President’s Message:

The Heartbeat

of Our Schools

Welcome back to another school year. I hope everyone had a smooth opening and is now ready to reconnect and focus on professional goals and self- advocacy. Please take the time to join your professional associations. The Middlesex County School Nurses Association provides valuable information from the New Jersey State School Nurses Association (NJSSNA) and National School Nurses Association (NASN), current and pending legislation and professional development at each of our meetings (10/28/14, 1/27/15 & 3/24/15). Attending our meetings also gives you the opportunity to meet with colleagues and share ideas, concerns and approaches to issues that face us all.

Plan to join us on May 6, 2015 as we celebrate School Nurses Day and recognize our friends and colleagues as they enter the next chapter in their lives – retirement! Once again we will be focusing on our membership drive and communication efforts. We are asking each district to identify at least one nurse to take on the role of District Liaison. If you are interested in being liaison for your district, please contact me at atupe@nbtschools.org. I wish you much success this year and look forward to seeing you at our first General Membership meeting on October 28th.

Anna Tupe

_______________________________

MCSNA welcomes two new board members:

Lori Mido s Professional Development Chair

Mary Ellen Engel s Communications Chair.

Notice of Proposed By-Laws Change

In regard to MCSNA membership dues, it is stated in the by-laws that “50% of this amount shall be allocated for the scholarship fund”. This has created budgeting issues. The budget is created and voted on in the spring while membership (dues) follows the school year. A change will be proposed at the October meeting. MCSNA expects to continue awarding scholarships to high school seniors.

General Membership Meeting

05/6/14

Location: Ria Mar Restaurant, South River, NJ.

Present: Anna Tupe, Stacy Fretta, Barbara Snepar, Audrey Baker, Pat Dufty, Christine Carroll, Jani Masur, MaryAnn Allard, Judy Berg-Friel, Peggy Eckstein, Ellen Gieser, Mary Blackborow, Irene McShane, Cindy Weiler and Linda Elko.

Absent excused: Beth Jameson

The meeting was called to order at 4:37 pm

President: Anna Tupe

- Welcomed everyone to the last general meeting of the 2013-2014 school year,
- Installed Jani Masur as newest board member – co-chair of Programs.
- Reviewed initiatives of the past year including the development of district liaisons, membership drive and preparation for Janet’s Law.
- Touched on the value of membership in the MCSNA, asked for a volunteer to serve as the professional development chair.
- New sport physical form available for immediate use.
  - President Elect: Stacy Fretta – (currently fulfilling the professional development chair role as well) reports that the MCSNA website was updated last week and is current.
  - Recording Secretary: Audrey Baker – Minutes from general membership meeting 3/25/14 distributed and reviewed. Motion to accept by Barbara Snepar and second by Nora Glowinski; approved by membership.
  - Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Snepar – no report.
  - Treasurer: Beth Jameson – (excused) Current budget reviewed and proposed budget for next year review by Anna Tupe – recommended for approval by Judith Berg-Friel and second by Barbara Forsythe; approved by membership.
  - Membership: Pat Dufty – 175 Total members.

Membership is up over last year and Pat will accept checks now for next year’s membership.

Educational Programs: Christine Carroll / Janie Masur – Kay Nottingham Chaplin is scheduled to speak on vision screening at the fall general membership meeting, date to be determined.

Professional Development: position vacant.

Scholarship: Linda Elko – Danielle Fitzgerald and Kaitlyn Tierney are joining us tonight, along with their parents, and their scholarships are to be presented later on this evening.

Standards and Practice: Mary Ann Allard – no report.

Publicity: Peggy Eckstein – no report.

