News
Pink Shirt Day is February 24th, 2021
Pink Shirt Day is celebrated across the globe to take a stand against bullying and promote acts of kindness. Each year the Pink Shirt Day campaign adopts a new theme to highlight topical issues around bullying. This year’s “Lift Each Other Up” theme encourages us to treat everyone with dignity and respect. Learn more about the campaign and access resources for parents and educators on their website. Find out more.
Healthy School Communities Certification 2020-2021
Congratulations to the 15 schools in British Columbia who have registered to take part in year two of our Healthy School Communities Certification pilot. Using a 6-step Healthy Schools Process, this program is designed to help schools promote and enhance the health and wellbeing of their entire school community. Find out more.
Articles
Celebrate Valentine’s Day in Your Outdoor Classroom
Megan Zeni, an outdoor educator in Richmond, B.C. and author of the popular blog Room to Play, shares creative, eco-friendly Valentine’s Day activities that can be done in an outdoor classroom. Activities range from making heart-shaped bird seed treats, to leading students on a Valentine’s Day hike around school property in search of natural hearts. Find out more.
Stories
N’kwala School’s Healthy Snack Program
N’kwala School in Douglas Lake, B.C., used a Healthy Schools BC First Nations School Grant to support their healthy snack program. The funding was used to purchase groceries from local businesses and farms to offer nutritious snack options to students. Teachers at N’kwala School also used the snack program as an educational opportunity to teach students about the importance of nutrition and healthy eating. Find out more.
Colouring their Way to Mental Health
During the 2019-2020 school year the District Mental Health Literacy Specialist for School District 52 (Prince Rupert) initiated a colouring book project to promote positive mental health. The pages of the book were drawn by students in Grades 4 to 12 and included tips, information and strategies for positive mental health. Using a Healthy Schools BC Regional Grant, they printed 1000 copies and distributed them last spring to students across the district. Find out more.
Resources
Climate Change Lesson Plans
In partnership with Unicef, the World’s Largest Lesson program was created to support educators in integrating the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their classrooms. The World’s Largest Lesson includes a number of actionable resources such as video clips, educator guides, lesson plans, and activities that encourage classrooms to engage with global issues in unique and meaningful ways. We Are Teachers highlighted some of the resources on Climate Change and ways to integrate them into your classroom in a recent blog post. Find out more.
Announcements
ParticipACTION’s Community Better Challenge Micro-grants
The ParticipACTION Community Better Challenge is back for another year from June 1st to June 30th, 2021. During the challenge schools can host events and track minutes to help their community come together and celebrate physical activity. At the end of the challenge, ParticipACTION will select Canada’s most active community in each province and territory. Apply for a micro-grant by February 26th, 2021 to support an event at your school. Find out more.
Physical and Health Education Canada’s 2021 Virtual National Conference
Interested in expanding your physical and health education (PHE) toolbox and learning more about innovative approaches to PHE? Register for PHE Canada’s virtual conference, which will take place from February 16th to April 15th, 2021. There will be three webinars each week covering important themes such as inclusion and equity in PHE, physical literacy and well-being, and Indigenous Ways of Learning in PHE. Attend live sessions or stream recording at a more convenient time for you. Find out more.
