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School Wellness Weekly

09.26.19


Our shared vision is clear each school year: All New York City public school students benefit from quality health and physical education instruction that meets State requirements and builds lifelong healthy habits.

Move-to-Improve, the DOE’s free classroom-based physical activity program, is key to this work and commitment to our students. See and hear what the students themselves have to say about the benefits of Move-to-Improve in a new video, The Power of Movement , one of many resources just added to our Move-to-Improve program materials collection and video collection on WeTeachNYC. Videos feature real K-5 classrooms engaging in Move-to-Improve as part of their daily instruction, and support elementary school teachers who have been trained to use the program. For more inspiration, also see these new videos:


Another great resource is our Move-to-Improve Guide for Families , available in nine target languages on WeTeachNYC. Encourage your parent coordinator to share the family guide with your school community.

Move-to-Improve All-Star Schools can count up to 40 minutes of Move-to-Improve activities each week to supplement the New York State elementary PE requirement of 120 minutes per week, as well as the required frequency for each grade. Find out more about this free program in the Move-to-Improve Guidance Document on the DOE InfoHub (DOE log-in required). Questions or feedback? Contact MTI@schools.nyc.gov .

A kindergarten/first-grade class at PS 6 in the Bronx engages in a Move-to-Improve activity.. (Photo: Awakened Films)
Wellness Highlights
Save the Date: Election Day Professional Learning
Our annual Think-Move-Achieve Conference for Physical and Health Educators will take place Citywide on Election Day, Tuesday, 11/5 . Registration information and links are coming soon! 

There’s Still Time to Apply for a School Wellness Council Grant
Apply for a School Wellness Council Grant via the online Wellness Council Manager (log in with your DOE ID; non-DOE staff can create a free account). Grants provide funding, technical assistance, professional learning and networking opportunities, and other resources. Schools new to the grant program can apply for a $2,500 implementation grant. Past recipients can apply for a $1,000 continuation grant. Apply by  Tuesday, 10/15, at 4 p.m . Questions? Email wellnesscouncil@schools.nyc.gov . 
Physical Education
High school students at 02M416, Eleanor Roosevelt High School. Photo: Kirsten Luce

Stories of Change: Building a Physically Literate Generation in NYC
Want to see what quality PE looks like in a school? Check out our PE Works Stories of Change and learn how principals and staff at three different New York City Schools are making changes so that PE is a meaningful part of each child’s school experience.

  • Oct. 4: Secondary PE Basics I: Planning to Incorporate Fitness and Assessment: Grades 6-12 physical education teachers, sign up for this session in the Bronx.
  • Oct. 4: Make It Work: Mastering PE in Creative Spaces for Elementary Physical Education: Grades K-5 or K-8 physical education teachers who teach in nontraditional settings, register for this session in Manhattan.
  • Oct. 11: PE Basics I: Planning for Fitness & Assessment (K-12): Grades K-12, register for this session in Staten Island.
Health Education
Latest Update on E-Cigarettes and Vaping
State and local health departments are investigating an outbreak of severe lung disease associated with e-cigarette use. Help your school community understand the risks of e-cigarettes and vaping by sharing this letter from the New York City health commissioner (available in 10 target languages on the NYC Health website ) and continue to take action by:
  • Teaching the State-required comprehensive health education lessons, which include a unit on tobacco and other drug-use prevention. See WeTeachNYC for the health education Scope and Sequence and other lesson-planning tools. 
  • Sharing the following NYC Health materials with your school community: 
  1. Parent FAQ: E-Cigarettes* 
  2. Busting Drug Myths (Youth Flier)* 
  3. Teens and Vaping: What Are the Risks?  
  4. E-cigarettes Health Bulletin  
  5. E-cigarettes  
*These resources are  in all DOE-supported languages on the  DOE Infohub Health Forms and Notices page   (scroll to Substance Abuse).  
 
  • Oct. 29: Condom Availability Program Training: High school staff, register for this session in Manhattan.
  • Oct. 30: Middle School Health Education Basics I: Comprehensive Skills-Based Health Education: Grades 6-8 health education teachers, sign up for this session in Brooklyn.
  • Nov. 1: Middle School Health Education Basics II: Comprehensive Sexual Health Education: Grades 6-8 health education teachers, sign up for this session in Brooklyn.

Image: Busting Drug Myths , youth flier. Credit: NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Building the Wellness Community
Apply for a School Garden Grant
Are you looking for a grant to fund an educational garden at your K-12 school?
  • Whole Foods Market’s Whole Kids Foundation offers $2,000 grants to create or continue a school garden. The deadline to apply is 10/15.
  • Annie’s Grants for Gardens program is taking applications for schools interested in starting a garden. The deadline to apply is 11/1.
  • Coming Soon: Grow to Learn Mini Grant Application Period: DOE K-12 teachers registered with Grow to Learn can apply for a Mini-Grant of $500 to $2,000 to start or expand a school garden. Grant application period will open 9/27 and close 10/30. 
Office of School Health Corner
The Office of School Health (OSH) is dedicated to the health of all NYC students, because healthy students are better learners. OSH is a joint program between the DOE and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, two agencies working together to ensure that our students are healthy and thriving by providing them with the resources needed to feel their best. OSH provides students with in-school disease management and preventative health programs, including school nurses and physicians , vision screening teams , school mental health program , asthma case managers , health educators , school dental staff , and a team of office staff working behind the scenes to support our schools.

To ensure students are reaching their full potential, please share these six medication administration forms with parents and families:

Questions or need more information? Click the links above or talk to your school nurse.