Evergreen Catholic School Division recognizes the importance of student wellness as a foundation to learning for our students. The Wellness Team was created as a result of gathered data from a web-based survey called Tell Them From Me. All Evergreen Catholic students from grades 5-12 responded to the online survey (over 2,500 students). The results revealed unexpectedly high reports of depression and anxiety experienced by our Evergreen students. A committee composed of teachers, board members and district office staff decided that the Classroom Improvement Fund would go towards initiatives to support the mental health of our students through the development of the Evergreen Catholic School Division Wellness Team.
The Wellness Team consists of three teachers hired from across the school division; Tricia Delancey (formerly at St. Peter the Apostle High School), Carmen Markowski (formerly at St. Marguerite) and Angela Psalios (formerly at St. John Paul II). The team members were specifically chosen to ensure a variety of backgrounds, experience and skill sets were represented. These include not only expertise in elementary, middle school and high school instruction, but expertise in counselling and mental health as well. The mandate of the Wellness Team is to help create more compassionate classrooms, division wide, through professional development workshops and implementation in each classroom. Classroom implementation involves Wellness Team members modelling strategies that exemplify the concepts taught in the PD workshop with teachers. The focus of the work of the Wellness Team is on three research-based concepts: Attachment Theory, Relationship-based teaching and Mindfulness. The aim of the Wellness Team is to foster wellness in students (and teachers) through building meaningful relationships based on the three main concepts. Some of the specific characteristics and objectives of the program include:
- Honoring humans first, roles second
- Making a commitment to be flexible in our approach
- Using a strengths-based' perspective
- Building Emotional Vocabulary
- Addressing Sensory Needs through self-regulation
- Prioritizing the use of non-judgmental language (curious, constructive, compassionate)
- Recognizing that student resilience is rooted in belonging and compassionate connections to staff
- Prioritizing connection and trust over academics as a way of helping students to be available for learning and as a way of living our faith
- Prioritizing Professional Development that builds staff members' background knowledge (trauma-informed schools, attachment) as a means of recognizing: 1) the prevalence of trauma, 2) signs of distress in students in their care, 3) their own triggers as a point of reflection and means of being proactive.
For more information
Suite 110 - 381 Grove Drive
Spruce Grove Alberta
Canada T7X 2Y9
www.ecsrd.ca
