Healthy Schools Newsletter
From Hastings Prince Edward Public Health November - December 2023 | 2022-2023 Healthy Schools Annual Report | Over the past year, HPEPH has been working in partnership with Hastings Prince Edward District School Board and Algonquin Lakeshore Catholic District School Board to support the health and well-being of school age children and youth. In June 2023, HPEPH reached out to school administrators to get feedback on the Healthy Schools Program. The responses, along with other indicators, were used to create the Healthy Schools Annual Report 2022-2023. Each year HPEPH will continue to seek your feedback so we can better serve staff, students, families, and the whole school community. The Healthy Schools Team is looking forward to continuing to offer health promotion and clinical services in schools. Reach out to your Healthy Schools Team this winter to start implementing the Healthy Schools Toolkit. The toolkit provides strategies, tips, and tools that focus on a comprehensive approach to school health and helps to create a healthy school environment. We are available to attend school events, orientations, and parent teacher nights to engage with parents and families. | HPEPH in your school 2023-2024 | The Healthy Schools Team is enhancing programming to better meet the needs of schools - and you, our educators and administrators! Virtual website walkthrough video Check out our NEW video to help you navigate the Educators’ section of our website. The video will show you how to find all our great evidence-informed resources for your classroom and school community. All these resources can be found at hpePublicHealth.ca in the Educators section under the main menu heading: Partners and Professionals. Lending resource kits available for schools HPEPH has several lending resource kits available to educators to aid in classroom health lessons. The following kits can be borrowed by completing our online Educator Lending Resource Kits form: - Glo Germ Kit (Grades K to 8)
- Condom Demonstration Kit (Grades 7 to 12)
- Contraception (Birth Control) Kit (Grades 7 to 9)
- Puberty Kit (Grades 4 to 6)
| Protecting school communities from illness | Routine immunizations HPEPH’s Immunization Team is currently visiting schools to offer routine Grade 7 immunizations to reduce the spread of Meningitis, Hepatitis B and Human papillomavirus. Check our Facebook and Twitter pages for dates and times for your school clinic. | Reducing the spread of respiratory illness School communities in HPE are encouraged to take preventative measures to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses. Encourage your colleagues and students to care for themselves this season: - Wash hands often.
- Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough.
- Limit close contact with people who are sick and stay home if you’re sick.
- Consider wearing a mask when you’re indoor, in crowded settings, and when recovering from illness.
- Avoid touching your face with unwashed hands.
- Disinfect frequently touched surfaces regularly.
- Boost your immune system by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting adequate sleep.
- If you do get sick, stay hydrated, get plenty of rest, and avoid contact with others until you are symptom-free for at least 24 hours.
- Keep your immunizations up to date, including the annual flu shot and updated COVID-19 vaccine.
| Home, school and community partnership Post on your school socials! HPEPH has created respiratory illness social media messaging that you can cut, paste, and post as appropriate for your school community. Use one of the messages below or visit our respiratory illness social media page for a full list. - Help prevent the spread of respiratory infections this fall. Stay home if you are sick and stay hydrated, rest, and avoid contact with others until you are symptom-free for at least 24 hours. Learn more at hpePublicHealth.ca/respiratory-illness.
- Flu vaccine and COVID-19 XBB vaccine will be available for all HPE residents from health care providers or participating pharmacies. Learn more at hpePublicHealth.ca/respiratory-illness.
- Antiviral treatments are available at no cost, by prescription, to symptomatic COVID-19-positive individuals at high risk for severe outcomes from COVID-19. Learn more at www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-testing-and-treatment.
| Looking to promote information to your school community on another topic? Visit our Newsletters and Social Media page for newsletters inserts, social media messages, and school announcements that be easily “cut and pasted” into your school promotional materials. | Flipping Hoops - Create equal teams and give each team a hoop and a beanbag.
- Players line up single file with the team’s hoop in front of the first person.
- The first person tries to throw the beanbag underhand into the hoop.
- If successful, the player flips the hoop one turn farther away from the team.
- The thrower retrieves the beanbag and gives it to the next person in line (this happens whether the throw landed in the hoop or not).
- The goal is to get the hoop to the end of the playing area before any other team.
Tag us! @hpepublichealth. | Bullying Prevention Week: November 19 to 25 Resources: - Violence and bullying resources
- curriculum materials, student leadership and engagement, home school and community partnerships content
- Communication resources for bullying
- announcement, social media, and newsletter inserts
- MediaSmarts Cyberbullying Posters
- Morning announcements for secondary schools (adapted from communication resources, one for each day of Bullying Prevention week)
- Bullying can happen both in person and online. It could be pushing or kicking someone, spreading rumours, yelling in someone’s face, not including others, telling others not to be friends with someone, and more. Bullying is never okay, and we all play a role in preventing it. You can help prevent bullying by being kind, including others, standing up for someone being bullied, or telling an adult who can help stop the bullying.
- Stop and think before you press send! Before you send or forward a message, or photo, ask yourself if it could hurt, upset, or embarrass someone else. Ask yourself how you would feel if it was being sent about you. Even if you weren’t the person who created a message or post, forwarding it means you are part of the bullying. You can help by deleting it and refusing to pass it on!
- Bullying is behaviour that is meant to hurt, scare, or upset another person. Bullying is aggressive and happens repeatedly. Bullying is never okay. You can help by standing up for the person being bullied, by refusing to participate in bullying, or by telling an adult who can help.
- Cyberbullying is relentless and can occur any time of the day, which means victims of cyberbullying can feel unsafe, even at home. Victims of cyberbullying often feel an extreme sense of isolation, loneliness, fear, and despair. Everyone has a right to feel safe at school, in the community, and online. If you are being bullied, talk to someone you trust, such as a teacher, coach, counsellor, or parent. Adult intervention stops bullying. Kids Help Phone can also help. They offer free confidential support 24 hours a day by phone or text.
- We’re challenging you to take a stand against bullying. If you see or hear about someone being bullied, don’t just ignore it. Tell an adult, befriend the person who is being bullied, or stand up for the person being bullied.
| Concerned about vaping? Stay tuned for our January newsletter, which will feature information, announcements, and resources for students, staff, and families about quitting vaping and staying vape and smoke free in 2024. | Contact Information: For other questions about Healthy Schools: healthyschools@hpeph.ca You have received this email at from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing at any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, please note that this bulletin will be used to provide important updates. | | | | |
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