The SchoolHealth ProfilerThe SchoolHealth Profiler

Spring 2007

Issu

e 12

In this issue:Check out our feature articles

on BrainGym® and Multiple Intelligences

2 Dear Public Health Nurse

3 SchoolHealth101.ca

4 Primary Students ... Hop, Skip and Jump their way to DPA

6 Poor Dental Health Takes a Bite out of Learning

7 Environmental Contaminants - Help Create a Healthier Environment for Learning

8 Mind Boggling- Exercises for Academic Success

9 BrainGym® for Optimum LearningBy Carrol Hutchinson, M.Ed

10 To learn or not to learn: A practical approachto Multiple Intelligences

12 St. Edmund Catholic Elementary School:- Comprehensive School Health in Action

You may photocopy and use the contents of this publicationprovided the source is acknowledged.

A publication brought to you by Peel Public Health

Winner of fourRegional, Nationaland International

publication awards in 2002 - 2005

For TeachersFor Teachers

SchoolHealth101.ca

Dear Public Health Nurse,Q. I’ve noticed an increasing number of students drinking sports

and energy drinks before and during games at school. What do Ineed to know about these drinks?

Health Canada cautions that children should avoid “energy drinks” completely.

Energy drinks are meant to supply mental and physical stimulation for a shortperiod of time. They contain caffeine which can lead to dehydration and thatmakes them a poor beverage choice, especially during physical activity. Inaddition, research shows that children and young people who consume energydrinks may suffer sleep problems, bed-wetting and anxiety. Energy drinks includeRed Bull®, SoBe Adrenaline Rush®, Hype® and Red Dragon®. They DO NOTinclude sports drinks like Gatorade® or Powerade®.

Sports drinks are designed to re-hydrate the body andreplenish electrolytes but they contain large amounts ofsugar (over 10 teaspoons in one bottle). Several studiessuggest that drinking large amounts of sweetenedbeverages can contribute to childhood obesity as well asincrease a child’s risk of tooth decay and cavities.

Encourage students to choose beverages like water, milk (orfortified soy/rice beverages) and/or 100% fruit juices insteadof energy or sports drinks. These alternatives provide thebody with the things they need for optimal growth anddevelopment and hydration. If your students do engage inintense physical activity or exercise, you should remind themto drink enough water to help re-hydrate their system!

For more information, call the Region of Peel – Public Health at 905-799-7700 orvisit the following websites: www.childrentoday.com/articles/915.php orwww.peakperformance.on.ca/cjohtv/pdfs/energydrinks_oct05.pdf

Q. How can the Peel Public Health department help us teach health-related topics?

Peel Public Health provides information and consultations on a wide range ofhealth topics, including healthy eating, daily physical activity (DPA), body image,bullying prevention, dental health, car seat safety, smoking prevention, head liceand drug use prevention. We also offer presentations, workshops and displayson various health topics for school staff and parents. We will also, upon requestand at no cost, provide schools with health-related fact sheets and pamphlets,educational kits for loan (e.g., Keeping Smiles Bright in Peel - dental health,Body Image Kit, Smoking isn’t Cool, Changes in Me - puberty) and videos andgames for loan.

We have launched a new website just for educators. Visit SchoolHealth101.cafor downloadable resources and fact sheets you can use in your teaching. Foryour personal health questions, you can access the main Health website –www.peelregion.ca/health – for an A-Z list of health topics.

Call 905-799-7700 Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to link to all Regionof Peel Public Health programs and services. Email inquiries should be sent toHealthLinePeel@peelregion.ca

Send your questions and feedback to us by

email or telephone with“Dear Public Health

Nurse” in the subject line!

Phone: Region of Peel at

905-799-7700

email:healthlinepeel@peelregion.ca

2 T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

SchoolHealth101.ca

SchoolHealth101.ca offers quick access to:

...to help you promote healthy living in the classroom and in your school!

• Classroom Activities

• Blackline Masters

• Background Information

• FAQís

• School Health Manual

• Student Health Reports

• Lesson Plans

• Teaching Kits

• Posters

• School Programs

3T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

Check us out! SchoolHealth101.ca

4 T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

When planning activities for the primary level, it is important toconsider the developmental, physical and cognitive abilities ofyour students. For example, young children may find it hard tocatch a small ball. However, a larger ball like a foam ballor beach ball would be easier for them to see andgrasp. Tailoring the games and activities to yourstudents’ abilities will make them more enjoyable.

