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School Wellness Weekly

September 18, 2020

This is an image of a person on a bus wearing a mask. Photo credit: Chapman Chow, UnSplash.
Change is Constant. So is Our Commitment to You.
Yesterday’s announced changes to the DOE’s school reopening schedule impact all of us, and call for creative thinking and teamwork as we make necessary adjustments to the planning leading up to this moment. It’s never been more important to foster resilience among our school communities, promote self-care, and focus on the importance of good physical and mental health. 

The Office of School Wellness Programs is committed to providing clear guidance, easy-to-use links, and accessible resources to help staff, students, and families remain healthy, safe, and physically active as they transition back to school. 

As we continue to update our materials and opportunities during this time, please continue to read this issue—and upcoming issues of School Wellness Weekly—for timely information, like free resources from trusted partners to help families and caregivers support their students’ physical, mental, social, and emotional development. This week, check out:


Thank you for your unwavering dedication to our students. We will continue to advocate for the support schools need to ensure that Physical Education, Health Education, School Wellness Councils, and student wellness programming are available to students and families throughout the City, in the largest—and most resilient—school district in the country.
Photo credit: Chapman Chow, Unsplash.
Wellness Highlight
2020-2021 Professional Learning Catalog Now Available 
In response to the unique demands of this school year, our 2020-2021 Professional Learning Catalog (opens in new window) has been redesigned to:

  • support educators during blended and remote learning with access to Physical Education and Health Education instructional material and guidance;
  • highlight our focus on community building and information sharing by being a one-stop-shop resource for up-to-date information on upcoming online opportunities.

We will continue to update the online catalog, so please visit often.
Physical Education
Keep Families Engaged With Free PE and Physical Activity Resources on the DOE Website
Help students and families stay physically active wherever they are during blended and remote learning instruction by sharing free movement videos, activity logs, and other resources on the Physical Education and Physical Activity page (opens in new window) on the DOE website.
Health Education
This is a collage with three images: from the left is an image of hands being washed under a faucet of running water, the second is an image of face masks, and the third is a picture of a student sitting in a classroom with a mask on.
Health Education Return to School Guidance and HealthSmart Access
Continue to plan for and program State-required Health Education by using NYC Health Education Return to School Guidance: Providing Quality Health Education for All Students (opens in new window). This document provides detailed recommendations and resources, including:

  • frequently asked questions,
  • updated expectations for NYSED-required HIV/AIDS lessons for grades K-12,
  • and instructional resources.

The document also contains instructions for accessing the recommended Health Education curricula (including the new 3rd edition of HealthSmart with full digital access (opens in new window).

If your school is unable to purchase these curricula, please complete this brief survey (opens in new window) to help us gauge Citywide curriculum needs, and a member of the Office of School Wellness Programs will follow up.

Schools that have previously purchased the 2nd edition of HealthSmart can access limited online resources (opens in new window) free of charge. Questions? Email healthedworks@schools.nyc.gov (opens in email window).

Photos (left to right): 2018 School Wellness Campaign Contest winning entry, Musrieul Anwar, Brooklyn Environmental Exploration School, Brooklyn; face masks, Unsplash; student in classroom with face mask, Maximilian Scheffler, Unsplash.
Building the Wellness Community
Wear Your Masks With Respect and Trust: “Behind the Mask” Song and Music Video
Spread love 💜 not COVID! Share Hip Hop Public Health’s new music video, Behind the Mask (opens in new window) featuring Raheem DeVaughn, RealDoug E. Fresh, and Darryl DMC McDaniels. This video is designed to promote the use of face masks as an effective means of stopping the spread of COVID-19 and is part of a trilogy of COVID-related music video PSAs produced by Hip Hop Public Health that began in April at the height of the pandemic. 
Share with Families: Find a Food Pantry and Reserve Food. Plus, No Lines!
Food insecurity is an ongoing struggle for many of our students and their families. Please share with your school community that families can reserve food at food pantries throughout the five boroughs without waiting in line using the free, easy-to-use Plentiful app (opens in new window). Available for download as an Android app (opens in new window) or families can text FOOD to 726-879 to get started. 

For the Entire School Community: Free Facebook Live Nutrition Workshops
The Just Say Yes to Fruits and Vegetables Stellar Farmers Markets program at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is offering free, weekly Facebook Live nutrition and culinary workshops in both English and Spanish from July to November. The workshops are focused on healthy eating tips (opens in new window) and sharing delicious, seasonal recipes (opens in new window). Share the Eat Healthy, Be Active NYC Facebook page via www.facebook.com/EatingHealthyNYC (opens in new window) for families to join a live workshop. All workshops will be posted to the page to be watched at any time.