Celebrating Movement: A Journey Through Mental Health Awareness Week

Celebrating Movement through Mental Health Awareness Week 2024

I am thrilled to share with you the highlights of our Mental Health Awareness Week 2024. This year’s theme was “Movement: moving more for our mental health”, and it was truly inspiring to see our school community come together to embrace this theme.

Our KS3 students started each day positively by contributing to a Gratitude Wall/Poster, jotting down what they were grateful for. This simple act of acknowledging the good in our lives can have a profound impact on our mental health.

We also had Emotion Charades, where students acted out different emotions, and their peers guessed what they were. This fun activity helped students better understand and express their feelings.

Journaling Reflections was another activity that encouraged students to reflect on their experiences with movement and mindfulness throughout the week. They pondered on how different forms of movement made them feel and how they could incorporate more mindful movement into their daily lives for improved mental health.

We introduced some super easy stretches that students could do right at their desks. Neck rolls, shoulder rolls, wrist stretches, upper back stretches, and seated twists, helping everyone stay relaxed and focused throughout the day.

Our KS4 students also participated in the Gratitude Wall/Poster and Journaling Reflections activities. They also completed an Active Quiz, where they had to perform a physical activity to answer each question.

Our older students incorporated Mindful Movement Breaks into their study periods, including stretching and deep breathing exercises. These breaks were great for staying energised and focused, proving that a little movement goes a long way.

Our incredible staff really stepped up to make lunchtimes special. From stepping into the rhythm of dance with Ms Cameron, wandering with nature with Mr Underwood, going for a sponsored walk or jog with Mr Griffiths, to exercising their minds in quick-thinking challenges with Mr Kench in the Brain Olympics!

And let’s not forget the wonderful massages that Oakland’s College students provided our staff for their wellbeing. It was a much deserved moment of relaxation and rejuvenation!

It has been a wonderful week. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for supporting Mental Health Awareness Week 2024.

Mrs Rajdev