Try these great activities!

Word Power (Outdoor/Indoor)(from: Heart and Stroke Foundation)

Equipment: None

1. Create a list of actions (e.g., shoot a basketball, row aboat, twirl a baton, wash the car, swing a bat, use a hulahoop, swim the backstroke, bowl a strike, toss a Frisbee,serve a tennis ball, paint a fence, wax a car, sweep acurling rock, paddle a canoe, shoot a puck) youknow your students will like.

2. Select several of the actions and call them out, one at a time.

3. All movements are performed on the spot (remember to do the actionsyourself, too!).

4. Challenge students by increasing the speed of movement (wash the car faster!).

Variation** Have students come up with their own list of different movements –

have students take turns calling out their ideas!

Bean Bag Boogie (Indoor)(from: Wintergreen)

Equipment: enough beanbags for the class, divided into four to sixdifferent colours; chart paper, markers and music

1. On a chart, list one fitness activity and frequency per coloured beanbag(e.g., red = 10 jumping jacks; blue = 30 second jog on the spot; yellow =five shoulder rolls; green = 30 second skipping on the spot; pink = do thetwist for 30 seconds; brown = reach for the stars 10 times).

2. Provide each student with one beanbag. Mix up the colours.

3. Secretly select one student as your “leader”.

Tailoring games and activities to your students’abilities, will make them

more enjoyable.

Primary Students ... Hop, Skip and Jump their Way to DPA

Elementary school students across Ontario now engage in 20 minutes of physical activity every day. Although the DPArequirements only apply to students in grades one to eight,students in junior and senior kindergarten can benefitfrom being active as well. Research shows students whoare physically active at a younger age are more likely tobe physically active when they are older, decreasing thepotential risks of developing chronic diseases duringadulthood (Malina, 1996; Trudeau et al., 1999).

5

4. While music is playing, your students move around the classroom gentlyexchanging beanbags with each other.

5. When the music stops, call out the activity that corresponds with the colourof the beanbag your “leader” is holding. Lead the class in the activity andthen restart the music. Repeat several times.

Variation** Create a list of alternate activities for each coloured bean bag. Choose to use

the new list after a period of time.

Classroom Triathlon (Indoor)(from: CIRA Ontario: Everybody Move! Daily Physical Activity)

Equipment: none

1. This activity can be done while students are sitting orstanding.

2. Review the three events in a triathlon:

a. Running: students would lift their legs and pretend theyare running.

b. Swimming: students would pretend they are swimmingdoing different strokes (front, back, side).

c. Cycling: sitting in their chairs, students would lean back and pedal withtheir feet in the air.

3. The teacher calls out the different events of a triathlon and students do thecorresponding action.

Variation** Students can come up with other activities in multiples of threes. These could

include things such as dancing, climbing and crawling, or skiing, skating andscuba diving.

Putting Your Heart and Lungs to the TestAfter completing 20 minutes of DPA, encourage students to check theirbreathing and heart rates. Help students gain an understanding of how theirheart and lungs respond at rest and after a physical activity. Periodically check-inwith students about how they are feeling after a DPA activity and help themunderstand the benefits of physical activity on building a strong heart and lungs.

To help them understand how physical activity affects their heart and lungs, trythe following:

• For heart rates: Before you start the activities, place your hand over yourown heart and encourage your students to do the same over their ownheart. Ask them if they can feel it beating. After doing some activities, askthe students to put their hand on their heart again. Ask them if it’s beatingfaster or slower. Talk to them about why this happens.

• For breathing rates: Pick an easy nursery rhyme and have the studentssay/sing it together before doing any activities. After doing an activity ortwo, stop and have everyone say the same rhyme. Ask them if it was harderor easier to say it after exercise. Are they breathing harder? This is called the“Talk Test”.

Regular physical activity has been shown to not only have positive healthbenefits but enhances learning, too! Encouraging junior and seniorkindergarten students to be active every day will help build lifelong behavioursfor good health while having fun at the same time!

