Health & Wellness

Health and Wellness is a central component of Packer’s approach to excellent education. The driving principle of our program is the belief that a healthy student can more meaningfully engage with school work, find balance, and manage stress. We believe student wellness and academic excellence are inextricably linked, and that relationships and a sense of belonging create the conditions for transformative learning experiences to happen.

An Integrated, Collaborative Approach

We support this philosophy by working together as educators and clinicians. Health teachers, nurses, learning specialists, psychologists, and counselors partner with teachers, deans, and division heads to create programming and support systems that focus on the whole child. Often, the administrators in our division offices have a background in health education. Health and Wellness professionals also work closely with our colleagues in the Equity and Inclusion Office, understanding that wellness and a sense of belonging are intertwined, and with the Technology team on digital wellness initiatives. We partner with families and communicate frequently to identify and address problems before they reach a crisis point.

Through this collaboration among professionals, students, and families, our program promotes a healthy and balanced school culture. The Director of Health and Wellness, a registered nurse with a master’s degree in public health, serves as a member of Packer’s senior leadership team. Considerations of student well-being are at the forefront of school-wide policies, practices, and programs.

We know from experience and research that an integrated health and wellness program supports students and helps them thrive physically, emotionally, socially, and academically. Our program is constantly evolving and improving in service of student learning by responding to emerging community needs and incorporating the most up-to-date research. We stay informed and share our knowledge by regularly participating in, presenting at, and hosting professional learning conferences as well as going on school visits. We hold regular parent talks and bring in outside experts to further our integration approach by inviting Packer families into this work.

Meet Bridget Londay (she/her)

Director of Health and Wellness

I am proud to work with the H&W team, and our wider adult community, to ensure our amazing and talented kids are also learning to practice balance, embrace joy, and get to know themselves on a deeper level.

Magnus Health
Go directly to our online medical records system

Nurses' Office Resources
Instructions and information for families

Health Education

The foundation of our Health and Wellness program is the health department, which provides more health education than any other independent school in New York City. Packer has eight health educators, all with advanced degrees in their fields. As part of our integration model, many health educators hold dual roles, also serving as Grade Deans or Grade Level Coordinators.

Packer’s health educators offer an integrated K-12 curriculum that provides our students with knowledge, tools, and support for both physical and social-emotional health, which is fundamental to our vision of creating a diverse community of learners in which each person is valued and challenged.

Lower School

In the Lower School, we teach a full year of health education to students in Kindergarten, 2nd Grade, and 4th Grade. With a goal on prevention and skill-building, our Lower School program centers on the foundational skills of self awareness, self regulation, and healthy communication. Our holistic approach also includes introductory lessons on self care (nutrition, fitness, hygiene), the human body, identity, and relationships.

Middle School

Our Middle School Program builds on the concepts and skills introduced in Lower School with a semester-long class in 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Grades. Through lecture, discussions, and interactive activities, students gain a deeper understanding of self, peer and family relationships, and community while continuing to build on the social and emotional skills of self awareness, self regulation, and healthy communication with an increased focus on decision-making. Unit content includes safety, friendship, bullying, puberty and sexuality, identity, stress, mental health, alcohol, and drugs.

Upper School

In the Upper School students receive a full year of Health Education in both 9th and 10th grades. We offer a transitional seminar course at the end of 12th grade. The Upper School health education courses are designed to educate students to take responsibility for their choices, understand consequences, and learn from their experiences. Courses continue to develop the foundational skills of self-awareness, healthy communication, values-based decision-making, recognition of and respect for diversity, and community membership. The content covered includes nutrition, identity, mental health, sexuality, alcohol and other drugs.

Parent Talks

Packer’s health educators offer regular coffee and evening talks for parents and caregivers throughout the year on topics that include social-emotional development, adolescent sexuality, gender identity, and substance abuse prevention. We also partner with division offices to keep families informed about our approach to supporting academic success through our health and wellness program and our community of care philosophy. Our goal is to partner with families by addressing their questions, discussing relevant data, and providing tools that spark discussions at home.

Peer Support

To help students prepare for transitions in their academic journey, every 7th and 9th grader has a pair of mentors—10th, 11th and 12th graders identified and trained through a highly selective process led by the Director of Health and Wellness. In weekly meetings, younger students receive support and informal counseling while the older students have opportunities to develop their leadership and facilitation skills. Peer supporters have weekly check-ins with adult facilitators who are health educators.

