The Sooke School District recently launched a new healthy schools section on their website.
Among the resources are projects highlighted from different schools, including journal entries from Sangster elementary, found under the stories tab. They highlight some of the adventures that vice-principal Jeff Baxter’s Grade 4/5 class have had in neighbouring Royal Roads University’s forest.
Baxter takes his students into the forest as a way to identify with “things we just pass by everyday and don’t notice.”
He said time in the forest also helps calm the students, helping them learn better, also to develop a connection with their surroundings. This is evident in their online journal entries, which talk about things they’ve learned about, such as nursing logs.
But the healthy school website isn’t just about promoting initiatives like Baxter’s outdoor learning approach. It allows those lessons to be brought home, where they can be continued.
“One reason we’re doing it is to educate parents on the language we’re using in the schools,” said School District 62 assistant superintendent Roberta Kubik. The website is “a place where the community can go, where parents can go” to find resources to help them promote a healthy lifestyle for all members of the household.
Before the new site officially went live, Kubik gave some of the featured classes a sneak preview. “These kids are so excited their work is getting published,” she said, adding it was being shared around the world.
To view the students’ work and learn more, go to healthyschools.sd62.bc.ca.
katie@goldstreamgazette.com