T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

CREATIVITY IS KEY

– NOW GO HAVE

SOME FUN!

6

More classroom ideasand activities can befound in the(Keeping SmilesBright in Peelresource kits for K-Grade 3).

Includes: an easy to usebinder of lesson plansand activities,videotapes, laminatedmaterials, teeth andbrush model, storybooks,fun sing-a-long CD,poster and other greatteaching tools.

To sign out a kit, call

the Region of Peel –

Public Health at

905-799-7700.

Do you have a student who participates very little in class, barely eats hisor her lunch and seems unusually irritable and sleepy? Many factors cancause these symptoms but one possible cause often overlooked is the harmfuleffect of tooth decay.

Children are often unable to verbalize pain that results from dental diseases.Teachers should look for these possible signs: Trouble eating Absence from school Trouble concentrating in classDifficulty speaking Poor self-esteem Fatigue

Tooth decay is the most common and preventable chronic disease affecting children today. Pain and infection associated with tooth decay canaffect eating and sleeping patterns, which in turn can influence thephysical, social and mental growth of a child. Dental diseases also impact a child’s readiness to learn. Pain caused by tooth decay affects a child’sconcentration in the classroom and that can impact their academicperformance. An estimated five million or more school hours per year are lost because of dental related illnesses.

What is your role as a teacher?Tooth decay is completely preventable. As a teacher, you are in a uniqueposition to provide the guidance and motivation necessary to assist yourstudents in developing effective oral care habits that will benefit themthroughout their lives. Here are some suggestions to promote dental healthand help prevent dental diseases: • Educate children on the importance of oral health. Activities and

curriculum supports are available in Keeping Smiles Bright in Peelresource kit.

• Teach children about healthy eating and food safety.

• Families without dental insurance may qualify for free dental carethrough the Children in Need of Treatment Program (CINOT) if they meet specific criteria – call the Region of Peel – Public Health at 905-799-7700 to find out more.

The Tooth Decay Experiment (from Keeping Smiles Bright in Peel Resource Kit)

Materials Needed: Fresh apple, Sharp object to make a hole (e.g., pen, pencil), Paper bag, A knife to cut the apple

Instructions: • Show the apple to the students and ask them to describe it

(shiny, red, etc.). You may also ask them to draw what the apple looks like.• Make a hole in the apple and place it in the paper bag. Leave it in the bag on

a shelf or the teacher’s desk for two to three days. • After the second or third day, take the apple out and show it to the students.

Ask the class to describe the apple now.• Discuss with the class how some parts of the apple turned brown and have

spread into other white parts of the apple. • Explain to the class the brown part that they see is similar to what happens to

their teeth if they do not brush them.

Poor Dental Health Takes a Bite out of Learning

T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

Tooth decay in children can be prevented. To find out more about the linkbetween childhood tooth decay and healthy child development, contactRegion of Peel – Public Health at 905-799-7700.

School

7

Make every weekEarth Week!

T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

Environmental Contaminants – Help Create a Healthier

Environment for LearningSchools are intended to be safe places for students to grow and learn.However, there are hidden environmental hazards that may pose health risksto you and your students. These may include pesticides or other chemicalstracked into classrooms on shoes, fumes from idling cars or products usedinside the school, trace chemicals found on class materials, dust in theclassroom and many more.

Childhood asthma is one of the results of increased environmentalcontaminants that is all too familiar to school communities. The number ofchildren in Canada with asthma has quadrupled between 1978 and 1996. Andwhile there are many factors that influence the development of asthma ortrigger asthma attacks, the quality of indoor and outdoor air is certainly animportant factor.

Ways to create a healthier school

• Use ‘non-toxic’ products/materials in your classroom (e.g., craft supplies;dry-erase markers). Avoid products with labels that include hazard symbolsand/or warn of specific health hazards (e.g., “harmful if swallowed”).

• Ask your students to bring indoor shoes and promote an indoor shoepolicy for your class.

• Teach your students to regularly wash hands with soap and water toremove chemical residues and germs. Demonstrate the proper way ofwashing their hands. Use the Glo-Germ Handwashing Kit availablethrough the Region of Peel – Public Health.

