VOLUME VI, ISSUE 3 • October 14, 2011 e-connections A publication of Santa Fe Public School District Office of the Superintendent What is the A-F Grading System? Dear Faculty, Staff and Colleagues, I am sure you have been hearing bits and pieces about the A–F Grading System our Secretary of Education Designate, Hanna Skandera, will propose to the Federal Government in November. The A–F Grading System will replace the current AYP School Designation Model that has been in effect in New Mexico for almost a decade. I have been asked in recent weeks, “Bobbie, what is the A-F Grading System, exactly?” Currently, the A–F System is still evolving and changing at the state level, but described in this article is what we know based on the most recent information we have received. NMPED describes the A–F Grading System as an “accountability model” that will hold schools accountable for facilitating learning. It will capture important differences regarding achievement while avoiding classification of schools based on outside circumstances, providing useful information for school improvement, and creating motivation for improvement. Another question frequently asked is, “How is A–F different from AYP?” AYP provided clear and concrete goals. It created some motivation. AYP focused as much, or more, on enrollment characteristics as it did on performance there by creating unintended consequences. In the A–F Grading System, Elementary and Middle Schools will be rated based on: • Proficiency • Growth • Potential Other Academic Indicators Currently, NMPED is considering two models for calculating the A–F Grading System. These are called Thing 1 and Thing 2. In Thing 1, NMPED denotes the following: • Easy to calculate • Transparent • Schools receive credit long spectrum of performance, not just a single cut point • Result seem to be less biased by school enrollment than AYP • Results do not account for uncontrollable school characteristics • Students without two scores cannot be included Thing 2 is described by NMPED in the following way: • Results are least affected by uncontrollable school factors • Does not require complete information from students • School reliability estimates are high • Consistent estimation strategy with potential teacher evaluation student performance component • Produces results with considerable face validity • Provides specific grades related to score components, which is more difficult to estimate • Not possible to calculate by hand There are public hearings scheduled for the week of October 31. I will be in attendance at the Public Hearing scheduled in Mabry Hall at NMPED on Monday, October 31, and I will continue to share information as it becomes available. We have many unanswered questions about the A-F Grading System. Improving our lives through education, High Schools • Proficiency • Growth • Graduation Rate • Student Engagement Indicators • Career and College Readiness Indicators Bobbie J. Gutierrez Superintendent Sources: Considerations and Options for A–F School Grading; NMSBA Fall 2011 Region Meetings; Considerations and Options for A–F High School Grading; NM Superintendents Advisory Council, September 20, 2011. Heroic Leader in SFPS www.sfps.info Diane Garcia-Piro is the Principal at De Vargas Middle School. She is a brave fearless leader who is dedicated to providing educational excellence to her students. She works tirelessly, above and beyond what is required and is passionate about creating the best opportunities for her middle school students. Middle school is tough for most kids and Diane knows that. She is constantly seeking new ideas to make that important middle school experience engaging, impactful and an effective experience for all of her students to set them on a path to graduation. It takes a brave leader and pure hard work to lead change as Diane does, but she is relentless and committed. She is a true education hero in our community. –Sue Goodwin, Executive Director, Citizen Schools New Mexico • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Earth Care – Programs to Enrich Students Lives Taste, touch, feel, smell, think, reflect, understand, voice your opinion, find your passion, work together, serve, make change. These are all experiences that students are guided through in Earth Care’s interdisciplinary enrichment programs in Santa Fe Public Schools that work to empower children and youth to create healthy and sustainable schools, communities and education. Garden-Based Education Program Hard New Mexico dirt, it can seem daunting to chip away at such dry, compacted ground. But last year, students broke ground and grew armfuls of food at five new school gardens in SF Public Schools. Amy, an AmeriCorps Food Cadre member placed at Amy Biehl Community School last year recalls with a smile, “the SFPS District was a huge help to our garden. They brought backhoes to level out the soil and install fencing. They also helped move a truckload of soil.” Custodians, cafeteria workers, and parents became invested in the garden’s progress. The school also started a compost, bird habitat, planted fruit trees, and allocated an outdoor classroom area in the garden. 