Meet Our Health Educators

Janel Coleman

LS Counselor/Health Teacher, Health Teacher

Kate Gilfillan

Dean, Class of 2024, Health Teacher

Jeremy Hawkins

Dean, Class of 2027, Health Teacher

Bridget Londay

Director of Health and Wellness

Loretta Owens

Dean, Class of 2026, Health Teacher

Ashleigh Petillo

Health Teacher

Stacey Pierre-Louis

Upper School Dean of Student Life and Leadership, Health Teacher

Hannah Zuberman

Health Teacher

Nurses' Office

The Nurses’ Office serves Packer students and the school community by protecting and promoting health and wellness. Our nurses collaborate with faculty and administrators to promote a healthy school culture, by supporting students’ ongoing medical issues, partnering with families and doctors while a student recovers, and advocating for students who have persistent health issues. When necessary, our nurses support students by providing faculty with pertinent information while maintaining students’ medical-information confidentiality.

A registered nurse is available for students who are injured or who become ill during the school day. The nurse will communicate with parents about significant illnesses and injuries that may happen during school hours and will contact parents to make arrangements for children to go home as needed.

Our nurses work closely with our Athletic coaches and trainers, psychologists, deans, and faculty, as well as with families, doctors, and teachers to support the unique needs of each student. They also serve the students by co-teaching subjects with members of the faculty, such as the Sixth Grade's first aid unit of Health Education and the Anatomy & Physiology science elective in the Upper School.

Nurses' Office Resources

FAQs

When is the Nurses' Office Open?

What is Packer's Health Form Procedure?

Packer uses an electronic health records system, or “Health Portal,” called Magnus Health. Information is saved from year to year to make health form submissions as efficient and accurate as possible. Parents are expected to (1) log in to Magnus before the start of every school year to complete the student health history parent questionnaire, and (2) submit physician signed annual physical exam and doctor's orders every 12 months, from the date of the last physical exam. Having current, comprehensive and accurate health information allows the school to provide the best care for your child and provides a safe school environment for all.

What is Packer's Food Allergies Policy?

Packer is an Allergy Aware School. For the safety of our community, beginning in the 2023-24 school year, tree nuts (cashews,walnuts, pistachios,etc), peanuts and sesame will not be permitted on campus or at off campus school activities (including athletics), NO EXCEPTIONS.

Preschool and Lower School students with severe allergies may participate in the school snack programs (including the sharing of birthday or other treats provided by families/school community members), provided caregivers have given explicit permission to do so and signed the waiver through the Magnus app. Third and Fourth Grade students are permitted to participate in the Packer meal plan after they have had a meeting with the Food Services Director and the Nurse.

Middle School and Upper School students with severe allergies must carry their EpiPens when on campus and at off-campus Packer activities.

What is Packer's Immunization Policy?

Packer strictly adheres to New York State's Immunization Requirements for School Entrance/Attendance. Learn more at www.health.ny.gov.

*As of June 13, 2019, there is no longer a religious exemption to the requirement that children be vaccinated against measles and other diseases to attend either public, private, or parochial school (for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade) or child day care settings.

Covid Management

We are approaching Covid management in the context of our overall health and wellness goals. We want to have healthy students deeply engaged in purposeful learning at school. Packer has updated our Covid protocol to reflect the CDC guidance for when to stay home and when to return to normal activities after respiratory infections including Covid, influenza, and RSV, which has been adopted by the NYS and NYC Departments of Health. Please report all contagious illnesses, including Covid, to the nurses' office. The instructions below apply to students, faculty, and staff.

Stay home when you are sick. Return to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, you are fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication AND symptoms are improving overall.
After returning to normal activities, you are encouraged to take added precautions over the next 5 days, including masking and testing to avoid spreading the virus.
If symptoms worsen or a fever develops or returns, stay home and away from others again. Use the same criteria for returning to normal activities as when you first had symptoms.
Vaccination: Packer still strongly encourages staying up-to-date with Covid-19 vaccination. We continue to fully comply with New York law with regard to student vaccination and may update our vaccination requirements in the future as a matter of school policy.
Masking in General: Packer is a mask-optional and mask positive campus. Anyone may choose to wear a mask at any time. Students, faculty and staff will respect and support anyone who chooses to mask for any reason.

Meet our Nurses

Liz Ann Doherty

School Nurse, RN

School: 252

Sabrina Hellman

School Nurse, RN

School: 257

Sarah Mott

Nursing Assistant, LPN ELC Licensed Practical Nurse

School: 718-250-0258

Winnie Stack

Nursing Assistant

School: 268

Mental Health Team

In each division of Packer, at least two trained mental health professionals who specialize in child development are in place to support students. Packer’s mental health professionals provide both immediate care in a crisis and serve as a bridge, referring and connecting families to outside practitioners and supporting the implementation of care plans for students at school. They also offer family education through talks for families and one-on-one consultations. Families are welcome to bring questions directly to our psychologists in their offices.