Wellness and Mindfulness

The Falk School recognizes that wellness and mindfulness are directly related to students’ physical well-being, growth, development, and readiness to learn.

Engaging in meaningful physical activity and making time for quiet and relaxation are among the school’s wishes for its children.

At Falk, wellness includes nurturing the body and the mind, fostering relationships and building self-awareness, and creating opportunities for growth in all domains of the human experience. Mindfulness focuses on understanding both the self and the world around us through quiet and compassion.

Though we believe that both wellness and mindfulness are most effectively cultivated through an immersive experience, in which students, faculty, and parents participate in many domains throughout their day, below you will find some programs that are expressly focused on fostering both of these qualities in the Falk community.

Curriculum-Based Programs

• Wellness Class
  Falk’s Middle School curriculum includes biweekly classes in wellness, with a focus on social, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Topics include nutrition, personal hygiene, communicable diseases, and the safe use of technology, as well as alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Sexuality education includes topics such as healthy relationships, consent, and media literacy in addition to birth control and sexually transmitted infections.
• Physical Education
  Falk offers physical education classes aimed at promoting the lifelong physical and mental well-being of our students. Class activities range from cooperation games, fundamental motor pattern skills, and fitness concepts to team and individual sports designed to strengthen students’ health and well-being both mentally and physically.  
• Social and Emotional Learning
  Teachers implement classroom lessons around coping skills, positive thinking, and healthy relationships throughout the year. Social and emotional wellness are also an integral piece of the counseling program at Falk. And the school’s counseling center is available to all students. 
• Yoga
  Falk provides structured weekly yoga instruction for every student, along with classroom lessons focused on mindfulness. Our hope is to gently nurture an open approach to understanding both the self and the world around us through quiet and compassion. Learn more about the Yoga and Mindfulness Curriculum below.

Extracurricular Activities

• Middle School Sports Teams
  At Falk School we believe that the skills acquired during physical activities and sports programs are as important as the skills and content gained from our academic programs. Participation in Falk team sports fosters cooperation, commitment, sportsmanship, and teamwork, and our coaches encourage students to make friends, do their best, and have fun. 
• Cooking Club
  Cooking Club offers a chance for both budding middle-school chefs and kitchen novices to gain experience and learn valuable lifetime lessons in nutrition, food preparation, and teamwork. Check out last year’s recipes here.
• Family Events at Falk
  We know that by including all members of our community, we can truly support the whole child.  Each year we offer a variety of family programs, most recently a Family Night of Mindfulness in the fall and Family Fitness Night in the spring.  Both events are a large draw and fun for all ages!
• Balance, the Falk School Faculty and Staff Wellness Initiative
  Falk employees also have the opportunity to participate in weekly activities devoted to self-care, wellness, and mindfulness. Past activities have included walking groups, boot camp classes, yoga classes, mindfulness and meditation sessions, knitting groups, book clubs, speakers and presentations, and a wellness fair. 

Primary (K-2)

The Primary curriculum is designed to introduce students in grades K-2 to the concepts of yoga and mindfulness. Each week will focus on different themes, poses, and activities that promote physical movement, emotional awareness, and relaxation techniques.

Intermediate (3-5)

The Intermediate curriculum expands upon the primary level (K-2) and deepens each student's practice through balance, strength, and basic yoga sequences. Each week, the yoga lesson is structured to engage students in activities that promote physical movement, emotional awareness, and relaxation techniques. Encouraging teamwork and social skills through partner poses and group activities will be an additional focus as students grow into navigating social dynamics.

Middle School (6-8)

The Middle School curriculum expands upon the primary (K-2) and intermediate (3-5) levels and deepens each student's physical yoga practice to include self-awareness, breathwork, mindfulness and mediation, emotional intelligence development, and community building. Twice weekly yoga lessons are structured to enhance students’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. We discuss topics related to mindfulness and learn yoga sequences.