In the period surrounding cannabis legalization in Canada, questions abounded on the impact it would have on youth. As an educator, you may have debated with your colleagues, or had friends and family members asking your opinion. Today, we finally have data to help us understand what’s changed and...
Imagine what a Health and Physical Education program might look like where the narrative comes from and authentically represents the needs and interests of a highly diverse student population. How would this mindset positively impact the overall well-being and quality of our students’ lives? On...
Following our first Clearing the Air About Cannabis Q&A column featuring a discussion on legalization with Jean‐François Crépault, Senior Policy Analyst at the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), we received questions asking for us to expand on his comments referring to cannabis harms for...
On August 21, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced the release of the elementary Health and Physical Education (H&PE) curriculum . The Ministry of Education has also released an announcement . Ophea compliments the Ministry of Education on a thoughtful, high quality, evidence informed policy...
Welcome to the Back to School issue of Ophea’s Clearing the Air on Cannabis Q&A Column! The continuation of this series will help you have access to timely information regarding cannabis this school year. A new column will be posted each month and distributed through the Ophea eConnection newsletter...
For our October column we wanted to provide information on cannabis edibles, which will become legal this month. It’s important that educators and school staff are aware of current regulations, to be able to answer any questions students may have on edibles and integrate this information into...
The majority of children and youth are not engaging in enough heart pumping physical activity for optimal health. At the same time, many of these children and youth are accumulating excessive amounts of time engaging in sedentary behaviours, especially screen time. This combination of sedentary...
Ophea has developed a variety of resources and tools for educators and administrators, to support children and youth with prevalent medical conditions, including asthma. Resources include: Prevalent Medical Conditions Resources: supporting the Ministry of Education’s policy PPM 161 – Supporting...
Did you know as many as 5 out of 20 children have asthma? Ophea has developed various supports for educators, in partnership with the Ontario Lung Association, to increase their skills and knowledge about asthma management in schools. Just in time for World Asthma Day (May 1, 2018), this blog...
We recently sat down with Jean-François Crépault, Senior Policy Analyst at the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) to talk about cannabis legalization. He leads CAMH’s public policy efforts in the area of substance use, including developing and communicating evidence-based public policy to...
We have received multiple questions on the evidence behind medical cannabis, so have broadened the scope of this month’s issue to provide you with some answers. Read on to learn more about medical cannabis, how to approach and support conversations with students or other teachers, and resources...
As members of school communities, we all have important roles to play in educating young Canadians about cannabis use. The legalization of cannabis in Canada has brought up plenty of questions for educators, especially related to the impact of legalization on schools, students, and communities; and...
Over the last couple years, Ophea supported a school-based approach to increasing student and teacher understanding of gender-based violence and harassment. The initiative, Campaign Messengers: Taking a Stand!, reached 166 schools, close to 6,000 educators, and over 92,000 students. Though the...
Did you join Ophea Live on Facebook March 3 rd to learn more about Assessment and Evaluation (A&E) for secondary educations? For those that missed it or would like a recap, we’ve got you covered! Facebook Live Highlights: Assessment is part of daily instruction : being clear about what students...
Turn that winter frown upside-down with these 5 tips to support winter wellbeing: 1. Try a winter activity you’ve never done before. Snow shoeing, skiing, winter hiking, and more! There are plenty of fun winter activities to try throughout the colder months. Add some excitement to your next winter...
Summer season also means picnic season! Grab the family and head to a nearby park for some summer fun. The park can be a great place for a picnic with all the grass and open space to have fun and relax. A park with a playground is a bonus when picnicking with kids, allowing them to run, climb, and...
In the fourth installment of our “Clearing the Air about Cannabis” series, we spoke with Dr. Robert Mann from the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) about youth cannabis use and driving. Read on to discover what you need to know about...
Ah … The Family Vacation. A different take on the 3 Rs: Relax, Reconnect, Rejuvenate. Oh, except maybe not the relax part. Travel, especially with young kids, can involve long, crowded and confining conditions, impacting their ability to move around. Oh, and maybe not the rejuvenate part. Because...
We are learning about things we can do to keep us safe at home, outdoors, and online and we are learning how to relate positively to others and describe behaviours that can be harmful when relating to
We are learning about common food allergies and use healthy coping, relationship, and critical thinking skills to stay safe and help others stay safe.