2 When students enter their school garden, they seem to understand it is a special place. Allie, AmeriCorps Food Cadre Member at Aspen Community School, noticed that students are very careful not to allow any litter in the garden. She also sees classes who normally have a difficult time cooperating do teambuilding exercises in the garden and figure out how to work well with each other. Students who otherwise have behavior problems tend to have excellent participation during garden classes. Students may naturally become more attentive to something they care about, like finding worm cocoons or tracking the growth of seeds they planted. Gardens are also a great place to nurture compassion. Liana, Salazar Elementary’s AmeriCorps Member, observed, “kids have stopped killing things as often. There seems to be a stronger respect for all living things expressed by students and observed by teachers.” This year, Earth Care will provide six AmeriCorps Volunteers to serve as School Garden and Sustainability Coordinators in schools through our Food Cadre program. These young professionals teach sustainability education curriculum including gardening, eco-conscious practices and nutrition education. AmeriCorps members will start or expand Garden-Based Education programs at Tesuque Elementary, Salazar Elementary, Aspen Community School, Amy Biehl Community School, Santa Fe High and Capital High. www.sfps.info Eco-Schools Outreach Program Earth Care’s AmeriCorps volunteers also work with K-12 schools to offer an Eco-Schools curriculum and support student-led environmental service-learning projects and conservation efforts at schools. Eco-Schools is a free program from the National Wildlife Federation. Students do audits to evaluate the environmental impact of school facilities and design and carry out service-learning projects to reduce their school’s eco-footprint. The Eco-Schools program partners with Lisa Randall, Energy Conservation Program Coordinator for SFPS, to support the District’s sustainability initiatives and offer this program in K-12 schools. Interested teachers can contact Earth Care to invite this program into their classroom. Sustainable School Awards Earth Care, SFPS, and the City of Santa Fe partner to offer the Sustainable Schools Awards. Nominations are accepted in March for projects completed during the school year that reduce schools’ impact on the environment in the following categories: Consumption & Waste, Water, Energy, Food, Transportation, School Grounds & Outdoor Habitat, Green Hour and Global Dimensions. In April 2011 we presented 26 Sustainable Schools Awards to 16 SF Public Schools. Way to go Santa Fe! More about Earth Care and the Food Cadre AmeriCorps Program Earth Care’s mission is to educate and empower young people to create healthy, just and sustainable communities. We do this through sustainability education, service-learning, community organizing and urban agriculture. Since 2001, Earth Care has been investing in the students and staff at SFPS. Earth Care’s school programs are standards-based, and incur no direct cost to SFPS. Last school year alone financial support through Earth Care staff time, training, materials, tools, and office costs totaled $131,767 plus 12,590 hours of human power by AmeriCorps Volunteers. AmeriCorps Volunteers are provided to the schools by Earth Care’s through our Food Cadre Program. Dedicated, service-minded Food Cadre members participate in an 11-month leadership development program designed to train the next generation of food advocates, urban farmers, educators and leaders. They serve non-profits, schools, and local government. 3 At schools, Food Cadre Members create, improve and expand education programs that develop student leadership, integrate sustainability education, and address hunger, health and environmental issues in the school community. Interested principals, staff, students, and sites can visit www.earthcare.org to learn about how you can bring Earth Care’s enrichment programs to your school. The National Institute on Drug Abuse The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) invites you to participate in its fifth annual Drug Facts Chat Day on Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Hosted by top scientists from the NIDA, the lead Federal agency for research on drug abuse and addiction, this annual event is a unique opportunity for teachers and students to ask expert scientists honest questions about drugs and their impact on the brain and body. www.sfps.info Register today! Although Drug Facts Chat Day is open to everyone for use as a learning tool in a view-only, real-time format, only the first 100 schools that register will be able to submit questions. We encourage you to sign up as soon as possible at www.nidachat.org/register.aspx. Drug Facts Chat Day is a component of National Drug Facts Week (NDFW), a health observance week for teens that aims to shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse. NDFW 2011 is the week of October 