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School Wellness Weekly
June 16, 2023
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Celebrating PRIDE Month and Juneteenth! |
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In the month of June, and all year, celebrate and uplift New York City students’ cultures and unique identities while acknowledging their history. This month, we are proud to highlight:
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June 19, known as Juneteenth (opens in new window) honors the end to legal slavery in the United States and celebrates the cultural legacy of Black people in America. It’s also a time to acknowledge and reflect on the ongoing injustices that Black communities continue to face.
Learning about this country’s past is an important step in redirecting the course of history away from the injustice and discrimination we still witness and experience today---one example being the alarming mental health challenges LGBTQ+ youth are facing (opens in new window). Educators play a key role in helping ensure schools are safe havens for all students, and the Office of School Wellness Programs is committed to supporting Safe and Supportive Environments (SSE) (opens in new window) Citywide. Last year, we collaborated with the American Psychological Association and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to compile new training objectives and materials guided by CDC learning. Together, we can continue to empower students to recognize and advocate for healthy, socially just communities.
Continue reading to see an inspiring example of student-led advocacy for safe, supportive, inclusive practices in a school community.
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2022-23 School Wellness Council Highlights |
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This school year, we’ve seen many outstanding examples of School Wellness Councils helping champion students’ health, well-being, development, and academic achievement by coordinating existing programs and resources at their schools, and bringing in new ones. That’s the essence of a School Wellness Council: an advisory group comprised of diverse, caring individuals who work together with the school administration to promote a healthy school community. Councils champion the components of the NYC Public Schools Citywide Wellness Policy (opens in new window) and work to ensure that student voice is represented.
Congratulations to the following schools and all school communities that are doing the hard work of determining needs, having coordinated conversations, and advocating for the instruction and programs that improve student outcomes. See the School Wellness Councils web page (opens in new window) for more information.
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In April, the School Wellness Council at Myra S Barnes (I.S 024) in Staten Island hosted a School Wellness Night for students, their families, and staff members. After receiving a CDC grant earlier this school year to support Health Education and wellness programming, the Council showcased:
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Also at I.S. 024, the LGBTQ+ Ally Meet Up Group shared two guides they created that provide tips on how to be an ally to LGBTQ+ people, including use of pronouns, students’ sexual orientation and gender identity, and resources. Congratulations to this student group for leading the way to LGBTQ+ acceptance in their school community!
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Image credits: Photos by Krisanne Johnson. Brochures created by IS24 LGBTQ+ Ally Meetup Group. |
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Learn More About the Updated K-12 HIV Curriculum: New Intro to HIV Education Online Course
New York City has been in the vanguard of HIV and AIDS education since 1987, when the DOE first required annual HIV lessons to all students K-12. The DOE first developed its own HIV curriculum to provide students with the essential knowledge and skills to prevent HIV transmission, reduce stigma toward people living with HIV, and care for their health throughout their lives.
In Fall 2023, the Office of School Wellness Programs will launch a newly updated, standards-based HIV curriculum. Growing Up and Staying Safe: K-12 NYC HIV Education Curriculum is skills-based, student-centered, and culturally responsive. The lessons use inclusive language and incorporate social and emotional learning throughout. Additional new features include slide decks, fillable worksheets, and a visually engaging format.
We strongly encourage school administrators and teachers to plan ahead for 2023-24 by completing a 30-minute self-guided Introduction to HIV Education course on WeLearn NYC (opens in new window). This course covers parent communication, programming considerations, a preview of the lessons, and more.
Congratulations to Student Winners: Health Resource Room Student Poster Contest
The Office of School Wellness Programs is excited to announce the winners of the Health Resource Room Promotion: Student Poster Contest (opens in new window). NYC student judges selected two middle school students and two high school students as winners from more than 100 submissions; these four students each received a $200 gift card. Their schools will receive an $800 grant in fall 2023 to start or sustain its Health Resource Room. The winning and runner-up posters will be printed and made available to secondary schools Citywide in Fall 2023.
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Winners: Gia Han from Tu New Utrecht High School (20K445) (top left), Candace Park (top right) and Jane Breisky (bottom left) from The Clinton Middle School (02M260), and Sonia Rahman from Thomas A. Edison Career and Technical Education High School (28Q620) (bottom right). |
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An additional congratulations to our honorable runners-up: Lael Wills (Restoration Academy, 13K301), Christie Baez (John Ericsson Middle School, 14K126), Cai Yi Yang (New Explorations into Science, Technology and Math High School, 01M539), Danile Kim and Natalie Eng (Bronx High School of Science, 10X445). Thank you to all students who participated in the effort to increase student awareness and use of Health Resource Rooms at middle schools and high schools.
Great Health Teachers Make a Difference: Congratulations to Advanced Certificate in Health Education Graduates
Congratulations to the May 2023 cohort and all the Health Education teachers who completed the Advanced Certificate in Health Education program at Lehman College over the past four years. From 2019 to 2023, the Office of School Wellness Programs, in collaboration with Lehman College, offered in-service, K-12 Health Education teachers an opportunity to apply for a virtual, 18-credit program leading to the Advanced Certificate in Health Education. Four Cohorts and 78 graduates (opens in new window) completed the program, including three cohorts that overlapped with the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic.
High-quality Health Education requires more and better-prepared teachers who are trained and supported to provide students with medically accurate, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate instruction. We look forward to working with our newly certified Health Education teachers and leaders in the field.
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K-12 Educators: Transgender Inclusion in Sports Resources Available
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Building the Wellness Community |
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Share with Entire School Community: New York City LGBTQ+ Guide to Services and Resources
The New York City Comptroller’s office has released the latest edition of the LGBTQ+ Resource Guide — an online, interactive, comprehensive Citywide directory of resources for LGBTQ+ communities, complete with an online map. Hundreds of organizations are represented: search for senior services, access to housing, the arts, counseling and support groups, and much more.
Educators and School Staff: Identity + Intersectionality: Celebrating Pride and Juneteenth Webinar
WorkWell NYC is hosting a workshop on June 22 at 12 p.m. to provide a deep dive into identity and intersectionality in the context of the workplace. Explore the assets and challenges of intersecting identities, including in the context of race, gender, and sexual orientation.
Caregivers: Two New Social Emotional Learning On-Demand Courses Available
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