General | Alberta | Ontario | British Columbia
General
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – school connectedness resources
The CDC is an American organization that uses science and data to protect and improve public health. Their Healthy Schools department works to promote health and well-being of children and adolescents in schools using the Whole School Whole Community Whole Child (WSCC) framework. Their school connectedness resource page provides an overview of what school connectedness is and its importance to promoting youth health. Additional resources available to schools to promote school connectedness included within these resources are classroom management strategies, LGBTQ+ inclusive practices, and positive youth development programs outlined here.
Physical and Health Education (PHE) Canada – equity, diversity, and inclusion report (Pdf)
The Return to School 2021: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion report is aimed to help educators learn more about inclusion, equity, and diversity and how to incorporate them in their teaching journey while exploring their power and privilege in a classroom setting by reflecting on their personal history and knowledge. In addition, cultural safety is defined and suggestions are provided to incorporate it into practice in the first week and first month of school, and during the lesson planning. Although this resource was designed for the 2021 school year, the pandemic still plays a large role in the everyday lives of youth and will still be an applicable resource for educators today and into the future.
Pan-Canadian Joint Consortium for School Health (JCSH)
The JCSH was established by provincial, territorial, and federal governments in 2005 as a means of bringing together two large systems – Education and Health – across the country in order to improve health, well-being, and achievement outcomes in Canadian children and youth. Their 2020-2025 Priority Areas are substance use prevention, positive mental health, school food environment, and covid-19 support. Review each of these topics and the list of external resources introduced for each.
Alberta
The Alberta Teacher’s Association – well-being through connectedness
The Alberta Teacher’s Association’s (new website can be found here) well-being through connectedness article is created by Chris Fenlon-MacDonald. Chris is the provincial education coordinator for Ever Active Schools, a provincial initiative that supports wellness in Alberta school communities. This article explains what school connectedness is, and how educators can support the development of school connectedness through three types of relationships – the student-adult relationship, student-peer relationship, and the student-environment relationship. The importance of supporting students daily and not only at the beginning and end of the school year is also highlighted in this article.
Ontario
Middlesex-London Health Unit – promoting connectedness: secondary school toolkit
The purpose of this toolkit is to provide educators with strategies to increase connectedness and student sense of belonging to their school. Strategies target multiple levels of influence including attitudes and knowledge as well as the social and physical environments. Highlights of the toolkit include curriculum related activities, school level initiatives, announcements, and health walls for grade 9 to 12 students based on the five areas of the foundations for a healthy school. Middlesex-London Health Unit also offers secondary school resources for sedentary behaviour and substance use.
School Mental Health Ontario (SMHO) – the first 10 days and beyond (Pdf)
The first 10 days and beyond was developed by practicing school mental health professionals and educators, alongside SMHO with the goal to help educators and students get the school year off to a good start. The activities outlined in this resource focus on relationships, connection, and community. They are designed to help students ease into school routines, allowing time to learn and practice skills to cope with emotions and challenges encountered in the early weeks of the school year. Educators can modify these activities to fit with their class grade, stretch the learning over more than 10 days, or condense it into fewer days.
British Columbia
Healthy Schools BC – school connectedness resource
This online resource by Healthy Schools BC features an article that explains what school connectedness is, why school connectedness is important, and its benefits for students and the society as a whole. This resource also shares a video prepared by a group of schools that used six strategies for fostering school connectedness through a school connectedness grant in 2014. A variety of external resources for implementing positive changes within the school environment are also provided. In addition, Healthy Schools BC shares a School Connectedness Action Guide (Pdf) with action items for school communities and partners to plan for school connectedness.