31–November 6, 2011. Make a difference in your community by hosting an event or activity during NDFW to help teens learn the facts. To help you plan, NIDA provides a step-by-step event toolkit with a list of suggested activities and free resources such as the 2011 drug facts booklet for event distribution. Reprinted with permission from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • UNM Prevention Research Center Announces New Mexico SRTS Funding Opportunity The University of New Mexico (UNM) Prevention Research Center (PRC) in collaboration with the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program is offering ten $1,000 honoraria through a competitive process to start or enhance SRTS activities in NM. Eligible applicants are elementary schools, middle schools or non-profit organizations that work with a school to improve safety and/or increase the number of children who safely walk or bicycle to school. The application is attached. In order to offer this funding opportunity to qualified schools in NM that have not yet received funding for SRTS activities, the following schools are NOT eligible to apply for this honorarium: schools currently receiving NM SRTS funds; schools that have received NM SRTS funds in the past; or schools that have received mini-grants from the National Center for SRTS. Please check the application packet included in this email and also available on the NM SRTS website at www.nmsaferoutes.com for eligibility requirements and project ideas. Applications are due Monday, October 17 by midnight. Questions about the application or application process can be directed to Leona Woelk at [email protected] or Jessica Frost at [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your application! 4 Leona Woelk UNM Prevention Research Center [email protected] 505-272-4462 Jessica Frost AICP NM Safe Routes to School Coordinator NM Department of Transportation www.nmsaferoutes.com 505-476-2155 Literacy Initiative Please help Santa Fe School for Arts and Sciences earn a $10,000 grant for our citywide Alliance for Literacy Reading Campaign that will benefit all schools and students in our community. Due to our community partnership with Albertsons, we are eligible to earn a grant to help our entire community; however, we have to be one of six organizations who get the most votes! Please help by voting five times a day through Saturday, October 15. www.sfps.info Our code is 0671 1. Go to albertsonspchallenge.com and login, by entering your email address. 2. If this is your first time to the site, you will be taken to the email verification page. 3. Once your email is verified you can login and vote using just your email. 4. Enter Charity Code #0671 in the upper left hand corner, click Go. 5. When you see our entry, click on vote. You can vote up to five times per day through Saturday, October 15. Please spread the sword to your family, friends and co-workers. Thank you for your support! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Register NOW! For the CESDP 20th Annual Back to School Family and Youth Institute November 3-4, 2011 Buffalo Thunder, Santa Fe Conference Center Up to 400 participants from throughout New Mexico are expected including parents, grandparents, youth, teachers, principals, counselors, and other school staff. All participants will be eligible to win one of 10 laptop computers including I-Pads and other door prizes. The agenda is packed full with inspiring speakers, exhibitors, and over 40 workshops to support parents and educators in school implementing programs such as Title I, Bilingual Education, Indian Education, Special Education, PTA and more. Celebration of the rich culture and diversity in New Mexico schools and communities as well as opportunities to address challenges and solutions for challenges will dominate this 20th Annual Event. Child Care will be available in the new facilities designed just for the kids with a guest visitor: The Cat in the Hat! Visit the link below for more information on how to register as a participant (parents, youth, teachers, counselors, social workers, principals, administrators, school board members, community members, state leaders, extended families, etc.) Information about registering as presenter, exhibitor, or advertiser is also available. www.cesdp.nmhu.edu/backtoschool/backtoschool.asp Hope to see you there! Rodolfo Chavez Institute Coordinator, Senior Associate CESDP, NMHU • 505 426-2273 5 E V SA ATE! www.sfps.info the D Albuquerque’s 36th Annual New Mexico College Fair Sunday, October 16 Noon–3pm Times & details of free Informational College Sessions TBA Albuquerque Convention Center, Fran Hill NE Exhibit Hall 401 Second Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102 Please Encourage Students of All Grades to Attend! • Please add this to your Student Agenda/Planner for the 2011-12 school year. If possible, please make sure the event, date, time, and location are published on your school calendars and resource/career publications. • Please share this information with your colleagues, students, parents and administrators. If you or your colleagues have feedback regarding this event, see www.rmacac.org or contact [email protected]. