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School Wellness Weekly
November 27, 2024
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For World AIDS Day, Commit to Growing Up and Staying Safe! | |
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This World AIDS Day, the theme Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress, speaks to the lessons and practices that educators and school staff can employ throughout the school year to ensure that all K-12 students know how to stay safe and healthy. We have a lot to be thankful for as we look to celebrate the 37th World AIDS Day on December 1: Scientific advances and the efforts of countless individuals over the past four decades mean that HIV transmission can be prevented, and millions of people with HIV can live healthy lives.
Thank you to the thousands of NYCPS educators who are using our updated curriculum, launched in fall 2023, Growing Up and Staying Safe: New York City K-12 HIV Education Curriculum. As a reminder, New York City requires annual instruction on HIV and AIDS for every student in grades K–12. The updated curriculum includes engaging lessons and resources for every grade, and features skills-based, student-centered, age-appropriate, and culturally responsive content that reflects the advances in HIV prevention and treatment guidelines.
Educators, learn more about programming the K-12 HIV lessons, and gain the confidence and skills you need to teach this important content:
New this year: Translated student worksheets and slide decks! These are now available in Spanish and Chinese, and parent overviews are available in all 10 NYCPS languages. Open the collection and scroll down for complete sets of materials for each grade band, and a collection of family-facing materials.
Check out the NYCPS Citywide Wellness Policy for more information about health education and the instruction, services, and programs—like the Condom Availability Program—that lead to healthy school environments.
Note: All hyperlinks in this issue, including those above, open in a new tab.
(Image: Courtesy World Health Organization.)
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Share how your school community honors World AIDS Day. Use the following hashtags to stay connected with the Office of School Wellness Programs on Instagram:
#NYCSchoolWellness
#Teachers4wellness
#PEHealthEd
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All K-12 School Staff: Register for an Upcoming Webinar to Support LGBTQ+ Students
The OUT for Safe Schools® campaign is a national initiative that supports school-based staff to visibly identify as trusted adults to LGBTQ+ students. School staff receive training in building affirming environments for LGBTQ+ students before receiving badges for their school community. Register for an upcoming webinar:
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Congratulations, NYC Educators! New York State AHPERD Award Winners
The New York State Association for Health and Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (NYS AHPERD) hosted its 86th Annual Conference in Verona, New York last week (November 20 – 23), providing professional learning for health, physical education, recreation, and dance professionals, and future professionals from all over New York State.
New York City Public School PE and health education teachers were among the thousands of individuals who gathered for professional learning, to present at sessions, and to connect with colleagues to further elevate the importance and impact of high-quality physical and health education. We congratulate the following people from the New York City Zone who received awards this year for excellence in teaching and/or in their contributions to the profession:
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High School Health Education Teacher of the Year: Drew Miller (Bard High School Early College Manhattan)
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High School Physical Education Teacher of the Year: Sheldon Sucre (Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, Brooklyn)
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NYC Zone Amazing People Award: Sasha Roopchand (The Brooklyn Green School, Brooklyn)
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Equity, Diversity & Inclusiveness Section Amazing People Award: Jason Gibson (Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, Manhattan)
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Exercise Science/Sports Medicine Section Amazing People Award: Anthony Carrano, District 20 PE Instructional Lead
(Images: Top: New York City Commission on Gender Equity and Office of School Wellness Programs; middle: Office of School Wellness Programs; above: Courtesy NYS AHPERD.)
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Free In-Person Coach Camp on December 11: Strategies to Enhance Your Coaching Skills and Impact in the Classroom
NYCPS coaches and PE teachers, join coaches from Exos and Wellness in the Schools for an in-person, three-hour professional learning opportunity on Wednesday, December 11, in collaboration with the Office of School Wellness Programs and District 25.
The session takes place at JHS 194 William Carr in Queens. Participants will dive deep into specific teaching and coaching topics, share best practices, and collaborate with NYC PE teachers and peers. From interactive discussions to hands-on activities, participants gain practical insights and actionable strategies to enhance their coaching skills and elevate their impact in the classroom. CTLE and light snacks provided. Register and learn more at the link below. For questions, email MyQueensOSWPTeam@schools.nyc.gov.
