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School Wellness Weekly
February 2, 2024
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Empower Students to Stay Healthy: Black History Month |
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February begins the celebration of Black History Month — a nationwide acknowledgment of the contributions of Black Americans and a collective reminder to celebrate Black lives and identities now and every day. This year’s theme is "African Americans and the Arts” (opens in new window).
Honoring the artistic contributions of Black Americans calls on us to consider how art in its many forms, forged in struggle and triumph, despite continued racism, can be revelatory, revolutionary and restorative. African American art appreciated in school communities can create safe, inclusive school spaces, promote empathy, build understanding, and foster community wellness.
One of those art forms, hip-hop, was born in the Bronx during the early 1970s (opens in new window), and has proven its influence as a learning tool that can encourage healthy behaviors. Check out the joyful jams and powerful health messages in Hip Hop Public Health (opens in new window) Learning Studio, free to all and informed by public health specialists, physicians, and members of the hip-hop community, including Doug E. Fresh, Cheryl “Salt” James, Chuck D and Darryl D.M.C. McDaniels. (Elementary Health teachers can also consider an opportunity to provide feedback on developing new resources, see below in the "Building the Wellness Community" section.)
Addressing and ending racial injustice is essential to creating healthy, active, safe, and inclusive school communities. Schools are encouraged to promote initiatives that foster respect for diversity not only this month, but year-round. The NYC Public Schools Citywide Wellness Policy (opens in new window) highlights how school communities should be creating positive and supportive learning environments.
See ways to celebrate Black History Month with your students:
Photo credits: Background: World Beats album, Hip Hop Public Health. Small image left: Power of Movement video, Office of School Wellness Programs. Small image right: Ben Wiens on Unsplash. Graphic by Office of School Wellness Programs.
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Missed the Last Professional Learning Edition of School Wellness Weekly? Update Your Profile to Get Concise Updates
Check out the latest issue (opens in new window) highlighting Physical Education and Health Education professional learning opportunities (PLOs). Update your job title to include the word(s) “teacher”, “educator”, “coach”, or “principal” to receive timely updates about our office PLOs.
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The Office of School Wellness Programs is now on Instagram! Connect With Us
We are on Instagram! Find us @NYCSchoolWellness and see what our office has to offer, including posts featuring Move-to-Improve activities you can try in school or at home.
Note: We will still be active on X (formerly Twitter). Instagram is an additional platform you can use to connect with us!
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Celebrate Respect for All Week, February 12 – 16
Mark your calendars! From Monday, February 12 to Friday, February 16, New York City Public Schools highlights Respect for All Week (opens in new window)— a time to celebrate our students’ unique identities and promote respect for diversity among students, staff, and communities.
- Celebrating Kindness/Be an Ally
- Anti-Bullying/ Cyberbullying
- Respect for Diversity, Disability, Religious Acceptance and Racial Diversity
- Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation and LGBTQ Pride and Acceptance
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Friday, February 16 - National No One Eats Alone Day (opens in new window)
The Office of School Wellness Programs is committed to providing all NYCPS students with high-quality, inclusive Health and Physical Education. Both required academic subjects are deeply connected to social-emotional learning and equip students with the skills they need to promote respect, embrace diversity, and foster community building.
Read below in the “Physical Education” and “Health Education” sections for opportunities and resources to help support inclusive Health and Physical Education and build healthy and safe schools.
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Calling 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:
K-12 Build an Affirming Community with OUT for Safe Schools: CTLE 90 minutes
New Professional Learning!
Open to All K-12 School Staff: CTLE 45 minutes
Health Education courses: CTLE 45 minutes
Physical Education courses: CTLE: 3 hours
Photo credits: Top: Kirsten Luce. Above: OUT for Safe Schools.
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K-12 Educators: Resources for Fostering Community, Embracing Inclusivity, and Encouraging Movement
With Respect for All Week (opens in new window) around the corner, it's a great time to practice community building by sharpening your students’ social emotional learning (SEL) skills through physical activity.
Find expectations and grade-level outcomes for community building in our Scope and Sequence. This resource supports developing lessons in grade level-appropriate SEL skills that students practice in Physical Education class:
Ensure your PE program is inclusive for students of all abilities:
Also check out resources from SHAPE America:
Photo credit: Kirsten Luce.
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Additional Resources for Respect for All Week
The suggested pacing guides for grades K-12, found on the Health Education page (opens in new window) of our Professional Learning Catalog, contain recommended lessons on empathy, bullying, conflict resolution, and more.
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
- Understanding Self-Identity: Building a Supportive Environment for LGBTQ+ Students curriculum supplement (available on TeachHub):
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Log in to the NYC Public Schools TeachHub (opens in new window).
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Open the Health Education folder. Watch the tutorial video on Accessing Health Education Resources (opens in new window; requires DOE login) for full instructions to access all materials.
- Go to the Health Education section for Grades 9-12 Sexual Health folder.
- Find materials in the Understanding Self-Identity folder.
All Grades
Photo credit: Unsplash.
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Building the Wellness Community |
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Don’t “Waste” Time! Spread the Word: Second Climate Action Day is February 7
The second NYCPS Climate Action Day (opens in new window) focused on “Waste” is happening on Wednesday, February 7. Bring together your school community, celebrate solutions, and show NYC students that New York City Public Schools are committed to building a better, healthier future Citywide.
Action steps that educators, students, and families can take:
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K-12 educators: Engage your students and join NYCPS Office of Energy and Sustainability virtual waste-themed webinars (opens in new window) to support your school's Waste Climate Action Day!
- Prevent waste in the first place! Use only what you need and find ways to reuse materials.
- Properly sort items for recycling and composting to reduce what we send to landfill. By the end of the 2024 school year, all K-12 NYC public schools will have curbside composting service!
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Reminder: As Chancellor Banks announced (opens in new window) in September, Climate Action days are four days throughout the school year when every NYC public school is encouraged to showcase the importance of climate education and sustainability practices. Each day will focus on a specific theme that fulfills a goal set in PlaNYC (opens in new window), New York City’s long-term strategic climate plan.
K-5 Educator Input Needed: Healthy Relationships Project 2024
If you are a K-5 teacher, join virtually on February 13, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. to share your perspective and experiences. You will receive a $75 Visa gift card after the meeting as a thanks for your participation. Complete this short interest form (opens in new window) by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, February 2. Slots are limited and will be filled in order of applications received.
America's Healthiest Schools
Apply by April 16 to be one of America's Healthiest Schools.
Schools will be able to access their applications directly from their dashboards, as in recent years.
Photo credit: NYCPS Office of Energy and Sustainability.
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Adults: Food and Nutrition Education Community Gathering on February 7
Who is encouraged to attend? Community members, parents and caregivers of school children, and future and current NYCPS educators. Celebrate how food and nutrition education, including gardening, cooking, and understanding food systems and justice, can build brighter and healthier futures. There will also be various cooking demonstrations.
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Health Corner: Resources for National Childrens' Dental Health Month
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February is National Childrens' Dental Health Month! Smoking and vaping prevention and treatment play an important role in promoting oral health among teens and youth ages 13-24. Youth who use tobacco are at increased risk for oral cancer, periodontal disease, and other oral diseases. Vaping may increase the risk of tooth decay in youth. Good oral health in this age group can improve quality of life and have a profound effect on overall health.
Families, providers, and school staff can help protect students’ oral health:
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