Investing in Mental Health

IT HAS BEEN critical for Bialik to continue to acknowledge the mental health challenges our students experienced during the pandemic and the lingering impact on their social and academic lives. This has been top of mind for teachers interacting daily with their students as well as in the work done by our support teams at both branches.

“We have invested in a second full-time School Social Worker, improving the social-worker-to-student ratio at our Viewmount Branch significantly, so that we could provide more students with access to mental health support,” shares Viewmount Branch Principal Jake Gallinger.

Teachers continue to explore various Social Emotional Learning strategies for use in all areas of school and, with the support of our partners at UJA, all staff were offered the opportunity to participate in a full-day Mental Health First Aid for Youth Training Course led by the Mental Health Commision of Canada.

Grade 8 Quebec City Trip

and had a traditional, authentic Quebec dining and dancing experience. New friendships were made, along with memories that will last a lifetime.

Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month

Joining the Social Action Squad

BUILDING ON THE success of our previous Social Action in Action program, in the fall, Bialik was thrilled to launch the Social Action Squad program for families with students in Grades 2-8. Based on the value of Tikkun Olam, the Social Action Squad’s goal is to provide engaging hands-on volunteer experiences for the whole family to support charities throughout the GTA. For the first event of the year, in collaboration with B’nai Brith Canada, a full house of parents and children gathered to pack Chanukah bags with goods for seniors in need. Students were delighted to make Chanukah cards and beaded keychains to help bring light to each recipient along with their Chanukah goodies and new winter accessories.

FOR THE FIRST time, Bialik marked Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month (JDAIM), raising awareness and championing the rights of all Jews to be accepted and included in all aspects of life. Highlights included the Senior Division JDAIM conference — Striving for Inclusion — featuring speakers from Canadian Friends of Shalva, Holland Bloorview, Beit Issie Shapiro and more. This conference gave our students the opportunity to hear and be inspired by human rights and special-needs advocates, medical experts and leaders in the not-for-profit sector.

The intention is for JDAIM to be a call to action; for students to become aware of their actions — large and small — that can make the world a kinder place. In our Primary Division, students enjoyed a special literacy evening, reading Dana Geall’s book, See Me For Me. The range of perspectives energized students with a strong desire to make a difference and create a kinder world.