Health & Wellness: A Whole-School Approach meeting our - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Health & Wellness: A Whole-School Approach … meeting our community’s needs Martin Poirier & Linda Forde, WCHS

Our Context  Located in downtown Calgary  One of oldest schools in province  2200 students  900 IB  200 French IB  300 FI  800+ L1 non-English  300 ELL coded students  ~ 230 students with Individual Program Plans

Why such a dedicated focus on well-being/mental health in youth?  Student surveys  Self-reporting  Medical diagnoses  Provincial & national stats: marked anxiety/stress

What is causing this rise in stress/anxiety in youth?  School  Physical maturation  Achieving (school, sports, extracurricular…)  Family stressors  Peer / social stressors (e.g., belonging, social media)  Self-esteem and sexuality  Trauma / violence  Psychological distress  Medical illness  Substance abuse  Grief / loss

…and What is the Impact? …from the Experts  Teens & Stress: Dr. Jean Clinton  Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, TedMed

MFWHSR Pillars  Personalization  Flexible Learning Environments  Educator Roles & PD  Meaningful Relationships  Home & Community Involvement  Rigorous, Relevant Curriculum  Welcoming, Caring, Respectful, Safe Schools

Personalization  JH transition meetings  JH connections to clubs & teams  SLT meetings re: at-risk students  IPP consistent key teacher  Students with IPPs have IRIS profiles  Strong, vibrant, & diverse clubs & teams

Personalization, cont.  1-on-1 3-year planning  Gr 10 class visits  Gr 12 class visits & 1-on-1 Post-Secondary prep & planning  Parent info evenings for P-S transitions  Provide opportunities with external agencies (e.g. Boys & Girls Club, JA)  Tutorial Offerings OTT: Study Space, Daily AM & PM, Peer Tutors

Flexible Learning Environments  Courses offered OTT:  Band, Choral, Advanced Acting, International Politics, Comp. Gov’t, etc.  Students informed about course opportunities outside school:  CBe-Learn  CT Centre  Chinook Learning  ADLC

Educator Roles & Professional Development  Trauma-Informed Practice training  Alberta Health Services workshops/presentations  Point Person & Staff training about NSSI  ASIST Trained Staff  Common PD Day with Feeder JHs

Meaningful Relationships  Classroom Teachers  Indigenous Success Coach  NEST Program for At-risk Students  LLs dedicated to specific programmes  IB, ELL, FI  Dedicated Counsellor for ELLs, Indigenous Students, & NEST  Healthy Relationships Program  Extracurricular activities  Dedicated Counsellors & Assistant Principals by cohort

Home & Community Connections  Opportunities for Parent connection & involvement:  Meet the Teacher  Parent Council  Parent Volunteering  Sports Team Support  Celebrate Western

Community Connections…  Local Corporate Community relationships:  BMO  CIBC  Hotel Arts Culinary Apprentice  U of C Lab Experience  Junior Achievement Program  Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra  KPMG (Martin Family Initiative)  U of C (NAPI Leadership Program)

Community Connections continued…  Drop-In Centre  Fountains of Mission Retirement Home  Interfaith Food Bank  Canadian Cancer Society  Canadian Blood Services  Terry Fox Foundation  Brenda Strafford Women’s Shelter

Rigorous & Relevant Curriculum  Formative Assessment (Focus of PD)  Sister school relationships: Spain, Denmark, & France  Various Trip Opportunities:  Model UN trips - Montreal & New York  Band trip to California  Spanish Language Students to Spain  International Exchange with Stovring, Denmark  International Exchange with Yokohama, Japan  Hiking/Hosteling trip - Kananaskis & Banff

Welcoming, Caring, Respectful, & Safe  Student needs:  Educational Guidance/Planning: current & future  Emotional Support  General Well- being:  Stress/anxiety management  Nutrition  Physical fitness  Self-image  Belonging  Interpersonal relationships

Intentional Mental Wellness Strategy  0.5 Psychologist  Increased counselling time by 0.5 FTE  Staff Wellness Committee  Student Wellness Club  Student MH & Wellness Awareness Group  Gender Neutral Bathrooms  Yoga courses  Summer Math Camp

MH Strategy continued…  Math 15 Course  Yoga classes & Anxiety workshops during exams  Mental Health PD Sessions  Depression Screening Day  Interactive activities - student clubs:  Speak-out on Mental Illness  Pride Week by Spectrum Club  Safe Space Program (Spectrum Club)

MH Strategy continued…  Regular sessions in collaboration with AHS for parents:  Coping with Stress  Motivating the Unmotivated  Nancy Mannix , the Palix Foundation (TIP)  Fitness Centre for students and staff  Quiet Study Room  Lunch Program

Specific Clubs: Health & Wellness Club  Oct 4 : Meditation  Oct 11 : Cooking healthy food  Oct 18 : Workshop on Stress  Nov 1 : Coloring and painting  Nov 8 : Yoga  Nov 22 : Drawing activity  Nov 29 : Laughing Meditation  Dec 6: Workshop on Eating Disorders  Dec 20: Workshop on Perfectionism & Procrastination  Jan 10: Test-Anxiety workshop

Specific Clubs: WCHS Student Voice  Chances for students to be heard, such as:  Student Surveys  Anonymous submission form for suggestions/concerns  Therapy dog during exams  Exam de-stress treats  Sticky-note showcase

Specific Clubs : Spectrum  Everyone is welcome  Educate about LGBTQ+ topics and identities  Pride Week Activities  Conference and dance for other GSA/Spectrum Clubs

Targeted Program: Healthy Relationships  Violence prevention program  Group & Individual counselling  Goals:  Find alternatives to conflict/abuse  Develop & maintain healthy relationships  Develop healthy self-esteem & efficacy  Develop empathy for others

Some Results: Accountability Pillar Results: Safe and Caring School: (gr 10 students rating Western Canada as a safe and caring School) 2014: 87.4 % 2017: 92.2 % Gr 12 Exit Survey: Question 1: I work through setbacks and challenges in my learning . (Agree and Strongly Agree) 2014: 87.5% 2017: 94.2% Question 2: I am comfortable learning about things that don't have a single right answer. 2014: 74.4% 2017: 82.9%

Interesting Trends High School Completion within 3 years: 2014: 85.4% (May 2014, Act Pillar report, p. 2) 2016: 87.7% (May 2016, Act Pillar Report, p.2) Science 30 Diploma Results @ Western Canada: Year Exam average Acceptable Excellence Jan 2015 66. 9% 100% 31.3% Jan 2017 71.5% 100% 46.7%

What’s the Bottom Line?  Relationship  Connection: Stephen de Groote  Key to building esteem, resilience, confidence…  Major component of the safety net

Resources:  Young Minds: Stress, anxiety plaguing Canadian youth ; Global News, 2013 & 2016  Teen Stress: New national survey finds nearly half of teenagers stressed out ; Global News, 2015  TedMed: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime ; Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris  Dr. Bruce Perry, The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, & Born for Love  Dr. Gordon Neufeld, Hold onto Your Kids, & Making Sense of Anxiety & The Science of Emotion training; Calgary, April 2017  AHS: albertafamilywellness.org & The Palix Foundation  CAMH , Becoming Trauma Informed, edited by Nancy Poole & Lorraine Greaves  BC TIP Guide, 2013

Contact info:  Martin Poirier, Principal  mapoirier@cbe.ab.ca  Linda Forde, Counsellor/LL Student Services  lmforde@cbe.ab.ca