The health curriculum at SAAS is designed to give students the tools and information needed to navigate the challenges and opportunities of modern adolescence. Students are required to take a trimester-long health class in their 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grades that will explore facets of social, emotional and physical health. Throughout the health curriculum students will self-reflect, develop self awareness, and build decision making skills that allow them to positively impact themselves and their communities.
In Middle School health classes, students learn how to develop healthy behaviors and habits, as well as the structure and function of the underlying human body systems that support their health. Students will learn about nutrition, exercise, mindfulness and meditation, social media use, healthy relationships, identity, hygiene, communicable diseases, CPR/AED training, substance use and sexual education.
Upper School health classes at SAAS build on the foundation started in the middle school to provide greater depth into anatomy, social wellness, identity, relationships, and drugs and alcohol. Students will use methods and information from the social and biological sciences, critically analyze media content, and participate in guided self-reflection. Students will continue to understand and strengthen their own decision making processes about personal and community health.
Relationships are at the core of the school experience. Students learn the features of healthy relationships and conflict management. They take on different perspectives, understanding bystander responsibilities and how to navigate complex social situations. In high school, students further develop their understanding of both platonic and romantic relationships, understanding boundaries, consent, and sexual assault.
The use of social media is ubiquitous throughout the middle school and high school. Given the prevalence of these tools, SAAS health will prepare students to understand the relationship between social media and their social and emotional health. Students will discuss bullying, body image, and media messaging around gender, identity, sex, drugs and alcohol.
In Middle School, students will build a basic understanding of human anatomy, body systems, and the habits they can form to maintain a healthy body. Students will investigate digestion, nutrition, the cardiovascular system and disease prevention. In high school, students will learn about the immune system, nervous system, and brain development.
