Be Well

Goal: Improve students’ participation, reduce absenteeism/suspensions, and improve mental health awareness.

Safe Schools

Strategies:

Progressive Discipline Strategies:

Determine which staff members are currently trained in Restorative Practices. Identify additional staff members who would benefit from this training and arrange for them to participate in the Restorative Practices training sessions offered by OCSB throughout the school year.
Utilize the YMCA Alternatives to Suspension program as a preventive measure specifically (for high school students ONLY).
Integrate programs like WITS and Dare to Care into the school's bullying prevention initiatives

Mentorship Programs:

Pair at-risk students with caring adults in the school to offer guidance and support.
Develop a buddy system where older students mentor younger, at-risk students.

Community Involvement:

Bring in speakers from the community who specialize in working with at-risk students or addressing specific issues like online bullying.
Collaborate with local organizations to provide additional support and resources for students and families.

Educational Opportunities Post-Suspension:

When a student returns from suspension, the school team will use board resources to provide educational opportunities. These initiatives aim to help the student understand the reasons behind their actions being inappropriate, such as the use of offensive and or racist language. This approach ensures students learn the impact of their behavior and are equipped with the knowledge to make better choices in the future.

Suspension Review:

The admin team will meet with guidance counselors and SST educators every term (every three months) to review suspension data. Core subject teachers may also be invited. Schools will look for patterns indicating a reduction in the number of suspensions.

Restorative Circle Feedback:

After a restorative circle, students will complete an exit ticket or survey with questions such as, “What went well today?” and “How can the school better support you?”

Student Engagement Surveys:

Conduct regular surveys to measure student engagement and the impact of mentorship programs, events, and other initiatives.

Attendance

Strategies:

Engagement Events:

Organize events like "Rise to Shine" to teach students strategies for making positive choices and setting goals.
Run workshops on goal-setting, time management, and decision-making skills.

Parental Involvement:

Increase parent engagement through regular communication and involvement in school activities (perhaps use social media like FaceBook to advertise events to parents).
Organize parent workshops to equip them with strategies to support their children's education and behavior at home.

Innovative Programs:

Implement initiatives like "nature therapy" to provide alternative ways for students to manage stress and improve well-being.
Create legacy projects for graduating students to promote positive contributions to the school community, such as a Grad Legacy Garden or a community service event like a Grad Pancake Breakfast

Attendance Records:

Monitor attendance records of at-risk students to identify trends and intervene early.

Parental Engagement Metrics:

Track parent participation in school events and workshops, and gather feedback on the effectiveness of these initiatives.

Mental Health and Well-Being Support

Strategies:

Schools to promote OCSB community mental health resources by posting posters, providing resources and enabling SEL and all Tier 1 content in schools. Mental Health Workers and practitioners to empower upstream prevention and early intervention in all schools yearly.
Invite school-based practitioner teams (social workers, psychologists, mental health workers and behaviour analysts) to parent counsel meetings and school open houses (spring) to inform families of how they can access mental health services in the school and their community (SMH-ON By Your Side Parent resource) and promote student engagement and attendance.
Schedule and organize transition meetings for all grade 6 and grade 8 students to inform them of mental health services in their new school and in their community (i.e., inform of Gr6, Gr7 and Gr8 mandatory School Mental Health Ontario - SMH-ON Mental Health Modules in French and in English and eventual Gr10 modules as well).
Promote school well-being toolkits in collaboration with school-based practitioner staff (mental health workers, social workers, addiction counsellors, psychologists, etc.) while including staff and student voice in all schools.
Teachers and school administrators can include mental health resources in their signature lines on their school email accounts as well as discuss these with families in their communities.
Promote the use of the School Mental Health Ontario (SMH-ON) Wayfinder toolkit, selected web lessons and restorative practices at school staff meetings.

Page updated

Report abuse