Fostering communities of care

Fostering Communities of Care is alive and well at Holy Family Catholic Regional Division (HFCRD) schools. This initiative supports the wellness of the whole person, in mind, body, and spirit. When you walk through the halls and peek into the classrooms, gym, or staff room, you might see:  

• Students learning alongside first responders like firefighters about fire safety, or local RCMP sharing information about online safety

• Teachers reading about staff wellness in their monthly newsletter or participating in professional development days 

• Wellness workers and mental health capacity building staff running programs for students to improve peer relationships, self-esteem, and develop conflict resolution skills   

• Students getting active before school with open gym and playground time 
• Classmates building connections and learning together with Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) 

These are just a few examples of how Fostering Communities of Care is rolling out in schools. With dedicated staff and a focus on the four contextual conditions for comprehensive school health (CSH), wellness is being woven into their daily learning.

Here's how HFCRD is bringing the contextual conditions to life throughout their schools.

Readiness and understanding

Building knowledge and buy-in for CSH throughout the division was an important first step. HFCRD worked closely with their AHS Health Promotion Facilitator to lay the groundwork for developing healthy school communities.  

They started with creating a wellness champion network with members from each of their schools. They defined the role of the wellness champion and offered learning opportunities to build understanding of the 5 steps to a healthy school.  

Community connections

Strong partnerships within HFCRD and the community were vital to the success of school health initiatives. Within HFCRD, a variety of roles and departments embrace wellness, like the assistant superintendent of inclusion and student support, communications coordinator, Indigenous support workers, mental health capacity building staff, youth education support workers, and the school-based wellness champions. Together, they create a talented team of champions to build capacity for CSH in the division.  

HFCRD and their schools have also forged relationships with over 40 local businesses and organizations to support student and staff wellness, like:   

• Alberta Health Services 

• Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan 

• Family and Child Support Services 

• Parent groups 

• Recreation centres 

• Municipalities 

• Food banks 

• Libraries 

• Fire departments and RCMP 

Funding and project support

Leaders at the division support a focus on wellness and building healthy relationships to foster communities of care. Each month, the wellness champions report on the initiatives and activities that support overall wellness of the staff and students. They share things like: 

• Wellness resources distributed  

• Theme days or weeks celebrated 

• Grants applications submitted

• Action plans developed 

• Professional learning opportunities attended

HFCRD knows that wellness goes beyond a one-day event.  They have embedded wellness into every organizational day for staff to renew their focus and build their knowledge. They continue to allocate funds to the wellness champion network to pay for things like professional learning and teacher release time to plan and implement projects.  

Time

More recently, HFCRD introduced dedicated time for wellness champions to work on healthy school initiatives. As part of their work week, each school provides a teacher with 2-3 hours to work on wellness. Schools decide how to use the time to best meet their needs.  

By laying this foundation for school health, wellness has become embedded in school division operations. Although positions with the division may change, the work continues to move forward through the structures put in place. More recently, the HFCRD formalized these structures in an administrative procedure that outlines the specific guidelines and accountability for both student and staff wellness. Ultimately, this work contributes to the school division principle that students and staff know they are loved, they belong, and they matter.  

Feeling inspired?

For more information and tips to take action, go to:

• Essential conditions
• 5 steps to a healthy school