POLICESMART A Program Designed and Facilitated by the
Suffolk County Police Department Presented by:
Alison Bruno, Assistant Principal of Maplewood Faye Robins, Principal of Stimson
Steve Toto, Assistant Principal of Birchwood Officer Wendy Verlotte, Suffolk County Police Department
What is the PoliceSmart Program?
This program was developed by the Suffolk County Police Department to replace the DARE program.
The Suffolk County Police Department offers a comprehensive program to our schools that address many of the difficult issues that children face as they grow up.
What does the PoliceSmart Program look like in South Huntington UFSD?
Grade 3 & 4 PoliceSmart Program
Classroom visits are facilitated by Suffolk County Police Officer Wendy Verlotte.
There are two 30 minute classroom visits per grade level.
The topics are Strangers and Home Alone for grade 3, and the topics are Rumor Clinic and Internet Safety for grade 4.
The purpose of the classroom visit portion of the program is to begin building a good foundation for a positive relationship between the children and police.
Grade 5 PoliceSmart Program Birchwood and Maplewood have six one hour assemblies
in a PowerPoint presentation format.
Once again, these presentations are facilitated by Suffolk County Police Officer Wendy Verlotte.
These assemblies are usually made up of small groups containing approximately three classes per session.
Each class attends one assembly per topic on the designated date.
The topics include Violence/Bullying, Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Beyond the Gateway Drugs, and Gangs.
Grade 7 PoliceSmart Program
Stimson Middle School hosts Officer Wendy as she meets with all seventh grade students in their Health classes.
There are three 45 minute sessions. These sessions are addressed through PowerPoint presentations.
The topics are Beyond the Gateway Drugs, Heroin, and Vehicular Safety.
POLICESMART LESSONS FOR GRADES 3
STRANGERS Objectives:
To learn to manage dangerous situations To strengthen decision-making skills
HOME ALONE Objectives:
To identify safe and unsafe activities when home alone To practice decision making skills
POLICESMART LESSONS FOR GRADES 4
INTERNET SAFETY Objectives:
To identify dangers on the internet To build critical-thinking and decision-making skills
RUMOR CLINIC Objectives:
To help students understand how rumors start and the negative effects that they could have.
Students will be able to recognize factors that create rumors and demonstrate steps they can take to evaluate the validity of the source of information.
POLICESMART LESSONS FOR GRADES 5
TOBACCO Objectives:
To help students understand the harmful effects and illegal issues involved with tobacco. Students will recognize several negative health and legal consequences of tobacco products.
ALCOHOL Objectives:
To help students understand and identify alcohol products, consequences of use and the legal ramifications. Students will understand possible damage to health and wellness and understand the consequences of illegal use.
Public Service Announcement on Tobacco
Public Service Announcement on Alcohol
POLICESMART LESSONS FOR GRADES 5
VIOLENCE/BULLYING Objectives:
To help students understand the harmful effects and illegal consequences of violent behavior
Students will recognize different forms of violence and know several avoidance techniques.
GANGS Objectives:
To help students recognize the dangers of gang activity. To help students recognize the negative legal, family, and
community consequences of gang activity. To have students recognize positive alternatives to gang
activity.
Public Service Announcement on Bullying
POLICESMART LESSONS FOR GRADES 5
MARIJUANA Objectives:
To help students comprehend and identify the harmful health effects of marijuana and its legal consequences
Students will understand marijuana myths and know the differences between marijuana and tobacco products.
BEYOND THE GATEWAY DRUGS Objectives:
Students will be able to recognize the health effects and legal consequences of over the counter, prescription drugs and other illicit drugs.
Students will understand legal drugs can be as dangerous as illegal drugs.
Public Service Announcement on Marijuana
Beyond the Gateway Drugs
PoliceSmart Lessons for Grade 7 BEYOND THE GATEWAY DRUGS Objectives: Students will be able to recognize the health effects and legal
consequences associated with the use of over the counter, prescription and other illicit drugs.
Students will understand that all drugs are dangerous.
HEROIN Objectives: To help students comprehend and identify the harmful effects of heroin and
the legal consequences associated with its use. Students will understand the illegal origins of the production, sale and
distribution of this drug.
VEHICLE SURVIVAL Objectives: Students will understand the importance of wearing a seatbelt regardless of
the position in which they are seated within a vehicle. Students will be introduced to the “Ten Deadlies”, the most common
preventable mistakes made by new drivers.
