|
About DASH BC
|
The Healthy Schools BC Newsletter is brought to you by DASH BC. Our vision is a society where student participation in a healthy school community is the norm, not the exception. We are a non-profit society that inspires our partners and stakeholders to improve the health and learning of students in BC by promoting, supporting and facilitating a healthy schools approach. Visit our website for more information.
|
|
Did You Know?
| |
Researchers at UBC have discovered that students aged 9 to 11 who perform random acts of kindness are more accepted by their peers and less likely to be bullied? By asking students to consider how they can act more kindly to those around them, teachers can foster a great sense of connectedness between students and diminish the likelihood of bullying. To read the full research article, click here.
|
|
We Want to Hear from You!
|
To learn how to submit an article for the Healthy Schools BC Newsletter, please visit the Healthy Schools BC portal for submission dates and guidelines. |
|
School Grant Opportunities
| |
|
|
Video of the Month:
DASH and the Healthy Living Youth Council
|
On November 23 rd, 2012, a small group of students, parents and teachers from around the province came together to kick off BC's first Healthy Living Youth Council. Please click on the image to watch highlights of the event!
|
|
The Comprehensive School Health
Knowledge Guide
|
Have you recently heard about comprehensive school health (CSH) and decided you'd like to learn more? DASH has created a Knowledge Guide to support everything you need to know to about CSH and more. Visit the Healthy Schools BC portal here to learn more.
|
|
Archived Healthy Schools Newsletters
| |
Producing the Healthy Schools Newsletter regularly for over six years has created quite an archive of healthy schools history in BC! To view past newsletters full of helpful and relevant content, please visit the Healthy Schools BC portal here.
|
|
|
Healthy Schools in Action
|
|
Teacher of the Month: Introducing Ian Grbavec
"Start small, stay focused and ask for help" 
 Each month, DASH shines a spotlight on a member of the Healthy Schools community making a difference in BC schools. This month, DASH is pleased to introduce Ian Grbavec. Ian is a teacher with Frances Kelsey Secondary in Mill Bay and a community soccer coach. Ian brings years of rural, urban and international teaching experience and is also an active member of the Board of Directors of DASH. We had the opportunity to ask Ian a few questions about his involvement with comprehensive school health and about his work in healthy schools.
To read Ian's entire article, please click here.
|
|
February Is Anti-Bullying Month in BC
DASH takes a look at supports and programs for BC schools
 February is anti-bullying month and many schools around British Columbia will be incorporating anti-bullying and positive mental
health programming into their curriculum and extracurricular activities. Anti-bullying awareness, programs and resources have been increasing throughout British Columbia and the world. If you're interested in starting or enhancing anti-bullying and positive mental health programming at your school, please read the entire article here for BC programs and resources.
|
|
Introducing Healthy Living Youth Council Member Nadia Karmali, Dr. Charles Best Secondary School
Alcohol abuse prevention project a model for school partnerships
 Since the Healthy Living Youth Council (HLYC) first came together in November 2012, the 17 members have been hard at work in their school communities. This month, DASH is profiling Nadia Karmali, a Grade 11 student at Dr. Charles Best Secondary School in Coquitlam. We interviewed Nadia to learn more about her interest in health, school connectedness, and alcohol abuse. Needless to say, Nadia is a highly dedicated HLYC member who is passionate about healthy schools and healthy students. To read Nadia's interview, please click here.
|
|
DASH Travels to Chile!
International conference focuses on school effectiveness
Putting a face on individual  learners was one of the highlights for Kathy Cassels, DASH's Executive Director at the 26th annual International Congress for School Effectiveness & Improvement (ICSEI) held in Santiago, Chile from January 3rd to 6th, 2013. This year the conference theme was Educational Systems for School Effectiveness and Improvements: Exploring the Alternatives. To read more about this year's ICSEI conference, please click here.
|
|
Making the Connection
Profiling partnerships between health and education
Engaging in a comprehensive school health (CSH) approach is an excellent opportunity to form valuable connections between school staff and health promoters. Whether you're just learning about what it is or are already engaging in a CSH approach, there are always opportunities to form partnerships that can support you in that journey. Here, we take a look at some examples of those partnerships in action with interviews with three members of the healthy schools community: 
Tricia Labrie - Healthy Schools Coordinator
Tanya Derksen - Public Health Nurse (PHN)
Toresa Crawford - Teacher, Nala'atsi School
To read the entire article, please click here. |
|
Healthy Schools Network Update
The grant cheques are here!
