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School Wellness Weekly
October 25, 2023
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2023 Election Day Professional Learning Registration Now Open:
Vote to Sharpen Skills and Learn About Wellness Resources
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The weather is cooler, the holidays are right around the corner, and convening our Citywide community of PE and Health Education teachers and school wellness champions is upon us! Join us Tuesday, November 7, 2023, for more than 30 Physical Education, Health Education, and school wellness online professional learning sessions from seasoned staff and trusted partner organizations, returning and new.
- Session 1: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
- Session 2: 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
- Session 3: 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Explore topics like the new Growing Up and Staying Safe: New York City K-12 HIV Education Curriculum, using assessments in PE, social emotional learning, activating outdoor spaces in sustainable ways, vaping prevention, sports-specific trainings, mental health, coaching, nutrition, and physical activity. Attendees will receive 90 minutes of CTLE for each eligible session.
Self-Guided Courses
Take a deeper dive into the essential components of Fitness Education in PE with this comprehensive (3-hour CTLE eligible) course:
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Elementary and Middle Schools: CHAMPS Winter Season Applications Open Now
Physical activity is essential to student well-being, allowing students to practice PE and social skills with peers before and after school. CHAMPS (Cooperative Healthy Active Motivated Positive Students) is a free NYC Public Schools program that can help add more physical activity to students’ days.
The CHAMPS Winter season application is now open to schools Citywide serving elementary and middle school grades; principals must apply by the closing date of Friday, November 3 at 5:00 p.m. Winter season runs Monday, November 20 through Friday, February 16. Schools with the highest chronic absentee rates and students in temporary housing will be prioritized, and programs will be awarded proportionally across boroughs based on available funding.
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NYC Public Schools Physical Education Teacher Thomas Gelardi from PS173Q Featured on Today Show
PE teacher and coach Thomas Gelardi from PS173Q in Queens makes fitness fun and informative with his students. Coach Gelardi began connecting with students through online videos (opens in new window) and took off on social media during the pandemic. Since then, he has built a PE community with his videos about engaging physical activities. See his interview featured on the Today Show (opens in new window).
(Photo credits: Top: Krisanne Johnson. Above: Screenshot, NBC Today)
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Fitness in Fall: Grades K-5 OPEN Phys Ed Interactive Games and Activities
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Healthy Halloween Celebrations
No place is more festive than schools at this time of year, and a great time to consider the role food plays in our classrooms and settings outside of the cafeteria. Is it the center of rewards and celebrations, and if so, does it offer the healthiest options for students? There are so many ways to celebrate harvest traditions and holidays inclusively and joyfully—get some inspiration here:
Workshop Opportunity: Strategies & Skills for Cooking in the Classroom
Join GrowNYC Education (opens in new window) and Food Ed Hub at Teachers College, Columbia University, on Monday, November 13th from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. for an interactive, in-person workshop where participants will learn how to teach food education. You’ll cook recipes together with other participants and learn about best practices for teaching with your students.
Wanted: Student and Parent Feedback on NYC Public Schools Food Service Program
Healthy, nutritious, delicious school meals are what we all want for students during the school day. That’s why feedback from students and parents/guardians is so essential to ensure a stellar food services program with food that teachers can reference during nutrition instruction, and food-education experiences throughout the building. Please share the Office of Food & Nutrition Services Fall Survey (opens in new window) with students and parent groups so they can provide feedback on the food service program at their school.
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Building the Wellness Community |
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Child Mind Institute: Call for Youth High School Council Members
Child Mind Institute (opens in new window) is looking for high school students to join its Youth Council for the 2023-2024 school year. Council members will connect with like-minded peers to become advocates for mental health in their communities. The goal is to seek feedback and prioritize the perspectives of a diverse group of youth voices on mental health to better support youth in our communities and reduce stigma.
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2023-2024 Sustainability Project Grant: Apply by November 13 for up to $5,000
Good for your body, good for the Earth: Wellness and sustainability work hand in hand, and the Chancellor’s recent announcement about the Citywide April 17th Climate Action Day (opens in new window), dedicated to Health, Wellness and Green Space, underscores this connection. Students are learning more and more about our changing environment, food systems and how we can be good stewards of our bodies and mind while also making the outdoor spaces where we play active, safe, greener, and more resilient.
Your school may need support to realize your wellness-related outdoor learning vision to showcase April 17, so consider applying for the NYCPS Office of Energy and Sustainability’s annual Sustainability Project Grant (opens in new window), offering up to $5,000 in funding or materials to support these and other outdoor learning, climate education and climate advocacy efforts. Application deadline is November 13.
For inspiration, check out PS 32 The Belmont School’s Open Streets video (opens in new window) showing how activating outdoor spaces for multiple uses, including physical activity and learning, works in practice in the Bronx—with joyful results!
(Image credit: Photo 1: NYC Public Health Corps, Photo 2: NYC Office of Sustainability)
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October is Healthy Lungs Month |
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We can all play a role in addressing youth vaping (e-cigarette use) and protecting the lungs of NYC young people. E-cigarettes contain harmful chemicals and can cause lung injury. Vaping socially often means sharing space, not wearing a mask, and even sharing devices, which all can increase our risk of respiratory infections like COVID and flu. Everyone near someone who is vaping is also exposed to secondhand aerosol, which can contain cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and chemicals linked to lung disease.
Families and school staff, here’s what you can do:
(Image credit: NYC Health)
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