Back-to-school means back-to-wellness as Viewpoint’s faculty and staff prepare its curriculum for the new 2024-25 academic year.

Inspired by Head of School Mark McKee’s dedication to a wellness curriculum, the Schuman Family Foundation demonstrated its support with a major multi-year gift to further bolster the School’s program. With a close eye on this country’s wellness crisis among young people, and the need to more proactively address the mental health and well-being of its students, Viewpoint developed a comprehensive TK-12 program in 2021. Its pioneering approach in the independent school community has attracted the attention of private and family foundations, including the Edward E. Ford Foundation and now the Schuman Family Foundation.

“At Viewpoint, we focus on the whole child and by fostering a culture of wellness, we ensure they can thrive academically, emotionally, and socially while they’re on our campus, and when they graduate,” said Mark McKee, President and Head of School at Viewpoint. “I am overjoyed that forward-thinking foundations have prioritized student wellness in their philanthropy and have chosen to invest in Viewpoint’s successful approach.”

Led by Rebecca Heller, Director of Student Wellness, the programming includes daily emotional check-ins for lower grades, called Responsive Classroom; human development discussion groups in the Upper School covering topics such as body positivity, active listening, resilience, and more; access to caring counselors; the implementation of the Authentic Connections Student Survey; and the creation of a highly successful Student Wellness Ambassador Group in the Upper School.

"Our curriculum was informed by concerning data showing increased levels of anxiety and depression among young people during and after the pandemic,” said Heller. “We're so happy to see these numbers have dropped for our students over the past two years.”

With this major gift from the Schuman Family Foundation, the program will receive significant funds for the next three years to underwrite its essential components and expand its reach and impact.

“We believe that taking care of the world around us means inspiring people, by nurturing what inspires them,” said Laura Schuman, President, Schuman Family Foundation. “Investing in programs that embody this cycle of hope and well-being has the potential to make a positive impact on every generation. Since a mindful approach to student success is a core part of the culture at Viewpoint, their Wellness initiative is essential to support.”

The Schuman Family Foundation’s vision is to engage humanity in creating a collective harmonious future. Their work spans several key philanthropic pillars that range from the natural world to human connection. The foundation’s support of Viewpoint’s program, alongside UCLA’s Semel Institute of Neuroscience & Human Behavior, is part of their ongoing commitment to promote wellness by amplifying the importance of mental health. When people understand themselves and each other, they also believe in and seek out possibilities. The natural and promising result is a school community that grows and thrives.

"We're incredibly grateful for the generous support from the Schuman Family Foundation. This commitment will allow us to build upon the success of our wellness program, which was initially kick-started by a grant we received in 2021 from the Edward E. Ford Foundation,” shared Heller. “With this new funding, we'll be able to continue our initiatives, reach more students, and make an even greater impact on their mental health and overall wellness."

We are deeply appreciative of the Foundation's commitment to advancing student well-being, bringing us one step closer to our vision of Viewpoint becoming a national leader in TK-12 student wellness.

Tune in Now to “On Point: Words of Wellness”

In the latest episode of “On Point,” sponsored by the Schuman Family Foundation, Head of School Mark McKee and Director of Student Wellness Rebecca Heller talk one-on-one about why wellness programs in schools matter. Hear about how educators are addressing the mental health and well-being of their students, and why it’s capturing the attention of private and family foundations. Mark and Rebecca reflect on the evolution of Viewpoint’s comprehensive TK-12 wellness program, and share trends they’re seeing in this space, especially among students in high-achieving schools. You don’t want to miss their “words of wellness” and vision for the future of student wellness at Viewpoint, thanks to the generous support from the Schuman Family Foundation.

You also can find the On Point podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Viewpoint School channel on YouTube, and at viewpoint.org/onpoint.

All school year, Viewpoint has been focused on teaching students the power of being intentional about how, when, and how much to use technology. As part of this theme of intentionality, the school has provided resources, hosted speakers, and addressed the drawbacks of mindless tech consumption.

This spring, Viewpoint launched its first-ever Intentional Tech (IT) Weekends, inviting the entire community to commit to "lower technology" or "no technology" weekends on March 2-3 and April 19-21

Gayle Cole, Director of Digital Learning, said, "We really encouraged our community to find balance through increased offline engagement. Data shows that breaking free from constant connectivity can enhance mental well-being, improve sleep, and increase productivity."

During IT weekends, students and their families were encouraged to embrace outdoor activities such as taking a long walk or hike, playing a game of basketball, participating in community events, playing board games instead of video games, or visiting a local library to explore a new book. 

“Our IT Weekends aren’t about abstaining from all technology use for the entire weekend or skipping school work that requires technology. Instead, it's about making intentional choices,” added Cole. “Whether it's three hours offline, six hours, or an entire day, it's about planning ahead and using technology consciously.”