• Join the Peel Safe and Active Routes to School program. Encouragingstudents to walk and ride their bikes to school will help improve airquality.

• Participate in 20/20 The Way to Clean Air energy conservation program.

• Check for smog, heat and UV conditions daily. Limit time spent on outdooractivities and choose less vigorous activities if a smog advisory and/or heatalert has been issued. Encourage students to drink plenty of water.

Teacher ResourcesAsthma Friendly Schools (2006) – Check your schoollibrary or visit ophea.net/upload/17570_1.pdf

Managing Asthma in Schools – Available in theSchool Health Profiler edition 10.

Playing It Safe: Childproofing for EnvironmentalHealth (brochure) – Visit the Canadian Partnership forChildren’s Health and Environment website athealthyenvironmentforkids.ca or call the Region ofPeel – Public Health at 905-799-7700.

Go to the Earth Day Canadawebsite for more info.

earthday.ca/pub/home.php

Check out ecokids.ca, an interactive website withinformation and games for

kids and teachers.

Visit Health Canada’sConsumer Product Safety

website for moreinformation on lead

in jewellery: hc-sc.gc.ca/cps-

spc/pubs/cons/jewellery-bijoux_e.html

Celebrate the Earth! Celebrate the Earth!

8 T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

www.braingym.org

www.braingymconnect.com/course_desc.htm

www.excel-ability.com/Events/BrainGym.html

Mind Boggling-Exercises for Academic Success

The basic functions and skills we use every day are dependent on that mind-boggling organ called the brain. With its ability to simultaneously processemotions, thinking, movement, seeing, hearing, smelling and tasting, thebrain is as intricate and complex as its composition.

As educators, you often find yourselves thinking creatively or ‘outside-the-box’ to help students enhance their learning and reach their maximum

potential. Consider leading your class in a five-minute stretch break,teaching your students specific exercises to stretch their necks, arms,

back and legs to activate particular neurons (nerve cells) in the brain.Authors like Paul and Gail Dennison, and Carla Hannaford believe

exercises that facilitate left, right, front and back brain connections canenhance reading, writing, speaking, listening, comprehension, expression

of feelings and emotions, concentration and physical co-ordination. Theseauthors call this whole-brain learning.

Whole-brain learning describes brain functioning in terms of three dimensions:

Laterality: linking the left side of the brain with the right, with a focus onthe midfield, the area of the brain where the two sides connect/overlap. Thisaffects the ability to read, write and communicate, and to move and think atthe same time.

Focus: is the ability to coordinate the back and front area of the brain. This relates to comprehension, the ability to find meaning and to relate tothe experience.

Centering: connects the top and bottom of the brain. This helps withexpressing feelings and emotions, as well as responding rationally rather than reacting.

Here are some ‘mind-boggling’ exercises you can try with your class … theymight just help make a difference in your students’ academic successes!

Primary Classes: Draw a line down the middle of the blackboard. Placecards or magnets with the first 13 letters of the alphabet on the right-handside of the line; place the last 13 letters of the alphabet on the left-hand sideof the line. Ask the students to stand facing the board directly in front of theline. Have the students arrange the letters alphabetically using their righthand to take letters from the left side and their left hand to take letters fromthe right side. This left and right movement across their body’s midlineencourages the brain’s left and right hemispheres to work together.

Junior/Intermediate Classes: Create two sets of cards with numbers andmathematical symbols (i.e., +, -, x, ÷, =). Divide the students into two groupsand form a straight line with each group. Place the numbers and mathematicalsymbols on the floor in front of each group. The teacher will write severalanswers on the blackboard. Students will pick up a single number or symboland place it on the board to create the math problem that matches the answer.Continue as a relay until all the math problems have been solved. Themovement of reaching down and moving forward activates brain functioningamong your students, thereby enhancing their learning and concentration.

There are various resources and teaching tools that support and enhancestudents’ learning through movement. These include Hannaford’s book,Smart Moves, as well as Paul and Gail Dennison’s Brain Gym®. Brain Gym® is a registered trademark of the Educational Kinesiology Foundation / BrainGym International. For more information about Educational Kinesiology (or Edu-K), visit the official Educational Kinesiology Foundation website at braingym.org.

