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Amy Lauren Smith

Hong Kong International School

thehealthteacher.com

A Systemic Approach to Whole School Wellness

Lead to Succeed 2024

@teaching_health

#HealthEd

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Amy Lauren Smith

Health Teacher/Schoolwide Health Coordinator & Consultant @HKIS

Secretary of Health @IAHPEDS

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  1. Introduce yourself!
  2. Where do you work?
  3. What are your roles?
  4. What brought you here today?

Welcome & Introductions

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  • Here’s What
  • So What
  • Now What?

Today’s Agenda

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Using three separate sticky notes, jot down:

What do you believe are currently the top 3 health and well-being concerns for the students in your community?

Making connections...

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Why does this work matter?

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Why does this work matter?

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HKIS Search Assets & Risk Behavior Survey- May 2023

The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood, Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic- March 2024

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Visualization

Health-Promoting School

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World Health Organization & UNESCO:

Health Promoting Schools

Link to downloaded pdf

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As we’re going through…

Think about your current context.

Where is your school currently at with each standard? Where could you use some growth?

What questions might be coming up for you now?

*Link to Self-Assessment Doc

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  • What are the policies in your host country?

  • Has your host country updated their curricular mandates for health and well-being?

  • How can your school make use of the free and translated resources available?

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Find your neighbors…

Group up with people who are currently working in the same host city or country as you.

Discuss and be prepared to share:

  1. What’s happening?
  2. How might we as international schools use these resources?
  3. How might we use our unique privilege to offer support to the local community around these initiatives?

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Health-promoting schools around the world…

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  • Where in your strategic plan is there a focus on health and well-being?

  • How can you leverage the power of the board to allocate resources?

  • What policies do you currently have that align with these standards? DEIB, Safeguarding, CSE, etc.

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CULTURE OF HEALTH AND WELLBEING

STRATEGIC GOAL: By 2025, HKIS will actively engage in a culture of health and wellbeing

Health & Wellbeing

1. Articulated and aligned health and wellbeing curricula are in place

2. Practices, policies, resources, and spaces nurture the health and wellbeing of our community

3. HKIS is a leading center for continued learning on health and wellbeing

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  • Who heads up this work in your school?

  • Is there a committee that meets regularly?

  • Does it have representation from students and various stakeholders?

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Planning Tools:

From the US: CDC & ASCD’s Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child Framework

& Guide to Implementation

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WSCC at HKIS

Steering Committee Representation

Health & Wellbeing

  1. Physical education and physical activity
  2. Nutrition environment and services
  3. Health education
  4. Social and emotional school climate
  5. Physical environment
  6. Health services
  7. Counseling, psychological and mental health support
  8. Employee wellness
  9. Community involvement
  10. Family engagement
  11. Spiritual Health (context specific)

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Health & Wellbeing Steering Committee

2019-2020

Initial

planning, onboarding and action plan

2020-2021

Committee formed and SHI needs assessment conducted

2021-2022

Curriculum work continued, H&W PD

2022-2024

Policies, Practices, Resources, Spaces

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Comprehensive Needs Assessment

*Free online tool for initial assessment and planning.

Check-n will be done with the global standards.

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  • How are you partnering with the local community? How might service learning fit in?

  • Do parents have an active role in whole school health and well-being?

  • What student groups do you currently have doing this work?

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Student Initiatives- HS/MS

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What are some examples in your school of activities and events that encourage community connections?

    • Parent education
    • Service learning
    • Getting out into the city

Open Share-Out

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  • Where in your curriculum are you explicitly educating students on health literacy and relationship skills?

  • Where in your curriculum are you implicitly promoting all elements of physical, social–emotional and psychological health, well-being and development?

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CASEL & HEALTH, PE, COUNSELING, AND VALUES CURRICULUM

SELF-AWARENESS: The abilities to understand one’s own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.

SELF-MANAGEMENT: The abilities to manage one’s emotions, thoughts, and behaviors effectively in different situations and to achieve goals and aspirations.

RESPONSIBLE DECISION-MAKING: The abilities to make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.

