Health and Wellness

Home | Health & Wellness Sexual Education | Wellness Committee | Substance Abuse Education | Vaping: Risks & Prevention|Health & Physical Education | Athletics| Cyber Safety

District Coach K-12 Health & Wellness: Megan Arivella, M.Ed/NCC/NCSC

Dean HHS Health, Wellness Health Teacher: Cara LaBelle

Lead Teacher Wellness & PE Teacher: Robin Vinci, Golden Hill PE

Supervising: Bonnie Antkowiak, Chief of Teaching, Learning and Leading

Haverhill Public Schools has a responsibility to foster a school environment that helps students learn and maintain lifelong healthy eating and lifestyle habits. Many factors play a role in achieving a healthy school environment, including food and beverages available to students while at school, nutrition education, opportunities for physical activity and other school-based programs and activities designed to promote student wellness. ~HPS Wellness Policy (2012) “Massachusetts is leading the way by providing a health and physical education framework that is inclusive, medically accurate and age-appropriate to help them make decisions that are right for their health and wellbeing,” ~Governor Maura Healey (Sept. 19, 2023)

The Wellness Department will map the Health Education scope and sequence to align with the 2023 Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Frameworks. There are three curricula that Haverhill Public School Health teachers draw from: HealthSmart ETR, Rights, Respect & Responsibility and Health Education Today. However, teachers have access to many other professional resources and tools to which they design curricula to address the practice skills necessary to cover the Massachusetts Frameworks. To the extent practicable, program instruction materials for said curricula will be made reasonably accessible to parents and guardians for review.

HealthSmart ETR Curriculum

Meet Our Middle School Health Team!

Find out a bit more about what we do, who we are and what students can learn in Health (in cooperation with HC Media, specifically: Chris Bowden Cassie Ellson, Whittier Tech intern, Anthony

NEW YEAR, NEW GOALS!

Click here for the Welcome Letters for Health & PE

Haverhill Public Schools has collaborated with Mental Health Collaborative to bring professional development opportunities to our educators in addition an evidenced based program for our 8th grade students on Mental Health Literacy to supplement the curriculum lessons in middle schools. The training will occur in the 2022-2024 school year with implementation in 2023-2024 school year.

Thanks to funding from The Highland Street Foundation, New Balance, and others, the Sports Museum at TDBankNorth Garden is able to bring Boston vs. Bullies to schools. Through teacher and counselor training, students in Grade 5 in Haverhill Schools benefit from various methods of instruction during Health classes on bullying prevention.

With consulting and collaboration with Partners in Sex Education and Lighthouse Wellness and Health Education Consulting, the middle school health team will be implementing lessons from the 3 R’s curriculum: Rights, Respect, Responsibility to enhance the existing sexuality curriculum in 2023-2024.

Grade 4 will have access to 3 introductory to vaping lessons based on many resources including Standford University’s: You and Me Together Vape Free curriculum. Youth E-Cigarette Use: What it is, Why are we concerned, and What we can do!

Wellness Caregiver Series- Vaping 101 (recording of webinar Stanford University Presentation on 9/20/23)

Grade 5 and Gateway Academy will participate in the Money Smart program in collaboration with Bank of New England to provide financial literacy lessons embeded into health lessons. Money Smart for Young People

The YWCA is collaborating with the Health teachers at the high school level. This will be Haverhill Public Schools second venture in hosting the Site Director and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Advocates from the YWCA of Haverhill at the High School and Gateway Academy. In addition, Consentino and Gateway Health classes and now at JGW for 2023-2024, specific grades have the benefit of resources and lessons tailored to this age group. The YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts is excited to be working with Haverhill Public schools to better serve the youth in our community. Their mission is to inform, spread awareness andassist the youth and will speak on developing healthy relationships, positive communication and offer community resources.

Health II classes at Haverhill High have piloted a program offered by Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST). It is a research-validated substance abuse prevention program proven to reduce the risks of alcohol, tobacco, drug abuse, and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. This comprehensive and exciting program provides adolescents and young teens with the confidence and skills necessary to successfully handle challenging situations.

District PE teachers and various PE classes at HHS will have access to PLT4M a useful program that incorporates technology into the curriculum, a tech powered teaching resource.

Grade 8 will have a presentation by the NAN Project during a Health class to raise conversation about depression & suicide with a peer-to-peer model as presentors share their stories to encourage awareness, social support and resources.

Wellness Clubs- “Strides to Wellness” is a new and amazing opportunity for Grade 5 students at Consentino, JGW and Nettle as students participate voluntarily after school to learn about wellness and how to stay active and safe. Designed by the District Coach of Health and Wellness and organized and implemented by staff who are hired as Wellness Advisors at the middle schools funded by the City of Haverhill Mental Health & Activity Grant.

Mental Health Collaborative: A great resource that has provided training for our educators to be able to implement lessons specific to mental health awareness.

Mental Health Collaborative Parent Training Resource Powerpoint from November 15, 2023 Presentation Mental Health Collaborative

Community Activity & Sports Directory

It is important to the Wellness Department that students and their families understand that youth sports and activities provide not only physical benefits but social and emotional benefits as well. Structured physical activity can help children better receive coaching feedback and instruction which can translate to focus in our classrooms. It is designed to drive awareness and guide families to local sports and youth organizations in and near Haverhill.

Community Activity & Sports Directory – English
Community Activity & Sports Directory – Spanish
Community Activity & Sports Directory – Portuguese