Legislative: Judith Berg-Friel

- - Reminder that the new athletic physical form is available should be used now.
    - MCEA Liaison: Ellen Gieser – No report.
    - NJSSNA Liaison: Mary Blackborow –
  - NJSSNA end-of-year meeting will be held at Pierre’s on May 20th, 2014 and the presentation will be on legislation.
  - There will be a NJSSNA meeting this October, in South Jersey.
    - Newsletter/Communication: Irene McShane – no report.
    - Cindy Weiler – reminded us to email mcsna@gmail.com if you would like to make sure your email address is in the MCSNA system.
    - Business meeting concluded at 04:58 pm.
    - Program: Ken Verni, NJ Center for Mindful Awareness, spoke to us about mindfulness and being where you are. [KenaVerni@gmail.com].
    - Many of the school nurses in attendance were the recipients of a chair massage courtesy of Health Source of Plainsboro, N.J.
    - Veronica DeBruin, School Nurse from Old Bridge Schools, was honored as a retiree. She has worked as a school nurse in the Old Bridge School District for 25 years. She was presented with flowers from her district and a lovely bookmark from the MCSNA.
    - Linda Elko presented the two prospective nursing students from Middlesex County who are the 2014 scholarship recipients.
    - Danielle Fitzgerald from Metuchen High School was the recipient of a $500.00 scholarship and will be attending New York University to study nursing in the fall of 2014.
    - Kaitlyn Tierney from JP Stevens High School was the recipient of a $500.00 scholarship and will be attending Quinnipiac University to study nursing in the fall of 2014.
    - Raffles:

- Betty from Sayreville won a $25.00 School Health gift card,
- Annette (retired school nurse) won “Angels in Disguise” a book.
- Dot from East Brunswick won free membership to the MCSNA for next year.
  - Respectfully Submitted
  - Audrey Baker
  - From NJSSNA:
- New Jersey Excellence in School Nursing Award applications, available on line, due Nov. 1, 2014.
- NJSSNA Fall Conference – Oct. 25th, 8:30-4:30.
  - Register at: NJSSNA.org
  - Save These Dates
  - General Membership Meetings
  - October 28, 2014
  - January 27, 2015
  - March 24. 2015
  - May 6. 2015

Legislative Update

The status of NJSSNA Bills of interest:

a. School Nurse Certification bill- S1501(Bateman) is presently in the Senate Education Committee. A-1431 (Caride/ Singleton) is presently in the Assembly Education Committee. To take action contact Senator Ruiz at (973) 484-1000 or SenRuiz@njleg.org, and Assemblyman Diegnan at (908) 757-1677 or AsmDiegnan@njleg.org, and request they post this bill in their committees.

b. Stock Epinephrine Bill- A304 (Russo) /S801 (O’Toole): A304 was passed by the full Assembly on May 22, 2014. S-805 is in the Senate Education Committee. Take action by contacting Senator Ruiz at (973) 484-1000 or SenRuiz@njleg.org and request she post this bill in her committee.

Recent legislative Activity:

a. A-2072 (Fuentes) was signed into law. This bill requires high school students to receive CPR/AED training.

b. A-1264 (Schepisi) requires schools to develop policies for automatic defibrillator use. Status: Passed the Assembly and the Senate Education Committee.

c. A-3360 (Lampitt) requires districts with a middle and/or high school to establish a food service advisory committee to consider menu options that reflect students’ cultural, traditional and dietary preferences.

Status: In second reading by the Assembly. NJSSNA would like to have the language of the bill include a school nurse in some capacity.

Additional information may be found at:

njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp .

Step Up and Be Counted

The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) is asking that every state collect data that reports the number of students and nurses and identify certain chronic conditions that you provide care for in your schools. This is a snapshot in time. The New Jersey State School Nurses and Middlesex County School Nurses Associations are assisting with the process. The association is asking that every district, private or parochial school and charter school with a school nurse report the information to one of the county champions. NASN is also asking for the following data: how many students are sent home, how many return to class and how many result in 911 calls during the school year. The district liaisons will be asked to assist in collecting this data. The purpose of this project is to begin to identify exactly how school nurses impact student outcomes in chronic disease in the school setting. There are webinars on the NASN website, and information on the Step Up and Be Counted page. The link to the document that may be used for districts to complete and return to the county champions is:

nasn.org/Research/StepUpBeCounted

MCSNA Website

Keep this site marked and visit often for updates on information in this newsletter, including continuing education opportunities.

Sites.Google.com/Site/MiddlesexCountySchoolNureses/

The Heartbeat of Our Schools

The official Newsletter of the Middlesex County School Nurses Association

Published twice a year

Editor: Irene McShane

McShaneIrene@yahoo.com

Next Issue: May 2015

Happy Halloween!

