• March is Traumatic Brain Injury Awareness Month
    by noreply@blogger.com (Psyched About School) on March 22, 2024 at 2:35 pm

    Every year, at least 2.8 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury. While many people go on to make a full recovery, there are more than 5 million people in the U.S. living with a permanent brain injury-related disability – that’s one in 60 Americans. Every brain injury is different. There’s an often-repeated adage among the brain injury community: “If you’ve seen one brain injury, you’ve seen one brain injury.” The circumstances leading to the injury, the care that the patient received, the brain injury survivor’s life before and after the injury, how the brain changes over time – these are all aspects that contribute to the unique, dynamic nature of brain injury, making the brain injury survivor’s journey an extremely personal one. Those who are affected by brain injury – survivors, their loved ones, and the people who treat them – all have their own stories to tell about how brain injury has changed their lives and set them on a different path. The parts of their lives that have stayed the same, and the parts that have forever changed. Who they were before brain injury became a part of their lives, and who they are after. Living with brain injury is a journey – and it’s not linear. This journey is not one of a straight line, with simple steps. Sometimes, it’s one step forward and two steps back. Maybe even three. Sometimes the path may be hidden, and sometimes the traveler requires assistance getting to the next stop along the way. It takes a special kind of resilience to navigate a journey like life after brain injury – a journey with no clear endpoint. And sometimes, when it’s your journey, it’s you – and only you – on that path. Even though everyone’s brain injury journey is different, our collective outcome as those affected by brain injury is a singular one: to navigate life as best we can and to find joy, happiness, and peace in the unexpected. Making the best of the cards we’re dealt and finding those pockets of joy in this new version of life is not only the best gift brain injury survivors can give themselves, but it’s also how we gain the strength and empowerment to come together and speak our truth about our experiences, our lived realities, and our hopes for the future. Everyone’s brain injury story deserves to be told, and it’s up to us, as survivors and supporters, to tell them. Because the more people who know the truth about brain injuries, the fewer misconceptions there will be. This Brain Injury Awareness Month, we encourage you to share your story about your own unique brain injury journey. More information on Brain Injury Awareness Month and how to share your brain injury journey can be found at biausa.org/MyBrainInjuryJourney.

  • ISPA Members Elect New Officers
    by ISPA Web on February 13, 2024 at 10:11 am

    Dr. Sissy Hatzichristou, ISPA Past President We are pleased to announce the new members of the ISPA Executive Committee. Terms will begin in July at the annual conference. Elections were held in January of this year for Treasurer and Secretary. The new officers and their terms follow. Congratulations to the new officers and gratitude to [...]

  • Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 11-17, 2024
    by noreply@blogger.com (Psyched About School) on February 9, 2024 at 2:03 pm

     Although Random Acts of Kindness week will be celebrated next week, the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has provided a calendar for the 2023-2024 school year; that's 365 ideas of ways to spread kindness. They also provide a variety of resources for spreading kindness at school, at home, and at work, including a 2024 calendar for adults to spread kindness at work throughout the year. Additionally, the Social Emotional Learning and Restorative Practices department has compiled a Random Acts of Kindness resource folder that includes lesson plans, kindness activities, announcements, book lists, and more. Join the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation in their effort to make kindness the norm, not just next week, but all year long! 

  • ISPA Student Membership Campaign
    by ISPA Web on January 31, 2024 at 8:50 am

    Dear Students You can join us for free for the first year. Avail of your free first year student year membership here: https://ispaweb.org/membership/membership-form/

  • Webinar: Generative Artificial Intelligence: Ethical Implications for International School Psychology
    by ISPA Web on January 31, 2024 at 8:40 am

    SAVE THE DATE! WEBINAR ‒ open to all ISPA members Friday May 31st 2024 6 am San Francisco (PDT) 8 am Dallas (CDT) 9 am New York (EDT) 10 am São Paulo 3 pm Paris, Cape Town 4 pm Nicosia 8 pm Bangkok 9 pm Hongkong, Beijing 10 pm Seoul 11 pm Sydney Duration: 90 [...]

  • ISPA 2024 Submission Deadline
    by ISPA Web on January 31, 2024 at 8:29 am

    ISPA 2024 Submission Deadline: March 1st, 2024. For more information and submission guidelines, visit https://2024.ispaweb.org/

  • Call for ISPA Nominations for Secretary and Treasurer for 2024-2027
    by ISPA Web on October 2, 2023 at 10:27 am

    ISPA will hold two elections for the Secretary and Treasurer positions in 2024. Each officer serves on the ISPA Executive Committee (EC) for three-year terms. They will join the President-Elect, President, and Past President on the Executive Committee. The terms of the new Treasurer and Secretary will run from July 2024 to July 2027. All [...]

  • October is National Bullying Prevention Month
    by noreply@blogger.com (Psyched About School) on September 29, 2023 at 10:00 am

    October was first declared National Bullying Prevention Month in 2006 to prevent childhood bullying and promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion.   The US Department of Health and Human Services defines bullying as unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Bullying can be verbal, social, physical, or cyber and can lead to school avoidance, loss of self-esteem, increased anxiety, and depression.  The National Child Traumatic Stress Network reports that 1 in 5 high school students are bullied in the United States. The NCTSN also provides facts on the relationship between trauma and bullying indicating the importance of addressing both bullying and trauma.  October 2, 2023, is World Day of Bullying Prevention!  Stomp Out Bullying encourages us to join in solidarity to stop bullying and cyberbullying by wearing blue that day and throughout the month. They are offering an "Unapologetically Kind" blue shirt for purchase or you can just wear your own blue shirt. The Pacer Center provides a 4-week activity kit that can be used in K-12 classrooms to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to prevent bullying. There are weekly themes and you can download guides, activity books, and posters to engage students. During the 2021-2022 school year, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools implemented the "Say Something" Anonymous Reporting System. Say Something is a youth violence prevention program from the national nonprofit organization Sandy Hook Promise (SHP). This system is designed for use by students in grades 6-12 and provides three reporting platforms (mobile app, website, 24/7 phone hotline) to submit tips, and a crisis center to examine and triage those tips.  Students can submit a tip through the online Say Something system by visiting www.saysomething.net directly, or navigate from the district and schools' website homepages by clicking the W-S/FCS Say Something page.  The free app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play Store. Students can also submit tips through the hotline by calling 1-844-5-SAYNOW (1-844-572-9669).Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools will continue to operate the Bully Patrol anonymous reporting system for elementary students. The phone number and electronic reporting system information can be found on elementary school websites. Resources:The National Child Traumatic Stress NetworkPacer's National Bullying Prevention CenterNational Institutes of HealthStop BullyingKids Against BullyingNational TodaySay Something Anonymous Reporting System

Scroll to Top