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  • School Health
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Schools Reopening Toolkit

School children wearing face masks.

Durham Region Health Department is committed to supporting schools in partnership with the local school boards. We have compiled information in our Schools Reopening Toolkit that is intended to provide guidance to educators and parents to prepare for the safe return to school.


Educators play an important role in the health of school communities

A team of health professionals including the school public health nurse, immunization nurses, oral health staff and health protection staff are dedicated to promoting and protecting the health and well-being of children and youth in all schools in Durham Region. The team strives to achieve optimal health of the entire school community through partnership and collaboration with school boards and schools.

Learn more about the school health team!

Find your school’s public health nurse 
Please contact the Durham Health Connection Line at 905-668-2020 to find out who your school public health nurse is.

Get support and resources

Your school health team can provide you with support and resources to assist you in teaching the health curriculum and promoting health and well-being in your school. If you would like additional information regarding health topics in your school or would like to borrow interactive, skill-building tools for your classroom, contact us!

Ready to use inserts for your school newsletter or website! 

The healthy schools newsletter inserts for parents provide up-to-date information on health-related topics for parents and guardians. Add the inserts below into your school newsletters or on your school website.

Newsletter inserts for schools
Dental (Oral health)
 
Dental (Oral health)
Current topics
Cavity connection
Does chewing gum prevent cavities?
Fluoride

Healthy Smiles Ontario (English)

Healthy Smiles Ontario (French)

How much sugar is in your drink?
How to brush your child's teeth
How to floss your teeth
Less sugar = healthy mouth + healthy body
Mouth and dental emergencies
Mouth protection
Tips for good oral health
Tips for a healthy smile
Tooth friendly snacks
Why is oral health important?
Environmental health
 
Environmental health
Current topics
Environmental Health in Durham
Everything you wanted to know about bed bugs!
Hamburger safety
Keeping your hands clean
Lyme Disease - get tick smart
Lyme Disease - get ticked off
Pack a safe lunch
Personal protection against mosquitoes and West Nile virus
Potassium Iodide (KI) Tablets
Rabies... know the facts
Talking turkey
Healthy eating
Healthy eating
Current topics
Add some splash to the holidays
Are they getting enough? Tips to get your teens to eat more vegetables and fruit
(Secondary schools)
Choose water first!
Create healthy routines for you and your family
Family fun with vegetables and fruit
Packing a healthy school lunch? Be salt savvy.
School lunches and snacks that make the grade!
Season's eatings - eating healthy as a family during the holidays
Starting your day sunny side up!
Infectious disease
 
Infectious disease
Current topics
Reliable infectious diseases resources
Immunization
 
Immunization
Current topics
Aged 14-16?
(Secondary schools)
Compare your child's immunization record
Grade 7 and 8 school-based vaccine clinics
Has your child had their 4-6 year vaccines?
Heading into grade 9? It's time for your next immunization!
Is it time for your next immunization?
Vaccinate... then update!
Who do you fight the flu for? Getting the flu shot does not just protect you!
Mental health and resiliency
Mental health and resiliency
Current topics
Growing Resilient Children: Create Connections
(Part 1 of 3)
Growing Resilient Children: Provide a Safe and Caring Home
(Part 2 of 3)
Growing Resilient Children: Teach and Learn
(Part 3 of 3)
Stress-busting for kids in 3 steps
Teen resiliency heading into high school
Physical activity
Physical activity
Current topics
Active kids are fit to learn
Active parents, active kids
Connect with your teen through physical activity
(Secondary schools)
Help your kids be active for life
Tips to reduce screen time
Walk or wheel everyday!
Walk or wheel everyday!
(Secondary schools)
Personal safety and injury prevention
Personal safety and injury prevention
Current topics
Car and booster seat safety
Prepare your teen for the road
(Secondary schools)
Positive parenting
Positive parenting
Current topics
Healthy sleep routines for your family
It begins with family
Positive parenting
Substance use and abuse
Substance use and abuse
Current topics
Alcohol and energy drinks
Is your teen getting high on prescription opioids?

You, your teen and alcohol

You, your teen and cannabis
(Secondary schools)
What parents need to know about cannabis
Sun safety
Sun safety
Current topics
General sun safety awareness
Tobacco-free living
Tobacco-free living
Current topics
Today's tobacco
Vaping - Let's clear the air...

Concussions and injury prevention

Helpful links
  • Concussion protocol resources for schools
  • Concussion guide for teachers
  • Learning About Concussions: Teacher Guide and Lesson
  • Return to school strategy
  • Rowan’s Law Day toolkit for schools 

Durham health statistics

Helpful links
Durham health stats

Healthy eating behaviours and food safety

Curriculum support
  • Bringing healthy eating to the classroom
  • Brightbites
  • Elementary School Toolkit: Promoting Vegetables, Fruit and Water
  • Ophea teaching tools
  • Physical and Health Education Canada
  • Sip Smart!™ Ontario - Classroom Education Program
Helpful links
  • Dietitians of Canada
  • Health Canada Food and Nutrition
  • UnlockFood.ca

Healthy fundraising and special events

Healthy fundraising ideas

Healthy snack or breakfast programs

  • Durham Child Nutrition Project
  • Ontario Student Nutrition Program

Understanding P/PM 150:

  • English
  • Food and beverage policies and standards at Ontario schools

Trans Fat Standards Regulation

Trans Fat Standards Regulation

Healthy sexuality

Curriculum support
SEXed Manual for educators

Infectious diseases prevention and control

Curriculum support
  • Coughing and sneezing hygiene for kids video – Government of Canada
  • Be a handwashing hero video – Government of Canada
  • Prevent the spread of germs word scramble
  • Prevent the spread of germs word search
  • School announcements: Handwashing
  • Wash away germs colouring sheet
Helpful links
  • Chickenpox reporting form
  • Cover your cough poster (English | French)
  • Durham Healthy Families handwashing video
  • Facts about... Handwashing
  • Guidelines for infectious diseases reporting and exclusion (Does not apply to COVID-19 management in schools.)