Welcome back to another school year! I am pleased to serve as the President of the Middlesex County School Nurses Association for the next two years. I would like to invite all Middlesex County school nurses to join the MCSNA. Membership in the Association provides a direct line of communication with the New Jersey State School Nurses Association through our NJSSNA Liaison and representation with the Middlesex County Education Association through our MCEA Liaison.

There is currently one vacant position on the MCSNA Executive Board. The Chairperson for Professional Development compiles a list of current educational opportunities for our members and issues Professional Development hours for programs sponsored by our Association. Please contact me if you are interested.

Last year school nurses joined together in the face of Hurricane Sandy, volunteering their time and donating supplies to address the needs of our students and their families.

This year we face another challenge as we comply with the expectations related to Evaluations, Student Growth Objectives (SGOs) and Achieve NJ. Though daunting at first, we must take this as an opportunity to educate our Principals, Administration and Evaluators on the roles and responsibilities of the School Nurse. A copy of the Scope and Standards of School Nursing and other information from the NASN website (NASN.ORG) are important resources to use. Formulating Student Growth Objectives related to school nursing services document the benefits of the many activities and interventions we currently perform. The data we collect provides evidence that supports our practice.

Best wishes to everyone for a successful school year and I look forward to seeing you at our first General Membership meeting on Tuesday, October 22.

Anna Tupe

Value of Membership in MCSNA

What does your membership do for you? Membership offers educational programs providing professional development hours and continuing nursing education contact hours with the opportunity to network with other nurses in the county. MCSNA communicates about current issues and legislation relevant to the practice of school nursing. The organization also fosters the development of future nursing leaders by providing nursing scholarships for high school students who are beginning a baccalaureate program in nursing.

Professional responsibilities are now a component of the staff evaluation tool that many NJ school districts are using this year. What better way to demonstrate your participation in the nursing professional community and demonstrate professionalism than membership in the Middlesex County School Nurses Association!

JOIN NOW! You owe it to yourself. Annual dues are only $20 for the entire school year.

NJSSNA Offerings

School Emergency Triage Training (S.E.T.T.SM) Program is being offered on October 26th at the Middlesex Fire Academy in Sayreville by NJSSNA for NASN/NJSSNA members. The cost of $30 for members and provides 4.5 CNE Contact Hours.

S.E.T.T. is an educational program developed by the National Association of School Nurses. Course materials include a S.E.T.T. participant manual to enable school nurses to teach triage to lay persons in their schools. To register go to NJSSNA.ORG.

The New Jersey State School Nurses Association’s Annual March Conference is being held on March 21st and 22nd in Parsippany, NJ. Information will be mailed to schools later in the fall.

MCSNA General Membership Meeting

5/28/13

Location: Ria Mar Restaurant, South River

Present: Mary Blackborow, Anna Tupe, Charlene Delaney, Ellen Gieser, Peggy Eckstein, Pat Dufty, Stacy Fretta, Linda Elko, Eileen Fiegenbaum, Cindy Weiler, Irene McShane, Christine Carroll, Gail Hall, Beth Jameson, and Mary Ann Allard

Excused: Carol Martinez

The meeting was called to order at 4:40pm

President: Mary Blackborow

The year in review:2012-3013

· September brought proposed changes to School Nurse Certification, Sports Physicals, and the A45.

· October we experienced Super Storm Sandy and flooding in South River, Woodbridge, and Sayreville schools. NJEA, for the first time, cancelled the annual convention and schools scrambled to make up days lost due to the storm.

· December the world watched in horror the unimaginable school shooting in Connecticut.

· April we were horrified by the bombings in Boston.

· MCSNA offered many educational opportunities for its members this year: October, “Organ Donation” (which is required by 2014); January, “Respiratory Conditions in Pediatrics”; March; “Pediatric Emergencies”.

· Moving forward ‑‑ encourage your colleagues to join MCSNA. Involvement in professional organizations will be included in the evaluation process as enhancement of professional development.

· Bill S1912 is now on the Governor’s desk and expected to be signed within the next 45 days. School Student Safety Act to ensure the health of student athletes. Changes to the sports physical form. Professional development program to be developed by the Commissioner of Education.

