by Brenda Perkins
Dear Parents,
During the past month, Grade 8 wellness classes have focused on the theme of “responsible decision making”, which has included discussions about love and relationships, human reproductive anatomy, and what criteria can be used to make healthy decisions. This also included a recent visit by a representative from Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD), who led discussions about substance abuse prevention.
Over the next several weeks, we will continue our learning on making safe and healthy choices in regards to sexual health. The comprehensive sexual education curriculum at ISB asks students to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of physical, emotional, social, and psychological factors that need to be considered when making decisions related to sexual health.
- Identify and explain factors that can affect an individual’s decisions about sexual activity, and identifying sources of support regarding sexual health.
- Demonstrate an understanding of aspects of sexual health and safety, including contraception and condom use for pregnancy and STI prevention, the concept of consent; and matters to consider and skills needed to use to make safe and healthy decisions about sexual activity.
If you have any questions or concerns about these topics and your child, please contact your child’s Wellness teacher or the grade 8 counselor, Jackie Greenwood.