Health and Wellness
MISY has formed a Health & Wellness Committee, composed of teachers, coache, health and wellness staff, and administrators. This Committee began its work by launching a comprehensive review of the School’s physical and health education programs and curriculum across EYFS and all 5 Key Stages. The Committee is reviewing the program inventory, identifying learning outcomes for students, and strengthening programs to achieve those outcomes: equipping students with the knowledge and skills to understand their physical, social, emotional, and relational health.
Promoting Healthy Behaviours
MISY believes that school is in a unique position to promote health behaviours. Students spend an average of 6 to 7 hours a day at the school, which is a large part of their waking hours. MISY keeps a high priority of student health and wellbeing by promoting nutrition services, physical education and physical activity, sleep education, and social and emotional climate in our community.
School Nutrition
MISY implements policies and practices to create a nutrition environment that supports students in making healthy choices. We value a healthy school nutrition environment that provides students with nutritious and appealing foods and beverages, consistent and accurate messages about good nutrition, and ways to learn about and practice healthy eating throughout the time children spend on school grounds—including before-and after-school activities.
Physical Education and Physical Activity
MISY is in a unique position to help students attain the nationally recommended 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. Regular physical activity in childhood and adolescence is important for promoting lifelong health and well-being and preventing various health conditions.
To learn more about benefits of physical activity, physical activity behaviours of young people, and recommendations, visit Physical Activity Facts.
After-School Activities
MISY supports student health and learning. We provide a wide range of after-school activities to students in Year 2-13. MISY works hard to ensure there are a range of different activities on campus such as academic programs (e.g., reading or Maths focused programs), speciality programs (e.g., sports teams, science, arts enrichment), and multipurpose programs that provide an array of activities (e.g., culture enrichment). These activities provide students with opportunities to explore new areas, develop their talents and further their academic study.
There are three periods of after-school activities in a week during the year. If a student registers for an activity they are expected to attend all the sessions. Parents must make arrangements to collect their child promptly after an activity finishes. MISY makes every effort to not cancel activities, however emergencies do arise and the school may need to cancel a session. If this happens parents will be contacted in advance.
Sleep and Health
Adequate sleep contributes to a student’s overall health and well-being. Students should get the proper amount of sleep at night to help stay focused, improve concentration, and improve academic performance.
Children and adolescents who do not get enough sleep have a higher risk for many health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, and injuries. They are also more likely to have attention and behaviour problems, which can contribute to poor academic performance in school.
MISY helps children and adolescents learn why sleep is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Lessons in sleep patterns and sleep disorders, snoring, drowsy driving, and insomnia are among topics teachers can cover in the classroom to help students develop healthy sleep habits.
Messages for Parents (Sleep and Health)
- Model and encourage habits that help promote good sleep. Setting a regular bedtime and rise time, including on weekends, is recommended for everyone—children, adolescents, and adults alike. Adolescents with parent-set bedtimes usually get more sleep than those whose parents do not set bedtimes.
- Dim lighting. Adolescents who are exposed to more light (such as room lighting or from electronics) in the evening are less likely to get enough sleep.
- Implement a media curfew. Technology use (computers, video gaming, or mobile phones) may also contribute to late bedtimes. Parents should consider banning technology use after a certain time or removing these technologies from the bedroom.
School Employee Wellness
MISY also fosters the physical and mental health of school employees which helps to support students’ health and academic success. We provide an employee wellness program for staff that includes healthy eating and physical activity services.
MISY acknowledges that staff morale and employee job satisfaction is enhanced where the views of all employees are taken into account before important decisions are made. MISY has a monthly Staff Consultation Forum in which we establish workplace consultative arrangements that ensure the Head of School’s responsibility is to make school-based decisions carried out in a framework that enables staff to have input into decisions that affect their working life.
Non Communicable Diseases
Members of the staff of MISY have been trying to promote MISY as a Health Promoting School. We have a school policy which bans smoking and the chewing of Betel anywhere on the school premises. This is one of our duties to reduce noncommunicable diseases NCDs).
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.
The main types of NCD are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) (who.int)
Dengue and Severe Dengue Dengue and severe dengue (who.int)
Adolescent sexulal and reproductive health Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (who.int)
Communicable Diseases
Coronavirus disease (Covid-19): Children and masks Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Children and masks (who.int) Coronavirus disease (Covid-10): Schools Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Schools (who.int)
