Social Paediatrics in Saskatoon in Association with St. Mary's

Testimonials
“The lives of children and youth are influenced by a variety of social factors that don’t
always fit neatly into boxes labeled education, health, social services or justice. Children
and youth need to experience a responsive school experience that works with the
individual rather than addressing a narrow mandate while leaving the real needs of
children and youth unmet. In schools, children are faced with challenges to their
wellness and, as a result, may experience difficulty learning. When the wellness issues
are addressed, learning can be enhanced. This is a much more fitting approach than
leaving wellness unattended and compounding problems by then focusing on a resulting
learning deficit. The wellness program at St. Mary’s, therefore, is an integral part of
learning improvement. Fostering wellness for living and learning helps the children and
youth of today achieve their goals and closing the gap on health and educational
disparities helps to achieve dreams for the whole community.”
- Gordon Martell, Superintendent Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division
“The St. Mary’s Pediatric and Wellness Program engages, empowers and educates our
students, families and the community. Many students and families experience community
social factors that make learning to read, write and participate in positive decision making
much more difficult. The programs associated with St. Mary’s Community School are
intended to reverse some of the social effects of poverty and to impact the social
determinants of health by empowering communities to support each other and engage in
positive decision making.
At St. Mary’s Community School, we work in partnership with the Pediatric and
Wellness program to engage our parents and students to support the learning program and
build successful individuals that understand their identity and are able to contribute in a
positive way to our society. When families and individuals interact with the clinic, they
become engaged in improving their levels of overall health and this empowers them to
take ownership of their future and the futures of their children.”
- Tony Bairos, Principal St. Mary’s Community School
“Every Friday we have yoga. My favourite yoga pose is the sleeping pose. I like having
yoga on Friday because it relaxing before the weekend. Yoga is good to end off the
week. I’m so glad that our school gets a yoga teacher.
- St. Mary’s School Student
© Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division 2011 46