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 health and well-being for every student. Recognizing that this is a busy time for all, we’ve created a simple checklist to help you stay on track with your professional goals while promoting well-being in your school community throughout the month of January.
1. Take a deep breath!
Firstly, let’s take a deep breath – as we shift back into the classroom routines, it’s important to prioritize and safeguard our own well-being so that we have the capacity to support those around us, including our students, throughout this transition.
Take time to explore self-care practices that might work for you, like physical activity, a home-cooked meal, or time spent with friends and family!
2. Take advantage of Ophea’s resources, lesson plans, and other supports!
Have you explored Ophea’s resources lately? Freely accessible (with an Ophea.net account), our resources can help support you with curriculum-aligned lesson plans, assessment tools, and more!
Ophea provides resources that cover topic areas such as Mental Health and Well-Being, Physical Activity, Internet Safety, Human Development and Sexual Health, and much more! These tools can help support your practice by providing planning supports, ideas for classroom activities, and evaluation techniques with which you can supplement your own strategies.
Explore Ophea’s resources today!
3. Join us for a free webinar!
Curious about how school-based physical activity can serve as a conduit for enhancing student mental health? Did you know recent research from the Mental Health and Physical Activity Research Centre (MPARC) at the University of Toronto highlights an opportunity to take a holistic approach to student wellness that reinforces the relationship between movement and well-being? School sport and physical activity can be beacons of feelings of belonging at school, empowering students to support their physical and mental health in tandem.
With support from Canadian Women & Sport, MPARC and Ophea are pleased to announce free upcoming webinars that will equip attendees with tools and strategies to leverage equitable sport and physical activity opportunities to improve student mental health.
Register today for the session that best suits you!
School Board and Public Health Leader-focused Webinar
January 21, 2025 | 10:30am-12:00pm EST
Educator-focused Webinar
January 28, 2025 | 4:00pm-5:30pm EST
Register today!
*Please note that these sessions will be conducted in English. However, options for live French translation are being explored.
4. Check out Ophea’s e-Learning Modules!
Keeping your professional development up-to-date is easy with Ophea's convenient, self-directed e-Learning Modules. These modules provide relevant, up-to-date information on a variety of topics that are important to educators, their students, and school communities at large:
Ophea's four FREE e-Learning modules are intended to support all elementary and secondary school staff including educators, administrators, and support staff in meaningfully engaging with their students and fostering the development of safer learning environments for every student. e-Learning modules are 1-2 hours in length and feature a variety of instructional methods. Certificates of completion are provided once modules are completed successfully.
Throughout Ophea's e-Learning modules, participants will engage in a variety of learning tasks, as well as Pause and Reflect activities during which they will consider what is being asked and make connections to their own knowledge and experiences.
Alongside our modules, Ophea offers other professional learning opportunities such as recorded webinars and workshops. Explore our professional learning offerings.
5. Explore the Ontario Physical Activity Safety Standards in Education (OPASSE)!
Effective planning strategies can help minimize risk during physical activity and OPASSE is updated each year (revisions are released in September) to help educators, coaches, and leaders ensure safe practices in the areas of equipment, clothing, facilities, special rules/instructions and supervision for sport and physical activities.
The annual revision process is a user-driven process powered by the Safety and Injury Prevention Advisory Committee (comprised of risk-management professionals including educators, sport organizations, subject matter organizations, etc.), which is responsible for reviewing and implementing suggested changes. Individuals wishing to submit a request to modify the Safety Standards must do so no later than July 15th of the current year. Submit a request.
When planning physical activity with your class this school year, be sure to consult OPASSE to ensure that minimum safety standards are met! Have questions about the Safety Standards? Ask Ophea.
6. Remember to take some time for yourself and plan for the long run!
The school year is a marathon, not a sprint! Don’t hesitate to model self-care behaviors in the classroom – it’s important for students to see trusted adults actively prioritizing their own well-being. By demonstrating healthy coping strategies and balancing your own needs, you not only take care of yourself but also set a powerful example for students. This helps them understand the importance of self-care and equips them with the tools they need to manage their own well-being.
We hope that the tools and supports identified in this Blog can assist you through the rest of this school year.
Be sure to connect with us and share your successes by tagging @OpheaCanada on X, Facebook, and Instagram!
To stay up-to-date on Ophea professional learning offerings, resources, and supports sign up for Ophea’s e-newsletter, eConnection.