What is bullying? Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance, and the behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Verbal, social and physical bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.

Parents/Guardians have the power to help. There are warning signs that can alert a parent/guardian that a child is being bullied or may be bullying others. Look for changes in your child and seek help if you have concerns, but be aware that not all children who are bullied exhibit warning signs.

Click here for more information and resources from the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. This is an important annual observance that raises awareness of the fact that suicide is the third leading cause of death for our youth ages 10-24. (Source: The Jason Foundation) 

Click here for more information and resources from the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative.

The Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative has started a new initiative, Homewood Connected. Our community of parents and advisors aims to empower families in Homewood with information and resources to help them make informed and developmentally appropriate decisions regarding technology for their families.

Click here for more information and how to get involved.

We hope that you can join the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative in-person or virtually on Wednesday, September 18th, at 11:30 am for the first program in this year's Raising Resilient Children Series, "Leveraging Childhood Sleep." Dr. Mary Halsey Maddox is a sleep specialist who is passionate about all things sleep. She will present on how sleep affects our developing children and strategies for restful sleep to help our children succeed.

Click here for more information on the program and the speaker.
 

The Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative believes in tapping into the power of "many minds" to find ways to make Homewood safer and healthier for our children and youth. Parents and community organizations come together to develop ideas for parent education programs, newsletters, and social media. Our primary focus areas are youth alcohol and drug use prevention, suicide awareness and prevention, and digital safety and wellness. 

Click here for more information about how to get involved as well as the schedule of meetings.

It is hard to believe that another summer break is coming to an end. With the first day of school just around the corner, now is a wonderful time to help your child get back into healthy sleep habits for the school year.

Sleep experts say that teens require 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night (9-11 hours for tweens), but most are not getting enough sleep. Help your child get the sleep that they need to support their growth and development. Click here for more information and resources from the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative.

Students and parents alike countdown the days until summer break. Many young people look forward to more freedom during the summer months, but that freedom can lead to an increase in experimentation with tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs. As a parent, there are steps that you can take to prevent experimentation or use of these substances.

Remember, you are the greatest influence in your child's life. Use your influence to help your child enjoy a safe and healthy summer. 

Click here for tips from the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative. 

As we enter into the last weeks of the school year, many of our students may feel overwhelmed by final projects or exams, end-of-year activities, and preparing for the summer. Now is a great time to encourage your child to try relaxation techniques. Teaching your child relaxation techniques gives them the tools they need to calm down when they are feeling overwhelmed or stressed. 

Click here for some tips compiled by the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative.

Congratulations to the 2024-2025 HMS Peer Helpers!

7th Grade

Trey Adams
Lindsey Anderson
Layne Ayers
Wells Brown
Sam Crabtree
Kate Cronin
Olivia Davis
Jonathan Eldridge
Reese Elliott
Reynolds Elliott
Helen Hartman
Finn Hayes
Ann Parker Henderson
Sophia Hill
Lawton Hodges
Ryan Isley
Ben Jones
Miles Jordan
Olivia Kirby
Haley Klein
Grayson Langston
Mills Leach
Louis Lowry
Addy Marshall
Bowen Nix
Myla Grant Powers
Caroline Roberson
Conner Stephenson
Elliott Thomas
Corbin Thompson

8th Grade

Sophie Abouarraj

Ella Ayers

Sylvia Beasley

Dottie Bennett

Thomas DeLawrence

Bennett DeMoss

Meila Dominick

Mally Drouet

Vivi Evans

Elizabeth Finney

Emily Griffin

Sam Hardison

Nahomy Hernandez

Hank Hubrich

Claire Johnson

Andrew Knight

Mary Logue Malki

Kate Maple

Wells Mason

Embry McGarrah

Caroline Middleton

Leah Cate Moore

Mallie Murray

Ashlynn Reed

Willa Sheehan

Ellis Strickland

Lily Thompson

Bibb Wahl

Hudson Woods

Grant York

You are invited to join the Safe & Healthy Homewood Collaborative virtually on Thursday, April 18th, at 12:00 pm for the final program in this year's Raising Resilient Children Web Series, "Parenting for Prevention."

Please click here for more information and to register on Eventbrite.