Blogs

Four children play on a wooden balance beam at a sunlit park. They are smiling and are surrounded by trees and swings.

Risky Play: Balancing Student Safety and Development

As education settings continue to evolve, the benefits associated with play have been highlighted, including the important element of risky play. While it is essential for schools to continue to...

The staff of the Inclusion in Canadian Sports Network, a diverse group of 11 individuals, sit smiling on a stage at the 2024 Diversity in Sports Conference.

Sector Spotlight: Inclusion in Canadian Sports Network

Ophea’s Sector Spotlight aims to illuminate the bright spots within the education sector through recognizing the critical work being done by community members and value-aligned organizations, and its...

Maximizing Consent: Practical Ways to Talk About Consent Education Webinar Recap

On December 5, 2024, Ophea , Egale Canada , the Ontario Coalition for Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC ) , and White Ribbon collaboratively hosted a webinar in connection with the OCRCC’s Draw the Line...

A group of students, all dressed for cold weather in snowsuits, hats, and gloves, play together in the snow.

Embracing Winter Physical Activities

Winter in Ontario provides a rich environment for students to engage in physical activity while developing resilience, teamwork, and an appreciation for the outdoors. Elementary and secondary schools...

A teacher and her ten students are sitting on chairs, arranged in a circle, in a classroom. They have their eyes closed and are doing mediation.

Six Things to Check Off Your Mid-Year To-Do List!

The new year is here! As schools and classrooms across Ontario begin to settle into the January routine, Ophea is ready to support educators with resources, programming, and other tools to promote...

Two Period Purse facilitators stand with their arms around each other behind a branded table at an outdoor event. Both are wearing Period Purse tshirts, standing behind a table with various leaflets and educational materials on menstrual equity and period education.

The Period Purse: Fighting Period Poverty and Stigma

A physical education teacher with long hair tied back in a ponytail crouches in front of a group of students, gesturing to a clipboard in their hands. The students play close attention.

Safety Mindedness Helps to…

Being safety minded focuses on being proactive, aware, and intentional about minimising risks related to student participation in physical activity. Establishing and maintaining a safe learning...

In a gymnasium, a diverse group of students wearing matching uniforms cluster around a teacher for instruction. The students display a range of gender presentations, skin tones, and hair textures. One of the students uses a wheelchair and is being pushed by one of their peers to join the rest of the group.

New Sample Lesson Plans: Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy in Health and Physical Education

Note: Portions of this blog first appeared in an earlier Ophea blog, “ Introducing Culturally Responsive and Relevant Pedagogy in Health and Physical Education ”, published on February 13 th , 2024...

A physical education educator leads an exercise session with five children, who mimic her movements, in a school gymnasium. They all have their hands on their shoulders.

Starting the Year Off with Safe, Inclusive, and Fun Physical Activities

The school environment offers a wide range of opportunities for students to be physically active. Implementing meaningful opportunities for students to be physically active can influence a student’s...

Five smiling students sit clustered together on the floor of a school gymnasium, one holding a basketball. They are dressed in athletic clothes.

Healthy Schools Certification: Everything you need to know for 2024/2025!

For years, school communities across Ontario (and, with our national expansion occurring in 2022, across Canada!) have participated in Healthy Schools Certification (HSC). The program’s goal? To...