Action Blog – Mental Health and Wellness: Strategic Growth Area One

Growth Area One Spring 2022 Update

Strategic Priority 1: Inspired Learners; Goal 2: The district fosters resilient and healthy life-long learners

One of the identified goals in Our Focus is that of a healthy and well-developed respect for self and personal well-being.  It is evident from the data that students across all grades experience a high level of anxiety, and struggle to manage their mental health.  Our school community engaged in specific actions to address these concerns throughout the school year. Some of our actions were: 

Strategic Actions Goal One

• Burnett Learning Time Purpose and Rationale 

• Trauma Informed Classrooms 

• Student Connection and Care Weekly emphasis in Burnett Breeze and Staff Meetings

• Conference Day 3 Mental Health and Wellness

• PHE Teachers Inquiry

On March 4th we hosted our third Conference Day. Our students successfully participated in workshops focusing on Mental Health and Wellness.  Students across all grades participated in various learning activities to deepen their understanding on mental health and wellness. Highlights included presentations by Stigma Free emphasizing the importance of destigmatizing mental health and promoting acceptance, inclusivity and understanding. Our Grade 8 students raised their banner, Breaking Barriers, created in their honour by their mentors. We also had activities designed to help our teens understand their own mental health, sleep patterns, and physical health in an effort to improve overall balance in their lives. Many students designed wellness wheels pictured in our photo gallery below. Our grade 10 students participated in an excellent interactive presentation from Safe Teen.  The BC Lions new quarterback and others presented to our Grade 11’s. Finally, our Grade 12’s had an excellent presentation from Ted Swan (ICBC speaker) on being safe and well for Grad.  

Throughout the year many teachers began their lessons from a Trauma Informed Perspective taking time to talk with students about their lives, their mental health and how they were managing their stress.  Pictured in our photo gallery is a diagram of how one teacher starts every class with his students to support their mental health and wellness.  

Each year our Psychology 12 classes spend time exploring and understanding mental health, wellness, and development.  A key focus of classroom learning is putting their knowledge and understanding into action. In groups students design wall murals themed around mental health and wellness knowledge, strategies, and actions.  (The Know, Do, Understand Model is key to British Columbia’s redesigned curriculum). Pictured in our photo gallery is sample of one of these mental health and wellness murals.