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School Wellness Weekly

01.17.20


Don't Miss This Opportunity: Earn a Tuition-Paid Health Education Certificate
A key component of comprehensive health education is knowledgeable, trained health teachers who can serve as trusted adults for students, and provide rigorous, collaborative instruction. For all grades, certified health education teachers are the most qualified to teach health education. That’s why, as part of the NYCDOE’s Health Ed Works initiative to revitalize Health Education in New York City, the Office of School Wellness Programs and the Office of Teacher Recruitment and Quality are collaborating with Lehman College to offer the Advanced Certificate in Health Education program . This 18-credit program is for teachers who currently teach health education in grades K-12 but are not certified in health. The NYCDOE will cover the cost of tuition and fees for accepted applicants to the certificate program, which starts in June 2020.

For information about eligibility criteria and application requirements, view the Advanced Certificate in Health Education flyer . The deadline to apply is Monday, 1/27, at 11:59 p.m.

If you have questions, email Healthedworks@schools.nyc.gov with “Lehman College Health Ed Certficate” in the subject line.  

Image: Students present their work in health education class at IS 230 in Queens. Photo credit: Kristen Luce
Wellness Highlights
Grades 9-12 Teachers: Attend the City's NYS AHPERD Conference on January 27
High school physical and health educators can register for professional learning and networking on 1/27 at the NYC High School Health Education, Physical Education, and Athletics Conference , hosted by the Office of School Wellness Programs in partnership with the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AHPERD) at the Grand Street Campus in Brooklyn. Conference participants will learn about classroom management strategies, grant writing, ACL injury prevention, and more. 

Hosting a Professional Learning Opportunity at Your School
Are you interested in hosting a PE, Health Education, or wellness-related professional learning opportunity at your school? Check with your principal and complete the Potential Host Site survey. The Office of School Wellness Programs will follow up if there’s a need for a space in your borough. For questions, email WellnessPD@schools.nyc.gov .
Physical Education
Image:.Students jogging at PS 146 in Manhattan. Photo credit: Kirsten Luce

Focus on Professional Learning on January 27 Clerical Day
Take advantage of Clerical Day on 1/27 by registering for one or more of the following professional learning opportunities (students in high schools and grades 6-12 schools do not attend school on that day):

  • Make It Work: Mastering PE in Creative Spaces for Secondary Physical Education: Grades 6-12 physical education teachers in non-traditional settings, sign up for this session in Staten Island.
  • Secondary PE Basics 1: Planning to Incorporate Fitness & Assessment: Grades 6-12 physical education teachers, sign up for this session in Brooklyn.
  • Secondary PE Basics 2: Planning for Skills Acquisition: Grades 6-12 physical education teachers, sign up for this session in Staten Island. 

Attend the February PE Professional Learning Community (PE PLC) Meeting
Sign up for the next Physical Education Professional Learning Community meeting in your borough on Monday, 2/10 . PE PLCs offer the opportunity to collaborate and network with your peers, and discuss instructional problems of practice.

Upcoming Professional Learning

  • Feb 4: Elementary PE Basics 1: Planning for Fitness & Assessment: Grades K-5 physical education teachers, sign up for this session in Brooklyn.
  • Feb. 5: IEP Writing and Co-Teaching Strategies for Physical Education Teachers: Grades K-12 physical education teachers, sign up for this session in Queens.
  • Feb 7: Make It Work: Mastering PE in Creative Spaces for Secondary Physical Education: Grades 6-12 physical education teachers in non-traditional settings, sign up for this session in Brooklyn. 
  • Feb. 11: PE Basics 1: Planning for Fitness & Assessment: Grades K-5 physical education teachers, sign up for this session in the Bronx. 
Health Education
K-5 Teachers: Help Pilot Updated DOE HIV/AIDS Lessons
HIV/AIDS is one of the most serious health problems Americans have ever faced. The New York State Education Department and the NYCDOE require that HIV/AIDS education be taught to all students in kindergarten through grade 12, as part of comprehensive health education. 
 
To equip every school with the latest information and resources to teach students how to prevent HIV, the Office of School Wellness Programs is updating the NYCDOE HIV/AIDS Curriculum . We are seeking teachers to pilot the updated K-5 lessons this spring. Your school's participation will help ensure that the next version of the curriculum is relevant and engaging for teachers and students across New York City.
 
