School Wellness Weekly

04.25.18


Our Students Deserve Safety and Respect. Period.

The DOE is committed to maintaining safe and supportive school environments, where all NYC public school students feel respected. Our students deserve to learn and thrive in school communities free from harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying, as well as free from discrimination based on their race, color, creed, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship/immigration status, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or weight.

To keep respect at the forefront of a diverse learning environment, guide your students during this year’s GLSEN Day of Silence , Friday, April 27. This student-led national event will allow participants to take a vow of silence to highlight the silencing and exclusion o f LGBTQ people at school. GLSEN’s educator guide will help you plan activities to help students come together to take action by choosing silence and then breaking the silence to raise awareness and support for the LGBTQ community. Register on the GLSEN website to receive new resources and gain access to free streaming of LGBTQ-inclusive classroom documentaries to support your school’s Genders and Sexualities Alliance (GSA).

As part of our commitment to safety and respect, ensure that you understand and implement the Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Student Guidelines and refer to the DOE’s Respect for All page for family, student, and educator resources.

Health Education Teachers: To help you support Social, Emotional, and Mental Health concepts and cultivate resilience and courage in our schools, don’t forget to register for an interactive workshop this spring, designed to increase emotional intelligence (EI) and to equip you with strategies for incorporating EI practices into your health and sexual health education lessons. See the last issue of School Wellness Weekly for the spring lineup.

Above: clockwise from top left, CHAMPS flag football, Columbia Secondary School (05M362); 2018 Citywide GSA Summit, Stuyvesant High School (02M475), cooking class, Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School (14K414); CHAMPS flag football, Columbia Secondary School (05M362). Photos: Kirsten Luce
School Wellness Special Announcements
Results Are In! 2018 School Wellness Campaign Contest Winners and Runners-up
We had over 350 student submissions this year, including watercolor paintings, photographs, videos, poems, and apps, touching on a vast spectrum of school wellness topics like: physical and health education, physical activity, mental health, anti-bullying, nutrition, safe and supportive schools for all, and much more. We are so proud of each one of those students who participated in this year’s contest and for standing up for a school wellness issue they care about. Thank you to the school communities for supporting their ideas and cultivating their messages. We will start sharing the winning campaigns in the coming weeks! But for now, here are this year’s contest winners and runners-up:

Elementary School
Winner: Annie Li, Grade 4, P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum (25Q165), Queens
Runner-up: Samyuktha Arvind, Grade 5, P.S. 165 Edith K. Bergtraum (25Q165), Queens
Runner-up: Fatiha Jalal, Grade 5, P.S. 033 Edward M. Funk (29Q033), Queens
Runner-up: Ashley Li, Grade 5, P.S. 020 Anna Silver (01M020), Manhattan

Middle School
Winner: Musricul Anwar, Grade 7, Brooklyn Environmental Exploration School (23K664), Brooklyn
Runner-up: Kayla Sie, Grade 7, J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne (26Q074), Queens
Runner-up: Nora Haque, Grade 7, J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne (26Q074), Queens
Runner-up: Chelsea Li, Grade 7, J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne (26Q074), Queens

High School
Winner: Jillian Roed, Grade 11, Tottenville High School (31R455), Staten Island
Runner-up: Sarah Saad, Grade 12, Brooklyn Technical High School (13K430), Brooklyn
Runner-up, Zilin Wu, Grade 11, Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School (20K505), Brooklyn
Runner-up: Sofiat Koleosho, Grade 10, Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx (09X568), Bronx

Video Winner: Dior Harley, Grade 5, P.S. 057 Hubert H. Humphrey (31R057), Staten Island
Video Runner-up: Jerry Ye, Grade 11, Julian Giordano, Grade 9, Adam Ouabaita, Grade 11, Ivan Zhang, Grade 11, Stuyvesant High School (02M475), Manhattan

