Health & Wellness

In the Lower School, it is our belief that addressing students’ social and emotional health is an essential component of their experience at Greenwich Academy. Social skills, identifying and regulating emotions, conflict resolution, and building a Growth Mindset are just a few of the areas that we focus on, through individual, small group, and classroom lessons.  

During Middle School, a time of significant physical, emotional, and developmental change, our program promotes self-respect, empathy, healthy decision-making skills, emotional regulation, and positive relationships. We emphasize social-emotional learning in our individual and group interactions on a daily basis, as well as on an ongoing collaborative level with faculty, staff, and parents.

In Upper School, health and wellness focuses on supporting students as they navigate a sense of self and identity development. We provide safe spaces for our adolescents to explore and process their emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual self. Identifying values, maintaining healthy relationships, expressing and managing emotions, and decision-making skills, are some of the topics included in our signature programming along with an emphasis on self-care and compassion.

Programs include:

• Lower School: our conflict resolution program, HELPS
• Middle School: Stressbusters groups, empathy workshops
• Upper School: School Participatory Action Research Collaborative (SPARC) student wellness groups

Beginning in the Lower School, and continuing throughout their tenure at GA, students participate in health and wellness education that is constantly evaluated and evolving as the needs of the girls change. Through discussion and interactive class activities, the curriculum is carefully planned, and includes developmentally appropriate materials covering health, wellness, and  interpersonal skills. Additionally, guest speakers, advisory activities, and supplemental programs are offered throughout the year to further assist the girls in developing the skills and resiliency to become self-advocates, form healthy habits and relationships, and make good decisions for themselves.

Programs include:

• Freedom From Chemical Dependency
• Body image panel/presentations
• iPause week
• Empathy workshops

GA offers numerous opportunities for students to develop their physical health throughout their tenure at the school. Whether through physical education, athletics, or dance, we firmly believe in the widely used axiom: healthy in body—healthy in mind. We delve into this more deeply though opportunities in meditation, mental imagery, mindfulness, and yoga, with the goal of improving health and performance. Students are supported in these efforts with certified athletic trainers to aid in injury prevention and rehabilitation.

Our learning specialists and psychologists work collaboratively with teachers, parents, and outside providers to develop and implement the most appropriate supports and interventions for students who require additional academic support. In addition, they work individually and in small groups with students and oversee all standardized testing. The learning specialists develop educational plans and accommodations for students with documented learning challenges and refer students for outside evaluations and treatment when necessary.