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This is an image of the Office of School Wellness Programs logo that says, Think, Move, Achieve.


School Wellness Weekly

May 17, 2021
Young students posing for pictures, with some doing yoga poses and stretches. Includes the NYC Department of Education, Office of School Wellness Programs logo.
Register Today!
Online Professional Learning in Physical Education, Health Education, and School Wellness on June 3
Join the Office of School Wellness Programs on Chancellor’s Conference Day, Thursday, June 3, for Online Professional Learning in Physical Education, Health Education, and School Wellness. Recognizing the vital role that PE and Health Education teachers and school wellness champions play in their school communities—especially in supporting our students and families during this unique year—we will offer live and on-demand webinars throughout the day to build skills and to celebrate all things PE, Health Education, and school wellness.

Visit our June 3 Chancellor’s Day Professional Learning Page (opens in new window) in our Professional Learning catalog to register using your DOE email, review the day’s schedule, and find webinar details. Attendees will be awarded 90 minutes of CTLE for each eligible session unless otherwise indicated. Sign up today; space is limited. Registration closes on Thursday, May 27, at 11:59 p.m.

Educators may register to attend one, two, or three live webinars, offered during morning and afternoon sessions, allowing them to attend even if they participate in staff development at their school or elsewhere on the same day:

  • Session 1: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.      
  • Session 2: 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.  
  • Break: 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.    
  • Session 3: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Participants may also view on-demand (recorded) webinars on a variety of health and wellness topics at their own pace and convenience. Our program line-up includes:

  • Live webinars from: 
  • Office of School Wellness Programs staff on skills and strategies for delivering high-quality remote and in-person instruction.
  • Trusted partner organizations on such topics as Post-COVID Tools for Physical and Emotional Strength, Chair Yoga for the Classroom, Dance Units Made Easy, Planning for Virtual Field Day, Healthy Relationships, Social Emotional Learning in PE, and many others. 
  • Discussion sessions on the value of monthly Online Professional Learning Communities to connect with colleagues during this time of recovery.
  • On-demand instructional webinars, including COVID-19 Personal Health and Safety, Planning for Community Building in PE, Out for Safe (Remote) Schools, and more. 

To help ensure that all educators can participate in our live webinars on June 3, the Office of School Wellness Programs is working with the Office of Sign Language Interpreting Services (OSLIS) to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation in real time during live sessions. Please email WellnessPD@schools.nyc.gov (opens in email window) if you require ASL interpretation services.
On Twitter? Follow us and let us know how excited you are to participate on June 3 and share messages celebrating all things PE, Health Education, and school wellness!

 #NYCSchoolWellness #Teachers4wellness #PE&HealthEd #MovetoImproveNYC

Read and share the social media guides to help keep yourself, students, and parents safe, available on the DOE's Digital Citizenship page (opens in new window).
Photo: Office of School Wellness Programs
Wellness Highlight
NYC Department of Education, Office of Sustainability logo.
For Educators and Students: Connecting School Wellness and Sustainability During Meet the Experts Series 
Join the DOE Office of Sustainability and Office of School Wellness Programs’ Alice Goodman, Senior Director of Policy & Partnerships, for Healthy Intersections: Wellness, Sustainability & Food (opens in new window) on Thursday, May 27, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Learn how school wellness, sustainability, and food policies connect and when coordinated, can work together to meet the needs of students and the school community. There is no better example of where these areas intersect than the DOE’s Outdoor Learning Initiative (opens in new window). Register today!
Physical Education
PE Professional Learning Sessions from OPEN (Online Physical Education Network)
Presented by OPEN (opens in new window) and sponsored by the Office of School Wellness Programs, these workshops engage participants in innovative and creative techniques, tools, and methods for providing remote and in-person quality PE instruction. All sessions offer 60 minutes of CTLE.

  • Grades K-5: The SEL-Physical Education Connection: This session defines SEL, explores the relationship between SEL and PE, and shows teachers how they can foster safe, empowering, and healing environments in their school communities in the wake of the last year’s traumatic events. Tuesday, June 8 (opens in new window)
  • Grades K-12: Technology Tools for Remote or In-Person Physical Education Instruction: This workshop helps teachers integrate technology into remote and in-person PE instruction. Discover free technology tools that can help deliver creative lessons focused on grade-level outcomes. Wednesday, May 19 (opens in new window)

Connect with Your PE Peers This Week During PE Online Professional Learning Communities
Register to network with other PE teachers in your borough to share resources, ask questions, and get new ideas to keep your PE instruction strong and your students engaged. 

  • Brooklyn: Tuesday, May 18
  • Bronx: Wednesday, May 19
  • Manhattan and Staten Island: Thursday, May 20
  • Queens: Monday, May 17

Visit the PE Online Professional Learning Communities page (opens in new window) in our Professional Learning catalog for registration links for monthly PE OPLCs for the remainder of the year.

