posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer, Schools and Learning

We have Suicide Alertness For Everyone Training (safeTALK) scheduled for:

Wednesday 31 January 2018 (9.30am – 1.30pm) in Forfar
Friday 23 February 2018 (1pm – 5pm) in Forfar

This training is open to everyone (employees, employers and members of the public who live or work in Angus).  Please forward this email to anyone who would be interested in this training.

safeTALK is designed to be an introductory course for anyone interested in learning to be suicide aware.

Can you recognise the signs of someone at risk of suicide?  Would you know what to say to a colleague, student, family member or contact with thoughts of suicide?  Most persons with thoughts of suicide go unrecognised – even though most are, directly or indirectly, requesting help.  Without safeTALK training, these invitations to help are too rarely accepted, or even noticed.  In only a few hours, you will learn how to recognise these invitations and provide practical help to persons with thoughts of suicide.  Expect to leave safeTALK more willing and able to perform an important helping role for persons with thoughts of suicide.  safeTALK is a training session for everyone in the community – no prior knowledge is required.

Aim of Training:  To enable participants to recognise and engage people who might be having thoughts of suicide and to connect them with community resources trained in suicide intervention.

Learning outcomes:

By the end of this course participants will:

• Be aware that people at risk of suicide are often not given help due to cultural myths and misinformation
• Recognise when a person might be having thoughts of suicide
• Engage that person in direct and open talk about suicide
• Move quickly to connect them with someone trained in suicide intervention who can review the risk and develop a plan to reduce the risk of harm or death.

Please see attachment for further information about safeTALK.

Outline of safeTALK training
31.01.18 Registration Form
23.02.18 Registration Form

To book, please email suicideprevention@angus.gov.uk with one of the attached registration forms.  Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis.  This session is free of charge to participants and will be funded by the Suicide Prevention Collaborative for Angus.

posted by Geraldine Napier, Administrative Officer, People, Early Years

Please see attached poster for ‘Bessie the PlayTalkRead Bus’ which is visiting Angus this month.

PTR Bessie – Angus (Jan 2018) [Digital]

posted by Alita Spink, Schools and Learning Support Officer, Schools and Learning

International School Meals Day 2018

Thursday 15 March 2018

My Food
Share your favourite meal, what you like to eat at school, or locally-grown food you love. Get involved – @intschoolmeals – #ISMD2018 – #MyFood www.internationalschoolmealsday.com

International School Meals Day (ISMD) encourages children and young people around the world (with support from their teachers) to connect and talk to each other about the food they eat and the role that it plays in their lives.

In 2018 the theme is
‘My Food’

The way that food is prepared and consumed offers opportunities to share time with family, friends and your community.

This year’s theme allows pupils to share their favourite meal, perhaps provided at school or cooked at home with food that is grown locally. Through the written word, drawings or photographs, they can demonstrate why this particular food is so special to them.

In the run-up to International School Meals Day, you can encourage young people to think about and discuss their favourite foods and meals in the way that is best suited to your learning environment. The main thing is to celebrate the rich diversity of recipes that is sure to exist in every classroom, and to enjoy ISMD!

Stories and pictures will be featured on the website and on Twitter, so follow @IntSchoolMeals and the hashtags #ISMD2018 #MyFood.

Supporters of ISMD since 2013:

Association for Public Service Excellence; Association of Service Solutions in Scotland; BBC World Class; British Council; Children in Scotland; Children’s Food Trust; Countryside Classroom; Education Foundation; Education Scotland; Food For Life; Global Child Nutrition Foundation; Mary’s Meals; Northern Ireland School Caterers Association; No Kid Hungry (Share our Strength); Lead Authority in Education Catering; Scottish Government; Skype in the Classroom; USDA; Welsh Assembly; and World Food Programme.

ISMD is funded by the Scottish Government and Children in Scotland.

posted my Andy Garnett, Active Schools Lead Coordinator, Schools and Learning

Join the Step Count Challenge this spring and step into a healthier workplace. Walking more can energise you and make you feel fresh and alert. You’ll feel healthier too.

Whether it’s walking to work, going for a lunchtime stroll or simply using the stairs rather than the lift, we just want people to enjoy the benefits of an active lifestyle.

Here’s the lowdown:

• The challenge starts on Monday 22^nd January and lasts for 4 weeks
• Enter as a team of 5 people
• Create a user account at the Step Count Challenge website where you can record your daily steps, get personal step goals, share comments with your team and track your team’s progress on our leaderboards
• If you need a way of counting your steps, we can provide you with a pedometer – just let us know at WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk
• You can also use your own pedometer, activity tracker or favourite app
• There will be regular updates, challenges and prizes throughout to keep you and your team motivated

To register your team email WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk and we’ll let you know how you can sign up.

Curious, but not sure? Have a look at our website www.stepcount.org.uk, our Twitter https://twitter.com/step_count, or read about North Ayrshire Council’s Step Count Challenge on our blog: http://stepcount.org.uk/2017/04/livewell-step-count-challenge

If you have any questions please feel free to email WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk.

posted by Kim Walker, Schools and Learning Support Officer, Workforce Development

Are you currently a Principal Teacher? Are you interested in developing your Middle Leadership Skills?

SCEL are running four free training events for Principal Teachers. These cover:

• Leading Professional Learning
• Collaborative Leadership
• Pedagogical Leadership
• Curriculum Leadership

These events are now available for booking on a first come first served basis. Numbers are limited so you are urged to apply as soon as possible if you wish to attend. Further information on each of the events can be viewed on the SCEL website here: http://www.scelscotland.org.uk/events/

In order to secure a place, all booking should be completed online (direct with SCEL) by following the relevant link from the list below.

Leading professional learning – GLASGOW – Tuesday 23 January 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-leading-professional-learning-tickets-41420488797

Collaborative leadership – EDINBURGH – Wednesday 7 February 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-collaborative-leadership-tickets-41993104506

Pedagogical leadership – DUNDEE –  Thursday 22 February 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-pedagogical-leadership-tickets-41993212830

Curriculum leadership – ABERDEEN – Thursday 1 March 2018

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scel-successful-middle-leadership-curriculum-leadership-tickets-41993517742

posted by Brenda Roddy, Project Officer, Environmental Strategy, MIEMA, CEnv

Fancy a 4 week challenge to shake off those holiday pounds? Starts Monday 22^nd January.

Take part in our Step Count Challenge (free!) Register your team of 5 to track how many steps you take each week over a 4 week period. Cyclists, runners and swimmers can convert their activities into steps too. All you have to do is find a team of 5 (we can help), pick a name, a team captain and get the captain to register your team here:

Team registration:     https://challenge.stepcount.org.uk/RegistrationVoucherShare?code=0Da7NoeJY0y%2B5E2AJKV3DA

To find out more        http://stepcount.org.uk/faqs/

Any questions?          Contact    WalkAtWork@pathsforall.org.uk

We’ll have prizes over the 4 weeks for best team names, teams with the most activity, teams with the greatest improvement, the most interesting activities and best images.