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® REFRESHER COURSE (Autism Spectrum Disorders: Application of NCI Training) Saturday, October 15, 2011 8:30am to 3:00pm BF Young Professional Development Center Sierra Vista Room To Register through the Professional Development Academy. On SFPS Web page, www.sfps.info or http://sfps.howtomaster.com. Contact Virginia Barreras if you need assistance: vbarreras@sfps. info or 505.467-2550. We are limited to 25 participants. This training is tailored to address the unique needs of staff that support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders or related communication disabilities. However, anyone needing a refresher may attend. Strategies to promote care, welfare, safety and security® for the individuals in your charge, even in violent moments, are taught. Please wear comfortable clothes and closed-toe shoes with non-skid soles. 6 Reprinted with permission from the Crisis Prevention Institute SFPS Music Education Division News SFPS Summer Music Camp a Success! w .sfp ww s.in SFPS Summer Music Camp was a four-week experience held at Capital High School during June for fifty elementary music, strings, and band students. Experiences included performances, rehearsals in large and small group settings, master classes with renowned musicians, music theory, marching, symphonic orchestra, and solo performances. Student ages ranged from kindergarten through high school. Instructors were SFPS music faculty members Todd Hansen, Elementary Music; Steven Iliff, Band; and Carla Kountoupes, String Orchestra. Two culminating public performances were held in the Bryan Fant Theater at Capital High and on the Santa Fe Plaza Bandstand during the July 4 Pancakes on the Plaza celebration. This was the second annual expanded SFPS Summer Music Camp, a tradition in Northern New Mexico that will continue. fo SFPS New Music Faculty Introductions Miller Asbill, Ph.D. Dr. Miller Asbill serves our district as Band Director at Aspen Community Magnet School, E.J. Martinez Elementary, and Salazar Elementary. He completed his undergraduate studies at Arizona State University and has a Master’s and Doctorate degree in Instrumental Conducting from the University of Michigan. Miller taught instrumental music education and instrumental conducting at the university level for 8 years, most recently Texas Tech, and is published in the Instrumentalist Magazine. His student ensembles at the middle and high school level in South Carolina were nationally recognized for excellence in musical achievement. Robert Chrisman Mr. Robert Chrisman teaches elementary band at Acequia Madre, Carlos Gilbert, Kearny, and Wood Gormley elementary schools. He teaches elementary music at Tesuque Elementary. A native of Farmington, Robert re-located to Santa Fe from his most recent home in Durango, Colorado. Robert earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Instrumental Education from Fort Lewis College in Colorado and New Mexico State University. He has served as a long-time member of the Blue Knights Drum and Bugle Corps, a world class, competitive drum corps which tours nationally. Additional faculty members will be introduced in a future edition of e-Connections. 7 Holiday Cards for the Troops! This year, as in every year, members of America’s military will be deployed overseas during the holiday season. The holidays are a time for friends and family, and it’s an especially hard time for our troops to be away from theirs. www.sfps.info We can help spread holiday cheer to these heroes by sending our good wishes. Once again, Soldiers’ Angels is preparing 140,000 holiday packs to send to the troops overseas. We invite your students to join us in sending holiday wishes to our troops by writing cards to our men and women in uniform. These cards will be included in our packs. Choose a stocking-stuffer address depending on your school location. Pacific Time Mountain Time Central Time Eastern Time v Soldiers’ Angels AeroScope, Inc. Soldiers’ Angel Kathy Dean Soldiers’ Angels Dianne Moore GA State Coordinator 1792 East Washington Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91104 11901 Allison Street Broomfield, CO 80020 4408 North PanAm Exprwy. San Antonio, TX 78218 4290 Willow Ridge Rd. Douglasville, GA 30135 Including AK, HI & Pacific Territories Including PR & VI • Cards may be made from ordinary paper or art supplies. Please, though, no glitter. It gets everywhere. • Store bought cards can be used. Most 99¢ stores sell holiday cards. • A variety of cards and coloring sheets for younger students maybe downloaded from the project site at www.teachspace.org/soldiersangels/holidaycards.html. • Do not place cards in envelopes. If you are using purchased cards, please include the envelopes separately. All cards must be reviewed. • Some soldiers may wish to contact the students who write to them. If you like, you may include the school’s address on your cards. (Not on the