Well-Being
The greatest disease (or absence of ease) is the absence of peace; when the mind gets peace, the body also will have health. So everyone who craves for good health must pay attention to the emotions, feelings and motives that animate the individual.
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Just as you give clothes for a wash, you have to wash the mind free from dirt again and again. It should be a daily process; you should see that no dirt settles upon the mind. Falsehood, injustice, indiscipline, cruelty, hate – these form the dirt; Truth, Right Conduct, Peace, Love – these form the clean elements. ~ Sathya Sai Baba
The well-being of students is of prime importance at Sathya Sai School. All dimensions of the child are developed – physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual.
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The school day begins with a class in Sathya Sai Education in Human Values (SSEHV). The class begins with Light Meditation, followed by a quotation and discussion on one of the human values. Understanding and practicing these values has a transforming effect upon students, bringing forth their inherent goodness and holistic development.
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Physical Education and Health classes provide the student with the opportunity to develop fine and gross motor skills relevant to their age.
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Health and hygiene classes provide information on healthy eating and lifestyles.
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Mental health issues of students are supported through seminars and slide presentations by visiting clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. Stress, anxiety, sadness, and depression are discussed and students are provided with tools for dealing with these mental disorders.
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Dance classes for all students provide physical skills with a focus on rhythm, grace and music to develop the emotional and psychological aspects of the child.
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Yoga classes work on all dimensions of the child to balance and strengthen them in a harmonious way.
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Daily Light Meditation helps to clear negative thoughts and feelings, creates feelings of peace and happiness, and develops awareness of one’s spiritual nature. The light is then shared with others in an awareness of the unity of all life.
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
Learn to adapt, adjust and accommodate. Learn to give, not to take, and learn to serve, not to rule. ~ Sathya Sai Baba
Social Emotional Learning (SEL), which has become an important aspect of the Ontario Curriculum, is a major component of Sathya Sai Education of Human Values (SSEHV).
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Our Founder Chancellor Sathya Sai Baba recognized the importance of adaptability and the acceptance of Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision-Making skills as the five strong threads of education and character.
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He believed that SEL has a pivotal role in guiding students toward success. Through teaching and learning since the year 2000, our school has upheld the importance of SEL and its impact in all subjects, both academic and extra-curricular.
It is a norm to believe that SEL is difficult to incorporate into certain subjects, for example, that Math and Science topics may not be able to accommodate these very important aspects of children’s growth. On the contrary, every lesson we take provides us with ample opportunity to help children grow as responsible citizens of the world.
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No matter what the subject is, there are short- and long-term benefits of SEL. The most important one is being able to recognise one’s strengths and needs, then comes the ability to understand and accept the perspectives of others and being able to relate to them, and finally to make choices which are personally and socially beneficial. Through various learning opportunities Sathya Sai School is committed to providing students with these abilities from K-8.
To promote social and emotional well-being, our teachers model the behaviours fundamental to developing these skills and provide students with opportunities to develop and hone these same skills. We use the SEL concepts in both core and extra-curricular subjects, and in our lesson plans provide ample opportunities for students to reap the benefits of SEL.
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We strive to provide students with emotional support and to create opportunities for a student’s voice, autonomy, and experiences that will promote the student’s engagement in the educational process, always guided by the principles of respect and values.
Techniques for developing SEL are adapted for the different age levels, such as colour codes and cards, games, positive self-talk, journaling, discussions about feelings, mindfulness, breathing exercises, teamwork, and coping skills to manage stress.
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is an important hallmark of life at our school. Developing the holistic growth of a child includes an equally healthy mind, body and soul. In Sathya Sai School we cater to the mind with academic knowledge and wisdom, to the soul with human values, meditation and yoga, and to the body with a vegetarian diet.
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The practice of vegetarianism is in line with the human value of Nonviolence, which enables us to recognize the oneness of the life force that is present in all animals and to develop compassion and non-injury toward them.
All staff and students are required to bring only vegetarian snacks and meals. Underpinning our mission of academic and character excellence is the foundation of spirituality.
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Our Founder Chancellor, Sathya Sai Baba, consistently advises the connection between vegetarianism and our spirituality. Practicing non-injury toward animals nurtures one’s spiritual awareness.
“When you kill an animal you give him suffering, pain, harm. God is in every creature, so how can you give such pain? Sometimes when someone beats a dog he cries, he feels so much pain. How much more pain then in killing. Animals did not come for the purpose of supplying food to human beings. They came to work out their own life in the world.”. ~ Sathya Sai Baba
We emphasize this vegetarian requirement through the various grades and their respective health classes. For example, in Grade 6, students learn about the tremendous brutality behind modern day factory farming and the conditions millions of animals endure. Also, students research and inquire into the medical community’s findings on the effect meat has upon the health of humans, and of the many benefits gained from eating a plant-based diet.
