Twitter ‌
This is an image of the New York City Department of Education logo.
This is an image of the Office of School Wellness Programs logo that says, Think, Move, Achieve.


School Wellness Weekly

March 25, 2022
Two New York City public school students dueling during a fencing match inside of a school cafeteria. Students are wearing protective helmets and white fencing garments.
Honoring Women's History Month and Lifting Up Schools
In honor of Women’s History Month (opens in new window) and the Chancellor’s focus on student well-being and lifting up schools, we’re highlighting P.S. 68, The Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning in Staten Island (31R068). The school community, led by Principal Lorrie S. Brown and in partnership with PowerPlay, hosted a fencing demonstration on Wednesday, March 2 in honor of Women’s History Month to showcase the female fencers of color in their school, as well as to highlight the presence of women of color in the fencing community. Check out the full highlight in this issue.  

We’re excited to share more stories in School Wellness Weekly this spring about schools that are supporting student and family health and well-being in outstanding ways. During the week of April 4, look for highlights of schools across the City with successful CHAMPS (opens in new window) programs to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Sport for Development and Peace (opens in new window). Stay tuned to a special edition of School Wellness Weekly for full highlights of each school, plus check out our Twitter (opens in new window) throughout the week of April 4—don’t forget to follow us: @NYCDOEwellness! 

There is nothing more important to New York City families than keeping students thriving in safe, healthy, active school communities. That’s why Health and Physical Education are New York State-mandated subjects: they teach students the lifelong skills they need to take care of themselves and others, to communicate in healthy ways, and to advocate for their needs.

School staff: Reach out to your Office of School Wellness Programs borough team (opens in new window) for help with:

  • Health Education and Physical Education programming and instruction
  • How to start a School Wellness Council
  • How to incorporate wraparound wellness programming like Move-to-Improve, the CHAMPS Sports and Fitness Program, and other free opportunities to promote student well-being  

Photo: Two students dueling during a fencing match inside of a school cafeteria, P.S. 68, The Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning in Staten Island (31R068), photo courtesy Assistant Principal Lorraine Rodriguez; layout design: Office of School Wellness Programs
Twitter ‌
School Highlight
Two New York City public school students dueling in a fencing match inside of a school cafeteria. Both students are wearing protective helmets and fencing garments.
Honoring Women’s History Month at P.S. 68 in Staten Island: Celebrating Female Fencers of Color  
P.S. 68, The Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning (31R068) in partnership with PowerPlay (opens in new window), hosted a fencing demonstration on March 2 that showcased the female fencers of color in their community. P.S. 68 elementary school student fencers and two young nationally ranked fencers, Omari Smoak and Yehia Elli, showed off their fencing skills, with Loweye Diedro, the current Commissioner of the Public School Athletics League (PSAL) for Fencing as referee. Check out this highlight in Staten Island Advance (opens in new window).  

PowerPlay aims to empower young females of color—90% of participants are girls of color (primarily Black and Latinx)—through play and sport by focusing on cultivating their social-emotional learning. The P.S. 68 school community continues to prioritize connecting their students with sports and activities, especially for their young female students. Research has shown that girls in NYC participate in sports at half the rate that boys do and compared to all other demographic groups, girls of color in urban environments have the least opportunities to participate in sports or physical activity.  

Note: For the 2021-2022 school year, P.S. 68 agreed to partner with the Office of School Wellness Programs to receive dedicated, tailored support as one of the many schools in a NYC neighborhood hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Photo: Two students dueling during a fencing match inside of a school cafeteria, P.S. 68, The Port Richmond School for Visionary Learning in Staten Island (31R068), photo courtesy Assistant Principal Lorraine Rodriguez
Health Education
Fully Funded Sex Education Training Opportunity for Middle and High School Health Education Teachers  
The Sex Education Initiative (opens in new window) at Teachers College, Columbia University is holding its annual teacher training in fall 2022 via a two- or three-week track that includes in-person and online options. This fully funded professional development opportunity provides middle and high school health educators with training on Reproductive Life Planning and Reproductive Identity Formation, including the opportunity to: 

  • learn from content area experts 
  • explore their own personal values and norms 
  • gain skills and tools for engaging their students and community in these topics 

Visit the website for more information; submit applications by Sunday, May 1. 
Physical Education
New Opportunities to Support Inclusive Physical Education for K-12
Share with other PE teachers, school psychologists, and other staff serving students with IEPs: Visit the Elementary PE Professional Learning page (opens in a new window) and Secondary PE Professional Learning page (opens in new window) for two new webinars:

