The St. James-Assiniboia School Board acknowledges that these are challenging times for our students, families, and staff. As such, the Trustees are committed to providing supports to our school community in many ways, including wellness and positive mental health.
In support of our students, many teachers in K-8 have been trained in Project 11, which is an engaging program that has been designed to help support students and teachers in bringing mental health awareness, along with positive coping skills, into their lives. In addition to the Mental Wellness lessons, Project 11 provides over 160 daily activities promoting healthy lifestyle practices that teachers can access and incorporate into their classes:
- Yoga
- Indigenous Dance
- Fun with Fitness
- Art Energy
- Music and Rhythm
- Fun with Food
| - Relaxation Techniques
- Laughing Yoga
- Mindful Movement
- Tai Chi
- Music & Movement
- Mindful Moments
|
(Source: https://www.projecteleven.ca/)
Mental Health training in Senior Years includes Sources of Strength, a program that has been shown to increase student engagement, youth-adult connectedness, and students' knowledge of how to access supports for their own well-being. (Source: https://sourcesofstrength.org/).
The St. James-Assiniboia School Board has also established a Wellness Initiative for our employee groups, to support the positive mental health and well-being of our staff. During the most recent professional development days, CUPE and MANTE staff had the opportunity to engage in learning about resiliency and life-work balance. It is the intention of the Board to continue this priority for all of our SJASD staff (MTS, MANTE, CUPE). We look forward to providing the necessary resources that will leverage the Divisional Mental Health and Wellness Committee goals and actions.
As Vice Chair of the St. James-Assiniboia School Board, I am honoured to be a part of these initiatives that will help ensure the health and wellness of our school community, as we continue to provide exceptional learning opportunities for our staff and students.
-A message from The St. James-Assiniboia School Board Vice-Chair, Dr. Jennifer E. Lawson