On Thursday, May 2, Belmont Day was represented at the AISNE Health and Wellness Conference in Norwood by food program director Tara Lightbody, second grade teacher Nancy Fell, physical education teacher and mindfulness director Alex Tzelnic, school psychologist Arlene Silva, school counselor Josh Sussman, and third grade teacher Leigh Twarog.
The tone for the day was set by the author Lisa Baylis’ keynote on the need and power of self-compassion. The team returned with several copies of her book, Self Compassion for Educators; Mindful Practices to Awaken Your Well-Being and Grow Resilience to reference and share.
The team attended many sessions led by peer educators that included: A Deep Dive into Thriving through Uncertainty; How Innovative Schools Are Addressing Social Media, Current Events, and Tech; Empowering Students to Take the Wheel in Cultivating Wellness; Mindfulness-Based Self-Regulation for Resilience and Performance; Sorting it Out: Identify your Wellness Priorities; Teaching the Science of Happiness in Independent Schools.
The group spent the day bonding with each other and networking with educators from peer schools and returned with new tools to support the health and wellness of the Belmont Day community. The participants are grateful to BDS for supporting their participation in this conference and look forward to spreading the positive and healing energy present throughout the experience.
