The MASS APPEAL of Lifeskills Training!

Happy 2017! We're ushering in the new year with a renewed energy that we're about to share throughout the Pioneer Valley. On Wednesday, January 11, Kat Allen of FRCOG's Partnership For Youth and Frontier Regional School's Kate Blair (yours truly) will be featured on WWLP's Mass Appeal to speak about the Lifeskills Training Program and its adoption in middle schools throughout the Franklin Quabbin region. This segment airs between 11am and noon, so tune in and hear updates on this fantastic prevention program that we're fortunate to have in so many middle schools in western Massachusetts! In case you miss it, check back to the blog - I'll post a clip of our segment!

Yours in prevention,

Kate

LST Assessment Tools: Keeping Our Smart Students On Track!

The other day I was teaching an 8th grade middle school LST lesson in the Media Influences unit. Boy, oh boy, do we have plenty to discuss lately about this topic! The Media Influences unit throws a spotlight on advertising techniques for products, particularly tobacco, alcohol and e-cigarettes. But I'm noticing more and more that students are savvy enough to realize the wider range of influence that the media has on all consumers, not just teens. Our conversations have really migrated from advertising to social media to election conspiracy theories to fake news and beyond. These students are so inquisitive, and they make great connections all the time!

Working with smart kids is one of the many reasons I love my job. They love to take a lesson off-road, and we have inspiring discussions about a wide range of topics that expand well beyond the ink on my LST teacher's guide. Because of my smart students, I have to work a little harder to be sure they hit the objectives of each lesson and unit. I'm sure I'm not the only teacher whose students want to push the scope of their lessons a bit further than what's on the script.

That's why having the LST Classroom Assessment Tool is so helpful. It keeps me on track, making sure I know whether my students have hit their targets. For example, I gave my students one of the questions on the LST Assessment tool as a lesson activator the other day: "Name any three common advertising techniques that we have studied in class." Most students were able to complete the task, but I realized that not all of them could. So I invested a few minutes of class in reviewing these techniques, connecting them to examples of ads that students had identified in a previous lesson. Objective reached.

Here's the link to the LST Assessment Tools for levels 1, 2 and 3:

http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/lst_classroom.php

Keep doing that AMAZING prevention work!

Kate

Western Massachusetts Lifeskills Network Coordinator

Success!

Wow! What a day! Thank you to all who attended the Advanced Lifeskills Training on Friday! The energy in the room was palpable, and everyone had something valuable to share. Big thanks also to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for sponsoring this important event; to Amy Lynn Shimko, our incredible trainer; and to Kat, Jeanette, and everyone at the Franklin Regional Council of Governments who have put so much time and effort into making LST a reality in Western Massachusetts and beyond.

Now it's time to take that energy and keep our fires well stoked as we head back into our classrooms, programs and other prevention-based settings to deliver this powerful curriculum. I'll be sending all of you a link to a survey to get an idea of how best to support this group via the power of technology. Look for an email from me in the next day or two. And, if you haven't already, follow our group on Twitter! @WMA_Lifeskills

In the meantime, feel free to shoot me questions that just can't wait for #lifeskillschat, and keep up the amazing work you do! I'm so inspired by the talent and dedication in this network of prevention specialists.

Best,

Kate

Kate Blair
Western Mass Lifeskills Network Coordinator

#Lifeskillschat

Quick post here, as it's getting late and I want to be fresh-faced and well rested for tomorrow's Lifeskills Training! We will certainly put the word out tomorrow, but look for the launch of #lifeskillschat on Twitter soon! What's #lifeskillschat? Well, it's a forum that uses Twitter as the platform for collaboration and discussion on a variety of topics relating to the middle school Lifeskills Training Program. We're trying to promote and support the implementation of LST in middle schools in the Franklin/Quabbin region, and we realize that not every dedicated teacher and champion of LST can attend every meeting in person. We are busy professionals in a spread-out, rural area. Thus, the concept of a technology-supported Lifeskills Network was born. By using Twitter, our Western Mass Lifeskills Network blog, and other tech-savvy initiatives, we aim to make LST implementation awesome as we support the talented educators who deliver this program in classrooms and other settings every day in our area.

If you're going to be at the training tomorrow, great! If not, and you want to stay connected to this group and initiative, bookmark this blog and follow us on Twitter - @WMA_Lifeskills.

Yours in prevention,

Kate

Greetings, Lifeskills Supporters! I'm excited to help promote a series of webinars created by Botvin LST that are designed to help the implementation of Lifeskills Training at any level! Content will cover: implementing with fidelity resources for teachers and students raising awareness about your program Q&A Check the image below for information on each webinar. For those in the Franklin/Quabbin area who are implementing middle school Lifeskills, the 8/23 date is for you! Space is limited, so register ASAP. I will certainly be participating in this webinar, and I hope to "see" others in our region there! For those unable to attend, I'll be posting summaries on this blog and tweeting key points in the days shortly afterward. Follow me on Twitter at @WMA_Lifeskills !! Click on the link below to access the link for registration. Any problems with registration, please email me! kate.blair@frsu38.org Yours in prevention, Kate Kate Blair Lifeskills Network Coordinator Elementary School Program - Monday, 8/22 (11am ET - noon) Middle School Program - Tuesday, 8/23 (11am ET - noon) High School Program - Wednesday, 8/24 (11am ET - noon)  Transitions Program - Thursday, 8/25 (11am ET - noon) Parent Program - Friday, 8/26 (11am ET - noon) This is a unique opportunity for those getting ready to start the LifeSkills Training program... Are you ready for the new school year? Join us on a webinar for new and veteran LST teachers... Preparing for Success with LifeSkills Training We're excited to offer a series of webinars designed to help anyone looking to implement the LST program at any level.  Our goal is to help you successfully kick off your implementation of LST!  This informative webinar will discuss and present information related to: Implementing with fidelity Resources for teachers and students Raising awareness about your program Q & A  WEBINAR SCHEDULE Elementary School Program - Monday, 8/22 (11am ET - noon) Middle School Program - Tuesday, 8/23 (11am ET - noon) High School Program - Wednesday, 8/24 (11am ET - noon)  Transitions Program - Thursday, 8/25 (11am ET - noon) Parent Program - Friday, 8/26 (11am ET - noon) No experience required. All are welcome, however space is limited.  STAY CONNECTED