Dear GPS families,

 

One of our three Institutional Goals is to celebrate the whole girl by promoting wellness, character, and individuality. The GPS Health and Wellness team partners with students, parents, and faculty to bring awareness to overall health in our school community. We help each girl in our community to find confidence in herself, know her worth, balance self-regulation with risk-taking, and thrive both personally and academically.

Members of our Health and Wellness team include school counselors, who provide support and important programming specific to the needs of girls surrounding mental health and emotional growth, and our Learning Specialists, who support girls who may need additional academic support. We also have a school nurse to care for any girls with physical ailments during the day, and our Dean of Health and Wellness works closely with our team to promote physical activity and movement, encouraging both girls and faculty across the campus to become engaged with activities that promote overall healthy lifestyles.    

This fall we have multiple events and opportunities for girls to explore topics of mental health, overall wellness and physical care. Next week we will kick off a week of wellness with yoga all day in the main gym on Monday, September 16. Girls and faculty are encouraged to come during a free period and take some time to refocus, breathe, and move. The Center for Health and Wellness will be fully stocked with healthy snacks and tips from our experts on nutrition, sleep, and lifestyle habits that lead to stress reduction and increased productivity. 

In partnership with McCallie, we will welcome Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary to the Frierson Theatre on Tuesday evening, September 17, at 7 p.m. She is a researcher, author, psychologist, and neuroscientist who specializes in the area of anxiety. Dr. Dennis-Tiwary wrote the book Future Tense, and has been featured throughout the media, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, ABC, CBS, CNN, the Today show, and Bloomberg Television. Dr. Dennis-Tiwary will speak to students in eighth through 12th grades the following day, addressing the important topics of perfectionism and test anxiety, giving girls concrete strategies to use.  

Be on the lookout for more events this fall that include a vaccine clinic, blood drive, lung cancer awareness month in November, and more wellness days in December as we head into the holidays and exams.  

We hope to see you soon at one of these events,