    As per Ministry guidance, no respiratory outbreaks will be declared at this time. You are not required to report increases in absenteeism due to respiratory symptoms in your classes and schools. Please continue to report potential enteric outbreaks in your classes and schools as necessary.

  • Handwashing steps poster (English | French)
  • Proper handwashing video
  • Stop the spread poster
  • Wash your hands poster

     

Mental health promotion

Curriculum support
  • Class conversation starters (School Mental Health Ontario)
  • Free stress strategies for educators and parents
  • Mental health activities (Elementary)(School Mental Health Ontario)
  • Mental health messages that can be used in elementary school
  • Mental health messages that can be used in secondary school
  • Social media and school announcements
  • Student mental health action kit (School Mental Health Ontario)

Helpful links

  • Positive mental health toolkit
  • Schools Reopening Toolkit - Mental health and COVID-19
  • Supporting student mental health during a pandemic (COVID-19)

School Mental Health Ontario learning modules

  • Common student mental health concerns
  • Mentally healthy schools and learning environments

The Psychology Foundation of Canada stress resources

Oral health

Curriculum support
  • American Dental Association activities and lesson plans
  • Oral health education resources for teachers and educators
Helpful links
  • Canada's Food Guide
  • Dental Hygiene Canada - fun stuff
  • Healthy lunches and snacks for school
  • Oral health
  • Oral health activities and resources
  • Sugary drinks
  • Teaching resources
  • The Ontario Curriculum: Elementary (Health and Physical Education)

Physical activity and sedentary behaviour

Curriculum support

  • Elementary School Toolkit: Reducing Sedentary Behaviour
  • How can my school promote active school travel?
  • Ontario Active School Travel website
  • Ophea teaching tools

Helpful links

  • Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Children and Youth (5-17 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep
  • Daily Physical Activity
  • Ontario Physical Education Safety Guidelines
  • OPHEA Daily Physical Activity resources
  • Physical and Health Education Canada website
  • Play sport, a website to help teach kids games and sports through play
  • The Brain + Body Equation, The 2018 ParticipACTION Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth

Road and off-road safety

Helpful links
  • Durham.ca/visionzero
  • Durham.ca/thinkanddrive
  • National Teen Driver Safety Week
  • Ontario.ca/cannabis
  • Ontario.ca/distracteddriving
  • Ontario.ca/toohightodrive
  • Ontario Road Safety website

Substance use and harm reduction

Curriculum support
  • Cannabis Plinko, Spin Wheel and Drop Zone: Q&A activities for students in Grade 6-12*
  • Cannabis Kahoot! Grades 6-8: Online interactive activity using the Kahoot! platform*
  • Cannabis Kahoot! Grades 9-12: Online interactive activity using the Kahoot! platform*
  • Reducing Substance Use: A School-Based Toolkit (Grades 9 to 12)
  • Understanding Substance Use: Educator's guide (Grades 6 to 12)
  • Weed out the Myths: Resource for students in grades 6-12

*Resources available through your public health nurse.

Discovering You! Grade 5 resource

  • Student workbook: English | French
  • Teacher companion guide: English | French
Helpful links
  • Canada’s Lower-Risk Cannabis Use Guidelines (LRCUG)
  • Canadian Centre for Addiction and Substance Use
  • Canadian Centre on Substance Use & Addiction (CCSA): Talking pot with youth: A cannabis communication guide for youth allies
  • Canadian students for sensible drug policy: Sensible cannabis education: A toolkit for educating youth
  • Cannabis use among Durham Region students, grades 9-12
  • Cannabis: What parents/guardians and caregivers need to know
  • Drug Free Kids Canada: The cannabis talk kit: Know how to talk to your teen
  • Government of Ontario: Cannabis
  • Health Canada: Cannabis in Canada: Get the facts
  • Kids Help Phone: Cannabis: Important things to know
  • Ministry of Education: Cannabis information & resources for educators
  • My Toolkit Substance Use Education Module
  • Ontario Physical & Health Education Association (OPHEA): Teaching tools - Cannabis education resources
  • Prescription opioids information sheets for educators, parents and youth: English | French
  • Standards for School-Based Youth Substance Use Prevention
  • The Blunt Truth: Useful tips about safer ways to use cannabis (Youth LRCUG)
  • The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Sun safety

Helpful links

Sunsense Program

Register your school for SunSense to gain access to a variety of free downloadable resources related to sun safety education, policy development and shade.

Other

  • Be Sun Safe (Canadian Cancer Society)
  • SunSmart

Tobacco and vaping

Curriculum support
  • Educator guide
  • Know the law!
    Pamphlet | Poster | Card
  • Poster
  • School announcements
Helpful links
  • Canadian Paediatric Society- Caring for Kids: Talking to your teen about vaping
  • Consider the consequences of vaping
  • Government of Ontario
  • Health Canada
  • Health Canada: Talking with your teen about vaping: A tip sheet for parents
  • Health Canada Vaping and the Consequences
  • Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada
  • Not an Experiment
  • Quit4Life facilitators page
  • Talk About Series - The Lung Association

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