BOT Consultation
PAIHIA SCHOOL - BOT Consultation 2006
“Together we learn and prepare for the future”
Health Consultation
This consultation is a two – way process.
We want to look at the issue of Health Education with you from three perspectives
- What are the health needs of the children?
- What are we currently doing?
- What would / could / should be done differently?
In the health education programme there are four main areas of learning we are concerned with
- Mental health
- Sexuality education
- Food and nutrition
- Body care and physical safety
So… what are we doing in…
Mental health?
Mental health is a broad area, influenced by lots of things.
At the personal level, mental health refers to the quality of a person's psychological, social, and behavioural functioning in the world.
The Mental Health Foundation, 1995
Positive mental health is necessary for students to reach their highest academic, physical, and social potential.
Students have opportunities to explore the ways in which the physical, mental and emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of well-being contribute to mental health.
Students examine social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors that influence people's mental health, including the effects of media messages. Students use critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to develop strategies and safety procedures for avoiding, minimising, or managing risk situations.
We use people in the community to help us with this programme – people such as Phillippa, our Public Health Nurse, Rob Drummond, our community constable, Hauora Whanui, Life Education Trust, Cool Schools and of course, you.
Question:
Can you think of anything you would like us to be aware of as we design our learning programmes in this area?
Ideas…
- Coping with stress, disappointment or loss
- Religion
- Effects of drugs on mental health
- Social justice
Sexuality Education
Sexuality education is a lifelong process. It provides students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills to develop positive attitudes towards sexuality, to take care of their sexual health, and to enhance their interpersonal relationships, now and in the future. In this curriculum, the term "sexuality education" includes relevant aspects of the concept of well-being. The term "sex education" generally refers only to the physical dimension of sexuality education and it is only taught to year 7 & 8 students.
Students require a range of developmentally appropriate learning opportunities in sexuality education. These include opportunities to develop:
- knowledge, understandings, and skills relating to sexual development –physical, emotional, and social;
- knowledge, understandings, and skills to enhance their sexual and reproductive health
- for example, knowledge about the process of conception and the skills to make decisions that maintain and enhance their sexual health;
- personal and interpersonal skills and related attitudes, including
- the skills needed to examine people's attitudes, values, and beliefs and their rights and responsibilities
- attitudes of respect for themselves and other people
- attitudes of care and concern for themselves and other people
- effective communication skills
- problem-solving and decision-making skills;
- understandings and skills to enhance relationships for example, in relation to friendship, love, families, and parenting
Sometimes there is confusion about what schools actually teach in this area so I have put up a complete copy of what can happen at each level for you to take a look at.
Question:
Can you think of anything you would like us to be aware of as we design our learning programmes in this area?
Ideas…
- Support services
- Values education
Food and Nutrition
The food choices made by individuals and families affect all aspects of their health. Food and nutrition education enables students to make informed decisions about food and the choices that will contribute to their own well-being and that of other people.
In this area of learning children examine the influence of food and nutrition in relation to the physical, social, mental and emotional, and spiritual dimensions of hauora – well-being.
Students examine the influences of culture, technology, and society on food choices, food preparation, and eating patterns and we hope to develop strategies in them for addressing nutrition-related health issues.
Students have practical experiences designed to help them develop health-enhancing attitudes to food and nutrition. All students will have had practical cooking experiences by the end of year 8. Our programmes encourage a healthy and realistic attitude to body size and shape and promote the enjoyment and appreciation of food.
Students participate in learning opportunities in food and nutrition education that will enable them to develop:
- knowledge and understanding of the nutrition people across all age groups require for growth and development;
- understanding of how nutrition, exercise, and well-being are related;
- knowledge and understandings of the cultural significance of food and of rituals associated with food and nutrition;
- knowledge, understandings, and skills for selecting and preparing food and eating patterns that reflect health-enhancing attitudes towards nutrition;
- knowledge of the costs associated with buying and preparing food and the skills necessary to meet nutritional needs on a limited budget;
- the skills needed to prepare food successfully and safely at a personal level and as a shared responsibility.
Question:
Can you think of anything you would like us to be aware of as we design our learning programmes in this area?
Ideas…
- Electives programmes content (cooking?)
- Facilities in the school
- Parent involvement
Body Care and Physical Safety
Learning about body care and physical safety provides students with opportunities to make informed decisions about body care, to recognise hazards in the environment, and to adopt safe practices in relation to these.
The main focus of this key learning area is the physical dimension of hauora. However, body care and physical safety does also relate to the mental and emotional, social, and spiritual dimensions of hauora because the four dimensions are interrelated.
In this area students examine social, cultural, and economic attitudes, beliefs, and practices that influence environmental safety and personal body care. Students are encouraged to use problem-solving and decision-making skills to manage social and ecological aspects of hauora constructively.
Students participate in a range of learning opportunities, which include opportunities to:
- develop knowledge, understandings, and skills for personal body care
for example, in relation to hygiene, the management of medication, sleep and rest, relaxation, posture, lifting and carrying, warming up, stretching, regular physical activity, and the care of eyes, ears, teeth, and skin;
- develop knowledge and skills for the prevention of illness, injury, infection, disease, and common lifestyle disorders;
- develop knowledge and understanding of practical ways of caring for themselves and other people during times of illness, injury or accident, and rehabilitation;
- develop the ability to identify environmental hazards
such as hazards in the home, near roads, in playgrounds, and in bush and other outdoor environments and risks relating to fire, sun, water, poisons, and passive smoking;
- practise strategies to avoid or minimise harm from environmental hazards and learn emergency procedures for managing risk situations;
- develop attitudes and values that encourage them to take responsibility for their own physical well-being and that of other people and to care for the environment.
Question:
Can you think of anything you would like us to be aware of as we design our learning programmes in this area?
Ideas…
- First aid courses
- Sun smart behaviour
- Swimming
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