Public Service Announcement on Beyond the Gateway Drugs (Grade 7)
Public Service Announcement on Heroin
Public Service Announcement on Vehicular Safety
Birchwood/Maplewood Curricular Connections with the
PoliceSmart Program
HealthSmart DARE Replacement Program
Healthy Life Styles and Decision Making
PoliceSmart Program
The PoliceSmart program deals with addressing the issues confronting our children in today’s society.
At the end of the program, the children come away with the information they need to make good decisions that will keep them safe and healthy as well as allow them to grow up to be law-abiding citizens.
HealthSmart
The HealthSmart program was designed for elementary and middle school students.
South Huntington adopted this program in 2004. The program’s curriculum responds to
challenges facing children and youths today. It lays the foundation early in their formative
years for the crucial health choices they will face in childhood, during adolescence, and throughout their lives.
Unit 1: Personal & Family Health Unit 2: Safety and Injury Prevention Unit 3: Nutrition & Physical Activity Unit 4: Tobacco & Alcohol
Other Drug Prevention (grade 5 only)
HealthSmart’s curriculum builds upon topics and issues previously addressed in the prior grades.
Grade 3 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart
PoliceSmart The Strangers and Home Alone programs
promote good decision making and teaches safety procedures to establish a safe home and to keep children safe when away from the home.
HealthSmart Unit 2: Safety and Injury Prevention
Students learn to think, choose, and act to keep themselves and others safe and injury free by personalizing safety concerns, teaching safety strategies, goal setting, and advocating for safety.
Grade 3 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart
HealthSmart Unit 2: Safety and Injury Prevention
Lesson 1: Being Safe
The objective is to explain ways to be Safety Smart in a variety of everyday situations, and identify actions that will keep them safe.
HealthSmart lessons related to PoliceSmart: Stranger Smart – How would calling home when
you’re out or at a friend’s house help? Calling for Help – What must you do first to use a
cordless or car phone? (Turn it on.)
Grade 4 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart PoliceSmart
Rumor Clinic- Help students understand how rumors start and the negative effects they could have. Students will be able to recognize factors that create rumors and demonstrate steps they can take to evaluate the validity of the source of information.
HealthSmart Unit 1: Personal and Family Health
Students learn to think, choose, and act to be healthy by conducting self assessments of stressful situations and applying stress-reduction strategies. They learn to deal with conflict in safe and peaceful ways.
Lesson 2: Understanding and Managing Conflict In this lesson the students work on understanding and resolving
conflict in a healthy way. This lesson also addresses that rumors can cause conflict.
Grade 4 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart PoliceSmart
Internet Safety- Students will be able to identify the dangers on the internet and build critical-thinking and decision making skills.
HealthSmart Unit 2: Safety & Injury Prevention
Lesson 1: Students define taking a risk, identify risks they have taken, and explain what makes a risk good or bad. In this lesson the students identify people that they can ask for help and those who make them feel safe. They also learn how to assess how safe they feel in situations.
Lesson 2: Students will be able to identify signals based upon their feelings when something is wrong. They will also be able to identify feelings, actions, and thoughts that signal it’s time to get help.
Lesson 3: Students will be able to analyze a variety of problems and determine the type of help needed. They will also learn whom they can go to for help when they have problems. Students will be able to demonstrate what to say when being pressured to do something that is unsafe or hurtful. The lesson also deals with being pressured into things and resisting dares.
Grade 5 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart PoliceSmart
The Alcohol program teaches students how to identify issues surrounding alcohol usage and the use of the media to influence consumption, as well as promoting good decision making as to avoid consumption until after the legal age of 21. After 21, they are encouraged to drink responsibility.
HealthSmart Unit 4:Tobacco, Alcohol & Other Drug Prevention
Students learn to think, choose, and act to remain alcohol free. Students learn how alcohol affects the body. Students make connections between alcohol and feelings, peers,
personal choices and consequences. Students identify and evaluate media attempts to influence what you
think, feel, and do in relation to alcohol. Students make a pledge and work together with their peers to be
alcohol free. Students explore the problems and stressors kids face when family
members abuse alcohol.
Grade 5 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart HealthSmart lessons related to PoliceSmart:
Alcohol & the Body Alcohol & Feelings Alcohol & Peers Alcohol & Personal Choices Alcohol & the Media Alcohol & Feelings A Closer Look at Me & Alcohol My Pledge to Be Alcohol Free Peer Power – Alcohol Free Together When Friends and Family Abuse Alcohol Staying Alcohol Free
HealthSmart Unit 4:Tobacco, Alcohol & Other Drug Prevention
The important topic of Tobacco is addressed through our HealthSmart curricular program in Grade 4. Tobacco is addressed in a very similar fashion as Alcohol and is primarily taught in Grade 5.
