Key Terms and Notes

A variety of key terms are used when promoting physical activity and working in the schoolenvironment. Here are a few definitions that you should be familiar with as you get started.

Active Living: A way of life in which physical activity is valued and integrated into daily living.

Administration: The principal and vice principal of a school.

Appreciation/Recognition: Showing gratitude (e.g., writing a letter or card, giving acknowledgment during a meeting or event) to those involved in Healthy Schools in a school community. Appreciation is included in Step 4 of Ophea’s 4-Step Healthy Schools Process.

Cardiovascular endurance: The ability of the heart, lungs, and blood vessels to deliver oxygen to body tissues. The more efficiently your body delivers oxygen to its tissues, the lower your breathing rate is and the better you feel.

Community partner: Any member of the school community who can contribute to the development and sustainability of a healthy school (e.g., recreation and sport groups, municipalities, local businesses). These partners may vary depending on the specific school community. For the purposes of Ophea’s Healthy Schools Certification the term “Community Partner” refers to any community partner apart from public health. “Public Health” is listed as a separate group because of their often vital role in the Healthy Schools approach.

Exercise: A type of planned physical activity performed to improve or maintain physical fitness.

Fundamental movement skills: The development of fundamental movement skills and motor skills is critical to establishing the foundation for participation in many sports and physical activities. A child who has not had the opportunity to develop these basic motor skills experiences difficulties or barriers when participating in sport experiences, or later school-based programs that involve more difficult skills.

To become completely physically literate, children need to master the fundamental movement skills, which include (PHE Canada):

  • Catch
  • Dodge
  • Dribble
  • Hop
  • Jump
  • Kick
  • Log roll
  • Run
  • Skip
  • Stork stand
  • Strike
  • Throw

Healthy Schools (approach): A collaborative approach whereby members of the school community come together to share ideas, plan, and take action on priority health topics while following a repeatable, step-by-step process to make sustainable change in their schools, homes, and community.

Healthy Schools (HS) Certification: Ophea’s HS Certification helps school communities like yours focus on a health topic by following the 6-Step Healthy Schools Process and supports schools in addressing health and well-being in their school community.

Hero of Play: Canadian Tire Corporation’s Hero of Play recognizes programs that select physical activity as their priority health topic and develop an action plan that creates opportunities for students to achieve 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

Moderate-intensity physical activity (MPA): On a scale relative to an individual’s personal capacity (e.g., Rating of Perceived Exertion), moderate-intensity physical activity is usually represented by 5 to 6 on a scale from 1 to 10. Generally, MPA is intense enough to elevate the heart rate. A person can talk but not sing during activities of this intensity.
(CSEP)

In children and youth, such activities could include:

  • Active recreation (e.g., hiking, skateboarding, rollerblading or canoeing)
  • Active transportation (e.g., cycling or brisk walking)
  • Household chores and yard work (e.g., sweeping or pushing a lawn mower)
  • Playing games that require catching and throwing (e.g., baseball or football)

Parents/Caregivers and Family: Parents/caregivers and family include all caring and care-giving members in the lives of students. This may include but is not limited to parents/caregivers, grandparents, aunts/uncles, siblings, and babysitter or nanny.

Physical activity: Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure. This is an overall term describing any movement of the body.
(CSEP)

Physical fitness: A set of attributes a person has in regards to his or her ability to perform physical activities that require aerobic fitness, endurance, strength, or flexibility.

Physical literacy: Individuals who are physically literate move with competence and confidence in a wide variety of physical activities in multiple environments that benefit the healthy development of the whole person. Physically literate individuals consistently develop the motivation and ability to understand, communicate, apply, and analyse different forms of movement. They are able to demonstrate a variety of movements confidently, competently, creatively, and strategically across a wide range of health-related physical activities. These skills enable individuals to make healthy, active choices that are both beneficial to and respectful of their whole self, others, and their environment.

Public Health: The Public Health system is an extensive collection of governmental, nongovernmental, and community organizations operating at the local, provincial, and federal levels with varying roles, perspectives, and linkages. In Ontario, schools are supported by a system of 36 local Public Health units that collectively cover the entire province and are individually responsible for serving the population within their geographic borders. Public Health can play a key role in supporting schools communities as it relates to Healthy Schools.

Reflection: An exercise that allows members of a school action team to discuss their healthy schools experience, including successes, challenges, and future opportunities. Reflection is included in all steps of Ophea’s 4-Step Healthy Schools Process.

School community: All individuals who contribute to the health and well-being of students. This includes individuals who can influence students at school, in the surrounding neighbourhood, and at home.

School staff: Staff who are employed (in a paid position) by the school, including but not limited to educators, early child educators, principals, vice-principals, office staff, and custodial staff. This does not include volunteers.

School team: A group or committee operating in a school that supports planning and action as it relates to Healthy Schools. Members of the team should include individuals who are within (e.g., students, educators) and outside (e.g., public health, parents/family) the physical school grounds.

Sedentary behaviour: A behaviour that requires little energy expenditure, like sitting, watching television, or riding in a car. (CSEP) 

Sport: Sport is any game, competition, or similar activity done for enjoyment or as a job that requires physical effort and skill and is played or done by following particular rules.

Student well-being: Well-being is a positive sense of self, spirit, and belonging that we feel when our cognitive, emotional, social, and physical needs are being met. Well-being in early years and school settings is about helping children and students become resilient, so that they can make positive, healthy choices to support learning and achievement, now and in the future. (Definition retrieved from “Ontario’s Well-Being Strategy for Education Fact Sheet for Parents,” p. 2)

Vigorous-intensity physical activity (VPA): On a scale relative to an individual’s personal capacity (e.g., Rating of Perceived Exertion), vigorous-intensity physical activity is usually 7 to 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. Generally, during VPA heart rate increases substantially, body temperature increases quickly, and a person cannot say more than a few words without pausing for a breath. This means that when you are being active you are breathing hard and sweating. You also find it difficult to have a conversation and your body is warm.(CSEP)

Examples of VPA in children and youth include:

  • Active games involving running and chasing (e.g., tag or flag football)
  • Aerobics
  • Cross-country skiing
  • Fast bicycle riding, skateboarding, riding a scooter
  • Jumping rope
  • Martial arts (e.g., karate)
  • Running
  • Sports (e.g., ice or field hockey, basketball, swimming, soccer, tennis, or gymnastics)
  • Vigorous dancing