Location: JHS 194 William Carr (25Q194), 154-60 - 17th Avenue, Queens
Seats Are Filling Up! Additional PE Professional Learning Opportunities
There’s still time to register for the following PE professional learning opportunities in early December with the Office of School Wellness Programs:
Including ALL Students in Physical Education: Understanding Disabilities: Review universal design principles, disability classifications under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), and strategies to support and include students with disabilities in general PE.
IEP Development for Adapted PE (APE): Review the components of an Individualized Education Program (IEP), APE requirements under IDEA, and how to develop Present Level of Performance (PLOP) for students with disabilities.
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New Healthy Relationships Resources for Grades K-5 from Hip Hop Public Health!
Bring the foundational concepts and skills for lifelong healthy relationships to life for elementary-age students with The ABCs of Me, a brand new, free curricular resource from Hip Hop Public Health. The ABCs of Me uses music, art, and movement to help students in grades K-5 learn about autonomy, boundaries, and consent in the context of friend and family relationships.
Educators can sign up for free access to The ABCs of Me educator toolkits with lesson plans, classroom slides, and family materials. The songs, videos and downloadable comic books are available for free on Hip Hop Public Health’s Learning Studio.
This resource features catchy original songs and animated videos along with standards-aligned lesson plans, practical teaching guidance, dynamic classroom activities, and engaging family materials. Lessons were developed in collaboration with Advocates for Youth and are flexibly designed to be taught in full class periods or in mini sessions.
Seats Are Filling Up! Additional Health Education Professional Learning Opportunities
There's still time to register for the following professional learning opportunities in health education in early December with the Office of School Wellness Programs:
Sexual Health Education: Introduction to Requirements and Resources: Participants will support student learning around puberty, sexual identity, healthy relationships, sexual harassment prevention, and more.
Promoting Sexual Health Education: Promoting Inclusivity for Students with Disabilities: Learn strategies to ensure all students, including those with disabilities, receive comprehensive sexual health education. Don't miss this opportunity to foster equity and inclusivity in your classroom!
(Image: Courtesy Hip Hop Public Health.)
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Building the Wellness Community | |
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Stay Active This Winter: Free Running Activities for Students and Families
New York Road Runners (NYRR) offers free programs to bring the transformative power of running to communities across the city. There's something for every member of the family, from easy runs and walks in neighborhood parks to world-class running events for all ages and abilities. Free programs include:
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NYRR Open Run brings free, weekly, community-led runs to neighborhood parks across the greater New York City area and is open to runners and walkers of all ages, abilities, and experience levels.
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NYRR Run for the Future introduces high school young women to the sport of running, celebrates a milestone with participants running their first 5K together, and fosters lifelong connections with a strong alumnae network. Application opens in early 2025.
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Rising New York Road Runners Youth Ambassadors is centered around a six-week public-speaking and speech fundamentals training workshop for kids. Upon completion, Ambassadors get to practice their skills by speaking at special NYRR events. Application opens in early 2025.
NYCPS Climate Action Days: Plan Ahead and Check Out Resources
Climate Action Days are an opportunity for New York City Public School communities to learn how to take climate action with sustainable and responsible practices. Each day is based on a theme and showcases the importance of climate education and sustainability practices. Next spring, for example, is devoted to the theme Health, Wellness, and Green Space—an opportunity to highlight the connections among these areas, such as the benefits of outdoor physical activity and the importance of healthy food systems for healthy eating.
Save these dates and plan ahead with a rich collection of Climate Action Day ideas and resources from the Office of Energy and Sustainability:
- Wednesday, February 5: Energy
- Wednesday, April 9: Health, Wellness, and Green Space
- Wednesday, May 21: Water
A highlight from the November 19 Waste-themed day: Schools in NYC have made major progress in reducing waste in the cafeteria. To keep that momentum going, Cafeteria Culture created the Know What We Throw Waste Check Up Instructions and a comprehensive set of resources to turn your school cafeteria into a climate action hub.
(Photo: Courtesy New York Road Runners)
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