Gayle emphasized that the weekend also was a way to involve families, encouraging them to have discussions and make intentional choices about technology together.

"It starts at home," she said. "While educators discuss developmental readiness and appropriateness, as a school community of families, we understand the influence of modeling behavior. We want to empower families to start thinking about this from an early age and to integrate it into their ongoing dialogue."

Families received planners prior to each IT weekend, and afterward, students had the opportunity to share their reflections on the experience.

One student expressed, "My dad and I got a lot more bonding time. Our entire family played frisbee, went on hikes, and ate delicious food. I feel like before we did this I would have never experienced so much with my family."

Another student shared, "Honestly, after I got used to it, it felt freeing not to be uselessly staring at my phone - to have a damaging cycle broken."

“I noticed that I got more sleep and felt more productive,” added another student.

As summer approaches, we urge our community to maintain tech mindfulness and nurture healthy habits. Parents and guardians are invited to join the Common Sense Media webinar "Taming Your Family's Tech Use This Summer" with Dr. Jacqueline Nesi and Dr. Emily Weinstein on Tuesday, May 21 at 9:00 a.m. You can register here to watch it live and access the recording.

The list of educational challenges from this past year is long – too much screen time, distractions at home, and an ever-present concern over the health and well-being of our community, families, and friends.

Yet as challenging as remote learning has been, I am an optimist. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a “silver lining” as a consoling or hopeful prospect. There have been many silver linings to remote learning -- our libraries have seen an increase in circulation of e-book and audiobooks, we have added to our digital resource holdings to include streaming video products and additional academic databases, and we are experiencing an even higher level of teacher-librarian collaboration. 

I reached out to several Viewpoint colleagues to collect their “Remote Learning Silver Linings.” 
 

Personal Connections

Middle and Upper School Social Studies teacher Cynthia Ambriz shared that “one real benefit I’ve found is utilizing breakout rooms for private or one-on-one conversations. While I love and miss the randomness of not knowing who might pop into a classroom during Conference Period or I-block, the convenience of being able to just pull one person to a private space to chat has helped both with academic struggles and building personal relationships.” 

Similarly, Lower School librarian Michele Shumow says Zoom’s gallery view allows her to greet each child by name. Instead of Lower School students leaving the library all at once, many students now linger to gather personal book recommendations.

Unique Programming and Cross-Divisional Opportunities 

Middle and Upper School Choral Director Carrie Dietsch appreciates that she has been given increased opportunities to bring Grades 6-12 students together. In I-Block, our Middle and Upper School community hour, her department scheduled special programs with Broadway actors and music directors in New York City. This included a memorable session with emerging Broadway performer and alumna, Satori Folkes-Stone ’14. Music teachers have offered cross-divisional activities like songwriting workshops and student showcases.

Similarly, the library team hosted four virtual author visits in May, and three more in the fall. Middle and Upper School students welcomed two authors assigned in Viewpoint’s English curriculum, and grades 4-8 met two popular Newberry Award winners. Zoom provided the opportunity to “visit” with writers and illustrators in their art studios and personal writing spaces, enhancing the author experience.

Social and Emotional Benefits

While there has been a heightened concern about mental health, Remote Learning has invigorated us to focus on wellness in new and creative ways. Thanks to Viewpoint’s counseling and wellness team, there have been increased offerings for students and families, more frequent conversations around mental health at faculty meetings, and newly formed support networks.

Remote Learning has created more personal and family time. For instance, multiple studies have shown that teens need more sleep. Viewpoint’s remote learning schedule is able to include later start times, and without their commutes, students have a better chance to get the rest they need.

Belinda Eleftheriades writes that teaching online has “allowed my students to see my human side. They see my kids pop in occasionally and realize that I’m mothering while teaching. It has allowed a more authentic connection and understanding that makes learning so much more organic.”

On a professional level, teachers report enhanced team teaching, and they benefit from the ongoing support from Viewpoint’s IT team, Tech Integration Specialists, and Remote Learning Fellows.

Breaking the Script

In The Power of Moments, Chip and Dan Heath write that “just by breaking routines, we can create more peaks.” This is true for Belinda Eletheriades, who writes that “the major silver lining, not only for me, but I imagine for a lot of people, is that we had to reformat our curriculum and think about what is most essential,” adding “which is something we should be doing every year anyway.” 

It is evident that our resilient colleagues have found ways to turn “pits into peaks.” As we enter 2021, we might feel exhausted yet cautiously optimistic.

On a recent Zoom, Viewpoint parent and physician Dr. William Go thankfully stated that “the end is in sight.” With that in mind, how will we hold the silver linings of remote learning in our pockets as we navigate our path back to full-time, in-person school?