Last updated: October 29, 2024
Looking to infuse wellness into your classroom, school, or school authority all year long? Watch this page for new resources, announcements, and tips for health-related theme days. We've got you covered!
- To find out what's happening in your local area, connect with the health promotion facilitator assigned to your school authority.
- For school health updates delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.
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Level the playing field with support from the Jays Care Foundation
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Calling all K-9 teachers: New health and wellness lesson plan pilot
- Register today for Healthy Schools Certification!
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'Building Better Tech Habits: A Guide to Digital Well-being'
- New sample lesson plans for health and physical education
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New action plan templates for healthy schools
- New National Guide for Suicide Prevention and Life Promotion in Schools: A national guide for system leaders
- Get Concussion Smart with NCCP Making Head Way in Sport!
Announcements
Level the playing field with support from the Jays Care Foundation
The Jays Care Foundation helps children and youth facing barriers to access inclusive extracurricular softball/baseball programs. Applications are now open for Jays Care Affiliate Schools. Selected schools will get support to launch inclusion-focused extracurricular softball or baseball programs, with a focus on priority groups (self-identified girls, youth with physical or cognitive disabilities, Indigenous youth, and youth facing poverty).
As a school community, you’ll need to make a commitment to offer 8 weeks of programming for 1-2 hours per week. There’s lots of support to help you along the way, including baseball equipment, shirts and hats for students, virtual training sessions, manuals, and other resources for program leaders.
To learn more, go to Jayscare.com/Schools.
Calling all K-9 teachers - New health and wellness lesson plan pilot
The Body Image Research Lab at the University of Calgary's Werklund School of Education, and AHS’ Nutrition Services have developed new health and wellness lesson plans for Alberta educators!
They are looking for your feedback to ensure these lesson plans meet your and your students' needs. To access the lesson plans and survey, visit https://together4health.albertahealthservices.ca/teaching-food-and-nutrition
The deadline to provide feedback is November 30, 2024
Register today for Healthy Schools Certification!
Healthy Schools Certification is a recognition program for school communities that promotes and enhances the health and wellness of students and staff. It’s available across Canada with support from Ever Active Schools, Ophea, and PHE Canada.
Registration for the 2024-25 school year opens Tuesday, September 10, 2024, and closes on Friday, November 29, 2024, at 10:00pm (MST).
To get started, go to healthyschools.ca.
New resources
‘Building Better Tech Habits: A Guide to Digital Well-being’
Building Better Tech Habits: A Guide to Digital Well-being by Media Smarts helps teachers and students learn to use technology in a healthy way. This guide gives tips on how to balance screen time, stay safe online, and take care of mental health while using their devices. It supports students to create good habits that make them feel happy and connected without feeling overwhelmed by technology.
New sample lesson plans for health and physical education
Ontario Physical and Health Education Association has created new sample lesson plans on culturally responsive and relevant teaching in health and physical education. These lesson plans help teachers create classrooms that support and include different cultures and experiences of students, making learning more meaningful for all. By using these, teachers can support students' well-being and create a space where everyone feels valued and included.
New Action Plan Templates for Healthy Schools
Taking the time to prioritize and plan is an important step in enhancing your healthy school community. Check out AHS’s new action planning templates! These will help you decide what really matters to your school community so you can choose strategies that will move your priorities forward.
New National Guide for Suicide Prevention and Life Promotion in Schools: A national guide for system leaders
A National Guide for Suicide Prevention and Life Promotion in Schools has been created by the School Mental Health Ontario team with the Mental Health Commission of Canada and We Matter. This guide is to help school leaders support students to prevent youth suicide in Canada.
Get Concussion Smart with NCCP Making Head Way in Sport!
Concussions can happen in any sport or activity. It's important for teachers, coaches, parents, and players to know the signs of a concussion and what to do if one happens. You can find helpful resources and learning about concussions through the Coaching Association of Canada’s Concussion in Sport Microlearning and the NCCP Making Head Way in Sport eLearning module, to help you be ready if a concussion happens.
More information and registration.
Mark your calendar
Taking part in health-related days, weeks, or month-long events is a great way to bring your school community together. These events can raise awareness of health topics and kick-start important conversations around wellness at school.
Be sure to connect health-related events back to the priorities, goals, and action plans in place in your school or school authority. Use the comprehensive school health framework to guide activities that are coordinated, meaningful, and likely to last.
- November 13 – 19: Métis week
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November 20: National child day
- December 10: International Human Rights Day
- January 27: Family Literacy Day
- January 31: Bell Let’s Talk Day
