes healing and reconciliation. By wearing orange, participants show solidarity with survivors and recognize the resilience of Indigenous communities. It’s a call to learn from the past and work towards a more inclusive future for all. Read more about Orange Shirt Day here.

Health Education Week

Join us in celebrating Health Education Week from October 21-25! Health education is vital for empowering students to make informed decisions about their health, leading to improved outcomes, enhanced academic performance, and greater awareness of mental health issues. To support your efforts, check out the Snohomish County Health Department's Health Education Toolkit, which offers free lesson plans, engaging activities, and valuable resources. Additionally, in partnership with Stanford REACH Lab, the Health Department is offering youth substance-use prevention classroom posters to teachers in Snohomish County. To request posters and see what is available, fill out this form. Together, we can inspire our students to adopt healthy habits and thrive!

stop the bleed required in all schools starting in 2026

It’s time to be proactive! At the start of the 2026-27 school year, each school campus must maintain and make available to school employees and volunteers, bleeding control equipment for use in a traumatic injury involving blood loss. School districts must also have a minimum of two employees per school who have completed required training. If a school has more than 1,000 students, it must have one trained employee per 500 students. But don’t worry! The Providence Hospital Trauma Program has you covered by providing free Stop the Bleed trainings to meet this requirement. There are several training options including coming to your school and teaching the class on-site. For more information, check out the Stop the Bleed flyer here or reach out to Sarah Brouwer at sarah.brouwer@providence.org. For more information about the legislation and requirements, visit 5790.E HBR ED 24 (wa.gov).

Crisis Line Services for School Professionals

If you have a student in need of mental health support for any reason, or you have some questions about how to best serve your students’ needs, please reach out to the crisis line. The crisis line is staffed with professional counselors 24/7 and can assist with consultations, mobile outreach, follow-up, safety planning and local bed census. You can call, chat or text. Call or text 988 and log on to chat at 988lifeline.org/chat. When in doubt, reach out! You can find a flyer with this information in available in English and Spanish, and share with other school professionals and colleagues.

Click here to download the flyer, available in English and Spanish.

Back-to-School Respiratory Virus Season

As students return to school, we enter the peak season for respiratory viruses. Common respiratory illnesses like influenza virus (Flu), respiratory syntactical virus (RSV), and COVID-19 can spread quickly in crowded environments. To help keep our schools healthy, encourage good hygiene practices, such as frequent handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes. Stay up-to-date on immunizations with this years updated Flu and COVID-19 vaccines as well as RSV if you are 60 years and older. Here are some additional immunization resources to help keep you and your students healthy:

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) updated the recommended HPV age to 9 years old in January 2023. If you want more information on the only cancer preventing vaccine, please visit HPV-9 at 9 - WA DoH.
CDC Respiratory Virus Guidance: This guidance provides practical recommendations and information to help people lower risk from a range of common respiratory viral illnesses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV.
DOH Required Immunizations for School Year 2024-2025: School and Child Care Immunizations Information for Families | Washington State Department of Health
Interested in mobile health services? The DOH Care-a-Van is a mobile health clinic that serves people across Washington state, offering a variety of vaccines and services. Look to their website for further details about upcoming events and how to request their service.

free art journaling workshops

Verdant Community Wellness Center is hosting free year-round art journaling workshops in Lynnwood. Participants will use simple collage and paint methods to make a personal page that illustrates any topic of their choice. At the end of the year, there will be an opportunity to bind the pages together to create a complete journal. No experience is necessary. All supplies are included. Youth can join as many times as they wish. Visit their website for more information.

Or if art journaling isn't your cup of tea, how about creating a suncatcher? Embrace the transition from summer's vibrant warmth to the crispness of fall and winter at the Suncatcher Creation Session on October 12th, from 1 to 3 PM. As the days grow shorter and the Northwest welcomes the colder seasons, this workshop calls you to glow inward and radiate outward. All ages welcome! Limited spots available. Fill out this form to register.