News
December 10th
is International Human Rights Day
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a document that lays out the fundamental rights every human is entitled to regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, or language. On December 10
th
, commemorate the Declaration by thinking of actions your class and school community can take to celebrate and uphold universal human rights. Find out more and download the full Declaration
here
.
DASH’s Healthy School Communities Certification Pilot
DASH has enrolled 11 schools to take part in DASH’s Healthy School Communities Certification pilot for the 2019-2020 school year. This initiative, based on Ontario Physical and Health Education Association’s program, recognizes and celebrates school communities for promoting and enhancing the health and well-being of students, school staff, and the broader community. By completing the
6-Step Healthy Schools Process
over the course of the school year these pilot schools will earn points and apply to be certified in April 2020.
Find out more.
Articles
Mental Health Starts in Kindergarten at this North Vancouver School
At Boundary Elementary School in North Vancouver, B.C., kindergarten students learn about feelings the same way they learn about the alphabet and basic arithmetic. One kindergarten teacher at the school reports that the students in her class can all recognize when a classmate is happy or sad. Boundary Elementary has incorporated social emotional learning into every grade.
Find out more.
Stories
The Human Talking Stick Project
Sen Pok Chin School in Osoyoos, B.C used a Healthy Schools BC First Nations School Grant in 2018-19 to strengthen relationships between students and elders. Once a week for ten weeks an elder visited the school during lunch hour to spend time with students, listening to their stories, ideas, thoughts and feelings. Read more about this story, as well as summaries of a selection of other projects funded by the Healthy Schools BC First Nations School Grants
here.
A School Garden that Strengthened Community Partnerships
After successfully building a school garden, Greenwood Elementary School in Greenwood, B.C., spent the next year using the garden to build connections between students, families and the community. They hosted an event for families from their school as well as families from a local primary feeder school to come together and create stepping stones for the garden. The stones now act as a legacy for graduating students, and a connection for incoming students.
Find out more.
Reso
urces
The Essential Conditions for Comprehensive School Health
Comprehensive school health
is an internationally recognized framework for supporting improvements in students' educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way.
Dr. Kate Storey, a researcher from the University of Alberta, has compiled a list of the essential conditions to successfully implement a comprehensive school health approach. Use this list to build your school’s capacity to implement comprehensive school health and create healthy changes for your school community.
Find out more.
Mood Meter
The mood meter is an evidence-based app developed by Yale professor Marc Brackett to help adults and children identify their emotions throughout the day. Heart Mind Online provides three suggestions for how you can use the Mood Meter in your classroom, including creating your own life-sized version to build students' emotional intelligence.
Find out more.
Announcements
Friends of the Environment Grant
The TD Friends of the Environment Grant funds a wide range of environmental initiatives with a primary focus on environmental education and green space programs. This includes schoolyard greening, park revitalization, park programming, and citizen science initiatives. Applications are due January 15th, 2020.
Find out more.
