NEW LEGACY CHARTER CHARTER SCHOOL INSTITUTE
12
NEW LEGACY CHARTER CHARTER SCHOOL INSTITUTE
HEALTH AND WELLNESS IS INTEGRATED INTO SYSTEMS AND CULTURE
New Legacy is a small charter school serving pregnant and parenting teens , and their children , in its on-site Early Learning Center . Its vision is that young families create a legacy of education that leads to a compelling career , financial independence , and positive parenting . Students are prepared for college , and at the same time , they learn skills to be good parents to their children . New Legacy successfully integrated health and wellness into school systems and culture . Here are some examples of how that integration was achieved :
• A full time Director of Health and Wellness on staff ;
• A health and wellness committee guided the health efforts of the school for over a year before its opening . The committee transitioned to a team of schoolbased teachers , staff , and students , supported by an advisory group ;
• All students participate in health , fitness , and parenting classes throughout the year . These are standards-based , have regular assessments , and are taught by qualified teachers who receive periodic professional development ;
• Enlisted the help and commitment of many partners who believe in the efforts as a school ;
• Administrative commitment to the Unified Improvement Plan , Strategic Plan , and in budgeting for staff and support for healthy activities ;
• Served healthy snacks of fruits , vegetables , granola bars to all students in addition to healthy meals ;
• Signage around the school building promoted healthy activities and have quarterly health goals where advisory groups compete to show who has the best efforts ;
• Used health surveys and conferences to understand students individually ;
• Promoted school-wide awareness of the effects of trauma in order to be sensitive and respond appropriately to students and help to prevent further crisis ; and ,
• Supported the health of staff — encouraged personal health goals , offered education , coaching and opportunities for self-care , all to prevent burnout .
In addition to these items , the school ’ s strategic plan emphasized the commitment to wrap-around support for physical and mental health services so that students could achieve education goals . New Legacy is opening doors for promising futures . In 2016 , New Legacy achieved a 75 % graduation rate , double the national average for teen parents .