School Wellness Weekly

03.05.18


Hard at Work with Our Partners!
The 2017-18 school year is more than half over, and we’re proud to have launched a number of new opportunities for schools to help their students take care of their minds and their bodies: the first-ever Think-Move-Achieve Wellness Resource Expo, the Citywide Gender and Sexualities Alliance Summit, an updated, comprehensive  DOE Wellness Policy , an exciting new student contest, and a School Wellness grant worth $1,000 to help fund projects for new and existing School Wellness Councils (see below; application deadline is  March 9 ). What unites these successes? Our partners, who keep our work moving forward year-round. Thank you to each DOE office, school community member, School Wellness Council, and community-based organization that has committed time and resources to help us advocate for physical and health education and wellness programs for our students.  

Check out the free trainings and opportunities from partners highlighted in this issue, and continue to browse our   Professional Learning Catalog  for upcoming workshops led by our partners, educators, and experienced staff.  

Above Photo: GSA Summit, Stuyvesant High School (02M475), January 29, 2018. Photo: Kirsten Luce
Deadline Extended:  Ready for School Wellness Grant Opportunity  
Apply online  by  Friday, March 9, 2018, 11:59 p.m.  for a $1,000 Target GiftCard™ offered in partnership with the  Alliance for a Healthier Generation . If you're ready to kick-start a School Wellness Council and have an idea for a wellness project that encourages family engagement, check out the  Family Engagement  flyer. If you already have a School Wellness Council and are looking to involve students in your wellness project, check out the  Student Engagement flyer. 
 
Questions? Office of School Wellness Programs:  wellnesscouncil@schools.nyc.gov  
Alliance for Healthier Generation: Jessica Schaeffer, NYC Healthy Schools Program Manager:  jessica.schaeffer@healthiergeneration.org   
Win a School Mural, Field Trip, Fitness Passes, and More: Enter and Stand Up For School Wellness Now!
The new 2018 School Wellness Campaign Contest is open, giving all K – 12 New York City public school students the opportunity to create a campaign or public service announcement (PSA) about a school health or wellness issue they care about. School prizes include a free school mural created in partnership with Groundswell , field trips, t-shirts printed with the winning design, and other surprises! The student winner in the song, spoken word, and video category gets to work with Hip Hop Public Health and professional producers to produce a free track for their video. Learn more and enter by downloading contest guidelines . For more information, contact wellness@schools.nyc.gov . Application deadline is 3/19.
Physical Education
All PE Teachers: NYC FITNESSGRAM Deadline Reminder : Mark your calendars: The deadline to complete your students’ NYC FITNESSGRAM assessments and enter and validate students’ scores is Friday, 4/27 . Your principal will be notified in the 3/7 issue of Principals’ Weekly . Students’ scores will be available in both the NYC FITNESSGRAM web application and in students’ NYC Schools Accounts within 24 hours of validation. Reports will only be available for students whose scores are listed as “complete” in the web application. See the NYC FITNESSGRAM tech support page for details, FAQs, and to submit a help desk request. 

March 8: Secondary Teachers in Brooklyn with Weight Rooms: Learn Skills and Strategies for Safe PE Instruction. Join Bigger Faster Stronger (BFS) for a full-day session. Grades 6-12 PE teachers, register for the session in Brooklyn. See our 2017-18 Professional Learning Catalog for additional dates.
Health Education
Teaching Better Basics: Register for these professional learning workshops to build subject area mastery, expertise in delivering instruction, and collaboration among colleagues:

  • March 8: Middle School Health Education Basics II: Comprehensive Sexual Health Education. Grades 6-8 health education teachers, register for the session in Queens.
  • March 9: Elementary Health Education Basics IV: LGBTQ Affirming Schools. Grades K-5 staff, register for the session in Manhattan.  
  • March 15. Middle School Health Education Basics I: Comprehensive Skills-Based Health Education. Grades 6-8 health education teachers, register for the session in the Bronx. 
  • March 16: Elementary Health Education Basics III: HIV/AIDS. Grades K-5 staff who teach the mandated NYCDOE HIV/AIDS lessons, register for the session in Manhattan.  
Teachers and Leaders
Today: Physical Education Professional Learning Communities (PE PLCs). Meetings take place in every borough during Monday professional learning time (3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.). Registration is closed but walk-ins are welcome (see the Eventbrite for locations). February PLCs attracted 351 PE teachers Citywide! 

March 14: Administrator PE PLCs. Secondary administrators of physical and health education, register for the session in Queens.
Building the Wellness Community
Up Close with Rising NYRR Ambassador & Special Advisor, Jenny Simpson  
Olympian and Team New Balance Athlete Jenny Simpson (seated at right) fell in love with running by playing tag on a public school playground. On 2/12, students from PS 452 (03M452) and MS M245 The Computer School (03M245) in Manhattan visited the New York Road Runners (NYRR) RUNCENTER to hear how Jenny now serves as Ambassador & Special Advisor to   Rising New York Road Runners , where she is a mentor to the New York school community and an advocate for the critical role that physical literacy and physical education play in the lives of all our students. Check out the story on The Run On .  (Above photo: RUNTalk event, NYRR  RUNCENTER, February  12, 2018. Photo courtesy of NYRR)   
 
Apply for Every Kid Healthy Week Mini Grants  
New York Action for Healthy Kids is assisting schools with their   Every Kid Healthy Week   celebrations (April 23 – 27) by awarding mini grants up to $250 to selected schools, depending on the size and scope of the week’s events. Contact Mike Gulino for an application or additional info at mgulino@actionforhealthykids.org . Applications due 3/14 .    

School Garden Leaders: Free Edible Schoolyard NYC Workshop 
Let  Edible Schoolyard NYC   walk you through one season in your school garden with a free School Gardening 101 workshop on 3/22 in Manhattan. Learn fundamental skills like how to prepare your beds; weed and plant your spring crops; ongoing irrigation; and succession planting.  
School Wellness Councils: Save the Date for the NYC DOE 2018 Sustainability Showcase
Join the Office of Sustainability at their annual Showcase on 5/11 to recognize students, teachers, administrators, building staff, and partner organizations for their efforts to make NYC schools more sustainable. You might win one of several cash and raffle prizes while you gather and share innovative ideas for your school garden or composting projects. Check out the flyer and register by 5/11 to attend. Questions: Email the Office of Sustainability .