envelopes, please.) Please do not include the children’s home address. (Soldiers’ Angels permits children to adopt a servicemember only with the permission of a parent or guardian. However a teacher can adopt a soldier on behalf of his or her class. To adopt a soldier, e-mail [email protected].) • The deadline for cards is November 15, but we begin mailing November 1, so the sooner your cards get in the better. Although we have tried to reach at least one person in every school district, we know that we have missed some. We don’t want any student to miss the opportunity to thank our troops personally. Please pass this information on to colleagues and help us reach as many students as possible. In addition, we welcome the participation of anyone else that might be interested, such as members of civic organizations, houses of worship, and other groups. For more information, please contact Lauren Eve Pomerantz, Manager, Project Thank You Notes Soldiers’ Angels [email protected] or 909-450-4444 8 Soldiers’ Angels in a 501-(c)-3 non-profit foundation dedicated to the support of our troops and their families. Founded in 2003 by the mother of a soldier deployed in Iraq, it has grown to be the largest military support organization in the US, with members in all fifty states and twelve other countries. In July 2011, Soldiers’ Angels facilitated its 350,000th soldier adoption. Soldiers’ Angels is approved by Our Military.mil and is part of the Combined Federal Campaign (#25131). For more information, visit www.soldiersangels.org. Reprinted with permission from the Soldiers’ Angels nm ae New Mexico Art Education Association association www.newmexicoarteducators.org Enrich. Create. Integrate. The Art of Art Education NMAEA Annual Conference, Agenda 2011 The Lodge at Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM NMAEA provides the only content‐specific, professional development conference for art educators in New Mexico. This year, the national trend of integration with the arts is threaded throughout the weekend. Presenters were asked to make connections to other arts, or other core contents, in order to strengthen overall cross‐curriculum standards of instruction while fortifying high quality, licensed art education. All attendees need to register via our website at www.newmexicoarteducators.org. th A $20 late fee will apply after Sept 30 . Friday 9‐11:30 Friday 11:30 – 12:30 Friday 12:30 – 1:00 NM Education Secretary‐Designate Address Friday 1:00 – 2:50 Watercolor Sampler Glass Fusing in Elementary Classroom Science and Art: Kinder Centers Let’s Get Physical … and Mental Friday 3:00 – 3:55 Integrating Arts Across the Curriculum Icing on the Color Wheel A Passion for Sharing Art Weaving in the Classroom Beautiful Bali & Terrific Turkey Friday 4:00 ‐ 5:20 Imagination Panel & Imagination Stations Friday 5:30 – 6:50 Reception or Dinner on your own Friday 7:00 – 8:50 Fused Glass and Jewelry Ornaments How Poetry Empowers Teaching Across the Curriculum Build a MC Escher Kaleidocycle Oceans! Early Registration All Lunch on Your Own All Hanna Skandera TBD Lynn Felts Brooke Gold Phyllis Roybal Jaci Hanson NAEA HS Director RRPS SFPS Davis Publications Shelly Norris Cynthia Hanna Kirk Clark Judy Harney Mary Olsen & Stephanie Morris Roni Rohr, Coordinator SFPS Member Booth Sales! All Vendor Booth Activities! All Paul White Alex Traube Woody Duncan Michelle Lemons Clovis Gallup‐McKinley Artist, Taos NMSD SFPS Artist, SF SFPS Retired APS FA Reprinted with permission from the New Mexico Art Education Association Friday 9‐10 Saturday 9:00 – 10:50 Make a Journal/Sustained Silent Drawing So your school wants to do art integration… Museums can help! Monotype for all ages Wood Burning Santos Creating Drawings with Depth, Volume and Perspective Saturday 11:00 – 11:55 Art in the Details Public Art Scavenger Hunts TAB Discussion Pre‐AP Ideas Personal Mandala Color Wheel NAEA Conference Highlights Lunch 12:00 – 1:55 Keynote Luncheon Saturday 2:00 – 2:55 Integrated Arts Elementary Fine Arts Academy Phase 1 of 3 Art Saves Lives/Saves Art Education Fractals: Making Art from Math Tye Dye Made Simple Saturday 3:00 – 4:50 Modular Origami Polish Szopkas Avatar Sculptures Ktazome: The art of Japanese Rice‐Paste Resist Cool Collage Saturday 5:00 ‐ 5:25 Saturday 5:30 – 6:50 Silent Auction! All Lynn Felts Jackie M Ron Pokrasso Cynthia Gail Janine Shafer NAEA HS Director O’Keeffe Museum Indp Educator SF Grants RRPS Becky Holtzman Rohr, Hees, Olson, Birkan, Morris Cynthia Gail Nancy Brady Matt Reddington Gerald McDermott, author / illustrator Luis Delgado Tyson Ledgerwood Nancy Walkup Jonathan Wolfe Chuck McIntosh APS Hobbs School Arts Magazine Fractal Foundation ABQ Academy Alida Tustison Denise Rudd Janine Shafer Dietta Hitchcock Michael Cellan Bernalillo APS RRPS Roswell Colorado Membership Meeting Awards Dinner Members All Peter Andrew Michelle Lemons Roni Rohr Dr. Joyce Centofanti Robin Wolfe Liquitex APS SFPS Colorado Colorado Raffle! All All Members Welcome All Welcome (Limit 60) Instructional Packets Provided Saturday 7:00 – 8:50 The Amazing Palette Bug