Torch - 2021 Edition

Students participate in Wellbeing programming activities several times per week as a part of the curriculum.

It also leads to healthier social behaviours, increased care for others and higher life and career satisfaction. 2 Great schools do more than immerse students in an enriched academic and co-curricular environment. They also empower students to flourish in every personal dimension: cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual, physical and environmental. That’s why Havergal’s Wellbeing Framework is being implemented from Junior Kindergarten through to Grade 12. Our goal is to equip students with the understanding, skills and strategies to be resilient and able to thrive throughout their lives. We Make Time for What Matters Most If family matters to us, we make time for family. If our physical health is important, we make time for sleep, exercise and nutritious foods. Similarly, if wellbeing is a priority, we dedicate the time as a school to cultivate it, not just throughout general daily life, but also in periods earmarked especially for its development. The Junior School makes use of a dedicated block of wellbeing time from 8:25 to 9 am every day to give our students a strong start to the day and support their growth and development. During this time, they may attend Prayers as a whole Junior School community or participate in activities such as enjoying picture books with their classmates, an activity that helps them understand what it means to be and have a friend. Alternatively, they may learn about strategies to help with their self-regulation, enabling them to notice and name their feelings and better sustain focus and attention.

They may participate in physical activities, such as a run through the Lisa Hardie Woodland Trail, or engage in guided meditations for mindfulness journaling to calm and balance themselves and help them better understand their thoughts and feelings. They may also explore student rights and responsibilities and then work together to co-create classroom agreements that support learning, communication and respect. In each of these activities, and in monthly themes like “Connection and Belonging” or “Understanding Personal Strengths and Challenges,” the first step with our youngest learners is to help them to see and name their experiences. Through finding the words that best express their identity as a learner, a friend and a member of the community, our students build self-awareness, which is the foundation of wellbeing. In the Middle and Senior Schools, students have an hour of dedicated Wellbeing programming each day. That time may be spent in Prayers, athletics or arts activities, guidance sessions, advisory groups, clubs and many other opportunities. The aim is to provide balance in students’ lives, attending equally to their cognitive, social, emotional, spiritual and physical health. In addition, students explore individual wellness topics in depth, such as stress management, conflict resolution and mindfulness, while the Grade 12s also focus on university pathways and applications. Our older students develop deeper self-awareness and a more sophisticated wellbeing vocabulary. Knowing themselves and being able to express who they are equips them to become agents in their

2 World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Health & Well-being. “Well-being and Global Success.” 2012. Accessed on 17 November, 2020, via http://web.pdx.edu/~kub/publicfiles/MeasuringWellBeing/GAC_Wellbeing_Global_Success.pdf.

2021 EDITION • TORCH 13