Pilot Requirements: 
  • Obtain administrator's approval to participate in the program 
  • Participate in a 75-minute after-school training in late February 2020 
  • Commit to using the updated HIV lessons (5 lessons within a 5-6 week period with one class) during Spring 2020
  • Provide feedback after teaching each lesson using an online survey 
  • Submit at least 5 student work samples 
 
Pilot Eligibility ( one of the three below): 
  • Classroom teacher who teaches elementary health lessons regularly though the year (minimum of one period per week) 
  • Designated health teacher who teaches health to at least one elementary grade weekly throughout the year 
  • PE teacher assigned to teach health to at least one elementary grade weekly in a classroom setting. 
 
If interested, please apply to the per session posting by Friday, 1/31 . Contact Tanya Bacchus with questions.
 

Upcoming Professional Learning

  • Jan. 22: High School Health Education Basics 1: Comprehensive Skills-Based Education: Grades 9-12 health education teachers, sign up for this session in the Bronx.
  • Jan. 23: Middle School Health Education Basics 1: Comprehensive Skills-Based Education: Grades 6-8 health education teachers, sign up for this session in Queens.
  • Jan. 28: Middle School Health Education Basics 2: Comprehensive Sexual Health Education: Grades 6-8 health education teachers, sign up for this session in Queens.
  • Feb. 11: Elementary Health Education Basics 3: HIV/AIDS: Grades K-5 instructional staff who teach the mandated HIV/AIDS lessons, sign up for this session in Manhattan.
  • Feb. 12: Middle School Health Education Basics 3: HIV/AIDS: Grades 6-12 instructional staff who teach the mandated HIV/AIDS lessons, sign up for this session in Manhattan. 
Building the Wellness Community
Image: School Wellness Council members at PS 88 Seneca in Queens Photo Credit: Ann DiGregorio

Healthy Schools Thrive with a Strong School Wellness Council
The DOE Wellness Policy encourages all schools to have a School Wellness Council, with parents, students, school staff, and community members working together with school administration to promote a healthy school community. Make sure to sign up for these upcoming School Wellness Council Basic opportunities to learn how to create and sustain a council:

  • Feb. 6: School Wellness Council Basics 1: Creating a Council and Implementing Wellness Programs: Grades K-12 school staff, family members, and community partners, sign up for this session in Brooklyn.
  • Feb. 12: School Wellness Council Basics 2: Strengthening Leadership and Building Capacity: Grades K-12 school staff, family members, and community partners, sign up for this session in Staten Island. 

Join the NYCDOE Youth Climate Summit
School teams made up of a school-based staff member and up to four students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to sign up for the 2 nd annual NYCDOE Youth Climate Summit on 2/4 . The event, hosted by the NYCDOE’s Office of Sustainability in partnership with The Wild Center, will develop leadership and problem-solving skills and build peer networks to expand sustainability in schools and communities.  

All K-12 teachers: Apply for a Watershed Education Grant
Are you interested in doing a project at your school involving the City’s watershed and water system? The Catskill Watershed Corporation in partnership with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection is awarding watershed education grants up to $10,000 for student/teacher projects for the 2020-21 school year.  Apply now by the 2/7 deadline .

Student Opportunities: Swim, Run, and Garden

  • Youth ages 6–8 who are capable of swimming 50 meters freestyle are encouraged to try out for the NYC Parks swim team. The deadline for first-time applicants is 2/12.
  • Girls in grade 11 who have not previously participated in organized sports can earn a $2,000 college scholarship for completing the New York Road Runners’ seven-week Run for the Future program. The deadline to apply for the spring season is 2/16.
  • Students in grades 9-11 can explore organic gardening, food justice, and urban sustainability in the Learning Gardens High School Training Program. Those who complete 60 hours of instruction have the opportunity to participate in a paid summer internship with the City Parks Foundation.
Wellness Tip: Get Your Flu Shot!
New York reported more than 22,800 cases of the flu through late December, the worst start to the flu season in a decade. Protect yourself and your family members by getting a flu shot if you haven’t done so yet this season— it’s not too late! According to the New York State Health Commissioner, “The flu shot remains the best way to protect against the spread of the flu and is particularly important for the most vulnerable to influenza, such as the elderly and very young.”    

Flu information for parents is available on the DOE InfoHub and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene website . 

Protect yourself:
  • Vaccines are available at the Health Department’s clinics, certain workplaces, and pharmacies
  • Text FLU to 877-877 to find flu vaccine locations near you or visit nyc.gov/flu.