Healthy School News
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Wellness quotes
Uplifting quotes can inspire and motivate individuals. My son once sent me a birthday card expressing what he thinks about the quotes/clippings I have relayed to him over time: Outside the card: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM, and thanks for all the advice you’ve given me over...
The Critical Link Between Parent and Teen Mental Health
A report from Harvard Graduate School of Education shows a strong connection between parent and adolescent mental health and offers prevention strategies for teen anxiety and depression: The Critical Link Between Parent and Teen Mental Health The medical community...
Adolescents are in the midst of a full-blown mental health crisis
I recommend this article by Professor Jean M. Twenge of San Diego State University: Adolescents are in the midst of a full-blown mental health crisis Some highlights from the article: About ten years ago, something started to go wrong in the lives of teens. Rates of...
Hold the phones! Cellphones in classrooms?
I recommend this article by Naomi Buck in the Globe and Mail: Cellphones have taken over our classrooms , and it’s been a disaster. Now that we know the effect screens have on our children, we need a new approach. The author’s kids are now entering Grade 8 and 10 at...
What Works in Schools
WHAT WORKS IN SCHOOLS is an approach to school-based health from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program has been shown to improve health behaviors and experiences, support mental health and reduce suicidality in the schools that implement the...
A community’s ills will be reflected in its schools
I recommend the article, "A community's ills will be reflected in its schools" by Geoff Johnson, former superintendent of schools. When Geoff was a school district administrator, he was asked “Are there drugs in the local high school?” His Socratic response, absent...
Establishing a school wellness committee
Alliance for a Healthier Generation has excellent information on forming a school wellness committee. Concise information includes two topic areas: Video - Wellness Committees That Work https://youtu.be/vF-XJHpjuA4?si=kgh_rnofM5MhPkpw 3 Steps to Form a School...
Stress management tips from the Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic website has strong information on the meaning of stress management and the approaches that can be used. A range of strategies are outlined. The information relates to the stress management spoke on the Wellness Wheel. Don’t wait until stress damages...
Be a buddy, not a bully
New Special Olympics British Columbia t-shirt. Sheenagh and Jen are part of the wonderful British Columbia Special Olympics organization as athletes. They also work as advocates and public speakers to help instil confidence in their peers.
How to talk about bullying
Recommended website: How to talk about bullying, from an official government organization in the United States. Talking about bullying can be difficult for everyone. This website outlines the many ways to raise the subject of bullying and outlines: 1. How to raise the...
Study on social isolation
A major question is addressed in the article "NZ-led study: Social isolation can age your brain faster." Is there an association with older brain age if social isolation from childhood to mid-adulthood occurs? A NZ-led study has looked more closely at how the related...
Connect the dots between the maladies of society
The need to treat the whole person! For all our expertise and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how today’s culture stresses the body, burdens the immune system, and undermines emotional balance. In The Myth...
Student Mental Health Toolkit
The Stigma-Free Society is a Canadian charity whose mission is to educate and support young people in their mental health wellness journeys. As with schools4health, their belief is that mental health education should be integrated into all classrooms. Mental health is...
The Power of Music
Music is an integral part of our wellbeing. A friend has 2 daughters in middle school. The school district was contemplating cutting school music programs to save money. Imagine! Why Music Should be in Every Classroom by Joan Koenig shows why music should be in every...
Student Athletes & Alcohol Abuse
The blog post Athletes and Alcoholism, December 11, 2023, was written by Kelly Brown and medically reviewed by Dr P.E. Pancoast, MD. As this is such a common issue, the authors spent hundreds of hours writing the peer-reviewed guide about athletes and alcohol....
Post Pandemic: The Need for Prevention Strategies in Addition to Intervention
ER Visits for Suicidal Behaviour in Kids Rose Amid Pandemic: Study Research points to a need for more mental-health supports for children, doctor says. Study shows more pediatric ER visits for suicidal behaviour during COVID-19 pandemic appeared in the Times Colonist,...
What is Wellbeing?
The World Health Organisation defines wellbeing as: “The state in which an individual realises his or her own abilities, can cope with normal stresses of life, can work productively, and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community”. Wellbeing involves...
Social-Emotional Learning for Teens
The Usable Knowledge Project provides detailed and transparent information about commonly used and evidence-based SEL (social-emotional learning) programs. Relevant research is the foundation for the topic “Navigating SEL for Teens." A new guide is designed to help...
In Search of Happiness
A recommended essay in the Otago Daily Times (Nov. 7, 2022): Nobel Prize laureates’ take on lasting joy yields wisdom Author Gil Barbezat, emeritus professor of medicine, goes in search of happiness. Some highlights: * Acquiring happiness has long been an elusive...
Will We Ever Pay Attention Again?
I recommend this excellent essay by Gloria Mark in the Wall Street Journal (Jan. 6, 2023): How to Restore Our Dwindling Attention Spans. The article can also be listened to on the website (7 minutes). Digital distractions are ramping up our natural tendency to shift...
A Guide to Parenting in Cancel Culture
A special article by Shawna Cohen in the Globe and Mail, September 10, 2022: In real life and online getting cancelled is toxic to kids and teens. The author of the article reports how parents and educators can help. Some highlights from the article: Cancel culture is...
Activity on Managing Self Control
Even if you have provocation-proof self-control, you can't be in control of everything but, fortunately, a lot depends on you. Find out what you can manage and start taking control of it to become a better person. - Antonio Grasso This activity worked really well with...
Canada’s New Drinking Guidelines
Canada’s Guidance on Alcohol and Health provides evidence-based advice on alcohol to support people in making informed decisions about their health. The guidance is based on the latest research on alcohol-related risks and replaces Canada’s Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking...
Changes at Reachout Australia
Changes have been made at ReachOut, Australia. They are designed to achieve the vision of better mental health and wellbeing for all young people. This includes helping teachers as best they can. The new brand identity and site are underpinned by qualitative and...
We Need to Think the Way We Drink
Is alcohol the new cigarette? For everyone - some highlights from recent studies on alcohol use: 7 different types of cancer are associated with alcohol. Information is not being shared with consumers. A lot of the economy is based on alcohol consumption. Labels...
Sober Thought Needed on New Alcohol Guidelines
An editorial in the Times Colonist, Sober Thought Needed on Alcohol Guidelines, details reaction to the new reports released from the Ottawa-based Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction (CCSA). The suggestion is that serious issues are raised as the new guidelines...
A Video to Watch and Love
Canadian Tire’s advertisement “Wheels” was created for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and continued through the Paralympic Games to promote Canadian Tire’s sponsorship of both the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic teams. The ad is filled with a heart warming message that...
Forest Bathing or Forest Therapy
A form of ecotherapy is becoming a holistic discipline that is growing worldwide. Forest bathing or forest therapy has been informally practised by Indigenous peoples for millennia. The Wellness Wheel in Wellness: A Question of Balance includes self-reflection on...
Women are Rejecting Traditional Ambition
Recommended article from Elle: What Comes After Ambition? Women are in the midst of a revolutionary reckoning with our ambitions. We’re not resigning en masse—because who can afford to quit her job in this economy?!—but we are trying to figure out a new set of goals...
What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness
Consider lessons from one of the most comprehensive longitudinal studies in history on happiness. The lives of 724 men were tracked over 75 years. So what makes a good life? How is a good life built? Is it fame and achievement? Who were the healthiest at age 50? From...