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School Wellness Weekly

06.04.20


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This is an image of 5 profile pictures of students along the bottom, framed in boxes. Along the top is an image of numerous students' hands, of different races, coming together.
June Is Pride Month, and It Means So Much More Right Now
It’s hard not to feel the pain that has rippled through our City—and throughout the nation. We are experiencing an unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, continuing to struggle with the isolating effects of teaching and learning from home, and grappling with the most recent incidents of killing and violence toward Black people and the ensuing protests across the country. 

Our City, time and time again, has found ways to learn from conflict: to come together as a community and persevere with strength, compassion, and resilience. We stand with Chancellor Richard A. Carranza and all those who continue to fight against injustice:

"As proud public servants in service of New York City public school students, we are by definition part of the effort to fight injustice. It is our duty to serve everyone."
– Chancellor Richard A. Carranza

Pride Month in June is a time dedicated to commemorate another conflict that became a rallying cry for justice: the Stonewall Rebellion that occurred in our City on June 28,1969. On that night, patrons of the Stonewall Inn—a bar that catered to the LGBT community—fought back against a police raid and kick-started a wave of activism throughout the country that brought visibility to the struggle for LGBT equality. Pride Month events are a celebratory reminder of the brave groups of people that came together to stand up for justice and equality, and these events highlight the people and organizations that continue to speak out publicly against LGBTQ+ injustice today.

Take advantage of Pride Month and use this time to listen to students—especially students of color and LGBTQ+ students—and acknowledge the pain they are feeling during this difficult time. As this Chalkbeat article explains, For some LGBTQ youth, school buildings were safer spaces than their homes. Now, they have nowhere to go . Continue to provide safe virtual spaces for students to share their stories and connect with their peers (Read about Saraa Elkhaloui , health education teacher at M.S. 340 North Star Academy in Brooklyn, and how she creates Google Forms for her students to ask health-related questions anonymously and allows her students to connect with each other virtually). 

Read below to find out about many Pride Month events and resources you can use to support your students and school communities. Join the NYC Schools Pride Facebook group to stay up to date on events and resources during Pride Month and throughout the school year. 

As always, we thank you for your continued resilience as educators and your unwavering dedication to our students. 
Wellness Highlights
Be an Ally! LGBTQ+ Resources and Materials
In an effort to support LGBTQ+ students during remote learning, the Office of School Wellness Programs and the Office of Safety and Youth Development created a list of resources for teachers to share with students and their families. This list includes the DOE’s Guidelines on Gender:


Watch and listen to LGBTQ+ young people share how these supportive policies have impacted their lives. Questions? Email Eric Vaughan, evaughan3@schools.nyc.gov , LGBTQ Liaison, DOE Office of Safety and Youth Development.

Wellness Wednesday June 3 edition: Build Your Super Friend Toolbox!
Check out this week's Wellness Wednesday NYC pages to learn about healthy relationships and social connections: why they are important, how to talk about them with your students and children, and where to get help for bullying, harassment, and gender-based or domestic violence. The Building Your Super Friend Toolbox activity will get students of all ages and their caregivers thinking about what makes a good friend and how to nurture these connections.
Health Education
K-12 Educators: Gender and Sexuality Lessons on the DOE’s TeachHub
Use this time to discuss topics related to Pride Month during health education instruction. Log in to the DOE’s TeachHub (requires DOE log in) to access grades K-12 health education lessons on Gender, Growth and Development, Healthy Relationships, and Self-Identity. See below for a list of lessons, and don’t forget to use the Health Education Table of Contents to find more lessons updated each week:

  • K-1: Week 8, "Growth & Development"
  • 2-3: Week 8, "Growth & Development"
  • 2-3: Week 9, "Gender Stereotypes"
  • 4-5: Week 8, "Gender: Roles & Expression"
  • 6-8: Week 9, "Talking About Sexual Health"
  • 9-12: Week 9, "Healthy Relationships: Identity"

K-12 Educators: LGBTQ+ Resources for Your Virtual Classrooms
The DOE has invested in resources to create LGBTQ-affirming curriculum. These include:


Questions? Email Eric Vaughan, evaughan3@schools.nyc.gov , LGBTQ Liaison, DOE Office of Safety and Youth Development.
Building the Wellness Community
For the Entire School Community: LGBTQ Liaison-Led Events
During Pride Month, the DOE Office of Safety and Youth Development will be:


Visit the LGBT Support web page on the DOE website for updates and more events. Questions? Email Eric Vaughan, evaughan3@schools.nyc.gov , LGBTQ Liaison, DOE Office of Safety and Youth Development.

Grades 6-12 Educators: Professional Learning Opportunity on Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
Join the DOE Office of Sustainability and STEM on Tuesday, June 9, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for a free professional learning opportunity on how to incorporate sustainability in your virtual classrooms using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Participants explore resources connecting SDGs to STEM, sustainability, and the classroom. Register today.