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We, and our students, have done great work during very trying times. It has been a year of great growth and perseverance. There is much to be both acknowledged and celebrated. There is no better time to highlight the amazing things that have taken place in our classes and to share our accomplishments, and those of our students.

Consider taking a few minutes to ask students one or more of the following questions:

Use students’ responses to:

We, and our students, have a lot to celebrate. Let’s get this party started!

Please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] if there is anything I can do to support you, your site, or district. Wishing you a fantastic rest of your school year!

Health and Physical Education Coordinator

San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE)

It is time to celebrate the amazing work going on in San Diego County health and physical education classes. The San Diego unit of the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (CAHPERD) on Thursday, May 26, from 4 to 6 p.m. will honor professionals and retirees who have had significant impact on students’ health and physical literacy. Please let us know if you plan to attend by completing the 2022 CAHPERD End of Year RSVP by May 12.

Nominations and Applications for CAHPERD End of Year Awards in the following categories may be submitted through May 6. Consider applying or nominating a department/colleague for:

San Diego CAHPERD would like to not only recognize teachers retiring this year, but would like to celebrate the careers and contributions of teachers who have retired in the past few years. If there is a retiree that should be honored, please complete the form for nominations and applications for CAHPERD end-of-year awards or contact Paige Metz. We look forward to seeing you May 26!

SDCOE is looking for input to guide programming for the 2022-23 school year. Take a few minutes to add sticky notes the the SDCOE Health and Physical Education 2022-23 Programming Jamboard to provide input about:

Please contact Paige Metz at [email protected] if you have any questions.

Prevent Drowning Foundation of San Diego's SD Swims grant program is accepting applications and looking for county partners to collaborate in bringing swim lessons to youth in underserved areas in San Diego County. Why is this important?

Program requirements:

Visit the SD Swims webpage to apply. Contact Sandy Bruce for more information.

Please contact Paige Metz with any questions.

It’s time to update health education programming. New legislation in Senate Bill (SB) 224 requires all districts and sites that offer one or more courses in health education to pupils in middle school or high school to include all of the following mental health content:

In addition, SB 224 requires that on or before Jan. 1, 2024, the California Department of Education (CDE) will develop a plan to expand mental health instruction in California public schools. For more information review the Health education and SB 224 infographic.

Administrators and teacher leaders who support health and/or physical education are invited to register now to participate in the SDCOE Health and Physical Education Advisory Meeting scheduled to take place virtually on May 4 from 9 to 11 a.m. Conversations will include:

A Zoom link to participate in the advisory will be emailed to registered participants prior to the meeting.

Hang out with your health and physical education peers at the SDCOE Health and Physical Education Hangouts on the second Wednesday of every month from 3 to 4 p.m. and receive the latest updates, resources, materials, and best practices in health and physical education. Use this Zoom Link to join each month. Following each hangout, from 4 to 5 p.m., there will be grade-level collaboration meetings for those who would like to collaborate with others who teach the same grade span. Attendees will receive follow-up emails with the information and resources that were shared.

The Health Education Framework Series, a combination of asynchronous and synchronous professional learning, is designed to help teachers implement skills-based instruction to build students’ health literacy. Click the following links to learn more about the complete summer or fall series, or attend individual sessions.

Ready to reinvent aspects of your instruction? Want to try something new? Just want to have some fun with fellow educators? Consider attending one of the following professional learning opportunities this summer.

In an effort to help connect credentialed health and physical education teachers to open positions, SDCOE is putting together both a list of health and physical education teacher candidates and a list of available or open positions. Teacher candidates who are interested in sharing their resumes with local districts/sites are encouraged to email Paige Metz a link to their resume, and information related to the type of position they are looking for (geographic area, grade span, coaching/advisory interests, etc.). Schools and districts with openings are invited to email Paige Metz with details related to the openings they have in health and physical education including credentials required, grade span, and other specifics related to their hiring needs.

CDE recently released a Health Education Instructional Materials Evaluation Toolkit to help districts and sites vet instructional materials to ensure that instruction is aligned to Health Education Model Content Standards for California Public Schools, Health Education Framework for California Public Schools and California Education Code requirements for health education instruction including:

The CDE will offer a webinar later this spring to provide specific insight on how to use the toolkit effectively.

The California Healthy Kids Resource Center, together with the Adolescent Sexual Health Work Group (ASHWG), conducted an intensive review of growth development and sexual health curriculum in accordance with the California Healthy Youth Act. A total of nine publishers submitted curricula to be reviewed. Access all of the curricula reviews by expanding the Links to Compliance Assessment Tools and Resources tab, which includes the following:

This 2020-21 California Healthy Youth Act curricula review is intended to be an update of previous reviews done by ASHWG, and these reviews are posted on the California Healthy Kids Resource Center webpage. Reviews can be found by scrolling down the home page and clicking Links to Compliance Assessment Tools and Resources. For additional information, visit the CDE CHYA webpage. A recording of a recent webinar explaining how to use CHYA compliance reviews will be available later this month.

Last year a new website launched that is a one-stop shop for all things related to health education programming. CaliforniaHealthEducation.org features critical resources for each of the six content areas that include:

Bookmark this link as CaliforniaHealthEducation.org will continue to be updated and populated with content to support the implementation of the new California Health Education Framework.

The CDE has added significant updates to its Supporting LGBTQ+ website. The additions to the website include specific resources to support educators, students, and families. Even better news is that the resources includes links to local resources in San Diego County. Be sure to share this information with administrators, counselors, teachers, and families. In addition, schools may use this information to update their comprehensive sexual health instruction to make sure that experiences are inclusive and accessible for all students.

Also, the San Diego LGBT Community Leadership Council’s Youth Services Committee — under the leadership of San Diego Pride, the SD LGBT Community Center, The North County LGBTQ Resource Center, and Trans Family Services — has recently released LGBTQ+ Youth Standards of Care. The standards outline best practices and relevant resources that reflect and comply with California Education Code and laws.

Check out the Tools for Schools searchable resource database from Live Well Schools. More than 300 resources, searchable by topic, will connect you to programs, partnership ideas, policy strategies, and tools to meet short-term needs of students and families and facilitate long-term planning for schools and districts. Tools for Schools provides a wide array of resources based on a broader definition of wellness that includes social and emotional health and a focus on addressing health disparities.