Mental Health and Well-Being

Good mental health is an important foundation to learning.

At KCS we understand that one of the best ways to help our students achieve mental wellness is to openly talk about it and work to end the stigma. To help us achieve this goal, we make use of a number of different mental health education strategies.
 
At the core are our Habits of Mind, Body, and Action and the three school rules, which help to provide balance, enable resilience, and create a common language that we can use to talk about what our students are experiencing and what they can do to help themselves and each other.
 
Students in JK- Grade 8 take part in the Second Step program, which teaches social skills, relationship building, conflict resolution, and anti-bullying. In the Senior School, all students meet each week with a dedicated Faculty Advisor who provides guidance and instruction as relevant to support student success.  As part of the Advisory Program, the Director of Student and Community Well-Being will regularly assist with instruction in social-emotional learning, mental health, and well-being.

We also have our Encouraging Dialogue Speakers Series, where we focus on topics related to well-being in order to better educate our wider school community.  
 
Finally, most of our teaching and non-teaching staff are certified in Mental Health First Aid, a 16-hour course provided by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Additionally, our Director of Student and Community Well-Being is a Certified Canadian Counsellor (C.C.C.) as well as an experienced educator. A huge part of her job is to address the needs of the students and provide them support and guidance.

Working in partnership with the Director of Student and Community Well-Being, the Senior School Director of Guidance provides support to teachers and students in academics, executive functioning, and well-being.
 
We want our students to learn and be successful in life. But more importantly, we want them to be happy and healthy individuals.