Goal 6i - General School Community

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i) General School Community (Parents/Student Body)
Awareness-raising for the school community can be accomplished through various strategies.

Asthma Awareness Challenge

Description:

The purpose of the Challenge is to engage students with and without asthma in raising awareness of asthma throughout their school. Each school is provided with an Asthma Awareness Challenge Kit which outlines rules and criteria for participation, suggestions for activities and resources to carry out the activities. The Asthma Awareness Challenge Kit also includes an introductory letter to the adult ‘contact’, an entry form and prize selection form.

Things to Consider:

Timing:

  • Offer the Challenge around World Asthma Day in May (1st Tuesday) and arrange for local media to interview/photograph some of the initiatives in the schools; submit activities to GINA initiative
  • Offer Challenge during a “slower” time of year in schools (e.g., Jan/Feb).
  • Offer the Challenge following RAP and encourage group participants to get involved and/or coordinate activities themselves.

Identification of adult “contact”

  • Identify an adult willing to act as the Challenge ‘contact’. (e.g., Vice Principal, Principal, teacher, support staff, parent).
  • Expectations of the Challenge “contact” include: keeping the Kit, identifying the student(s) to lead the challenge (or leading it themselves), completing & submitting the entry form by the deadline, and accepting the prize.
  • The adult contact should make efforts to involve older student leaders in the process which will help reduce their time involved.

Identification of student ‘leaders’

  • Many schools have active Student Councils who are interested in leading school-wide initiatives - they already have an assigned Staff Advisor who could act as the adult ‘contact’.
  • Ask the principal/VP to identify individual mature student ‘leaders’ who are willing to take on coordination of the Challenge; principal may act as ‘contact’.
  • Have RAP group participants coordinate Challenge activities with support of adult ‘advisor’.

Incentives/Prizes

  • Provide an incentive in the form of prizes (e.g., gift certificates to purchase equipment) to the school for participation in the Challenge is most effective.

See Resources provided:

Present To School Council/ Parent Group

Description:

The purpose of the presentation is to gain support and participation of parents in raising asthma awareness, define role of parents in creating/supporting asthma friendly schools, and influence school administrators.

Things to Consider:

  • Parents can be an influential voice when determining priorities for schools.
  • Contact Chair of School Council to be included on agenda early in the school year.
  • Historically asthma education events resulted in poor turnout except when it was linked with a routine community/school initiative. For example parent/teacher nights, monthly health seminars in hospitals.
  • Often education events are well attended by parents who are already very informed about managing their child’s asthma. Many parents who would benefit from this type of asthma education unfortunately fail to attend.
  • Request that parents RSVP for the event as this can eliminate time and effort spent on preparing if turnout is poor. Be aware in some cases even an RSVP will not guarantee attendance.
  • Collaborate with community partners (Lung Association, Asthma Educators) wherever possible. This provides an opportunity to raise awareness and link parents to local resources and clinicians for more individual follow-up and education. Expenses can be shared with collaborative events.
  • Research local Asthma Education Centres and determine the referral process.
  • Guest/expert speaker may increase attendance at event.
  • Offer refreshments.
  • Consider offering childcare during the session and/or activities for other children to participate in.
  • Advertise event through various means such as mail-outs, phone calls, school newsletter inserts, and posters.

See Resources provided:

Collaborate With Stakeholders (e.g., Laps for Lungs)

Description:

Collaboration with community partners/associations can create additional opportunities for raising asthma awareness in the school community.

Things to Consider:

  • Seek out community partners wherever possible and clearly identify what roles they might play in awareness raising.
  • Media releases (newspaper, T.V. interviews, and websites) can help to inform the community about the program/event or assist with recruitment of partners.
  • Invite support from other healthcare professionals (Certified Asthma Educators, Physicians, and Public Health Nurses) by introducing the concept of asthma friendly schools and encouraging them to reinforce consistent messages with patients. For example presentations/newsletter publications to Ontario Respiratory Care Society (ORCS), family physicians groups, etc.
  • Seek volunteers through community agencies.
  • Promote other community initiatives at School Council meetings (e.g., Laps for Lungs). Consider attending a spring meeting to plan for events in the next school year.
  • Explore potential opportunities for having a display in a local clinic or physician’s office.

See Resources provided:

Displays/Posters/Murals/Bulletin Boards

Description:

Posters/Murals with specific asthma messages are an effective vehicle for information sharing, awareness-raising and advertising events within the school.

Things to Consider:

  • Use a variety of posters targeting different audiences (e.g., students, parents, and teachers).
  • Display posters/murals in appropriate locations for awareness-raising (e.g., classrooms, gyms, hallways, bulletin boards, parent information boards).
  • Encourage students to create posters or murals for display in the school.
  • Hold a poster contest.
  • Keep in mind literacy levels.
  • Staffing a display at a school event provides a good opportunity for interaction and discussion with parents and school staff/students to determine relevant issues for the school community.
  • Use asthma displays at:
    • Parent nights/Open Houses
    • Kindergarten registration
    • Healthy days, sports days
    • School entrances (e.g., during report card week or other times when parents are visiting the school).
  • School library - a keen librarian may be willing to briefly discuss the display with classes when they visit for their regular library period.