President Elect: Anna Tupe ‑‑ Governor’s Proclamation for School Nurse’s Day 5/8/13 read. Recording Secretary: Charlene Delaney ‑‑ Minutes from the 3/19/13 General Membership meeting accepted by Cheryl Liefer and seconded by Linda Elko.

Corresponding Secretary: Gail Hall ‑‑ No report

Treasurer: Beth Jameson ‑‑ Income and expenditures report reviewed and placed on file for audit.

Membership: Pat Dufty ‑‑ Total is 129, the same as last meeting. Generally, membership is down 20 members. Raffle tickets were given to any member paying for next year’s membership. Drawing for prizes at the end of the meeting.

Educational Program: Chris Carroll & Carol Martinez ‑‑ No report Professional Development: Stacy Fretta – MCSNA Website is up to date.

Scholarship: Linda Elko ‑‑ Scholarships will be awarded to two students at the end of this meeting.

Public Relations: Peggy Eckstein ‑‑ No report

Standards & Practice: MaryAnn Allard ‑‑ Changes coming, urge members to stay aware and informed.

Legislative: Eileen Fiegenbaum ‑‑ No report

MCEA Liasion: Ellen Gieser ‑‑ No report

NJSSNA Liasion: Vacant

Communication: Irene McShane & Cindy Weiler ‑‑ No report

Other Business:

Thank you to Gail Hall, Eileen Fiegenbaum, and Charlene Delaney for their service to the executive board.

· Installation of new executive board members for next year:

Recording Secretary: Audrey Baker (Absent)

Legislation : Judy Friel

Professional Development: Donna Sichta (Absent)

Corresponding Secretary: Barbara Snepar

· Introduction of Retirees by Anna Tupe

Charlene Kenny ‑‑ Sayreville

Annette Scott ‑‑ New Brunswick

Joann Sulzinski ‑‑ Milltown

Pam Weiss ‑‑ South Brunswick

Anita Opaleski ‑‑ Spotswood (Absent)

· Presentation of Scholarship Awards by Linda Elko

Monica Diaz de Rivera from Middlesex High School for Allied Health and Biomedical Sciences.

Rima Patel from JP Stevens High School, Edison

· Raffle prizes awarded ‑‑ two $25 gift cards for School Health and one free MCSNA membership for next year.

· Thank you to Mary Blackborow for her term as President by Anna Tupe.

Meeting adjourned: 7:00 pm

Respectfully Submitted,

Charlene Delaney

Legislative Update

Janet’s Law or P.L.2012, c.51 (C.2A:62A-24), requires public schools to have automated external defibrillators for youth athletic events and to establish certain plans relating to sudden cardiac events. AED’S must be assessable during school hours and during school sponsored events and the school needs to have staff members who are trained in the use of the AED.

(www.njleg.state.nj.us/2012/Bills/PL12/6_.HTM)

(www.njleg.state.nj.us/20082009/PL09/260_.PDF)

The Scholastic Student-Athlete Safety Act (P.L. 2013, c.71) was signed by Governor Christie on June 27, 2013 and effective November 1, 2013. The intent of the Act is to establish measures to ensure the health of student athletes in public and non public schools. The measures include:

· Use of a “Pre-participation Physical Evaluation” (PPE) form which is presently being developed. Until the PPE form becomes available, schools are required to use the “Annual Athletic Pre-participation Physical Examination” form available at

(www.state.nj.us/education/students/safety/health/records/athleticphysicalsform.pdf) [ (www.state.nj.us/education/students/safety/health/records/athleticphysicalsformsp.pdf)

· Development of a professional development module to increase assessment skills of those health care practitioners (MD, DO, APN or PA) who perform the student athlete physical examinations.

· Certification by the examining health care practitioner, as well as the school physician who reviews and approves the PPE, that they have completed the module.

· Inclusion of a statement of assurance in the contract between the school district and the school physician that the school physician has completed the module.

· Distribution of a pamphlet about sudden cardiac arrest provided by NJDOE to parents of student athletes and receipt of a written certification that they received and reviewed the pamphlet. The “Sudden Cardiac Death in Young Athletes” pamphlet will be available: (www.nj.gov/education/students/safety/health/services/memo.pdf).

We will keep you updated as to when the new material is available.