Healthful Living
When most people hear of a school “Healthful Living” program, they think of Health and Physical Education classes. That is an important aspect of the overall Healthful Living program, but it is only one of eight parts. From the Department of Public Instruction website comes this summary:
- Health Education: Classroom instruction that addresses the physical, emotional, mental and social aspects of health – designed to help students improve their health, prevent illness, and reduce risky behaviors.
- Physical Education: A planned, sequential K-12 curriculum that promotes life long physical activity and develops basic movement skills and sports skills. In physical education which students learn, practice, and are assessed on developmentally appropriate motor skills, social skills, and knowledge.
- Health Services: Preventive services, education, emergency care, referrals, and management of acute and chronic health problems – designed to prevent health problems and injuries and ensure care for students. Can include school nursing as well as dental services and school based/school linked health centers. School nurses coordinated a series of immunization clinics to help rising-6th grade students obtain the newly required Tdap vaccine.
- Nutrition Services: Integration of nutritious, affordable and appealing meals; nutrition education, and an environment that promotes healthy eating.
- Health Promotion for Staff: Opportunities that encourage school staff to pursue a healthy lifestyle that contributes to their improved health status, improved morale, and a greater personal commitment to the school’s overall coordinated health program. This personal commitment often transfers into greater commitment to the health of students and creates positive role modeling. Health promotion activities have improved productivity, decreased absenteeism, and reduced health insurance costs. Click here for more general information. The 2007-2008 school year marked significant enhancements to the Staff Wellness program. In addition to flu shots and smoking cessation services offered through state employee health insurance, HCPS collaborated with Partnership for Health, the Health Department, and Park Ridge Hospital to coordinate four series of wellness classes: fitness in the fall at Atkinson Elementary, and in the spring fitness at Hendersonville Middle, tai chi at Fletcher, and yoga at Rugby Middle. Staff members were offered 16 sessions per class at a cost of only two dollars per class, plus free fitness assessments.
- Counseling and Psychological Services: Services that include individual and group assessments, interventions, and referrals – designed to prevent problems early and enhance healthy development. Counselors hold Masters Degrees to be certified by the NC Department of Public Instruction. Counseling focuses on three areas: Academic Development, Career Development, and Social/Emotional Development.
- Healthy School Environment: Physical and aesthetic surroundings and the psychosocial climate and culture of school. Factors influencing the physical environment include the school building and the area surrounding it, any biological or chemical agents that are detrimental to health, and physical conditions such as temperature, noise, and lighting. The psychological environment includes the physical, emotional, and social conditions that affect the well-being of students and staff.
- Parent/Community Involvement: An integrated school, parent, and community approach for enhancing the health and well-being of students. School health advisory councils, coalitions, and broadly based constituencies for school health can build support for school health program efforts.
Henderson County is blessed with an active School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) made up of members from the Partnership for Health, Health Department, Blue Ridge Community Health, Pardee Hospital, Park Ridge Hospital, Department of Social Services, Cooperative Extension Agency, and a parent representative. Serving on the SHAC from Henderson County Schools are teachers, counselors, and administrators. SHAC members collaborate and coordinate services to maintain and enhance the health of the entire school community—students, staff, and families.
Additional Healthful Living Resources: