Cultivating Mental Wellness in Schools: Strategies for Healthy Students and Staff

The 2024 Conference theme was: 

Charting the Course: A Professional Development Voyage toward Engagement and Wellness.

https://sites.google.com/view/hbhm2024/home

As proud recipients of a School Wellness Grant through the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, Owen J. Roberts schools use the School Wellness Checklist© --the tool utilized for schools participating in the MUSC BCCW School-Based Wellness Initiative. Schools use the Checklist© as a guide to choose wellness activities and strategies that are implemented and recorded each year. 

In 2020-2021, all seven Owen J. Roberts schools scored high enough on the checklist to win a monetary prize. Schools will use their prize money to promote wellness in the 2021-22 school year. In the past, schools have purchased playground equipment, had speakers and/or programs, offered nutritional programs, or held fun contests. 

Many staff, students and community of Owen J. Roberts School District proudly participated in the 2021 Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds Institute with keynote speaker, Mr. Thom Stecher. Learning sessions were provided in the following tiopic areas:

* Community Voice
* Wellness Action Planning
* Embracing Diversity
* Fostering Equity
* Social Emotional Learning
* Kinesthetic Learning and Fitness Mental Health
* Healthy Tech Habits/Unplugging

On January 17, 2019, at a regular district wellness meeting, the Owen J. Roberts wellness council, under the direction of the Director of Pupil Services, Dr. Rich Marchini, completed an assessment of Policy #246, the District Wellness Policy. The committee used the Wellness Policy Assessment tool below:

Wellness Policy Assessment Tool

District Wellness Policy

In 2004 the Wellness Council was developed and a District Wellnes Policy adopted. In 2006, the district-wide wellness campaign, Fit for Life began. Fit for Life projects encourage positive lifestyle adoption for students, staff, and community. Many programs have been made possible through a generous grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation as part of their mission to educate, engage, and empower individuals to make healthy choices for a lifetime of wellness.

Check out the Owen J. Roberts Wellness policy: Student Wellness Policy number 246

Student Wellness Policy

We invite public input on the wellness policy, which is reviewed each year by the District Wellness Council. Contact JRechtin@ojrsd.com for more information.