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CASEL & ADVISORY, TRIPS, SPORTS, SERVICE LEARNING, CLUBS, ETC.

RELATIONSHIP SKILLS: The abilities to establish and main-

tain healthy and supportive relationships and to effectively

navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups.

SOCIAL AWARENESS: The abilities to understand the

perspectives of and empathize with others, including

those from diverse backgrounds, cultures, & contexts.

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Current

Relevant

Adaptable

Key Components of a Responsive Health Curriculum

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Comprehensive Health Education: 6 Key Pieces for

Sustainability and Scale-Up

  1. Audience: Data gathering
  2. Approach: Standards? NHES/CASEL/ISCA/Ontario
  3. Framework: UNESCO, NSES
  4. Overview: Gap Analysis, Scope & Sequence, Vertical Alignment
  5. Resourcing: Anchor resources
  6. Upskilling: Faculty PD, onboarding and schoolwide work

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RESOURCES

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Resources for Teaching Skills-Based Health

  1. National Health Education Standards (2024)
  2. RMC Health Skills Models Grade level banded skills instruction lessons. With lesson plans, student activities, rubrics, and classroom posters.
  3. Crosswalk tools: SEL and PE, SEL and Health

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Notice the connections

with SEL…

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Framework: What are the national mandates around health education and sexuality education in your host country?

What framework are you currently using so parents and other stakeholders know what to expect and your teachers feel safe and supported?

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  • How does your school’s social–emotional environment foster good relationships and build self-esteem and confidence in all individuals.

  • What professional development might teachers need to develop the skills to support a healthy, safe school climate and enhance connections with students and families.

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Where are your faculty and staff currently at in regards to SEL skills and training?

Hold up your number 1-5

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Make a group with people who have a different number than you. If you’re at a 4 or 5, share what has worked in regards to professional growth. Ask for tips and ideas if you have a lower number.

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What are some examples of programs or initiatives that you’ve seen successful in improving employee wellbeing?

*Try to think beyond ‘yoga and yogurt’ :)

Resource:

IB’s Well-being for School Teachers (2024)

Employee Wellness

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  • Is your school accessible for those with additional needs and disabilities?

  • Does the cafeteria provide nourishing options?

  • Are play spaces safe and gender inclusive?

  • Are new spaces designed for collaboration and socialization?

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G8 Health Student Advocacy Project: Inclusive MS Playgrounds

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Practices, policies, resources, and spaces

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FOLDER: Health Class Pictures

Learning Environment

What’s your classroom setup like? How do you encourage collaboration and foster trust in your health room?

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  • What services are currently available? Health office, school psychologist, ample amount of counselors in each division?

  • Do school health personnel (e.g. nurses, psychologists, counselors) receive and deliver specialized education and training programmes?

  • Are the school health personnel able to offer referrals and aware of the staff insurance policies?

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  1. School Health Office
  2. School Psychologist
  3. School Counselors
  4. Outside Service Providers

How do these groups work together to improve community wellbeing in your school?

School Health Services

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Is your school nurse:

  1. Able to organize CPR training?
  2. Trained in a multicultural approach to menstrual products and menstrual health?
  3. Communicating with counselors around student concerns
  4. Involved in your crisis response team?

School Health Office

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On a post-it, reflect:

“I used to think… but now I know…”

Wrapping up...

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Upcoming Workshops

Whole School Wellness:

-NESA Educators Training Institute: Jan. 2025

-HKIS: March 2025

Health Education for International Schools:

-HKIS: Sept. 2024

-SINGAPORE @ UWC: Oct. 2024

-PHASE AP @ NIST: Nov. 2024

-PHASE China @ SAS: April 2025

-ONLINE: TBD

For more info: thehealthteacher.com

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After our discussions today, find someone you

haven’t spoken with yet and share:

  • What’s your ‘easy win’?
  • What’s your ‘moon shot’?

Next Steps

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Please reach out for anything at all!

Amy Lauren Smith

thehealthteacher.com

amy@thehealthteacher.com

Twitter @teaching_health