At Episcopal School of Jacksonville, a Health, Safety, and Well-Being (HSW) program is in its third year and incorporates speakers, community partnerships, parent education, and more to address relevant topics and promote care of our community.

The planning for a student event was complete when we left for Spring Break and our 9th grade Freshman Seminar students were all ready to host a Health Fair for the student body. With the school closed and remote learning in full effect, we kept the HSW time slot in the student schedule and adapted the event to allow for independent participation. Remote learning has required us all to adapt and adjust to new circumstances. Adapting our Health, Safety, and Well-Being event for remote learning made sense, too.

For our first remote HSW event, we asked students, faculty, staff, and alumni to spend the pre-scheduled time enjoying an activity that promotes Health, Safety, and Well-Being, and to tag it on social media with #esjhswremote (check us out on Facebook and Instagram). We have loved seeing the many ways students addressed self-care in a way that worked well for them and their particular situations. We saw everything from bicycle tricks, a kayak ride in the pool, cuddle time with pets, craft projects to gardening. Keeping the time on the student schedule was a reminder that even during remote learning, taking the time to disconnect from screens and connect with the world outside gives us all a change to refuel, refresh, and make healthy choices.