SAC Corner

Issue No. 1: https://www.smore.com/nejd3

Issue No. 2: https://www.smore.com/e3kc9

Issue No. 3: https://www.smore.com/r38nb

Issue No. 4: https://www.smore.com/am95v

Issue No. 5: https://www.smore.com/4xy68

Issue No. 6: https://www.smore.com/0xp39

Issue No. 7 https://www.smore.com/xhqf10-sac-corner

Issue No. 8 https://www.smore.com/5kw2u

1. What are the different cliques or social groups in your school and which one, if any, are you in?
2. Do you have a celebrity crush?
3. What is the coolest app that I don’t have on my phone?
4. What is the most embarrassing thing that I do?
5. Who do you eat lunch with at school?
6. How would you describe my parenting style?
7. What bands are you listening to these days?
8. Can you play me one of their best songs?
9. Who would you say is your best friend right now?
10. Where would be an awesome place to go for a family vacation?
11. What do you think of President Trump?
12. What do you think of my hair style?
13. Did I ever tell you about how I met your (mother, father)?
14. Who is your favourite and least favourite teacher this year?
15. Which shows are you watching right now?
16. Any of those shows you’d recommend for me?
17. Do you think aliens exist?
18. How male or female do you feel inside as you get older?
19. Is there anything you would like to learn how to do?
20. Have there been any books that you had to read this year that you really liked?
21. How would you describe your personality?
22. How would you describe my personality (or the other parent)?
23. Is bullying a problem at your school?
24. Is drug and alcohol use a big thing at your school?
25. What is the one thing you don’t know about me that you want to know?
26. What are some of the first things that you remember?
27. Which holidays do you really like and why?
28. Which holiday do you wish never existed?
29. What look are your going for when you get dressed?
30. How long do you want to live?
31. What would you say were the most important moments of your life so far?
32. What would you wish I might do differently as a parent?
33. If you could someday drive any car or truck you want, what would it be?
34. Do you believe in God?
35. What would you say are your all-time favorite movies so far?
36. What do you wish you were more motivated to do?
37. When you get older, will you vote as a republican, democrat, or independent?
38. Are there any quotes from movies, songs, or books that you’ve heard and really like?
39. Are there parts of your body that you really like or dislike?
40. Do you think our family has enough money?
41. What were the most memorable family trips we’ve taken so far?
42. Which specific memories stand out from them?
43. What do you do and think when you see a homeless person?
44. Do you know anyone who you would say has an ideal marriage or relationship?
45. How do you think the world will eventually end?
46. What was the funniest thing that happened today?
47. What is the best and worst food that your school cafeteria serves?
48. Do you ever feel jealous about the family of any of your friends?
49. Which teacher at our school is the scariest?
50. Do you think we treat you and your siblings fairly?
51. Can you teach me how to text faster?
52. Are there any celebrities that people say you look like?
53. Which songs have been stuck in your head?
54. What bumper stickers have you seen that you really like?
55. Do you think millennials are really that different from other generations?
56. What are the best and worst things about having a smartphone?
57. What do you like to watch on YouTube?
58. Do you like your voice?
59. Do you think you want to get married one day?
60. How many kids, if any, do you think you might want some day?
61. What kind of a parent do you think you will be?
62. If we could move to a different neighbourhood or part of town, would you want to go?
63. How gross are your school bathrooms?
64. What thing about our house/apartment irritates you the most?
65. Are you looking forward to being an adult?
66. If you were allowed to get a tattoo, what would you get?
67. Do you think adults praise kids too much or not enough?
68. Do all these school shootings in the news make you feel unsafe at school?
69. What’s the one thing adults don’t get about teenagers?
70. What is your favourite snack food?
71. What should be the name of your generation?
72. What do you think is the best number of children to have?
73. If you wanted to have kids, what would you want to name them?
74. Are you more of a dog or cat person?
75. How’s your love life?
76. Do you have any enemies?
77. What would you do with a million (or billion) dollars?
78. Do you think teens have it easier or tougher compared to my generation?
79. What was the best part of your day today?
80. What was the worst part of your day today?
81. Where’s the first place you would want to go after getting your driver’s license?
82. Do you agree with the current legal age for drinking, smoking, and voting?
83. Did I ever tell you about my prom experiences?
84. Are you currently trying to lose or gain weight right now?
85. If two people like each other romantically, do you think someone still should ask before trying to kiss them?
86. How tall would you like to be, if you could choose?
87. Do kids your age still care about professional sports?
88. What do you think has been the hardest thing you have ever done?
89. What do you think the fourth dimension is?
90. What is the best (non-profanity) comeback to say to a bully?
91. Is it more awkward to address adults as Mr./Ms. or to use their first names?
92. If we had more money, how would you use it?
93. Do you wish we had pushed you harder or less hard to keep doing __________?
94. Are you satisfied with the number of friends that you have and quality of those friendships?
95. Do you think marijuana should be legal for people after a certain age?
96. If you had to be a mythical creature, what would you be?
97. What could I do to help you feel more supported?
98. What are the big things being talked about at school?
99. What were some of best holiday or birthday presents you ever received?
100. What’s a fun thing that we could do together?

As you may know, psychedelics (specifically psilocybin) are being used more & more recreationally. Resorts are even advertising the experience as a package option. People report having "therapeutic" experiences. Ecstasy is also entering this conversation. The psychiatric community is looking at and conducting studies using these drugs, under close professional supervision, as treatments for anxiety, eating disorders, PTSD, and depression.

Important.

