Healthy Eating. Topics related to healthy eating include nutrition, eating disorders, body image and dental health. Student require knowledge to make healthy eating choices. Using this knowledge, they will examine their healthy eating choices and eating patterns, so that they can make wise decisions and set appropriate goals. They will learn about factors that affect healthy body weight and lead to eating disorders, and will increase their understanding of a healthy body image.

Growth and development

Growth and development education is more than teaching about the anatomy and physiology of reproduction. For example, growth and development education focuses on an understanding of sexuality in its broadest context - sexual development, reproductive health, interpersonal relationships, affection, body image, gender roles and respect for differences in sexual orientations. Acquiring information and skills and developing attitudes, beliefs, and values related to identity and relationships are lifelong processes.

Personal safety and injury prevention

Personal safety and injury prevention are essential components of the healthy living strand. Education in these areas is critical for reducing injuries and increasing emotional well being. Personal safety topics include bullying, peer assault, child abuse, harassment, and violence in relationships. Through the tools of reading responses, discussion, debates, literature, and various other sources, students will develop the skills needed to prevent and or deal with situations that infringe on their personal safety in the present and in years to come.

Substance use and abuse

Education is critical to the prevention of drug abuse. The substance use and abuse component health education responds to the effects of drugs, tobacco and alcohol, and the consequences of their use. By using critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, refusal, and assertiveness skills, (which we will address through theatre, debates, discussions, reading responses, and through other various sources), we hope that kids will choose healthy, drug free behaviours based on intrinsic understanding of the dangers involved in substance use and abuse.

Resources

• Coping With Stress, Finding the Self (A guide for intermediate students)
• Media resources - health literature (Public Health Department), advertising, articles, film.

*Speakers and presenters will be announced at a later date.