To view and order Ontario Lung Association

  • A child is having an asthma episode
  • Inside your Lungs,
  • The Air We Breathe
  • What Sets You Off

See Resources provided:

Publish School Newsletter Articles

Description:

Newsletter articles have been designed to be inserted into school newsletters as a means of raising asthma awareness amongst readers (parents, students, school personnel) by covering key asthma topics. Articles in school newsletters are a good way to communicate asthma information and upcoming events. Schools prefer this method to a separate handout as it is less costly and requires less staff time to distribute. Since the school newsletter is, in most schools, a regular publication, parents are familiar with it and read it regularly.

Things to Consider:

  • Provide electronic copies of newsletters to principals/school contacts to make insertion into newsletter easier.
  • Suggest inserting a different newsletter article each month, such as triggers, warning signs, medications, how to handle an asthma emergency. This way it becomes a series and parents get a reminder about asthma on a regular basis.
  • Some principals/school contacts prefer receiving all newsletters at once so decisions regarding which to insert and when is left up to them. They will consider available space, a theme or other factors.
  • Other principals prefer only receiving one newsletter at a time (electronically) so they don’t forget to include it.
  • If sending newsletters one at a time, know when newsletters go home (e.g., first Wednesday of the month) and when the cut-off date for submissions is. Ensure timelines are met.
  • Encourage students, teachers or parents of students with asthma, to submit asthma articles for the school newsletter. They can write articles or draw pictures about their asthma or about their experience in the RAP program.
  • Ensure articles are succinct and easy to incorporate into newsletter. Adding graphics can attract readers.
  • Ensure that the literacy level of the article is appropriate for the parent population.
  • Parent reminders can be included regularly e.g., an asthma “corner” could be included in every newsletter.

See Resources:

Provide PA Announcements

Description:

PA announcements read by students or staff can be used to raise asthma awareness during key times of the school year (return to school in fall, World Asthma Day).

Things to Consider:

  • September back-to-school period brings a dramatic increase in hospitalizations for children with asthma. This period is now recognized as the September Asthma Peak, as children returning to school face increased exposure to viral infections which can be a major trigger for asthma symptoms.
  • Assign “Asthma Month”, or “Breathe Easy” theme days/weeks.
  • World Asthma Day is the first Tuesday in May. (see media releases)
  • Have students create PA announcements or provide scripts to the school.
  • Consider using the RAP song.
  • Keep messages brief and to the point.

See Resources provided:

Provide School Assemblies/ Classroom Presentations

Description:

Student assemblies/classroom presentations provide general asthma content and can be geared to various age populations. Classroom presentations are more time-intensive than assemblies but allow for more intimate discussion and can be more easily tailored to the age of the audience.

Things to Consider:

  • Invite a CAE to help co-present.
  • Select a volunteer from older grades to present to younger grades.
  • 20-30 minutes is a good length of time to hold the interest and attention of the students.
  • Incorporate different styles of learning:
    • use visual aids, props (Obtain placebo inhalers and airway models from pharmaceutical representatives)
    • involve student audience in discussion
    • seek volunteers to assist with activities
  • Have follow-up activities/resources for teachers to use later with the class, for example, Asthma Active Books from OLA, asthma crosswords, or videos that they can borrow.
  • Leave teachers with OLA resource order forms, contact information for any other local asthma resources and asthma posters.
  • Hold presentations in one location (e.g., library or gym) and have students come to you for presentation.
School Assembly
  • Split the grades into younger and older (K-3, 4-6, 7-8) and have two different strategies or presentations for delivery.
  • Leave 5-10 minutes at the end for questions and sharing as many students have personal asthma stories.
  • Be aware of time if taking questions during the presentation as discussion can get off track easily. Consider holding questions until the end.

Classroom Presentation

  • Demonstrate use of asthma medications.
  • Hold questions and sharing of asthma stories until the end.

See Resources provided:

Provide Library Resources

Description:

Libraries are key areas where students, school personnel and parents can access asthma information.

Things to Consider:

  • Suggest principal keep copy of CAFS Resource Kit in the library for access by staff and parents.
  • Provide copy of Call Me Brave Boy book and/or Brave Boy presentation.
  • Suggest librarian read stories about asthma to students during their regular library period as appropriate.
  • Assemble Lung Association resources (including additional languages) in a binder.

See Resources:

  • Student Resource List
  • To view and order Ontario Lung Association Resources
    • Asthma in Children
    • Call Me Brave Boy book
    • Asthma Active book
    • Puffr comic, bookmark
    • What Sets You Off? poster and sticker set
    • Questions and Answers about Asthma
  • To view and order Ophea Resources Examples include:
    • Practical Strategies for Teachers pamphlet
    • Basics of Asthma, Allergies and Anaphylaxis fact sheet
    • Asthma in the Classroom: What teachers need to know pamphlet
    • Asthma and Physical Education: What Physical Educators and Coaches need to know