Healthy Lifestyles

2023-24 NECPTA Healthy Lifestyles Chair: Lucia Reyna healthylifestyles@necouncilpta.com 

Healthy Lifestyles chairs serve as a liaison between your PTA , campus, and community regarding health and wellness related issues. Health and wellness can cover a lot of different areas and each campus is unique so give some thought to what your local PTA could bring to your students and campus. There are many groups in our communities who will visit your campus and students at no charge and bring important health and safety information.

As the NEISD Council of PTAs chair for 2023-24, I have suggested areas to focus on if you are the HL chair on your campus.

November is Texas PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month

Plan to celebrate health and wellness with us this November!

Texas PTA is once again providing a toolkit to help our leaders promote healthy habits on and off campus. Whether you choose to celebrate all month long, or one week of your choosing, we encourage your PTA to delve into our Healthy Lifestyles Month toolkit and start using these resources soon!

Access the toolkit: https://bit.ly/3bc0Nc4

Texas PTA Healthy Lifestyles Resources

Community Programs

The North East Council of PTAs is always open to ideas to help support children. There are also many community groups who worked hard every day to provide a wealth of different safety and informational programs. The following links and flyers provide useful information for your students, families and staff. As always, please contact Melinda Cox Healthy Lifestyles Chair with questions.

NEISD

North East ISD is committed to improving the lives of employees and families who are experiencing the challenges of family dynamics, mental health and overall wellness.

NEISD & STUDENT LEADERSHIP & WELLBEING

Chuggington

Union Pacific , Safe Kids World Wide and University Health Systems have teamed up to provide safety programs in regard to car seats, buckling up and trains!

https://www.chuggington.com/rail-safety

Gun Safety

Be SMART for Kids and Safe Kids San Antonio, led by University Health, will respond to requests for presentations on safe gun storage. 

Our community partners provide many free resources about issues relevant to children and school campuses.  Please visit this link for programs.

https://www.universityhealthsystem.com/services/trauma/injury-prevention/gun-safety

Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT)

TCHATT is a telemedicine option for students of NEISD to help connect students to mental health care. Please note that all referrals must go through the student’s counselor.

TCHATT Brochure UT Health (1).pdf

PTA Programs

Safe Driving

We could all use a reminder to be a better driver. There are numerous programs and groups available to all campus levels which work to remind drivers to make safe choices behind the wheel and remind passengers and pedestrians the choices they need to make to be safe on the roads. All programs can be brought to campuses free of charge and could be done as a lunch time event, a KIN event , a PTA membership event or a general assembly event. If you are interested in bringing safe driving information to your campus, please reach out to Healthy Lifestyles Chair Jennifer Easley. Check out the Johnson PTSA Smart Driving Club for information about what a safe driving program looks like at the campus level. There are opportunities for elementary and middle school students as well. A student does not need to be a driver in order to participate in safe driving information. Passengers can gain the chance to become safe driving advocates as well.

https://www.johnsonptsa.com/smart-driving-club.html

In the United States, about 9 people are killed every day due to car crashes involving a distracted driver. Distracted driving is an epidemic facing our entire nation and BLANK is determined to aid in spreading awareness about this problem and a tangible solution to the issue.

To change behavioral patterns, SAFE 2 SAVE has developed an app and platform that creates both a positive rewards system and accountability to a loved one. Users earn points for every minute driving while not being on their phones. To remind users to put their phones down, the app’s home screen features a photo of a loved one with the message, “Is it really worth it?”. Points accumulated while driving safe and can be redeemed for discounted and free items your favorite places in-store and online!

Download SAFE 2 SAVE in the app store today and use the code DRIVECHANGE for an additional 500 points. Together, we can turn the trend regarding attitudes and behaviors around distracted driving.

Boomerang Bags

Part of a healthy lifestyle and campus is understanding the impact we each make on the environment. Plastic bags are a daily part of our lives but can also make an impact on the health of our community. We would like to try a program dedicated to reducing the number of plastic bags on the planet while introducing the idea of community.

Boomerang Bags creates communities bringing people together to make reusable bags which can then be taken to the grocery, market or wherever you might use a plastic bag. This program reduces the number of plastic bags but also encourages volunteering, recycling and partnerships. Please read through this link to see if this is a program you would be interested in at your campus. 

Plastic Free July – Be Part of the Solution Join millions of people reducing their plastic waste. Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities. www.plasticfreejuly.org   If you are interesting in making reusable bags, I made a short video with basic instructions

Share pictures of your plastic free July and let me know if you make a bag!

Council Cooks!

It is always Healthier at Home! Council Cooks and we would love to share recipes and would love to share your recipes! We aren’t looking for all things green… just the recipes you make at home in your kitchen for your family, served at your table. Most of us cook and most of us struggle every week as we walk the aisles. Even if you don’t cook you struggle for ideas to feed your family, let’s all share and experiment and see what we can get in the pot, the air fryer, the slow cooker, on the stove, or in the oven. Email your favorite recipes, meal strategies, or ideas to Jennifer Easley or share on our Facebook page! This could be a spot were the care givers of over 60,000 students come together to share… What’s for Dinner and Beyond!

From Melinda Cox, Advocacy Chair: I will start and share two recipes my family loves.  I am married to a Peruvian and have two high school boys at home!  

From Judy Sanders, Council 3rd VP: This soup is perfect for making in the Instant Pot! Set it up and walk away while the pot does all the work. You can add meat (it’s the perfect way to use up a ham and bone leftover from the holidays) or it’s just as good meatless. Add all the veggies you like – last time I made it I threw in handfuls of swiss chard I had on hand.

From Council Parliamentarian - Taco Tuesday never looked better!