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School Wellness Weekly

October 30, 2020
On the left is a student drawing of student-athletes next to signs that spell out: "Together everyone achieves more," and on the left is a photograph of students running through a NYC school playground.
School Wellness Council Grant Deadline Extended
And New Instructional Toolkits for Physical Education and Health Education Teachers
To help PE and Health educators design safe, appropriate, standards-based instruction to meet the unique challenges of the 2020-2021 school year, we are excited to share new Health Education and Physical Education instructional toolkits, organized by grade level and unit. These toolkits are a one-stop-shop for links to lesson plans, videos, and comprehensive curricular resources available in the DOE’s TeachHub.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, PE and Health Education teachers are more essential than ever: They teach students skills to cope with stressful experiences; they inspire a love of movement; and they keep health and fitness front and center for the entire school community when it’s needed most. Some toolkit highlights:

Health Education 
  • Instructions for accessing the recommended HealthSmart curriculum. 
  • Grades 6-8 and 9-12: Tools for referring students to teen- and LGBTQ-friendly physical and mental health services.

Physical Education
  • Grades K-5: Move-to-Improve resources featuring physical activities that can be used to supplement PE in blended or remote learning environments, keeping all students moving, which is critical to learning. 
  • Grades 6-12: Link to the digital version of Fitness for Life, a comprehensive fitness education curriculum now available in the TeachHub to secondary PE teachers. 

We will update both toolkits continuously this year to offer teachers ongoing instructional support.
Photos (left to right): 2017 School Wellness Poster Contest winning entry, Katherine Lin, J.H.S. 074 Nathaniel Hawthorne, Queens; students in outdoor PE class, Columbia Secondary School in Manhattan, photo credit: Kirsten Luce.
Wellness Highlights
Deadline Extended: Still Time to Apply for a School Wellness Council Grant!
A School Wellness Council can enhance your school’s outdoor environment, build trust with families, and boost safe, outdoor PE and other wellness-related activities like fitness programs, gardening, dance, yoga, and healthy eating workshops. Schools now have until Tuesday, November 10 at 4:00 p.m. to apply for a School Wellness Council Grant of up to $2,500 to start or strengthen a School Wellness Council. Use the funds for equipment, supplies, per session, and other resources to support outdoor activities and well-being throughout your school!

To apply and learn more:  
  1. Go to the Wellness Council Manager (opens in new window). Use your DOE ID; non-DOE staff can log on by creating a free account. 
  2. Open the “get started” panel at the top of the page. 
  3. See additional instructions in the 2020– 2021 School Wellness Council Grant Application Guidance and Rubric (opens in new window).

School Communities, Re-Envision the Future of Outdoor Learning for Students (use a School Wellness Council Grant to Help Make Your Vision a Reality)
Need inspiration for implementing PE and physical activity, and other wellness programs into outdoor learning spaces? Join GrowNYC School Gardens and the National Wildlife Federation for a one-hour online workshop on Thursday, November 12 (opens in new window) as they present the NEW Outdoor Learning Toolkit for NYC Schools—a practical guide to outdoor learning in response to COVID-19. Learn from teachers who have implemented outdoor learning and those who have already been teaching outside for years. Can't attend? The workshop will be recorded and posted to grownycdistancelearning.org (opens in new window) Questions? Email growtolearn@grownyc.org (opens in email window).
Physical Education
PE Online Professional Learning Communities (PE OPLCs) Are Back!
Whether teaching in person or fully remote, you can still connect with your Physical Education colleagues Citywide. November PE OPLCs are scheduled for the weeks of November 2 and November 9 (depending on borough). Visit the Professional Learning Catalog (opens in new window) for upcoming dates and registration links. 
Joining a PE OPLC provides a forum for PE teachers to learn from each other by sharing best practices, problems of practice, and feedback on resources for PE instruction and engaging students and families during in-person learning, blended learning, or remote learning. PE OPLC sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams. Register for a PE OPLC today!

Keep K-5 Students Moving While Learning: Attend a Move-to-Improve Workshop 
With COVID-19 continuing to put us all at risk for increased sedentary time, it’s especially important to help our younger students move throughout the school day. All K-5 classroom teachers can join our upcoming virtual workshops to learn how to: 

  • use Move-to-Improve to infuse movement into academic lessons; 
  • differentiate activities to fit blended learning; 
  • keep students physically active and engaged throughout the school day in the blended learning or fully remote learning model. 
Health Education
It's Official! Health Education Online Professional Learning Communities
Whether teaching in person or fully remote, you can still connect with your Health Education colleagues Citywide. Health Education Online Professional Learning Communities (OPLCs) will launch the week of November 16, register today!

Visit the Professional Learning Catalog (opens in new window) for upcoming dates and registration links. Joining a Health Education OPLC provides a forum for Health Education teachers to learn from each other by sharing best practices, problems of practice, and feedback on resources for Health Education instruction and engaging students and families during in-person learning, blended learning, or remote learning. Health Education OPLC sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams.
Building the Wellness Community
2020-2021 "Respect for All" Anti-Bullying Essay and Poster Contest
As part of October's National Anti-Bullying Month and the DOE's Respect for All initiative (opens in new window), encourage your school to participate in the Respect for All Essay and Poster Contest. The contest gives students an opportunity to raise awareness about bullying through their writing and artwork. Each school is allowed two submissions (one essay and one poster), and all submissions must be sent to your superintendent by November 10. See Contest rubrics and other guidelines (opens in new window). Your superintendent will select two winning essays and two winning posters to represent your district by November 30. For questions, email RespectForAll@schools.nyc.gov (opens in new email window).

DOE Sustainability Project Grant: Apply for Up to $5,000
Schools can apply for the DOE’s annual Sustainability Project Grant, which provides up to $5,000 in funding to support sustainability projects in their buildings. Principals or a designee can learn about and apply for the grant (opens in new window); the application is open until Tuesday, November 17. Focus areas include: 

  • Gardens and outdoor learning; 
  • Environmental education; 
  • Waste and recycling materials; 
  • Energy conservation; and 
  • Demonstration solar installation.  


Physical Activity and Play: Grant Opportunity for up to $3,000
BOKS (Build Our Kids' Success)(opens in new window), an initiative of the Reebok Foundation, is offering a grant program (opens in new window) for schools and non-profit youth organizations to provide more access to physical activity and play to more children in underserved communities. Schools can use BOKS' free curricula to get kids active and healthy in the method that works best for their current educational environment. 

  • Grants will be awarded in increments of $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 per school, per academic year, based on the type of BOKS program implemented and the number of students impacted.
  • Schools and organizations that apply must be enrolled in a BOKS program to be considered.
  • A minimum of 50% of the students at the school or non-profit youth organization must be eligible for free or reduced lunch program. Priority will be given to those with 75% or higher of students receiving free or reduced lunch.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until December 31, 2020 or when all funds have been disbursed.