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School Wellness Weekly
March 19, 2021
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Opportunities to Care for Yourself and Be Present for Students |
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This issue is dedicated to all those who are educating, raising, and representing our City’s young people, especially our teachers, staff, parents, family members, and caregivers in Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and other communities of color. Thank you for being trusted adults helping to ensure that the next generation of New Yorkers has healthy minds and bodies and the social-emotional skills that will contribute to thriving communities and a more just society.
Caring for our students is hard—even more so amid constant racial trauma, toxic stress, and COVID-19 losses. Sometimes caring for oneself is even harder, yet we cannot fully be present for students, or model healthy behaviors in our communities, if we don’t also care for ourselves.
To help you get started and stay motivated in community with others, check out the more than 15 different opportunities in this week’s issue. All are free and offered by the Office of School Wellness Programs and trusted partners. Some highlights (scroll down for details and links):
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Move Your Body to Improve Your Mind: Join us tomorrow, Saturday, March 20, for “Community Activity: Move Your Body to Improve Your Mind” the second event in our free Weekend Wellness series with Hip Hop Public Health (opens in new window).
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Get your K-5 students moving while they learn: Sign up for Move-to-Improve training webinars for elementary classroom teachers.
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Develop students’ social-emotional learning skills in PE: Teachers can register for a PE Basics webinar on March 25.
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Be an upstander: Get trained on how to be an ally for LGBTQ students.
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Help middle and high school students care for their mental health: Set your students up with an online mental health module from Peer Health Exchange.
School Wellness Weekly will be on hiatus during Spring Recess; we’ll be back with a new issue in early April.
Photo credit: Mary Taylor, Pexels
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Weekend Wellness March 20: Move Your Body to Improve Your Mind |
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April 24: "Community Resiliency": The Real Deal on Toxic Stress and Racism. Look for registration links in the next issue of School Wellness Weekly.
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Grades 9-12 Staff: New Condom Availability Program Virtual Training Series
We’re now offering a brand-new, online training series to build skills for implementing or enhancing a Condom Availability Program (CAP) in your high school. School staff must complete this 3-part training series in order to become CAP-certified and authorized to make health information, referrals to health services, and free condoms available to high school students.
Note: Schools that are not meeting the CAP staff requirement will have priority registration. Deadline to sign up is Tuesday, April 6.
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K-5 Classroom Teachers: Keep Your Students Active While Learning |
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All students, even those doing blended and remote learning, can stay physically active during the day to promote good health, feel good, and stay focused while learning. The DOE’s Move-to-Improve program helps elementary students do just that. Grades K-5 classroom teachers can register for a free, one-hour webinar to learn how to use Move-to-Improve to get students up and moving during the school day.
(Photo credit: Kirsten Luce)
Be a Remote Upstander for LGBTQ Students: New On-Demand Webinar
Learning how to stand up and be an ally is one way we can help students experiencing bias, harassment, and hate. Watch the pre-recorded Out for Safe (Remote) Schools Webinar (opens in new window) to learn strategies for creating safe and LGBTQ-affirming online environments for students. Developed by the Office and School Wellness Programs and the Office of Safety and Youth Development, this 45-minute webinar
- explains the importance of being Remote Upstanders for LGBTQ students;
- provides strategies for school staff to become effective Remote Upstanders;
- shares strategies for creating a safe remote Gender and Sexualities Alliance (GSA) space;
- shares how to recommend affirming and age-appropriate online resources to students.
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Learn About New Grades K–5/6 Cardio Lesson Plans: Live Webinar on March 22
Every month, we add new elementary PE lessons and resources to the TeachHub (opens in new window).To further support our PE teachers, each month we also offer a new professional learning opportunity dedicated to reviewing these new resources and how to implement them during remote and blended learning.
Upcoming Physical Education K–12 Basics Webinars
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PE Basics 2: Unit Planning with Universal Design focuses on identifying, prioritizing, and planning sequential skills and concepts for in-person, remote, or blended learning to meet the needs of all students. Wednesday, March 24 (opens in new window)
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PE Basics 3: Self-Awareness, Self-Management focuses on creating a community of learners and supporting the development of social-emotional learning skills in all PE students. Thursday, March 25 (opens in new window)
Stay Connected with Your PE Peers: Register for PE Online Professional Learning Communities in April
Register to attend a PE Online Professional Learning Community (PE OPLC) and network with other PE teachers in your borough to share resources, ask questions, and get new ideas to keep your Physical Education instruction strong and your students engaged. Online communities take place on Microsoft Teams, a free digital collaboration platform available to all DOE employees.
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Grades 6-12 Health Education Teachers: Register for Online Professional Learning Communities in March and April
Whether you are a veteran Health Education teacher or newly assigned to teach Health Education, participating in Health Education Online Professional Learning Communities (opens in new window) gives you a chance to connect with your peers to share challenges, identify best-practices, and feel supported. Online communities take place on Microsoft Teams, a free digital collaboration platform available to all DOE employees. Register for upcoming sessions:
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Building the Wellness Community |
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NYC PE Lesson Plan Contest: Submit Your Lesson for a Chance to Win $1,000
NYC Zone AHPERD is launching a Physical Education Lesson Plan Contest (opens in new window) to raise the bar for quality PE and challenge teachers to share the best physical education lesson in the City! The winner will receive a $1,000 award that can be used for any purchases to support a New York City K-12 Physical Education program. (If you are not working directly in a school, you can choose the school you would like to receive the funds.)
School Staff Serving Grades 8 to 12: Free Online Mental Health Program from Peer Health Exchange
Apply for a $3,000 School Garden Grant Opportunity: Deadline March 31
Whole Kids Foundation (opens in new window) is offering a $3,000 grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at a K–12 school or a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that serves children in the K-12 grade range. Applications are open until Wednesday, March 31.
Parents and Guardians: Free Online Event on Parenting Stress During COVID-19
Join Ackerman Institute for the Family for a free online event Thursday April 8, 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. to learn how families can communicate and express themselves better through play and creativity. Participants will also explore issues of social justice, bullying, self-harm, and social media.
¡Muévete! Free Virtual Triathlon Program for High School Students
TriLatino Junior Team (opens in new window) is a free virtual triathlon program for high school teenagers running now through June 26. Participating students will explore the sport of triathlon (running, biking, swimming), receive endurance training, and gain critical life skills. The 2021 program also offers strength, yoga, running sessions, and healthy lifestyle workshops.
TriLatino Triathlon Club aims to eliminate prejudicial stereotypes related to Latinos and other minorities with respect to their involvement in triathlon and endurance sports, and make triathlons more accessible by removing financial barriers to participation.
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