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School Wellness Weekly
March 26, 2025
| | Connecting Healthy Students and Healthy School Environments | | |
Spring is here! Warmer temperatures and longer days offer more opportunities to get outside with students for physical activity and fresh air—maybe a physical education (PE) class outdoors, or a health education lesson that helps students make connections between a school garden and the benefits of healthy foods like fruits and vegetables. The New York City Public Schools Climate Action Day focused on Health, Wellness and Green Space is also just around the corner, on Wednesday, April 9.
Climate action and wellness are connected by a common goal: healthy students and healthy school environments. NYCPS's new wellness policy, Empowering Strong and Healthy Students: The New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) School Wellness Policy now includes information about sustainable school environments that support health and well-being.
Educators and school staff can access grade-level-specific Climate Action Day Roadmaps from the Office of Energy and Sustainability for ideas to mark Climate Action Day.
PE and health education teachers can refer to pacing guides and Scope and Sequences for ideas on lessons and learning experiences to help students understand how health and wellness connect to their environment:
School communities, consider additional resources and ideas for outdoor physical activity:
All hyperlinks, including those above, open in a new tab.
(Photo collage: Office of School Wellness Programs)
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Support LGBTQ+ Students: Register for OUT for Safe Schools Training
Create a safe and supportive environment for all students by implementing the OUT for Safe Schools® Program, a national initiative where school-based staff wear badges to identify as trusted adults to LGBTQ+ students.
Research shows that LGBTQ+ youth who can name 11 or more supportive adult school staff are more likely to feel safer in school, miss fewer days, perform better academically, and feel a greater sense of belonging to their school community.*
Register for a Build an Affirming Community with OUT for Safe Schools webinar and encourage your colleagues to register, too! (Grades K-12, CTLE eligible).
*Kosciw, J. G., Clark, C. M., & Menard, L. (2022). The 2021 National School Climate Survey: The experiences of LGBTQ+ youth in our nation’s schools. New York: GLSEN.
(Photo: Courtesy NYCPS LGBTQ+ Supports)
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Vaping Prevention: Congratulations to NYCPS Student Contest Winners!
As part of its evidence-based youth vaping prevention program in New York City Public Schools, this year the Coordinated Approach to Child Health Global Foundation ("CATCH") launched a youth vaping prevention Public Service Announcement (PSA) contest for NYCPS middle and high school students. The goal is to empower students and encourage them to take an active role in advocating for themselves and their peers.
Congratulations to the winning entries in the first of three rounds in the 2024-2025 school year! View the winning posters and read more about the contest.
Parents and community members: Access information on e-cigarettes and how you can talk to students about vaping:
(Image: Poster by student winner Daniel Babayev)
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Register for Free Coach Camp on Thursday, March 27 in the Bronx
NYCPS physical education teachers and coaches, join coaches from Exos and Wellness in the Schools for an in-person, three-hour workshop on March 27 at Roberto Clemente State Park Gymnasium in the Bronx, in collaboration with the Office of School Wellness Programs and District 9. Participants will dive deep into teaching and coaching topics, share best practices, and collaborate with peers. From interactive discussions to hands-on activities, participants will gain practical insights and actionable strategies to enhance their coaching skills and elevate their impact in the classroom. Light snacks provided. Register and learn more at the link below. (Grades K-12, CTLE eligible).
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Save the Date: National PE and Sport Week, May 1 – 7
Start planning now to highlight and celebrate your PE program during National PE and Sport Week, Thursday, May 1 – Wednesday, May 7. Visit SHAPE America’s National PE and Sport Week page for resources and ideas, such as:
- Invite parents, caregivers, and school administrators to participate in a PE class during the week.
- Educate class visitors about standards-based PE and how it benefits students.
- Encourage students and families to get active at home, too!
(Photo: Courtesy SHAPE America)
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National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day April 10: Commit to Starting and Completing Required HIV Lessons for Students
National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (Thursday, April 10) and STI Awareness Week (April 13-19) remind us to raise awareness year-round about the impact of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) on young people.
New York State law requires annual instruction on HIV and AIDS for every student in grades K–12. To educate students about these communicable diseases and how to prevent them, and to provide students with State-required HIV instruction, NYCPS offers Growing Up and Staying Safe: New York City K-12 HIV Education Curriculum. This digital curriculum is skills-based, student-centered, and comes with student-facing materials in Spanish and Chinese.
School administrators and educators, here's how to learn about and teach the curriculum:
Help young people stay healthy by encouraging HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. Explore and share the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's HIV Testing and Sexual Health Clinics webpages.
Questions? Contact your Office of School Wellness Programs borough team.
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Free Webinars to Improve Communication With Teens Around Sexual Health
Teens ages 11 to 19 and their supportive adults are invited to join a free two-part, live Linking Families and Teens (LiFT) webinar series hosted by New York City Teens Connection to support families and teens to start open, honest conversations around sexual and reproductive health. Review the LiFT flyer for more details, and share it with your networks!
| | | Building the Wellness Community | |
NYCPS Disability Pride Visual Arts Contest: Submit by Tuesday, April 15
New York City Public Schools K-12 students and teachers: participate in the 2025 Inclusive Schools NYC visual arts contest! NYCPS students are invited to create an original piece of visual art that educates viewers on an aspect of disability or action in the Disability Rights Movement. This year’s theme, “Nothing About Us Without Us,” celebrates people with disabilities in their struggle for equity and equal access, opportunity, and inclusion. Get detailed information and guidelines, including a list of acceptable media or techniques.
Submit artwork by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15. Questions? Email InclusionSummit@schools.nyc.gov.
(Image: NYC Public Schools)
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Free Resources to Integrate Climate Education into Health Education and More
SUBJECTtoCLIMATE seeks to make teaching and learning about climate change accessible to educators of all grade levels and subjects, including health education and PE. Browse lesson plans, a teaching resource library, and more on their website for ways to integrate climate education into lessons throughout the school year. Explore SUBJECTtoCLIMATE'S teacher guides for free resources to celebrate Earth Day on Tuesday, April 22.
(Image: Courtesy SUBJECTtoCLIMATE)
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