Off! Graffiti as Art Mimicking the Lithographic Process in Clay Tin Tangs Saturday 9:00 – 10:50 Sunday 9:00 – 11:00 am Board of Directors Meeting O’Keeffe Museum Guided Tour: 45 min. “From New York to Corrymore: Robert Henri & Ireland” N ew M exico nm ae association NM Public Art RRPS, Panel Grants ABQ JCC SFPS BOD Art Education Reprinted with permission from the New Mexico Art Education Association Online Education Degrees • Fully online programs that match your busy lifestyle • Financial aid, flexible payment options, and grants are available for you Only $245 per credit hour • Learn from the same professors who teach on the UT Arlington campus • New student coordinators ensure your successful transition to online learning • Personalized support from application to graduation LEARN MORE Choose from these UT Arlington Online Master's Degrees: • Superintendent Certificate - NEW! • Educational Leadership and Policy Studies * $8,000 Teach Grants • Curriculum and Instruction - Literacy Studies* See if you qualify! • Curriculum and Instruction - Math Education* • Curriculum and Instruction - Science Education* Maximize Your Potential with an Online Master's Degree! University of Texas at Arlington is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) The College of Education is accredited by the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) The College of Education is accredited by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) University of Texas at Arlington, UTA Box 19167, 701 S. Nedderman Dr.,Davis Hall Rm. 333, Arlington, TX 76019 Please use this link to unsubscribe Reprinted with permission from the University of Texas Arlington The 2020 Impact Goal By 2020, to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent. My Life Check This tool is based on the latest cardiovascular science interpreted by American Heart Association medical experts. It will help a person assess their individual needs and develop unique steps to change their behavior and move closer to their individual health goals. • Answer 18 questions about “Life’s Simple 7” health factors and health behaviors. These include cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, smoking status, weight, physical activity and diet. • Get a heart score: Overall cardiovascular health is assigned a number from 1 to 10 based on information you supply. • Create an action plan: Seven simple action plans are available. Life’s Simple 7 For the first time, the American Heart Association has defined what it means to have ideal cardiovascular health, identifying seven health and behavior factors that impact health and quality of life. We know that even simple, small changes can make a big difference in living a better life. Known as “Life’s Simple 7,” these steps can help add years to your life: • Stop smoking • Manage blood pressure • Maintain a healthy weight • Take charge of cholesterol • Engage in regular physical activity • Keep blood sugar, or glucose, at healthy levels • Eat a healthy diet Take Action! • Take the My Life Check Assessment. Go to http://mylifecheck.heart.org for your personalized health assessment. • Create an action plan. Choose one of the seven simple action plans that are available on the assessment. Print it out and start working on it. Review some of the basics on the back of this sheet. Remember, small steps make a big difference. • Tell someone about your commitment. Think of seven people you care about who may smoke, have high blood pressure, diabetes or a family history of heart disease and stroke. People with these risk factors are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke and may benefit from the Simple 7 Steps and the My Life Check Assessment. Send at least one health message to these seven people and encourage them to send the message on to seven other people they know. Contact Us: Reprinted with permission from the American Heart Association Get Active Finding time for exercise in our overscheduled lives is a challenge for all busy Americans. Especially for those who are parents or are working full-time or both. But the benefits far outweigh the sacrifices. The facts are clear: by exercising for as little as 30 minutes each day you can reduce your risk of heart disease. Without regular physical activity, the body slowly loses its strength and ability to function well. Physical activity = living a longer, healthier life. American Heart Association Guidelines We suggest at least 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise or 75 minutes per week of vigorous exercise – or a combination of moderate and vigorous. Physical activity is anything that makes you move your body and burns calories, such as climbing stairs or playing sports. Aerobic exercises benefit your heart, such as walking, jogging, swimming or biking. Strength and stretching exercises are best for overall stamina and flexibility. Control Cholesterol Cholesterol is a soft, fat-like, waxy substance found in the bloodstream and in all your body's cells. It's normal to have cholesterol. Cholesterol is an important part of a