HealthSmart and PoliceSmart PoliceSmart
The Tobacco program teaches students how to identify issues surrounding tobacco usage and the influence of the media, as well as promoting good decision making as to avoid ever starting smoking. HealthSmart (Taught in Grade 4)
Unit 4:Tobacco & Alcohol Prevention Students learn to think, choose, and act to be healthy
by analyzing influences on their choices around tobacco and alcohol.
Students strengthen their verbal and non-verbal communication skills and become advocates for being tobacco and alcohol free.
HealthSmart and PoliceSmart
HealthSmart lessons related to PoliceSmart (Taught in gr. 4): Reasons to Stay Tobacco and Alcohol Free What We Know About Tobacco and Alcohol Saying NO Takes Practice Practicing How To Say NO Saying NO in My World Take It From Me – Be Drug Free!
The unit combines alcohol and tobacco together. It addresses the dangers to your health and the importance to resist the peer pressure at the start.
Grade 5 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart PoliceSmart
The Bullying/Violence and Gangs programs teach students how to identify and avoid violence, as well as promote good decision making as to avoid the possible temptation to join a gang.
HealthSmart Unit 2: Safety and Injury Prevention
Students learn to think, choose, and act to keep themselves and others safe while at school.
Students examine the rights, responsibilities, and actions involved in keeping themselves safe at school by reviewing school safety rules and practicing school safety procedures.
Students explore bullying and feelings, as well as learn strategies for preventing, responding to, and reporting bullying. They take action to prevent school fights and learn how to help friends in trouble.
Grade 5 HealthSmart and PoliceSmart HealthSmart
Unit 2: Safety and Injury Prevention Lesson 3: Preventing School Bullying
Students will: Shape peer norms that view bullying as unacceptable. Identify reasons kids bully. Describe how to recognize bullying.
HealthSmart lessons related to PoliceSmart: Understanding Bullying – “No matter how it is done, bullying
is cruel and unacceptable, and sometimes breaks the law.” Bullying and Feelings – Victims feelings: scared, sad, lonely,
frustrated, helpless, ashamed, inferior, angry, isolated, humiliated Preventing & Reporting Bullying – strategies for
preventing and reporting to an adult; helping others from bullying based upon various situations presented.
School Wide Programs In BW & MW
Project Wisdom – Daily Announcements Motivational Media Video Assembly Program Peer Mediation (Grades 4 & 5) – Conflict Resolution
Social Worker & Psychologist Services Character Education in BW & MW
STIMSON/SILAS WOOD
Focus on Substance Abuse
Health Education, Guidance, and Home and Careers
GRADE 6 Connections
THROUGH OUR GUIDANCE COUNSELORS AND THE “PROJECT FRIENDSHIP PROGRAM” WE DELIVER LESSONS THAT INCLUDE: “How To Become a Better Listener” · “If this happened to Me, I would…” · “Making a Plan” · Decision making · Internet Safety Video · Bullying Video · Don’t Pick on Me video · A Kid’s Guide to Feelings videos
Grade 6 Connections Woven into the fabric of all home and careers lessons:
Increase self-worth · Reduce stress · Control anxiety · Keep a positive attitude · Keep healthy and safe both physically and mentally · Make new friends · Be a positive example · Set goals · Make sound decisions · Avoid peer pressure · Look for peaceful solutions · Appreciate family and friends
GRADE 7 HEALTH PROGRAM
THE POLICE SMART PROGRAM
Gateway Drugs Beyond Marijuana includes OTC and prescription drugs that may lead to heroin use.
Heroin
Vehicle Safety (seatbelt safety)
Grade 7 Health Smart Curriculum
As it relates to substance abuse we include: Substance abuse – tobacco, alcohol and other drugs Refusal skills development Decision making skills development Assertiveness skills development Bullying, violence and gang awareness Internet safety and cyberbullying Tri CYA lessons on internet safety
SMS School Wide Programs Regarding Substance Abuse
Red Ribbon Week – End of December organized by health educators and SADD club
members (shared with SW) HIV/AIDS quilt display Public Service Announcements daily during December
regarding substance abuse Supported the organization and participated in our district
information night on Heroin Announcements and “graffiti” about substance abuse in
glass walkway created by SADD members Guidance groups for alcohol/drug awareness, anger
management, bereavement, assertiveness, multicultural, study skills, male peer group, female peer group, careers group – all give students the opportunity to focus on their issues in a safe and nurturing environment
Thank you for attending our informational session on the
PoliceSmart program in South Huntington.