Parent Permission!

Fourth quarter health will serve 8th grade Colony Middle School students. I am very excited to start the discussion about healthy relationships with your scholar. Below is the health syllabus for this quarter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you do NOT wish your child to participate during the Healthy Relationships and Sexuality chapter, please let me know.

8th Grade Health Education Syllabus

Texts:

Glencoe Teen Health by McGraw Hill Education

Positive Action

Alaska Safe Children's Act

Course Description:

This course is designed to promote physical, mental, social and emotional health while students gain the necessary knowledge, skills, and positive attitudes for a lifetime of personal wellness. The Glencoe Teen Health education program motivates students to improve and maintain their health, prevent disease, and reduce risky behaviors.

Positive Action is a systematic educational program that promotes an intrinsic interest in learning and encourages cooperation among students.  It works by teaching and reinforcing the intuitive philosophy that you feel good about yourself when you do positive actions.

When children are healthy, they can learn; when they are educated, they can stay healthy.  "No knowledge is more crucial that knowledge about health.  Without it, no other goal can be successfully achieved."

Outcomes:

*Students will gain the knowledge and skills to build healthy relationships.

*Students will be motivated to improve and maintain their health, prevent disease and injury, and reduce risky behaviors.

*Students will learn the difference between communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and what they can do to help increase the opportunity to live a long and happy life.

Topics of Study (Parents can preview materials by viewing online resources here, or by contacting Mrs. Bright.)

Building Healthy Relationships

Healthy Relationships and Sexuality

Preventing Disease

Healthy Relationships and Sexuality is part of the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District's adopted Human Growth and Development Health Curriculum.  This form is to obtain permission for your child to participate in this using unit, as well as, the receipt of the Health Syllabus.

The Health Relationships and Sexuality unit focuses on the following lessons:  Changes During the Teen Years, Your Changing Body, The Female Reproductive System, The Male Reproductive System, and Pregnancy and Childbirth.

This unit provides basic, relevant information about human anatomy and growing up, including the stages of growth from conception to birth and the onset of puberty, Decision making steps for responsible behaviors are discussed, refusal skills for unhealthy and risky behaviors are reinforced, and the importance of setting goals focused on responsibility are emphasized.

Preview opportunities for the associated videos and materials will be found on my teacher website.  Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or a desire a time to meet to further preview materials.

In addition, we have some very special speakers coming to our 8th grade health class April 15-17th to present Step Up Now to Healthy Relationships. This presentation series teaches teens how to have healthy relationships by choosing to value themselves and others.  It covers topics such as why teens engage in sexual expression, potential consequences (including an entire presentation on STIs and STDs) and the benefits of choosing abstinence for a protected future ahead.

This presentation is an approved supplement to the Teen Health Curriculum the district uses.  Again, if you have any questions please feel free to talk to the school nurse for more information and Mrs. Bright.  In addition, the website www.akstepupnow.org will answer many questions.

Student Materials

Pencils

Colored Pencils

Scissors

Glue