New school year! Start your PATH to Wellness now

The start of a new school year is a good time to refocus (or start focusing) on your health and wellbeing. VEHI offers a Planned Action Towards Health (PATH) program that can help you find activities and services to fit your wellness goals to enhance or maintain a healthy lifestyle. AND...you can earn points toward a $100 gift card to LL Bean!

Each school has a wellness leader who can help you learn about and navigate these programs and help you earn points. Building Wellness Leaders for the 2019-20 are

• JFK - Nan Johnson
• WHS - Becky Savage
• Central office - Angela Moulton
• WMS - Laura Graves

What programs are available?
(Click here for the VEHI flyer) 

These programs are available right now to begin setting goals, or addressing your health needs

• Peer Coaching Course
• Progress Health Coaching
• Safety Puzzlers
• Self-Paced Adventures
• Invest EAP
• Keeping Fit
• Blue Health Solutions (VEHI subscribers only)

Programs coming soon

• Healthy Life Survey - opens October 1st
• Annual Adventure Registration - opens November 1st

What to see your building leader about

• Know Your Numbers
• Show Your Smile
• Building Leader Events

To access the VEHI PATH program, go to https://secure.tomypath.com/vehi/

1. If you have a log in ID and can not remember your password, click on "Forgot my Password" to the right of the page.
2. If you can not remember your ID, contact Jaycie Puttlitz to see if you have an account with Winooski.
3. If you are transferring from another school, contact info@ToMyPath.com and let them know your ID and which school you are transferring FROM and which school you are transferring TO.
4. If you don't have an account,  scroll down to "New to Program?", select the Winooski SD organization, and begin your registration.

Instant Pot Recipes

During Wellness Day, staff learned about cooking with the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) and shared recipes.

If you have any Instant Pot recipes to share, or want to try some ideas, use this Google Folder.

Yoga classes in Jan-Feb

Yoga with Steph is moving to MONDAYS for January and February.

Add your name to the sign up sheet if you are interested in the 6-week vinyasa yoga session on MONDAYS this Winter.

Vinyasa Yoga w/ Stephanie Steeves

Mondays

3:20pm - 4:20pm in the iLab

Jan. 7, 14 & 28; Feb. 4, 11 & 18. (SIX weeks)

($50 for the 6-wk session to be paid on first day of session. $10 drop in fee)

Sign up here

Colchester Jazzercise offers for 2018-19

Colchester Jazzercise

Located at 69 Creek Farm Road Suite 2, Colchester, VT 05446

(802)951-1133

FREE CLASSES TO EVERYONE THE REST OF 2018 
Here is the schedule link
Includes 16-21 year olds FREE through 1/15/19 ( must be in high school/college)

Jazzercise also has an ongoing offer for School personnel

$44 per month unlimited classes

CURRENT SPECIAL THRU 12/31/18 $229 for 6 months.

Purchase by 12/31/18 and starts 1/1/19.

SoulShine Yoga Discount

Here is a discount from SoulShine Power Yoga.
Be sure to bring your ID with you to receive discount.

SoulShine Yoga Website

The Edge Membership Deals for School Employees

Winooski School District Employee Discounts Available! 

SAVE  20% off The Edge Monthly Rates -OR- SAVE 35% off The Edge 12 Months Prepaid! 

 - Children 18 & under included for FREE with year prepaid
 - Children 13 & under included for FREE with monthly rate

Pricing varies on membership type and level (click on details picture below). 

Contact Mike Markee, Membership Director, for details.

The Edge in Essex

(802)879-7734 ext 1135

michaelm@edgevt.com 

Invest EAP

INVEST EAP provides in-person, confidential, short-term counseling, legal and financial advice, assessments, and resource and referral information about a broad range of life and workplace related issues.  This benefit is available to all employees and their household members.

 Visit the Invest EAP website  or call:  1-800-287-2173

Use the word "vsbit" as the organization password, when creating an account.

VEHI members may earn 50 PATHpoints for a qualifying use of their EAP benefit.  A qualifying use typically means meeting in person with an EAP counselor for approximately five sessions to work on a goal or map out a problem. 

Once you have made use of your EAP benefit you can request a voucher by email.  Send your request to:  

EAPPATHPOINTS@investeap.org

Upon receipt of a voucher number log into your PATH account and redeem it for points.

PATH Adventure is OPEN!

PATH Adventure registration is Open!

One of the programs (you can earn up to 50 points) is the 10-week PATH Adventure. This year's adventure theme is "Get a Clue." To register, sign in (or sign up!) to PATH Programs here https://tomypath.com/ Register by December 7th.
The Adventure begins January 28, 2019.

Awareness with John Grimm

John Grimm from Centerpoint spoke to the Middle School teachers during preservice about how we can stay present, effective and healthy in the work we do. He calls this "Awareness," or, where we pay attention to how we experience the work. The Awareness presentation is available here.

During a follow up session, it was suggested that if teachers can't take a lot of time to formally discuss or check in on their Awareness, that it might be easier--and just as beneficial--to take moments in meetings to do an awareness check. Especially in meetings where you may feel emotionally charged or drained.

John wrote:
For the potential prompts, I think one basic approach can be something along the lines of making a statement “Let’s do an awareness check.”  Followed up with a question like:

“What has been our internal experience (thoughts, feelings, etc) within our relationship with this particular student (or group of students)?  

How does this inform our understanding of their needs and abilities?  

How does it inform us/ me about my understanding of our/ my needs and abilities right now?  

How does it inform our understanding of the effectiveness of our/ my current plan/ intention?”
In doing these kind of awareness checks, I have found that often when folks are experiencing strong emotions/ thoughts and are not clear how it informs understanding or plan,  it may be a sign of a loss of perspective which is indicative of a need for more clarity within the Awareness realm before being able to effectively move forward with effective interventions. 

Other Resources around the concepts of self-care and awareness:

• Essay: Heart of a Teacher--Identity and Integrity in Teaching
• Audio: "The Rest Step" from NPR's I Believe segment
• Article: Getting Unhooked--Connecting with Traumatized Kids Who Push Your Buttons
• Article: The Five Myths of Self-Compassion

Yoga Classes Oct-Dec 2018

TUESDAYS
Vinyasa Yoga with Stephanie Steeves

This 8-week series starts October 23. 

Dates: Oct. 23 & 30, Nov. 6, 13 & 27, Dec. 4, 11 & 18
Tuesdays from 3:20pm-4:20pm

Location: iLab
Cost: $65 for the 8 week series, to be paid at first class.
Drop in: if you can't commit to the series, you may drop in on a class for $10 each.
Add your name to the Tuesday Vinyasa Yoga sign up CLICK HERE.

Vinyasa means “connection breath and movement.” This style of yoga will have you moving and flowing between poses with special attention to breathing. This class will be mixed levels, with options to make your yoga practice as challenging or relaxing as you'd like. 

Wear loos clothing, bring your own yoga mat, and props (blocks, bolster) if desired.