These are just studies. These are not facts nor approved right now. The FDA is approving studies/clinical trials with psilocybin, LSD, esketamine, and possibly soon MDMA. Despite these heavily controlled and monitored studies, most of these substances are still Schedule 1 meaning there is no currently legal medical use and they are high risk for abuse potential.

Translation:

These drugs are still illegal. They are not approved for medicinal use. Micro-dosing is not legal. (Excluding Oregon). Make sure you open the lines of communication with your student(s) to let them know the dangers are still very real and present. Regardless of what they see online, what celebrities are doing, and what studies are being done - they should not be self experimenting with these Schedule 1 substances.

Kids are using Snapchat & Instagram to buy and sell vapes and other drugs. They connect with people (sometimes they know them and sometimes they are strangers) and can arrange deals.

The ads on their profiles can be regular posts or "stories" that disappear after usually 24hrs. Even when advertised on Instagram (IG) they are often told to ask for their "snap" aka their Snapchat handle because Snapchat conversations and snaps can disappear in seconds. Less likelihood of getting caught.

This is a growing problem. Younger and younger these kids are being targeted with these sale adds. Often with fun sounding flavors for the vapes which may be nicotine or THC filled.

Also, please remember we are in a fentanyl crisis as well as other counterfeit laced drugs. Fentanyl and Carfentanil are deadly. DEA lab tests show that 4 out of every 10 pills with fentanyl contain a deadly dose.

What to do:

• First and foremost talk to your kids. They actually listen, even while eye rolling. Let them know that it isn't safe.
• You could also tell them you plan to borrow their phone from time to time and look through the social media. See the accounts they follow and what kind of content they post.
• Does your kid use Venmo? Make sure you know who they send money to, go over the transactions with them. Are they receiving a strange amount of money? Make sure they are not selling anything illegally.
• MYTH BUSTERS! Make sure your kids know the facts correctly. You wouldn't believe how many kids tell me:
  1. "It's just water vapor" - no it is not! E-Cigs/Juuls are aerosols and definitely not water
  2. "It isn't addictive" - actually, cannabis IS addictive!
  3. "They don't lace drugs because they won't waste their good stuff for less" - not how it works! They aren't being laced with "quality", they are being laced with chemicals, poisons, and fatal drugs. They use less of what they say it is and fill it with junk.
• "It's natural" - nope! many of the forms of cannabis kids get their hands on are flushed with chemicals, and the smoke still leaves tar on the lungs!

In addition to being a safe space for counseling and support, my SAC office offers a wealth of literature and information on areas impacting families. Some of the topics are:

Eating disorders, cancer impact support, LGBTQ+ specific cancer resources, HIV/AIDs, vaping/e-cigs, stress, mental/behavioral health programs, panic disorder, teen depression, men's depression, women's depression, OCD, ADHD, PTSD, addiction, cannabis, alcohol, opioids, inhalants, stimulants, prescription drugs, nicotine, disaster, how to talk to teens about (vaping, marijuana, opioids, alcohol), wallet cards for mental health hotlines, & more.

If you'd like samples of any of these, please do not hesitate to reach out. These resources are totally free and I am always happy to provide info books, pamphlets, and more.

Evali (e-cigarette, or vaping product use associated lung injury) is a serious medical condition that as of Feb'20 the CDC has recorded 2800 hospitalizations and 68 deaths because of.

15% of these Evali patients were less than 18 years old.

Symptoms:

• Shortness of breath
• Cough
• Chest pain
• Fever and chills
• Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain
• Rapid heartbeat
• Rapid and shallow breathing

Treatments may include:

• Corticosteroids. A type of medication that reduces inflammation in the lungs and throughout the body.
• Supportive care. Patients may receive supplemental oxygen through a nasal cannula. In more severe cases, they may be put on a mechanical ventilator or an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine.
• Antibiotics. These drugs may be given to the patient while diagnostic test results are being finalized as it’s difficult to distinguish EVALI from bacterial infections.
• Antivirals. Because EVALI causes similar symptoms to some viral infections, antivirals may be used, especially during influenza season.

(thanks Yale Medicine https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/evali)

Click "coming soon" above for a more in depth article on the new lifeline. Much like how 9-1-1 is our well known emergency dial, the government is spending millions of dollars to get a 9-8-8 national suicide prevention lifeline up and running by this summer.

According to the CDC:

• In 2019, suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death in young people, 10th leading cause in nation overall.
• 47,500 deaths by suicide in 2019, which about one death every 11 minutes - this does not include thoughts and attempts
• 12 million adults seriously thought about suicide
• 3.4 million made a plan for suicide
• 1.4 million attempted suicide

If certain content is sensitive or a "trigger" for you, try using this website: http://www.doesthedogdie.com before watching a new movie, tv show, or reading a new book. It lists a wide variety of content warnings. It is public/user driven - like Wikipedia.

If you'd like your student to join a free online vaping education class to learn the truth about vaping and receive a completion certificate, have them sign up here:

Have students go to everfi.com/register, enter code 771498ee and click Next.

This is a Truth course supported by EverFi and monitored by our district SAC (me).

Newport Academy is offering a guide on how to do a mental health temperature check with your teen(s) using 10 questions. Newport Academy also offers ways to incorporate evidence based "temperature" lowering activities into your teen's life and routine. Check it out!

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/mental_health_temperature_check/?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11_09_21_na_resources_temp_check&utm_content=1st_img

Newport Academy/Institute is a treatment center/teen rehab. They are not in any way partnered nor affiliated with the Haddonfield School District.

They do provide a lot of free information and resources that I share when appropriate.

Email: hpenna@haddonfield.k12.nj.us
Website: https://haddonfieldschools.org/
Location: A104 HMHS
Phone: 856-429-3960 . 1155