HEALTHY SCHOOLS BC NEWSLETTER - January 2021
News

Bell Let's Talk Day is January 28th, 2021
Bell Let’s Talk Day is a national campaign focused on promoting awareness and action for mental health. On January 28th, 2021, initiate discussions about mental health in your classroom or community using the Conversation Guide included in the Bell Let's Talk Toolkit. Or access resources to support the mental health of yourself and others during COVID-19. Find out more.

National Non-Smoking Week is January 17th to 23rd, 2021
The third week of January has been recognized as National Non-Smoking Week in Canada for over 30 years. It acts to increase education about the dangers of smoking, prevent people who do not smoke from starting, and encourage those who do smoke to quit. For lesson plans, activities, and resources to help engage your students in education about smoking, check out Interior Health’s toolkit. Find out more.

Articles

Lessons Learned from Self-regulation Initiatives in Schools
Curious about what makes a self-regulation initiative successful? This article from EdCan's Well at Work Magazine highlights key learnings from two different self-regulation interventions in Northern school jurisdictions. Take-away lessons include the need to prioritize teacher well-being and the powerful impact of enthusiastic leadership. Find out more.


Stories

Nanaimo-Ladysmith and FNHA Partner to Reduce Vaping
Using a Healthy Schools BC Regional Grant in 2019-2020, Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District 68 partnered with the First Nations Health Authority to develop a district-wide initiative to reduce the use of non-medical tobacco and vape pens among students. With help from Elders and a workshop from the First Nations Health Authority, students worked on personal wellness plans to replace smoking/vaping behaviour with healthy alternatives. Find out more.


Resources

The School Physical Activity and Physical Literacy Resource Hub
The School Physical Activity and Physical Literacy initiative is a prototype designed to build the capacity of B.C. elementary school educators to deliver quality physical activity and physical literacy opportunities at school. Visit their website to learn more about Pro-D opportunities, resources for the classroom, and access to PLAYbuilder, a web-based tool with hundreds of game and lesson plans. Find out more. 


Youth and COVID-19 Wellness Campaign
The First Nations Health Authority collaborated with youth to create a COVID-19 Wellness Campaign. It features videos from Indigenous youth discussing how they have supported their well-being during the pandemic and how they are staying connected with others. These videos, along with the extensive list of resources on the webpage, were created with the goal of supporting the mental and emotional health of youth during COVID-19. Find out more.


Announcements

BC Dairy's Mini Food Grants
Mini food grant applications are now open. All educators who plan to teach one of BC Dairy Association’s nutrition education programs between January and June, 2021 are eligible to apply for a mini food grant. The application deadline is Friday, January 29th, 2021. Find out more.