School Wellness Weekly

03.20.18


Get Students Stepping in the Right Direction:
March to the Beat of Nutrition
With the cold air still upon us, there's no better way to warm up than by marching to the beat of nutrition and celebrating National Nutrition Month through March: Kick-start your spring school garden plans ; brainstorm healthy meals with your students using the USDA's ChooseMyPlate resources (the “food pyramid” is long gone!) and fruit and vegetables flashcards ; or host a healthy taste test night to engage the whole school community.
 
Now is also a great time for your Wellness Council to apply for Game On, School Breakfast, and Parents for Healthy Kids grants to support a healthy school environment year-long. Remind parents that they can learn more about school meals and provide feedback with SchoolFood’s free Feed Your Mind Mobile App .
 
New York City offers a bounty of free resources to help schools make the connections between health, food, and a sustainable environment. Check out Edible Schoolyard NYC’s many free workshops in March and April to learn how to set up an educational garden, cook safely with students, generate ideas for connecting planting activities to your curriculum, and much more.

Above: top left, P.S. 373 Brooklyn Transition School (14K373); bottom right, I.S. 230 (30Q230). Photos: Kirsten Luce
Deadline Extended: Encourage Your Students to Submit by March 26, 2018 and Stand Up for School Wellness!

The new 2018 School Wellness Campaign Contest is still 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 3/26.
Physical Education
You Asked, We Listened! Additional Elementary and Secondary PE Basics I Training: (Formerly Physical Best Specialist Certification Workshop.) Grades K-12 physical education teachers, register for the session in Manhattan. This workshop is required for all teachers who wish to use the NYC FITNESSGRAM application.
Health Education
Spring into April by Teaching Better Basics: Register for these professional learning workshops to build subject-area mastery, expertise in delivering instruction, and collaboration among colleagues:

  • April 13: Elementary Health Education Basics II Grades 4-5 Puberty. Grades K-5 common branch and cluster teachers, register for the session in Queens.
  • April 20: Middle and High School Health Education Basics IV: LGBTQ Affirming Schools. Grades 6-12 staff, register for the session in Manhattan.
  • April 23: Middle School Health Education Basics I: Comprehensive Skills-Based Health Education. Grades 6-8 health education teachers, register for the session in Manhattan.
  • April 24: Middle School Health Education Basics II: Comprehensive Sexual Health Education. Prerequisite: Grades 6-8 Comprehensive Health Education 101 (Middle School Health Education Basics I). Grades 6-8 health education teachers, register for the session in Manhattan. 
Teachers and Leaders
April 16: Physical Education Professional Learning Communities (PE PLCs). Meetings take place in every borough during Monday professional learning time. Register   by  4/13 . March PLCs attracted more than 300 PE teachers Citywide! 
Building the Wellness Community
New Grades K-5 Welcoming Schools Training for Health and Physical Education Teachers
The Office of School Wellness Programs is offering this new, free training in partnership with Welcoming Schools , a project of the Human Rights Campaign, to help teachers:
  • create gender and LGBTQ-inclusive spaces;
  • prevent bias-based bullying;
  • embrace family diversity;
  • support transgender and non-binary youth;
  • understand laws and policies that support safe and welcoming schools.
Register for the 4/16 or 4/17 session in Brooklyn, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Sustain Your School Wellness Councils: Free Grant Writing Workshop
Learn how to navigate the world of grant writing with a free School Wellness Grant Writing workshop on 4/11 in Brooklyn.
College Scholarship Opportunity for Young Women Entering Senior Year
NYRR Run for the Future is a free summer running program for rising high school senior girls that awards $2,000 college scholarships to those who complete the program in full. Applicants with little to no prior athletic experience are welcome. The seven-week program culminates with a 5K race at the Percy Sutton Harlem 5K Run in late August. Submit letters of recommendation on behalf of your students and encourage them to apply by 4/1 . (Above: NYRR Run for the Future event, Photo courtesy NYRR) 

Advocate for School Wellness: Write a Letter to the New Chancellor
Do your students love your physical education program? Are they excited to be in their health education classes? Are your School Wellness Councils engaging families to be healthier and more active? Encourage your students, parents, and school staff to write a letter to the new Chancellor and make their voices heard!
School Wellness Councils: Save the Date for the NYC DOE 2018 Sustainability Showcase
Join the Office of Sustainability at their annual Showcase on 5/18 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 .