TFS - Canada's International School

Putting Our Students at the Centre of Wellness Creating a healthy foundation for each student at TFS goes a long way towards making sure they thrive. Recently, we spoke to Rachel Pipher, a social worker and member of e Learning Forum, who described what building blocks they are puing in place to promote student well-being. *Laurie. A Schriener, PhD, Professor, Department of Higher Education, School of Behavioural and Applied Sciences, Azusa Pacific University TFS: What's important in setting up students so that they thrive both in their school environment and outside of it? Rachel Pipher (RP): We've been doing a lot of investigation into the components of thriving as it's currently being articulated. Affiliated with the school of positive psychology, and well documented in an article by Laurie A. Schriener* ("The Thriving Quotient: A New Vision for Student Success"), it can be characterized by these three areas: academic, that is, demonstrating engaged learning and academic determination; intrapersonal, having a healthy attitude towards oneself, life and the learning process, and; interpersonal, having healthy relationships and connections to others, community and diverse citizenship, which Dr. Schriener calls, "a complex combination of an openness and valuing of differences in others, an interest in relating to others from diverse backgrounds, a desire to make a contribution in the world and the confidence to do so." TFS: What programs do we already have in place to support the three categories you outlined above? RP: The ecosystem that exists at TFS, which is based on a foundation of classroom instruction and specialized support activities from Learning Forum staff, seeks to encourage all three elements for students to thrive. Under that umbrella we have guidance counsellors, learning specialists, the university counselling team and [those with] knowledge of community resources, and all of those [people] form a network that connects to all of the teachers. We create teams to address the needs of individual students and look for the best fit for each student, the best approach in terms of supporting them. Guidance classes are part of the curriculum beginning in Grade 2 on both campuses, and this continues through Level V, though it takes on different forms as students get older. So in addition to academic skills such as organization and time management, at the Senior School we teach them about mindfulness, nutrition and more. And the learning specialists run the peer mentoring program. [Read more about our peer mentoring program next!] A new program that we started piloting in January 2023 is the peer support program. Developed by the guidance team with my support, we train interested students in Levels IV and V to work with students in Grade 6 who are asking for that support. Grade 6 was selected because it's the initial transition year into the Senior School. The peer supporters undergo two- part training to equip them with the knowledge of what is within and outside the scope of their care, and when to escalate support by having the student they are supporting connect with their guidance counsellor. The conversations typically include how things are going at school, home and with their peers. The idea for the program is to give Level IV and V students the opportunity to share their experiences of when they were at that age, and to demystify the Senior School and allow the Grade 6s to see what school life will look like for them four, five years ahead. TFS: A lot of what you've talked about has a very strong connection to students' home lives. How does The Learning Forum get parents involved as partners in their children's education? RP: It is no secret that the care, response and interest that parents show towards their children is foundational to their well-being. Anything TFS staff can do for students is in partnership with parents' desires for their children's best interests and well-being. Our efforts to partner with parents are part of our everyday work at The Learning Forum, but the Thriving Beyond TFS Parent Series is an example of a resource we have built to increase dialogue, knowledge, communication and care for students. It includes speakers, such as the recent discussion on "A Healthier Approach to Post-Secondary Admissions," and workshops, and we'll be doing a book study, too, on how to raise an adult. Rachel Pipher Social worker and Learning Forum team member TFS 33

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