St. Mary Wellness Day

Ecole St. Mary school promoted students’ sense of belonging and wellbeing through a Wellness Day initiative. This event focused on enhancing students’ wellness by offering various facilitators, presenters, and activities designed to help students learn how to support themselves, understand their brain and body, engage in supportive activities, and explore community resources.

During the Wellness Day, the keynote speaker from the Gambling Awareness Program discussed the impacts of social media, gaming, and technology use on wellness. The sessions included mindfulness, yoga, expressive art therapy, grounding oneself in nature through a scavenger hunt, Indigenous games, Land-based learning and medicines, positive self-talk, the influence of faith on wellness, establishing and communicating boundaries in relationships, interactions with a Kids Help Phone counsellor, and insights into high school life from a high school student and facilitator.

Ecole St. Mary has always placed importance on students’ wellbeing and belonging. This year was no different, with one of the school-wide goals being to foster greater inclusion, belonging, and well-being among our staff and students. Nathanial Yule stated, “When students feel like they belong and have a good relationship with school, it helps reduce the likelihood that a student will experience bullying and exclusion. When bullying is reduced, it helps increase students’ wellbeing.”

The Wellness Day initiative clearly demonstrated Ecole St. Mary’s dedication to nurturing a supportive and inclusive environment. By providing students with tools and knowledge to enhance their wellbeing, the school continues to foster a community where everyone feels valued and connected.