To promote healthy habits, New Hyde Park Road School hosted its second annual Wellness Week from May 9-13.

The week kicked off with the theme of “Heart Health” on Monday. Students learned about the anatomy and function of the heart, and they discussed how food and physical exercise affect the organ. They also learned about the importance of hydration. Throughout the day, students participated in heart health physical education stations outside run by Dr. Elizabeth Cotter, Molloy Nursing faculty, nursing students and parent volunteers who are nurses; tuned into a Google Meet with Adelphi University on nutrition; and answered trivia questions on hydration and heart health on the game-based online learning platform Kahoot!

On “Tasty Tuesday,” students learned about dental hygiene and healthy snacking. Students enjoyed live presentations from Capogna Orthodontics and pediatrician Dr. David Pressel. The school created a Healthy Snacks Hall of Fame, encouraging students to write the name of or draw a healthy snack on a Post-It and add it to the display.

For Wednesday, the theme was “Mental Health.” Students learned about stress and how it can affect health, as well as ways to manage it. Fifth and sixth graders had a live presentation from Laura Campbell on “Anxiety and the Brain- Challenging Negative Thoughts.” Students in Pre-K through second grade watched a video on music therapy, and students in kindergarten through fourth grade practiced yoga through a Google Meet instruction. All grade levels joined on a Google Meet to learn guided meditation and breath work.

On Thursday, the theme was “Safety.” Students learned about fire prevention, sun safety, internet safety, staying safe in the community and cyberbullying.

To conclude Wellness Week, Friday’s theme was “Physical Education: Fitness Friday.” Students learned how exercise affects overall health, the importance of being active, different types of exercise and injury reduction. In the back of the school, students participated in jump roping challenges, Double Dutch and basketball dribbling. They were assisted by students from New Hyde Park Memorial High School’s Physical Education Leadership Club. Additionally, students in grades K-4 learned martial arts techniques from representatives from Sitan Tai Chi. All students attended a live presentation by Northwell Health on injury reduction as well.