“Learning is not all in your head,”says Hannaford in herbook, Smart Moves:Why Learning is NotAll in your Head. “The active, muscularexpression of learningis an importantingredient of that learning.”

References:Brain Gym® for BusinessInstant Brain Boosters for On-the-Job Successby Gail Dennison, PaulDennison and Jerry TeplitzBrain Gym.org; Brain GymConnection Hannaford, Carla (1995). SmartMoves: Why Learning is Not Allin Your Head. Great OceanPublishers; North Carolina.

T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

Brain Gym® andBrain Gym®

Teacher’s Edition byPaul E. Dennison

and Gail E. Dennison

Smart Moves byCarla Hannaford

(Revised)

ProfessionallySpeaking article:

www.oct.ca/publications/professionally_speaking/spetember

_1998/brain.htm

The two majorconcepts in

Brain Gym® are:

“Movement is theDoor to Learning

and Energy Follows

Intention”

Brain Gym® is a registeredtrademark of the EducationalKinesiology Foundation /Brain Gym International. Formore information aboutEducational Kinesiology (orEdu-K), visit the officialEducational KinesiologyFoundation website atbraingym.org.

9

As an experienced teacher of high-needs students, I first read about BrainGym® in a classroom teacher’s articlein the Ontario College of Teachersjournal, Professional Speaking (seemargin). The students’ improvement inattention, focusing and listeningsounded amazing!

I was dismayed that I hadn’t heardabout Brain Gym® before – it seemedto fit who I was as a teacher! So Iordered most of the books in thereference section and read themeagerly. I started using the exercises inBrain Gym® (by Paul and GailDennison) with my students andmyself. I noticed an immediate changeand so did they! Attentive listeningand focusing improved markedly withmy special education students.Students were eager to do theexercises and asked for them everyday. They “owned” the exercises andbegan to lead the quick Brain Gym®sessions we did at the beginning of thelesson each day. I continued to use theexercises with the students for the nextfew years and was constantly amazedby the results of the informalexperiment I had begun.

Brain Gym® PACE ExercisesWe also used Brain Gym® PACEexercises over the PA to start every day.PACE exercises represent a series ofthree exercises combined with drinkingwater for energy. For moreinformation on these exercises visit thewebsite braingym.org.

My colleague who taught Grade 1loved the outcomes she saw as a resultof the Brain Gym® exercises. Herstudents began sharing the exerciseswith the rest of the school. Anothercolleague posted the exercises in hergym class and the students startedtheir class this way for optimumperformance.

The Brain Gym® activities and balancesare used in many different ways withall ages from infants to the elderly. Theprocess integrates easily into theinstructional day. Brain Gym® helps to

provide balancing and calming effectsin preparation for tests (EQAO, CAT,CCAT, OSSLT, etc.). It also helps increasestudent confidence and risk taking.Students notice a real change inthemselves and their peers, and theynotice their teachers using positivelanguage and reflective practicethrough continued goal setting. Theuse of metacognition – the awarenessof the process of learning – is a majorpart of Brain Gym®.

Learning more about Brain Gym® I wanted to know more about BrainGym® -Educational Kinesiology andbegan to take courses offered on theBrain Gym® website. Over the nextthree years I worked closely with mystudents doing the exercises andpersonal balances around the goalsetting and personal and academicimprovement. I began to giveworkshops to teachers, parents andstudents about this marvellous process.I feel it is essential that teacherscomplete the training and alwayspractice the exercises and balanceswith the students.

For the last four years, I have been aResource Teacher and have had manyopportunities to present Brain Gym®workshops in the Peel District SchoolBoard. I was able to get ElementaryTeachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO)and Short Term ProfessionalDevelopment Leave (STPDL) funding. Ifyou are interested, please feel free toemail me at Carrol.Hutchinson@peelsb.comor check ‘My Learning Plan’. You canalso visit the Brain Gym® website tolearn more about Brain Gym® 101 orBrain Gym® for Educators.

