Schools

The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit’s school health team consists of Public Health Nurses (PHN), a Registered Dietitian and an Administrative Assistant. The team is supported by other public health professionals such as Health Promoters, Tobacco Enforcement Officers, Public Health Inspectors (PHI), the Oral Health Team with Registered Dental Hygienists and Certified Dental Assistants, and an Immunization Team.

Each school has an assigned Public Health Nurse who works in the school’s geographic area. The School Public Health Nurse is a capacity builder, facilitator, and advocate for school health. They can assist school communities to identify strengths and health concerns in order to build healthier school environments.

More specifically, the School Public Health Nurse can assist schools by:

• Navigating the Health Unit’s resources and services (e.g., facilitate consultations with other public health professionals).
• Providing consultation, resources and *in-class support (e.g., related to curriculum, healthy school environments).
• In-servicing principals, teachers, parents, and community partners on a variety of health related topics and programs.
• Supporting healthy school committees, whole school initiatives, and health policies and practices.
• Connecting parents with support.
• Training and supporting student champions to implement wellness initiatives.
• Connecting the school community to services and programs offered by community partners.

*Your school’s Public Health Nurse may be able to provide in-class support or co-facilitate lessons on certain topics, with the intention of building the comfort and capacity of the educator.

To connect with your school’s Public Health Nurse, email: [email protected].

The school team is accountable for implementing the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s School Health Standard that is outlined in the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS). The goal of the standard is “to achieve optimal health of school-aged children and youth through partnership and collaboration with school boards and schools” by assisting with the implementation of health-related curricula and health needs, and by developing and implementing public health interventions using a comprehensive health promotion approach.

Comprehensive School Health (CSH) is an internationally recognized approach to supporting improvements in students’ educational outcomes while addressing school health in a planned, integrated and holistic way (Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health). This multi-strategy approach is more effective than a single strategy. CSH goes beyond the classroom and encompasses the whole school environment to ensure students learn about healthy, active living in an environment that reinforces their learning. CSH consists of these four inter-related areas:

• Teaching and learning: Student-centered learning and teacher training through resources, activities, and curriculum.
• Social and physical environment: The quality of relationships, and emotional well-being of students and staff, in addition to the buildings, grounds, spaces around the school, and essential requirements such as air and water quality.
• Policy: Management practices, decision-making processes, rules, procedures and policies at all levels that promote health and well-being, and shape a respectful, welcoming and caring school environment.
• Partnerships and services: Supportive working relationships within schools, between schools, and between schools and other community organizations and representative groups.

To learn more about Comprehensive School Health, check out this video: Comprehensive School Health in a Nutshell.

Schools have a unique opportunity to positively influence students through educating, role modeling, and creating healthy and supportive learning environments.

Positive health and wellbeing for school aged children and youth can be achieved by focusing on protective factors. Protective factors are individual and environmental factors that increase the likelihood that young people will be resilient, safeguarding them from risk.

As a caring educator, you are likely already doing many things that are building protective factors. In order to be most effective, it is important to utilize the following strategies consistently, with intention.

The following strategies were adapted from School Mental Health Ontario: School and classroom strategies that support student mental health (Tier 1).

Welcome (Social and Physical Environments)

• Smile! Greet students warmly, by their name, as they enter the school or classroom.
• Show an interest in activities and hobbies that students are involved with outside of school. Use the developmental relationship framework for tips on how to express care, challenge growth, provide support, share power, and expand possibilities.
• Allow enough time for students to enjoy their food at the beginning and during the day.
• Acknowledge that health looks different for everyone and can be influenced by the social determinants of health (e.g. income, education, culture, access to health services, early childhood development).
• Promote body acceptance. Respect and celebrate all bodies.
• Ensure resources and language used in your classroom are representative of all students (e.g. culture, body size, gender identity, sexual orientation). Be aware of and understand your personal values, beliefs and biases and how this may influence your interactions.
• Create consistent routines to provide predictability in the classroom.
• Design a calming, dedicated area where students can retreat from the classroom’s activity as needed; invite their input in planning this space.
• Be flexible with lighting, and consider incorporating music and movement into the classroom.
• Look for opportunities to include positive, hopeful messages throughout the day to inspire a sense of belonging.
• Encourage kindness, empathy and understanding of others. Pay attention to student dynamics and intervene early if interpersonal problems arise.

Include (Student Engagement)

• Get to know your students and build authentic connections with them by learning about their strengths, needs, and interests.
• Involve students in decision-making (such as setting classroom norms and shaping the environment).
• Encourage students to share their perspectives and actively participate.
• Offer leadership roles that fit each student’s comfort level to help them grow.
• Learn about and show appreciation for the diversity in your classroom, ensuring that every student feels included and welcome.

Understand (Knowing your Students)

• Get to know your students and families – take time to learn their unique stories and strengths.
• Make yourself available to students, listen attentively, and reflect meaningfully on the concerns students raise and offer guidance and support, as appropriate.
• Use Supporting Minds to help identify signs of difficulty and learn ways to help at school.

Promote (Curriculum, Teaching and Learning)

• Use up to date health education resources. See the Healthy Schools Programs and Services Guide for our recommendations. 
• Allocate sufficient classroom time to teaching health.
• Consistently address health topics from the beginning of elementary school to the end of secondary school. Provide booster sessions over a number of years to reinforce the messages.
• Present information in an age and developmentally appropriate manner and in a safe, caring, inclusive, and non-judgemental environment, while avoiding scare tactics.
• Build knowledge and skills related to risk behaviours (e.g. substance use) prior to the exposure and at transition periods. Practise these skills in a low risk situation, and using “real-world” situations.
• Be a positive role model and avoid modelling behaviours that conflict with what is being taught, even when speaking to other adults in student spaces (e.g. discussing substance use in a positive manner or attaching judgement to eating certain foods/food groups).
• Apply knowledge and practice skills that are relevant to their experience.
• Encourage the role of peer education. Note: peer educators should be well-trained, carefully supervised and be aware of the differences between a supportive role and professional counselling.
• Whenever possible, link health education to other relevant curricular objectives and current community and world events.
• Reinforce key health messages and integrate them daily into the classroom and school environment.
• Create opportunities for students to play in nature and explore the outdoors.
• Focus on the fun and social aspects of being active and less on competition.
• Ensure health education builds in foundational social-emotional learning skills including problem-solving, decision-making, conflict resolution, etc.
• Consider opportunities to promote health topics within a whole-school approach.

Partner (Home, School, Community, Partnerships)

• Provide parents and families with information about what students are learning at school so they can reinforce messages at home.
• Recognize that parents and families know their child and are doing their best with the resources they have.
• Include families in prevention efforts, when possible. Promote the resources for families that are listed under the “Connecting School to Home” sections in the Healthy Schools Programs & Services Guide.