  • Strategies for Inclusion in Physical Education
  • Adapted Physical Education in IEP

Seeking individual support regarding Adapted Physical Education instruction and IEP requirements? We’ve got you covered with virtual office hours! Visit the pages above for additional details and email APE@schools.nyc.gov (opens in email window) if you are interested in a 30-minute meeting with Office of School Wellness Programs content specialists. 
Building the Wellness Community
Share with Graduating Seniors: Fourth Annual Yankees-Stonewall $10,000 Scholarship Opportunity 
The DOE in partnership with the Stonewall Inn (opens in new window) and the New York Yankees are accepting applications for the fourth annual Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship to celebrate the achievements of college-bound seniors who have demonstrated strong academic achievement and impactful support of the LGBTQ community. Five students—one from each borough—will receive a one-time scholarship of $10,000. Encourage your high school senior students to apply (opens in new window) by the deadline of Friday, April 15. Questions? Email LGBTQ@schools.nyc.gov (opens in new email window). 

The Office of School Wellness Programs and the DOE are committed to supporting LGBTQ students with ongoing resources, support, activities, and events. Thank you to all school staff who have continued to be allies to LGBTQ students and build safe and affirming environments. Continue to learn more about OUT for Safe Schools® training sessions (opens in new window) and GSA (Gender and Sexuality Alliances) (opens in new window). 

Healthier, Local School Food: Apply for the New York Farm to School Institute  
School Wellness Council Champions and school staff interested in creating Farm to School programs and learning how to bring New York-grown food to cafeterias and classrooms can still apply for the 2022-2023 New York Farm to School Institute (opens in new window); Applications are due by Friday, April 1. 

The New York Farm to School Institute is a year-long professional development opportunity for food service staff, educators, administrators, and community partners in New York schools to develop and refine their Farm to School programs. For more information, email finys@farmland.org (opens in email window). 

Environmental Learning and Advocacy Spring Program: GrowNYC Zero Waste Schools 
The DOE and NYC Department of Sanitation program Zero Waste Schools (opens in new window) helps schools develop best practices for recycling, composting, and environmental stewardship. Slots are still open for the April 25 to June 3 session; accepted schools get six weeks of dedicated support from an Outreach Coordinator. Apply now (opens in new window). 

This year’s GrowNYC Zero Waste Schools (opens in new window) theme, Student Advocacy through Waste Audits (opens in new window), is designed to help K-12 students become advocates by learning about the waste crisis, conducting waste audits, and designing and executing data-informed environmental actions. Sign up for the Zero Waste Schools contests and awards and create an account by emailing schools@dsny.nyc.gov (opens in email window).
School Wellness Councils: Share Community Service Opportunities with Students 
The DOE’s Service in Schools program (opens in new window) strives to increase the number of NYC students engaged in transformative community service and service-learning experiences to make a positive change in their communities and the world. Opportunities range from organizing essential needs drives to engaging school “Green” teams around sustainability efforts. Service in Schools offers direct assistance to schools through:
Service in Schools logo.
  • professional learning and student programs 
  • on-the-ground technical support for school service initiatives 
  • resources for school staff, students, and families 

Sign up for the Service in Schools newsletter (opens in new window) for regular updates, and visit the InfoHub page (opens in new window) for more information.

Photo credit: DOE Service in Schools
DOE Guidance for Youth Climate Strike Today, March 25
The DOE remains committed to empowering student voices and promoting civic engagement; however, regular classroom schedules should continue as normal during today's Global Climate Strike (opens in new window). The DOE wants to ensure a safe, supportive learning environment for all students. School leaders should note the following:  

  • Regardless of grade level, refer to Chancellor’s Regulation A-210 (opens in new window). 
  • To ensure their safety, elementary school students must be signed out by a parent or guardian if they wish to participate in the walkout.   
  • Schools should follow their regular attendance policies in determining whether any absences are excused or unexcused (including retaining proper documentation). There are no disciplinary consequences for excused absences.   
  • Per Chancellor’s Regulation C-110 (opens in new window), staff may not participate in walkout/strike/protest activities during their scheduled work hours, including during lunch periods and breaks, or engage in political activity that causes them to be absent during the hours they are scheduled to work. 

School administration, school safety agents, and appropriate staff should work together to ensure that students who exit the building and remain outside during the walkout are safe. The DOE is working in collaboration with the NYPD and School Safety division to ensure that young people who participate can safely transition without incident. For questions, contact your Borough Safety Director (requires DOE login) (opens in new window).  
Notable