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Tips to Get Started
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Some Tips on How to Use the Voices and Choices Web Site
If you are interested in participating in the Voices and Choices initiative,
here are a few quick tips to help you use the Voices and Choices
on-line resources.
- Getting Started and Building Commitment
- Setting Up a School Health Committee
- Obtaining a Login and Password
- Completing the Needs Assessment
- Obtaining Your School Health Profile
- Planning, Taking Action and Evaluating
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First, download and read the Introductory
Document, the Student Needs
Assessment Questionnaire and the Letter
of Agreement. Based on these materials, think about whether
or not Voices and Choices is right for you and your school
community. If you think there is a fit, present Voices and Choices
to your Principal, Vice Principal and/or School Board. Determine
their level of interest and support. You will also need to build commitment
among students, parents, teachers and community partners (like your
local public health department). Download and read Chapter
I of the Guide to Implementation. It may give you a few
ideas about how to do this. If your school decides to use the Voices
and Choices planning process, the school principal will need to
sign the Letter of Agreement.
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Once you feel that you have gained enough commitment
from your school community partners to proceed, download and read
Chapter II of the Guide to
Implementation. Go back to those who were interested in Voices
and Choices and see whether they are willing to be part of a School
Health Committee. Chapter II of the Guide to Implementation may give
you a few ideas about how to do this.
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Once your School Health Committee is in place,
download and complete the School Demographics
Questionnaire. It asks questions about your school community
that will be used to set up a login and password giving you access
to the on-line Database. Fax
the completed questionnaire and signed Letter of Agreement to the
Canadian Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and
Dance (CAHPERD) at (613) 523-1206 to obtain your login and password.
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Now, you are ready to begin the needs assessment
process. Download and read Chapter III
of the Guide to Implementation. Also, using your login and password,
sign onto the protected Database
and download the Data Entry Software.
Chapter III is designed to help you make a number of decisions about
how to administer the needs assessment questionnaire to the students
in your school community. The Data Entry Software is designed to help
you compile the students’ responses into a data file (or data files)
that, once completed, can be uploaded into the Database for analysis.
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Next, upload your data file(s) into the Database
using your login and password and obtain your School
Health Profile report. Download and read Chapter
IV of the Guide to Implementation. This chapter is designed
to help you interpret the results from your School Health Profile.
In addition to generating the Profile, the Database allows you to
anonymously compare your results to those of other similar school
communities and to national data. It also allows you to make selected
comparisons between questions.
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Now, you are ready to begin the planning process.
Download and read Chapters V, VI and VII
of the Guide to Implementation. These chapters will give you some
tips and tools for: 1) creating a comprehensive and inclusive School
Health Plan; 2) developing Program
Action Plans with short, medium and long term policy and
program changes; 3) reviewing and evaluating the process and outcomes
of your activities; and 4) celebrating successes along the way.
Good luck with your school health planning!
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