May 2009
Health Education: Year at a Glance
Dear Parents,
I would like to review the year by highlighting what took place on some of our ‘meeting days’ as well as other events throughout the year. Health education continued its formation of a wellness programwhich would encompass health education and more. As the program is being designed, it is in keeping with the Jesuit mission of supporting the needs of the whole person. The mission of the St. Ignatius Health and Wellness Program is to foster adolescent well-being by creating an Ignatian school culture that encourages healthy lifestyle strategies for all students. In order to better assist student achievement of expected school-wide learning results, students will be equipped with up-to-date information in a wide range of topics so that they may make positive, educated choices that allow them to create a healthy emotional and physical lifestyle. A significant part of the information supplied to students will be in a Health and Wellness Course which will be offered as an elective this fall.
On another note, our freshmen had the pleasure of learning about how to approach high school dances. Senior students from the Peer Assistance Program were able to speak to the freshmen about this in September. The Peer Assistance Program continues to build momentum! Students were trained in the fall and spring to be available to their peers. These students have worked hard to make themselves known to the greater student body and to make students feel welcome in our peer assistance room.
The freshmen class also witnessed an award winning health education program sponsored by Kaiser Permanente called Secrets. Secrets is a ‘live’ theatre production which educates youth on the topic of HIV and AIDS. This production was viewed by the entire Student Body two years ago and each year the freshmen will have the opportunity to see it in order to be ‘up to speed’ with the rest of the school.
In the fall, the annual Community of Concern meetings took place. The parents of freshmen were introduced to the program and learned about the school’s continued efforts to prevent teens from using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The parents of sophomores, juniors, and seniors were educated by guest speaker, Matt Keck, on the topic of adolescent psychology. Within this topic area, Mr. Keck spoke about common risky behaviors by adolescents, factors unique to communities of affluence, and what parents can do to help their teens with these issues during these challenging times.
In early May, Career Night 2009 was provided for the sophomores and juniors. It was a successful evening. The feedback from students, faculty, and presenters was very positive. The online registration was a huge success once again. With the help of the faculty, students were better prepared for the day and presenters found them fully engaged.
As a caring group of educators, the St. Ignatius Faculty will continue to talk with students about stress, alcohol and other drugs. We will continue to promote a "Drug Free" campus. In addition to all the academic reasons for being here, SI is committed to efforts that provide your students with a balanced social, emotional, and physical education. Student health and wellness is as important to us as the "core" curriculum!
Sincerely,