Health Education

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION

The Department of Health Education offers the students of Port Washington significant and meaningful experiences in Health Education. The curriculum focuses on providing students with the knowledge and tools to shape their lifestyles to be healthy and productive in current and future years.

The teaching staff is extremely knowledgeable in the curriculum and its associated lesson activities. They possess a passion for teaching health and also for making connections with their students in a collaborative effort to prepare them for today’s current health trends and future lifestyle challenges. The staff offers students many in-class and out-of-class activities that reinforce the foundations and concepts of the curriculum content.

It is the goal of the staff that all students leave the Port Washington School District with the knowledge and ability to live long, happy, and healthy lives for years to come. You are encouraged to use the links below to survey the health education program or to answer any questions you may have.

HEALTH EDUCATION OUTLINE

Elementary K–5

GRADE 7 – HEALTH EDUCATION OUTLINE

Scope and Content

Unit 1 – Introduction: Getting Started

Unit 2 – The Health Triangle

Unit 3 – Feeling Good

• Personality

• Feelings

• Self-esteem

• Stress

• Mental Health

• Mental Illness

Unit 4 – Getting Along with Others

• Communication

• Friendship

• Conflict Resolution

• Sexual Harassment

Unit 5 – Figuring Out What’s Best for Me

• Goal Setting

• Decision Making

• Community Health Resources

Unit 6 – Disease Prevention

• Communicable Diseases

• Non-Communicable Diseases

• AIDS Education

• Quackery

Unit 7 – Recognizing Influences

• Peer Pressure Resistance Skills

• Tobacco

• Alcohol

• Other Drugs of Abuse

Unit 8 – Adolescent Growth and Change

• Puberty

• Male Reproductive System

• Female Reproductive System

• Contraception and Abstinence

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases

9th GRADE HEALTH EDUCATION OUTLINE

Personal Safety

• Thrills and Skills

• Self-Awareness

• Goal Setting

• Tolerance and Respect

• Managing Myself (Time, Anger, and Stress)

• Resolving Conflicts Peacefully

• Anti-Bullying

• Internet Safety – Cyberbullying

• Risky Behaviors and Risk Assessment

• Community Health Resources

Substance Abuse Prevention

• Decision Making Skills

• Alcohol

• Tobacco

• Other Drugs of Abuse

• Understanding Addiction and Rehabilitation

Family Dynamics

• Family Role

• Cultural Diversity

• Parent–Teen Communication

• Child Abuse Prevention

• Coping with Family Problems (Divorce, Death, Illness, etc.)

Wellness

• Nutrition

• Nutritional Disorders

• Interpreting Food Labels

• Components of Fitness

• Developing a Personal Eating and Exercise Program

Sexuality

• Decision Making

• Abstinence

• Date Rape

• Relationships

• AIDS and STDs

• Pregnancy Prevention

• Sexual Harassment

Community Service Activities

• School Beautification Project

• Donation of Old Cell Phones

• Food Drives

11th GRADE HEALTH EDUCATION OUTLINE

CPR Unit
The goal of this unit is to provide the student with a basic understanding of cardiovascular disease, risk factors, prevention, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Heimlich Maneuver skills are developed and American Heart Association Heartsaver AED certification is awarded.

Mental Health
The goal of this unit is to provide students the opportunity to develop a better understanding of their behavior and their adjustments to life situations. Problems such as suicide, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, depression, family conflicts, stress, violence, peer pressure, low self-esteem, and mental illness are discussed. Emphasis is placed upon developing positive problem-solving techniques and effective coping skills. Professional help and other school and community resources for mental health problems are outlined. In addition, an introduction to the psychosocial aspects of death and dying is presented.

Substance Abuse
The goal of this unit is to present the students with a variety of facts, attitudes, values, and behaviors regarding drug use, non-use, and abuse that will enable them to make constructive health decisions.

• Smoking and Related Diseases – A comprehensive study of the effects of smoking and the immediate and long-term hazards to one’s health status. Techniques on how to quit smoking are presented. A study of the related respiratory diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular diseases is discussed.

• Alcohol – This unit is a study of the physical, psychological, and social causes and consequences of alcohol abuse. Topics such as peer pressure, decision-making, and drunk driving are included. The disease of alcoholism is discussed, and treatment programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Alateen are presented.

• Other Common Drugs of Abuse – The problems of use and abuse of marijuana, narcotics, hallucinogens, stimulants, depressants and inhalants, steroids, and designer drugs.

Human Sexuality
This unit is designed to assist students in developing responsible, positive, and accepting attitudes and behaviors about their own sexuality and that of others. A study of reproductive biology (including conception through delivery), family planning, psychosexual development, decision-making skills, and date rape prevention are presented. Abstinence is emphasized as a preventative measure for sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy.