Murdock High School's Student Council Earns Top National Award

Winchendon, MA (April 25, 2022) - For its exemplary record of leadership, service, and activities that serve to improve the school and community, the Murdock High School student council has been recognized as a 2022 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Student Council (NatStuCo). The NatStuCo program is supported by its parent organization, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP).

"Receiving a National Gold Council of Excellence Award shows the utmost dedication a school's students, leaders, and staff have made to making their community a better place," said NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe. "Murdock High School has gone above and beyond in elevating student voice to ensure they are establishing a positive climate and culture, as well as fostering academic and social growth for all."

To meet the requirements for the National Gold Council of Excellence Award, a student council must meet a variety of criteria. In addition to basic requirements such as a written constitution, regular meetings, a democratic election process, the councils have demonstrated successful sponsorship and participation in activities such as leadership development and service to the school and community.

Amy Beth Wightman Inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi

BATON ROUGE, LA (04/26/2022)-- Amy Beth Wightman of Winchendon, Massachusetts, was recently initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Wightman was initiated at Framingham State University.

Wightman is among approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Phi Kappa Phi was founded in 1897 under the leadership of undergraduate student Marcus L. Urann who had a desire to create a different kind of honor society: one that recognized excellence in all academic disciplines. Today, the Society has chapters on more than 325 campuses in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Its mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."

WPSD Preschool Screenings to be Held in May

Winchendon Public Schools Preschool Screening will take place on May 4 & 11, 2022. Children must be age 3 or 4 by August 31, 2022 to be eligible. Screening looks at a child's development in the areas of speech and language, fine and gross motor skills, cognition and social emotional skills.

If you have any concerns about your child, suspect your child may have a disability, or if you did not receive an information packet by mail, please call Kathy at the Winchendon Pre-K Program office at 978-297-3436 or email kbrooks@winchendonk12.org.

Kindergarten Registration Is Still Open - Don't Forget to Register Your Kindergartner!

If you have a child that will be eligible for the 2022-2023 Kindergarten school year, you will need to fill out the registration forms that can be found on our website at www.winchendonk12.org/o/mes. They are located under the Menu dropdown, Kindergarten Registration. You can download and fill in the forms. Hard copies are also available at Memorial School. Once completed, you will need to return them to Memorial School along with the items listed below. You can do this any number of ways:

1. Fax: 978-297-3944
2. Email: mmacewen@winchendonk12.org
3. Mail: Memorial School, 32 Elmwood Road, Winchendon, MA 01475
4. Drop off: In person between the hours of 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

No child will be admitted to Kindergarten without having met the eligibility requirements listed below.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

1. If your child is five (5) years of age by August 31 of the forthcoming year, he/she is eligible.
2. BIRTH CERTIFICATE- Original must be brought with you.
3. PROOF OF RESIDENCY - Current utility bill, or copy of lease.
4. PHYSICAL EXAMINATION INCLUDING VISION AND HEARING SCREENING BY YOUR PHYSICIAN MUST BE DATED AFTER AUGUST 31, 2022.
5. IMMUNIZATIONS - VERIFICATION WILL NEED TO BE PROVIDED BY THE END OF AUGUST. This must include lead screen results. Read or download complete immunization requirements (PDF)

Each child MUST have a physical examination completed by your physician. A signed printout from your child's doctor's office listing all the required information is also acceptable. Students cannot start school without a completed physical. We recommend calling your physician today to schedule an appointment as it sometimes takes several months to get one.

All completed immunization/examination forms need to be in the School Nurse's Office by Friday, August 26th before your child will be permitted to start school. These forms can be faxed by your doctor to the school at 978-297-3944.

There will be a Parent Orientation on Wednesday, May 18 from 6-7 at Memorial School. More information will be provided. A Kindergarten Screening will be conducted, as required by State and Federal school laws. Screenings will be Wednesday, June 1, Thursday, June 2, and Friday, June 3. You will be contacted as these dates get closer to schedule an appointment.

