caring schools
care for ourselves, each other and the world around us
special dates in february
- Eating Disorder Awareness Week; National; National Eating Disorder Information Centre
- Freedom to Read Week; National; Freedom to Read Week
- February 4: World Cancer Day; International; International Union Against Cancer
- First Saturday: Safer Internet Day; International; Safer Internet Day
- February 12: Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day; National;Canadian Federation for Sexual Health
- February 15: International Childhood Cancer Day; International; International Confederation of Childhood Cancer Parent Organizations (ICCCPO)
- February 20: World Day of Social Justice; International; United Nations
- February 22: Thinking Day; National; Scouts Canada and Girl Guides of Canada
- Last Wednesday: Pink Shirt Day (Anti-bullying); National; Pink Shirt Day
mental and emotional health
itunes pocket guide
itunes Pocket Guide
This itunes pocket guide for students provides information on topics including time management, relationships, mental illness, suicide, and addictions. It also includes mental health self-help information and contains recommendations where students can go to get help.
Mental Health Services Hub
An online hub for mental health services Openmindbc.ca is a great resource site for doctors, parents, teachers and youth to learn more about mental health support services available in BC and Canada.
Orientation Guide to Child and Youth Mental Health
Orientation to Child and Youth Mental Health Services: A Guide for Teachers was developed by The FORCE Society for Kids Mental Health in partnership with the Ministry of Children & Family Development and BC Partners for Mental Health and Addiction Information.
Cyberbullying
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has launched two new educational modules for teachers to help address the issue of cyberbullying among teens. The Grades 7/8 unit focuses on reducing the incidence of adolescent sexual exploitation while the Grade 9/10 module also addresses the growing concern of sexual violence among youth in dating relationships as well as elevated risk of sexual exploitation whether online or by adults/older youth.
physical health
Media Literacy
A Media Literacy and Food Marketing curriculum has been developed from focus groups with over 600 Canadian children in Grades 1 to 9. Children discussed their thoughts on package images, colours and claims, as well as the nutrition facts table and ingredient lists. Click here to access these fact sheets.
Crosswalk Use
Does your school have a crosswalk right outside school grounds? Is your school trying to promote more crosswalk use? BCAA offers free safety patrol resources, equipment and training material for schools. Find out more about the program and resources here
environment
Watershed Champions Award
The Watershed Champions Award is back offering eight awards of $2,500 and one grand prize of $3,500 to grades K–12 across Canada for learning about water. To get started check out a collection of free, hands-on lessons and take action to care for your local watershed! Share how your class learned about water by completing the award application. Applications are due April 17th. For more information contact lfisk@evergreen.ca
Climate Justice in BC
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC Office website features downloadable classroom lessons (designed for BC-prescribed learning outcomes) exploring how growing inequality and climate change are linked and how acting on them can make our province and our lives better and fairer. The lessons were designed for high school but are easily adaptable for middle school.
check out grant opportunities
Healthy Living Grants
Healthy Living Grants are available to support health and learning for students. The Healthy Schools Network (HSN) offers two Healthy Schools Network grants: the Healthy Living Activity Grant ($500) and the Healthy Living Inquiry Grant ($750). These grants support improvements in health and learning for students and school communities across BC. Both grant applications can be submitted from now to March 1, 2015.
The Healthy Schools BC website is a “one-stop” access point for healthy schools information and programs across the province. The website assists teachers, the health sector, and other interested members of the community in accessing the array of resources available and demonstrates how these programs can work together using a planned and coordinated approach.
local event happenings
past newsletters
caring schools
This Update is intended for information purposes. Inclusion in the Update does not necessarily imply endorsement or recommendation by sd57. It is the readers’ responsibility to determine the suitability of the resource for their specific purposes.
linda campbell
student services
Email: lcampbell@sd57.bc.ca
Twitter: @weaselwe