School Wellness Awards Program Open for the 2017-18 School Year
All school staff (administrators, teachers, support staff, etc.) submit nominations for School Wellness Champion of the Year and School Wellness Student of the Year by Tuesday, May 15, 2018, 11:59 p.m . We invite you to acknowledge and celebrate the work of a school staff member and a student who have been exceptionally successful and committed to creating and promoting healthy, active school environments. Winners will be notified in May and presented with an award during the Think-Move-Achieve Conference on June 7, 2018. Nominate today and help us honor those individuals who are serving as role models of school wellness. Read more about the awards details for each award. Questions? Email wellness@schools.nyc.gov .
Physical Education
All Grades K-5 School Staff: Free Recess Enhancement Training from Asphalt Green
Interested in supporting recess activities that maximize the use of your school's play spaces? Join Asphalt Green for a free 3-hour  Recess Enhancement Training , open to all grades K-5 school staff members on Tuesday, 5/22, in the Bronx to learn recess games that are great for any indoor or outdoor space, including large and small playgrounds, the auditorium, hallway, cafeteria, and more. Register today!
 
Serve Up Tennis for All School Settings with Free Resources from Net Generation
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is committed to helping teachers introduce tennis in PE classes and after-school programs. Use Net Generation’s free, easy-to-follow curricula to shape the game for all students so they can advance at their own pace and use tennis as a pathway to personal development beyond the court. Co-created by the USTA and SHAPE America , every activity within each lesson meets SHAPE standards and current grade-level outcomes. USTA provides everything needed to start and maintain a school program:
 
  • Equipment starter kit including racquets, balls, rolls of tape, chalk, and apparel for class leaders.
  • Free online and in-person training.
  • Print or online suite of teaching materials.
  • Digital communications providing new program information, educational content, and support to build Net Generation in your school.
  • Newsletter sharing best practices and success stories of Net Generation school programs.
  • Comprehensive, turnkey curricula created by the USTA & SHAPE America. 

Questions? Contact Gustavo Padilla, padilla@eastern.usta.com
Health Education
Teaching Better Basics:  Register for these professional learning workshops to build subject-area mastery, expertise in delivering instruction, and collaboration among colleagues:  

  • April 30: High School Health Education Basics V: Teaching Condom Demonstrations. Grades 9-12 high school health education teachers and CAP-trained staff, register for the webinar.
  • May 8: Elementary Health Education Basics I: Grades K-5 Comprehensive Skills-Based Health Education. Grades K-5 common branch and cluster teachers, register for the session in Brooklyn.
  • May 17: Middle and High School Health Education Basics III: HIV/AIDS. Grades 6-12 staff that teach the mandated DOE HIV/AIDS lessons, register for the session in Manhattan. 
Teachers and Leaders
April 30: Administrator Physical Education Professional Learning Community on Staten Island
Supervisors of secondary-school physical education programs meet to work collaboratively and network with other administrators to improve PE instruction in the school. Principals, assistant principals, deans, and other secondary administrators of physical and health education,  register today.
Building the Wellness Community
Free Bike Safety Student Assemblies for Grades K-12
New York City has added nearly 300 miles of bike lanes and greenway paths since 2010, making cycling more accessible for everyone and a great physical activity option for young people. Help your students learn safe cycling and the rules of the road with a free, interactive school presentation from  Bike New York. See details and request an assembly  here .

Spruce Up Your Gardens with a Community Growers Grant
Community Growers Grant Program is now accepting applications for the 2018-19 school year. Apply now for this competitive grant to receive up to $25,000 to start or expand your school garden. Schools and non-profit organizations are eligible to receive a State-funded grant. Applications due 5/21. 
School Wellness Councils: Almost Time for the DOE’s 2018 Sustainability Showcase
Join the Office of Sustainability at their annual Showcase on 5/18 to recognize students, teachers, administrators, building staff, and partner organizations for their efforts to make NYC schools more sustainable. This event will provide you with an opportunity to participate in one of six action-based workshops that will cover sustainability best practices and resources; the workshops can help you implement sustainability projects, or incorporate what students, DOE staff and partner organizations are working on to enhance school sustainability. You might win one of several cash and raffle prizes while you gather and share innovative ideas for your school garden or composting projects. Check out the flyer and register by 5/11. Questions: Email the Office of Sustainability .