We share the excitement of your child entering Kindergarten and look forward to both of you being a part of the Memorial School family. Please feel free to call the school at (978) 297-1305, with any questions or concerns you may have.

Mount Wachusett Community College Helps to Address Equity in Healthcare through Diversity Simulation Training

GARDNER, MA - April 28, 2022 - In a recent poll conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), LGBTQ+ people reported different, and in some cases more challenging, experiences accessing care than their non-LGBTQ+ peers. They were more likely to report that a provider did not believe they were telling the truth, suggested they were personally to blame for health problems, assumed something about them without asking, and/or dismissed their concerns. Over 36% of LGBTQ+ people reported at least one of these experiences with a provider, compared to fewer than one in five (22%) in their non-LGBTQ+ peers.

The National League of Nursing (NLN) seeks to address these issues through the development of instructional resources with the goal of equipping nurse educators with the tools necessary to teach care of LGBTQ+ people and help them graduate a new nursing workforce that is both knowledgeable and culturally competent to meet the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals and decrease the health disparities they experience.

Mount Wachusett Community College was selected by the NLN to run a pilot simulation program to aid in the development of these instructional resources. A significant component of this pilot program is that the scenarios are based on caring for an LGBTQ+ individual. The Mount was fortunate to have volunteers from the community to serve as patient actors for these simulations.

Collene Thaxton, Faculty Chair of the Practical Nursing program, facilitated the simulated patient encounter with students and volunteer patient, River Luck, a group therapist who identifies as trans-masculine non-binary.

"Often individuals who are trans or transitioning avoid seeking health care due to the scrutiny they receive with regards to their chosen identity and what their legal documentation lists," notes Professor Thaxon. "The goal of these trainings is to teach our students to be affirming and accepting as they provide care. These skills will help in overcoming the patient's reluctance in obtaining healthcare, ultimately leading to outcomes."

The NLN simulations moved through three scenarios with the patient, Jayla, who is in transition and non-binary. The classroom is a simulated hospital room equipped with cameras and microphones connected to a nearby observation room where Thaxon and other faculty members can identify areas for improvement for both the students and the program. Following each scenario session, the students debrief with Thaxon and can ask questions to assess their performance.

In the first, the patient is presenting in a clinic setting with an injury that is several days old and needs attention. The students obtain the patient medical history and administer a tetanus shot. The student pairs then switch out for the second scenario, which involves the cleaning and dressing of the wound while continuing to learn more about the patient and encourage them to return for follow-up care. Finally, the third scenario is six months in the future, "Jaylen" has returned to the clinic and the nurses discuss continuing care and routine screenings.

For many of the students involved in the simulation, this was their first experience with a live patient, their work previously was conducted on patient simulation mannequins.

"Now is the time to do this, even if you don't feel entirely comfortable, just do it. It's how you will become comfortable," Thaxon told her students. "We are so lucky to have someone like River here to help."

"Having had negative experience in accessing healthcare myself, I was more than happy to participate in this program," Luck notes. "These students did a wonderful job making "Jaylen" feel comfortable and accepted."

"It is so important to not make assumptions about your patients. Encourage sharing by offering your own pronouns," Luck adds. "Don't make a big deal about it if you accidentally misgender the patient. Apologize quickly, fix it, and move on. If you get flustered and make it an issue, the patient will feel like it is an issue."

"These educational resources will help train nurses to treat these patients in accepting and affirming ways, while still ensuring that the medical records of the patient are accurate," Thaxon adds.

"MWCC is honored to be working with the NLN to help develop these vital instructional resources," commented Dean of Nursing, Kimberly Shea, DNP, RN. "This is a valuable experience for our students and faculty alike. It is rewarding to know that we are playing a role in the advancement of equity and access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ individuals in our communities and beyond."

About the National League of Nursing
The National League for Nursing is the premier organization for nurse faculty and leaders in nursing education. The NLN offers professional development, networking opportunities, assessment services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to its nearly 45,000 individual and 1,100 institutional members. NLN members represent nursing education programs across the spectrum of higher education, health care organizations, and agencies.