Planning grants have now been sent out to participating schools. These grants are intended to facilitate planning and implementation of inquiry projects in schools. This year, we're encouraging more student involvement in decision-making and implementation of healthy school initiatives.
Planning grants assist schools with the 'Plan, Gather Support & Act' phase of the inquiry process within the Healthy Schools BC Learning Framework. This phase is about asking, "What can we do?" and involves putting the knowledge and evidence gathered in earlier steps into action.
To read the entire article, please click here.
|
Building Healthy School Environments Through Farm to School
How local food for students supports comprehensive school healthFarm to School is broadly defined as a school-based initiative that connects schools (K-12) and local farms. One of the primary goals of this initiative is to ensure that children have access to fresh, local, nutritious, safe and culturally appropriate foods while at school. Farm to School programs aim to improve student nutrition, and provide students with opportunities to learn about foods and the local food system, while supporting local farmers and the local food economy. To learn more about how you can bring Farm to School to your school, read the entire article here.
|
Give Our Students the Healthiest Valentine - Teach HeartSmart KidsTM !
Free Heart and Stroke Foundation resources support healthy lifestyles 
Celebrate Heart Month this February with your class by teaching heart health with FREE resources from the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Educators can use the resources creatively to fit the theme of Valentine's Day and motivate students to live a healthy lifestyle in a fun way! To learn how to bring HeartSmart Kids to your class, read the article here.
|
|
Do Your Students Know How Much Sugar and Sodium They Consume?
New free resources educate youth in making healthy drink choices
 The BC Ministry of Health, in collaboration with Dietitians of Canada, has produced new fact sheets and posters designed to engage youth and their parents in making healthier drink choices and cutting back on sodium as key healthy eating strategies.
Why focus on sugary drinks reduction?
Sugary drinks include pop, energy drinks, sport drinks, fruit drinks, vitamin-enhanced water, as well as specialty coffee and tea drinks. These drinks are a concern for several reasons: they are associated with weight gain among children, youth and adults; they often crowd out healthier drink choices such as water and milk; and their sugar and acid content promotes tooth decay.
To read more, and learn how you can get free resources for the classroom, please click here.
|
|
Need Help Planning for Your School's Dry Grad?
Provincial resource "Life Starts Now!" can help
For  Grade 12 students across the province, high school graduation parties are an important rite of passage before entering adulthood. It is now a popular trend for schools and parents to organize a dry grad party as a way for graduating students to celebrate the end of their high school years in a fun and safe way. Life Starts Now! describes dry grad planning from start to finish, incorporating ideas and suggestions for success from previous dry grad organizers, and information on specific BC legislation relevant to dry grad planning.
To learn how your school can get involved with Life Starts Now!, read the entire article here.
|
Action Schools! BC Cross-Curricular Workshop
Healthy eating and physical activity workshops available for schools and school districts
The new Action Schools! BC 5-2-1-0 Workshop is a cross-curricular collaboration featuring Action Schools! BC Healthy Eating and Physical Activity, Sip Smart! BC and Screen Smart resources that support school health promotion. The messaging, 5-2-1-0, supports the promotion of the following healthy habits: 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruit; 2 hours of screen time or less; 1 hour or more of physical activity; and 0 sugary drinks per day. Interested in having Action Schools! BC workshops in your school? Click here to read the entire article.
|
| Kids Yoga Now and the Science of Self-Discovery
Bringing yoga into schools offers many benefits
Kids Yoga Now is a yoga program for students, teachers and  adults. Owner and instructor Maalaa Rosalie has been pioneering and evolving an original yoga program for students for over 30 years. The program is offered in schools across BC to teachers, support staff and counsellours who wish to integrate the many benefits of yoga into their school curriculum. Kids Yoga Now also offers weekend training workshops for teachers, who report increases in the quality of relationships and school connectedness among students and school staff after practicing yoga. To get involved with Kids Yoga Now, read the entire article here. |
|