healthy body because it's used for producing cell membranes and some hormones, and serves other needed bodily functions. But too much cholesterol in the blood is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and for stroke. American Heart Association Recommendations It's important for all people to know their cholesterol level. Total blood cholesterol is the most common measurement of blood cholesterol. It's the number you receive as test results. Cholesterol is measured in milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL). A cholesterol level of 200 mg/dL or higher puts you in a high-risk category and is cause to take action. Eat Better The simplest, positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health is to start walking. It’s enjoyable, free, easy, social and great exercise. Check out the Start Walking program to get going with expert advice. (startwalkingnow.org) A healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease. However, there are a lot of mixed messages and myths out there regarding healthy eating. It’s not surprising that a lot of us are confused about the different types of fats. We have lots of questions regarding sodium and meat and dairy. With all the differing opinions, it’s best to get informed from credible sources, so you can make smart choices in your diet for long-term benefits to your heart and health. It's the overall pattern of your choices that counts most. Head to the American Heart Association Nutrition Center for guidelines and suggestions (americanheart.org/nutrition) Manage Blood Pressure High blood pressure is the single most significant risk factor for heart disease. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can injure or kill you. It's sometimes called "the silent killer" because it has no symptoms. Blockages and blood clots mean less blood can get to our vital organs, and without blood, the tissue dies. That’s why high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, and even heart failure. American Heart Association Guidelines While there is no cure, high blood pressure is manageable. Even if your blood pressure is normal (less than 120 mm Hg systolic AND less than 80 mm Hg diastolic) and your goal is prevention only, lifestyle modifications provide a prescription for healthy living. These changes may reduce your blood pressure without the use of prescription medications: eating a heart-healthy diet, which may include reducing salt; enjoying regular physical activity; maintaining a healthy weight; managing stress; limiting alcohol; avoiding tobacco smoke. Lose Weight Among Americans age 20 and older, 145 million are overweight or obese (BMI of 25.0 kg/m2 and higher). That’s 76.9 million men and 68.1 million women. This is of great concern especially since obesity is now recognized as a major, independent risk factor for heart disease. If you have too much fat — especially if a lot of it is at your waist — you're at higher risk for such health problems as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and diabetes. If you're overweight or obese, you can reduce your risk for heart disease by successfully losing weight and keeping it off. When coming up with a fitness and nutrition plan to lose weight, it’s crucial to understand your recommended calorie intake. And then the amount of food calories you’re consuming verses the energy calories you’re burning off with different levels of physical activity. It’s a matter of balancing healthy eating (caloric energy) with the (molecular) energy that leaves your body through a healthy level of exercise. Reduce Blood Sugar The American Heart Association considers diabetes one of the six major controllable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. In fact, adults with diabetes are two to four times more likely to have heart disease or a stroke than adults without diabetes. Diabetes is treatable but even when glucose levels are under control it greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. In fact, most people with diabetes die of some form of heart or blood vessel disease. American Heart Association Guidelines When diabetes is detected, a doctor may prescribe changes in eating habits, weight control, exercise programs and medication to keep it in check. It's critical for people with diabetes to have regular check-ups. Work closely with your healthcare provider to manage your diabetes and control any other risk factors. For example, blood pressure for people with diabetes should be lower than 130/80 mm Hg. Impact of Smoking on Health Smoking is the most important preventable cause of premature death in the United States. Smokers have a higher risk of developing many chronic disorders, including atherosclerosis — the buildup of fatty substances in the arteries — which can lead to coronary heart disease, heart attack (myocardial infarction) and stroke. Controlling or reversing atherosclerosis is an important part of preventing future heart attack or stroke. Reprinted with permission from the American Heart Association
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