In retrospect, I wish I had known aboutBrain Gym® when I was raising mytwo children and in my earlier years asa teacher. However, I am now an avidproponent of Brain Gym® based onpersonal practice working with,observing and listening to students,and the three-plus decades of solidresearch that accompanies the BrainGym® process. Best Wishes in yourfuture use of Brain Gym®.

By: Carrol Hutchinson, M.Ed(Resource Teacher, Peel District School Board)

Brain Gym® for Optimum Learning

To learn or not to learn?A practical approach to

Multiple Intelligences

10 T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o n

Gardner, Howard (1993).

Frames of Mind: The theory

of multiple intelligences,

New York: Basic Books.

Every teacher has been in this situation. You’ve prepared yourlesson on a topic – let’s use bullying prevention as our example –and you write important information on your chalkboard. Asyour class progresses, you notice a wide range of behavioursfrom your students. While some are listening attentively andothers are writing down everything you say, some studentsappear disengaged – they’re either doodling, staring at thechalkboard or showing a confused look on their face.

Does this sound familiar? According to Howard Gardner’sTheory of Multiple Intelligences, there may be a number ofreasons why you are seeing these various reactions. Gardnerbelieves people are intelligent in different ways and thereforeperceive and learn in different ways.

In any given classroom, the likelihood of having students with differentlearning styles is quite high. Each child wants to learn but sometimes theyjust can’t make sense of what is being taught because they’re notstimulated linguistically or mathematically. Taking learning styles andintelligences into account could mean the difference between success andfailure for an alternative thinker.

Putting Gardner’s Theory into practiceDr. Gardner’s research proposes the following eight different intelligences toaccount for a broader range of human potential in children and adults:

•Linguistic intelligence (word smart) •Musical Intelligence (music smart)

•Logical-mathematical intelligence •Interpersonal intelligence (people smart)(number/reasoning smart)

•Spatial intelligence (picture smart) •Intrapersonal intelligence (self smart)

•Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence •Naturalist intelligence (nature smart)(body smart)

(Gardner, 1993)

Gardner’s theory urges us to go deeply into a topic in order to explore itfrom many angles. Let’s return to the topic of bullying prevention to seehow his theory can be applied.

Linda MacLean, a teacher from Birchbank Public School who has expertise inthe area of multiple intelligences, provides these suggestions on ways tobuild all types of learning into a unit on bullying prevention:

• Verbal Linguistic – Study or create stories, books and poems that dealwith bullying.

• Visual-Spatial – Study the physical architecture of schools. Whatarchitectural features promote or diminish bullying? Study or create apiece of art that deals with the issue of bullying.

• Mathematical – Examine bullying statistics and what they really mean.This would not only help teach about bullying but also makes for someinteresting math.

• Musical – Listen to music or songs whose melodies or lyrics are inspiredby bullying experiences (e.g., The Emperor or Napoleon Piano Concertoby Beethoven) or watch interpretive dances about bullying prevention.

People areintelligent in

different ways,says Gardner

businessballs.com/howardgardnermultiple

intelligences.htm

thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_

intelligences.htm

infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm

“The types of intelligencethat a person possessesindicates not only aperson’s capabilities, butalso the manner in whichthey prefer to learn anddevelop their strengths.”

(Gardner, 1993)

“Each of us has a uniqueand different mix ofintelligence types. Peoplewith the least 'conventional'intelligence… actuallypossess enormous talent –often under-valued,unknown and under-developed.”

(Gardner, 1993)

• Bodily-Kinesthetic – Play games that are co-operative and non-competitive – where everyone wins! Be part of Peel Public Health’s P.A.L.Sprogram or arrange a sports-related speaker who specializes in bullyingprevention.

• Interpersonal – Role-play skits about bullying prevention. Conductinterviews within the class about bullying. Find out why people behavelike bullies, how people feel when they are bullied and how people feelwhen they see it happening but don’t know what to do. Are yousurprised to find out that they may feel insecure underneath?

• Intra-personal – Create a questionnaire that allows students to thinkabout their role in bullying prevention. Emphasize that everyone has apart to play. Ask them to think independently about ways they canchange their own behaviour to diminish the incidence of bullying.

• Naturalist – The lion is the mythic bully of the jungle. Research anddecide if the lion is a bully.

