Last updated: May 3, 2022
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.
- Recruitment for CIHR-IHDCYH's Youth Advisory Council
- Student leadership opportunity: AHS Nutrition Youth Advisory Panel
- GeminAI Rising
- A guide to offering healthy food and drinks in schools
-
Vaping, kids and teens: Information for families in your school community
- Mental Health Week
- Hats on for Mental Health
- Wheel Week
- Safe Kids Week
Announcements
Recruitment for CIHR-IHDCYH’s youth advisory council is open!
Do you know a student who is passionate about health and health research? Encourage them to join the youth advisory council for the Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Youth advisory council members are 12-25 year olds who meet monthly for conversations on what matters to them when it comes to health and wellbeing. Their diverse interests and lived experiences guide CIHR projects and priorities.
Invite students to learn more about the council and apply by May 8, 2022. Display this IHDCYH poster in your classroom or school, or encourage them to check out the IHDCYH youth advisory council website.
Student leadership opportunity: AHS Nutrition Youth Advisory Panel
AHS is recruiting new members for the Nutrition Youth Advisory Panel (NYAP), a provincial network of young people who share their perspectives on food and nutrition. Our members connect virtually each month to collaborate with registered dietitians, co-designing tools and resources to support healthy eating.
We welcome students who will be in grades 10, 11, or 12 in the 2022/23 school year to get involved in NYAP. If you know an interested student, please encourage them to visit the Nutrition Youth Advisory Panel webpage. The deadline to apply is September 30, 2022.
New resources
GeminAI Rising
GeminAI Rising is an online learning experience for students in grades 7 to 9, aligned with Alberta’s Health and Life Skills curriculum. It’s based on evidence that improving social competence in young people helps them avoid or delay smoking, vaping, and other substance use.
Through engaging virtual activities and lessons, students learn and practice five domains of social competence: problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, self-concept, and coping skills. This approach builds their skills and confidence to handle life’s challenges. It moves away from instructional methods shown not to work – like scare tactics – and offers students a rich, meaningful learning experience.
Learn more about GeminAI Rising and other tobacco and vaping resources for teachers from AHS.
A guide to offering healthy food and drinks in schools
A Guide to Offering Healthy Food and Drinks in Schools is a handy new quick-reference chart based on the Alberta Nutrition Guidelines for Children and Youth. Use it to figure out which food and drinks to offer at school most often, sometimes, or least often.
This tool goes hand-in-hand with actions to support eating well at school. For practical tips and ideas, check out:
Vaping, kids and teens: Information for families in your school community
Vaping rates have surged among young people recently. It’s natural for parents and other caring adults to want to learn more, and to wonder what they can do to support kids and teens.
New resources from AHS answer common questions about vaping and offer tips for having fact-based, meaningful conversations. Please share them widely through your school website, e-newsletter, or social media.
- Version for families with children in grades K-6: Vaping 101: What it is, and how to help your child
- Version for families with teens in grades 7-12: Vaping and teens: Your questions, answered.
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.
- May 2 – 8: Mental Health Week (Canadian Mental Health Association)
- May 4: Hats on for Mental Health (Alberta Teachers' Association)
- May 30 – June 5: Wheel Week (SHAPE Alberta)
- May 30 – June 5: Safe Kids Week (Parachute Canada)
