Healthy Schools Newsletter for Educators
From Hastings Prince Edward Public Health


December 15, 2021

Welcome to December’s HPEPH Healthy Schools Newsletter!

We invite you to encourage your colleagues to subscribe to this newsletter to receive up to date and timely information from HPEPH.


Thank You and Holiday Wishes for all Local Educators and Education Partners

As we near the end of 2021, another challenging year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team at public health would like to express gratitude, and appreciation for the dedication, hard work and compassion shown by all of you, our local educators, bus drivers, support staff, and other education partners. As you are well aware, schools are one of the most important factors to protect the health and well-being of students and their families. Your ongoing efforts have helped ensure that local students have been able to return to, and stay in, in-person learning, as safely as possible.

Throughout the pandemic, ensuring school environments are as safe as possible has meant taking extra measures and precautions to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We know that this requires significant additional efforts and want to thank you for your ability to continue delivering exceptional education to local students despite these ongoing challenges. Your efforts are recognized, and sincerely appreciated.

You have spent the last four months taking care of local students. As you approach a well-deserved holiday break, please remember to take care of yourselves. If possible, take steps to boost your mental health during these challenging times. Please know there are supports available internally within your boards and within our community. Some resources for your own use, and for integration into your teaching, are listed below. In addition, a complete list of mental health resources and services can be found at hpePublicHealth.ca.

As another challenging year draws to a close, we thank you, educators and education partners! You are truly making a difference and improving the lives of students and families. I sincerely wish you a wonderful, safe, and well-deserved holiday season. I encourage you to take steps to celebrate safely in order to protect your own health, and the health of those you care about. To celebrate safely, avoid gatherings and if you must gather, keep it small and keep your contacts consistent. Please get fully vaccinated, and get a booster as soon as you can. If you are the parent or caregiver of an eligible child, please get them their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as soon as possible.

Our team looks forward to continuing to work together in the new year and beyond.

Mental Health and the Holidays

We are moving into the holiday season and with this comes joy and cheer, but it can also bring challenges. The traditional holiday planning, hectic schedules, and increased demands can be stressful. For some, the holiday season can also bring a heightened sense of loss, loneliness or isolation. On top of this, we are celebrating yet another holiday during the pandemic.

With all of this in mind, it’s so important that you take care of your mental and physical health. As we move into the holiday season, let’s bring mental health and coping strategies into the season too!

School Staff and Education Resources

  • Take care of yourself and ease your stress over the holidays.
    • Give yourself time and space for self-care activities: take time for yourself, practice mindfulness or go for a walk. Check out the self-care tip sheet from SMHO.
    • Maintain a healthy routine: eat healthy, get a good night's sleep and stay physically active. Check out this article from Stress Strategies.
  • Help students to take care of themselves and ease their stress over the holidays and when they return to school.
    • Teach some simple coping strategies using these posters (elementary, secondary).
    • Create a mentally healthy classroom with different activities from these resources.
    • Help link students who may be struggling with resources that can help them. Information is available to help you Notice and Identify.
  • Reach out for help if you need it. Talk to someone you trust, connect with your Employee Assistance Program, make an appointment with your medical doctor, or seek supports in your community or online. Learn more: hpePublicHealth.ca/getting-help/

Home-School Connection Resources

If you are receiving questions from parents/caregivers that should be answered by public health, they can be directed to hpePublicHealth.ca/back-to-school-planning-parents. Enquiries can also be sent by email through our online form.


Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to receive our monthly newsletter and receive updated resources and information directly from HPEPH. HPEPH will also provide updated resources directly to school administrators for distribution to staff before the return to school.

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments about this e-newsletter: hart.sara@hpeph.ca

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 about infectious and communicable disease.