Although it is not practical to suggest that every intelligence can be addressedin any single day, you can build in a wide-range of classroom experiencesthrough an entire unit. By doing this, you can help engage and inspire yourstudents to find their own strengths and passions.

A graphic organizer such as the following (based on Gardner’s theory ofMultiple Intelligences), with the unit of study in the centre and all of theintelligences around could easily be used as a starting point for organizing a lesson plan.

Give it some thought

Gardner was one of the first to teach us that we should not judge anddevelop people according to an arbitrary and narrow definition ofintelligence. We live in a world that encourages creative and alternativethinking. Educators have the unique opportunity to first foster that creativethinking for themselves and then promote it in their students to celebratethe unique gifts they may possess.

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TOPIC

OF

CHOICE

LINGUISTIC

words &

language

SPATIAL-VISUAL

images &

space

NATURALIST

natural

environment

BODILY-

KINESTHETIC

body

movement

INTERPERSONAL

other’s

feelings

INTRA-PERSONAL

self-

awareness

MUSICAL

music, sound

& rhythm

LOGICAL-

MATHEMATICAL

logic &

numbers

12 T h e S c h o o l H e a l t h P r o f i l e r / S p r i n g 2 0 0 7 E d i t i o nP-07-096 07/04

Promoting the health of students requires a multifaceted approach in order tobe successful. St. Edmund Catholic Elementary School experienced this firsthand when they decided to promote healthy eating as a school community.

The St. Edmund Nutrition Committee held their first meeting in December2005. The committee was comprised of the principal, two student

representatives each from grades 5 through 8, staff representatives from thethree divisions, three parent members and a Public Health Nurse (PHN) from the

Region of Peel.

Spotlight on NutritionThe Nutrition Committee worked together to define ‘healthy eating’ and created aninventory of the assets/resources in the school community. A survey was developedby the committee and completed by parents to gain a better understanding of thetopics parents would be interested in with respect to healthy eating. From theinformation gathered through the survey, individual research and group activities,the committee was able to identify activities that would help to promote healthyeating messages in the school. Subcommittees were formed to plan and implementthe different activities.

SCHOOL ACCOMPLISHMENTSThe St. Edmund Nutrition Committee was involved with planning the followingactivities and programs:

Instruction• In-class presentations and resources were delivered by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario

on the production and benefits of milk products.• A ‘Healthy Eating’ assembly was held for each grade level to introduce the

St. Edmund ‘Healthy Eating’ cheer and ‘Name the Food Group’ picture game(Primary) and Trivia (Junior/Intermediate).

• Teachers used the ‘Discover Healthy Eating’ teacher resource to educate the studentson nutrition.

Physical Environment• A hot lunch program was available for students twice a week.• The school continued its existing milk program.• Healthy eating messages were announced over the P.A. by students on a regular basis. • Posters with healthy lifestyle messages were created by grade 5 students and posters

were also given by organizations such as Peel Health & Dairy Farmers of Ontario. Theposters were displayed on the walls throughout the school.

Social Environment• Students and staff were allowed to eat healthy snacks anytime in the classrooms

during ‘Healthy Snack Days’. • The school celebrated Nutrition Month in March 2006.• Healthy eating information was included in the monthly school newsletters.• Primary and junior students participated in an obstacle course and played games that

promoted healthy eating messages during the ‘Healthy Food Play Day’.

Community Partnerships• A ‘Healthy Lunches and Snacks’ workshop for parents was presented by Peel Health.• Parents from the committee approached local businesses/organizations for

contributions of healthy snacks. • Healthy eating information from Health Canada was sent home to all families.

The Region of Peel assumesno responsibility for thecontent or links found onany of the listed websites inthis newsletter. Resourcesand websites are meant tobe used at the discretion ofthe intended audience.

St. Edmund Catholic Elementary School:Comprehensive School Health in Action

The NutritionCommittee celebratedit’s successesthroughout the yearwith fun activities and with an end ofthe year potluckparty. St. EdmundCatholic ElementarySchool was successfulin their collaborativeefforts to promotehealthy eating.

The support from theschool staff, parents,students and thecommunity will helpto bring positive,lasting changes tostudent nutrition atthe school!