Welcome to the Middle School News section of the PDS Newsletter! We kick this section off with a piece about health and wellness in the middle school by JJ Morrissey, head of upper and middle school, followed by a list of upcoming important dates in the middle school.
Health and Wellness in Middle School
By JJ Morrissey, Head of Upper and Middle School
When it comes to student health and wellness, designing a program that is intentional, well researched, and comprehensive has several benefits — not the least of which it is an effective way to boost educational outcomes. In our middle school, our health and wellness program takes many shapes, and I wanted to take this opportunity to highlight two of those.
The first is our advisory program. The middle school advisory program is where we begin the work of establishing relationships with our students, and provide students a time and space to connect with an adult in the community. Advisors act as the first point of contact for parents, and are an advocate for your child in our middle school space. This year, we increased the number of advisors from five to eight in order to make sure our advisory groups could be small (5-7 students in each) and that all of our children feel known, valued, and heard. A strong advisory program provides our students with a sense of safety from which they can begin to take safe academic risks, and build agency in themselves.
The second piece of our health and wellness program I wanted to highlight is our commitment to play. Over the summer we re-evaluated our schedule in the middle school, and using the most recent research on adolescent development and healthy scheduling techniques, we decided to add a fifteen-minute outdoor break towards the end of our academic day. This provides our students with three chances per day to get outside, get fresh air, run around, and stimulate their brain. The most successful school system in the world, Finland’s public school system, uses a model of fifteen minutes of outdoor play for every forty-five minutes, every day, all year long. The evidence has shown that being outside, and engaging in play, leads to better learning and more active involvement in class. We believe this additional break will lead to a healthier and more joyful academic experience for our students.
At PDS, we are constantly reviewing our program to ensure that we are working with the latest research to design a health and wellness program that best suits our students needs.
Important Upcoming Dates
Thursday, September 12, 8:15-9 am, Kenyon House: PDS 101 for New Parents (RSVP)
Monday, September 30 & Tuesday, October 1: Rosh Hashanah – School Closed
Thursday, October 3, 6-8 pm, Chapman Room: Middle School Curriculum Evening
Thursday, October 24, 6-8 pm, Holford Learning Commons: Middle/High School Potluck