K-5/6 Classroom Teachers: Keep Your Students Active While Learning with Move-to-Improve
With increased screen time, it’s important to keep all students physically active during the day—the DOE’s Move-to-Improve program is an easy, effective way to help elementary students do just that. Grades K-5/6 classroom teachers can register for a free, one-hour webinar on Tuesday, May 25 (opens in new window) to learn how to use Move-to-Improve to get students up and moving during the day to improve their health and stay focused on learning. Visit the Move-to-Improve page (opens in new window) in our Professional Learning catalog for additional details. 

Grades 6-12 Teachers: PE Resource Review Webinars for Fitness for Life Curriculum
Learn how to use the Fitness for Life Curriculum to provide PE instruction in remote, blended, and in-person environments. Register for webinars that introduce the Middle School Fitness for Life (2nd Edition) curriculum and High School Fitness for Life (6th Edition) curriculum—now available free in the DOE’s TeachHub. 


Elementary PE Teachers: Get Inspired with Dance Units Made Easy on Clerical Day
Presented by DancePl3y (opens in new window) and sponsored by the Office of School Wellness Programs, this webinar on Tuesday, June 8 (opens in new window)
introduces Teaching Dance for Understanding (TDfU), a new pedagogical approach for dance education that makes dance unit design simple and fun. Discover and experience physically active lessons with dance moves that will inspire students to feel confident and excited about dance. 
Health Education
Middle and High Schools: Access to 3rd Edition HealthSmart Curriculum  
All middle and high schools who purchased the 3rd edition HealthSmart print curriculum through the Core Curriculum Program, requires DOE login (opens in new window) or requested it through the Office of School Wellness Programs, received complementary access to the full digital 3rd edition. The digital subscription will expire on June 30. Teachers with the print edition will still have access to limited online resources, including Assessment Rubrics, Slides, and Teacher Keys. Read more details about access to the curriculum in the NYC Health Education Return to School Guidelines (opens in new window).

To ensure your school is prepared to teach Health Education next school year, the curriculum is still available to request through the Office of School Wellness Programs by completing a survey (opens in new window). Schools can also purchase the 3rd edition of the comprehensive HealthSmart curriculum through the Core Curriculum Program, requires DOE login (opens in new window) or by purchasing the curriculum on Shop DOE/FAMIS.

Looking for Grades 6-8 Educators to Pilot the Middle School Referrals System
The Office of School Wellness Programs is developing a middle school referral system that aims to build the skills and capacity of middle school staff to provide referrals for sexual health services to students in grades 6-8. This spring, we are recruiting 30-35 DOE middle schools to pilot the middle school referral system before it is rolled out citywide. With principal approval, staff interested in providing referrals at their middle school will complete the following:

  • Attend a 90-minute virtual Middle School Health Resource Room training on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
  • Attend a 90-minute virtual Middle School Referrals training in fall 2021 (date and time coming soon)
  • Refer students to sexual health services throughout the 2021-2022 school year
  • Provide periodic feedback on the referral system throughout the 2021-2022 school year


Elementary Teachers: Learn to Teach the Mandatory HIV/AIDS Lessons with Advocates for Youth
Led by Advocates for Youth (opens in new window), the Health Ed Basics 3 for Blended and Remote Learning: HIV/AIDS Curriculum (opens in new window) session on Thursday, May 20, focuses on the yearly lessons on HIV—required for all students. Includes updates in HIV treatment and prevention, as well as strategies for teaching the lessons in a remote learning environment and addressing common concerns.

K-12 Educators: Virtual Professional Learning and Coaching from Advocates for Youth 
The Office of School Wellness Programs, in partnership with Advocates for Youth, is offering a free virtual professional development opportunity (opens in new window) to receive one-to-one coaching on teaching sexual health education topics. During these sessions teachers will:


Watch this 3-minute video (opens in new window) to see how it works and learn what other teachers have to say. Visit the Virtual Coaching Interest Form (opens in new window) to sign up and view the one-hour Virtual PD sessions available through June 2021. The Office of School Wellness Programs will review completed interest forms on a rolling basis. Prerequisite: K-12 educators that have completed our Health Education Basics II training for grades 4 and 5, middle, or high school between 2017-2021. Questions? Email HealthEdWorks@schools.nyc.gov (opens in email window). 
Building the Wellness Community
Mental Health Awareness Month Resource: Getting Better Together
The Child Mind Institute (opens in new window) is running the Getting Better Together Campaign for Mental Health Awareness Month. This campaign includes personal testimonials from celebrities and kids to fight shame and stigma and show how we can all cope with stress, isolation, and mental health challenges. Visit the Getting Better Together Campaign Page (opens in new window) to find the resources offered or to explore their video library.

Opportunity for School Staff and Students: "Food for Thought" Lunchtime Speakers' Series
Award winning journalist and author Tatianna Shlossberg, is partnering with Green Beetz (opens in new window) to offer a free virtual series highlighting the environmental consequences of our everyday activities and lifestyle and what we can do to diminish our impact. Join them for a live conversation on Wednesday, May 19, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. Encourage school staff and students to register on the Food for Thought speaker series registration page (opens in new window).