A Parent's Guide to Understanding Family Life Education in Catholic ...

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding Family Life Education in Catholic Schools (and how it connects with Ontario’s revised Health and Physical Education Curriculum)

A Message from the Bishops of OntarioParents and guardians are the first and most important teachers of their children and no place is this statement more true than in the areas that are introduced and explored in family life education. As Catholics, we know that it is through their parents that children first learn of God’s love. Within the family, the generous and unconditional love of parents provides children with valuable and fundamental lessons in life that cannot be learned anywhere else. Catholic schools seek to do all they can to support families as they fulfill this awesome responsibility.

Since 1989, the Institute for Catholic Education (ICE) has coordinated the implementation of a family life curriculum, consistent with our faith, in Catholic schools across the province. The goal is to present a Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage and family, complementing the efforts of parents to teach their children at home.

With the guidance of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario, resources are being developed to ensure that the family life curriculum in Ontario’s Catholic schools continues to be consistent with our Catholic teachings, appropriate within the context of our Catholic classrooms, and complementary to the efforts of parents to guide their children to full Christian maturity. We know that Catholic teachers will continue to present the issue of human sexuality within the fullness of our faith-based family life curriculum that teaches the content of our faith, the value of persons, human relationships, commitment, and social responsibility.

Schools, parents, and parishes must continue working together to provide students with an education that is founded in the Gospel of Jesus, and reflects a Catholic worldview. This is our shared mission. It is what Catholic schools in Ontario have done for the past 175 years, and it is what we will continue doing. It is through this shared commitment to our faith, and to our Catholic schools, that we remain steadfast in our call to serve and honour God.

Education Commission Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario

In February, 2015, the Ontario Ministry of Education released revisions to the Health & Physical Education (HPE) Curriculum, which will be taught in classrooms across Ontario, beginning in September, 2015.

The revised HPE curriculum, last updated in 1998, contains new material related to a number of issues, including mental health, online safety and the risks of sexting, respect for self and consent within healthy relationships, and respect for diversity.

This booklet and the accompanying resources will explain how the expectations of the revised HPE curriculum will be delivered as part of the family life curriculum offered in Catholic schools.

The Role of ICEEstablished by the Ontario Bishops in 1986, the Institute for Catholic Education (ICE) brings together 7 partners in the English Catholic educational community that work together and share responsibility for Catholic education in Ontario.

ICE coordinates the work of Catholic associations and organizations in writing Catholic curriculum within the guidelines established by the Ministry of Education.

The Bishops of Ontario have asked ICE to oversee the development of resources to implement the revised HPE curriculum as part of the Family Life program in Catholic schools.

Primary Grades 1, 2 and 3

A Parent’s Guide to

Understanding How Human Development and

Sexual Health in the

Health & Physical

Education Curriculum

Will be Taught in

Catholic Schools

[email protected]

10 St. Mary Street, Suite 604, Toronto, ON M4Y 1P9

T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

Junior Grades 4, 5 and 6

A Parent’s Guide to Understanding How Human Development and Sexual Health in the Health & Physical Education Curriculum

Will be Taught in Catholic Schools

[email protected] St. Mary Street, Suite 604, Toronto, ON M4Y 1P9

T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

INTERMEDIATE

Grades 7 and 8


Understanding

How Human

Development and


Health & Physical


Will be Taught in

Catholic Schools

[email protected]


T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

SECON

DA

RY

Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12


Understanding

How

Hum

an

Developm

ent and


Health &

Physical


Will be Taught in

Catholic Schools

[email protected]

10 St. Mary Street, Suite 604, Toronto, O

N M

4Y 1P9

T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

I CREATED A

ND LOVED BY G

OD

Created

and L

oved by

God, i

s the

foun

datio

n of

the cu

rricu

lum an

d affir

ms the

Chri

stian b

elief

that e

ach pe

rson i

s mad

e in t

he im

age of a

lovin

g

God as t

he st

arting

point

in th

e sear

ch fo

r answ

ers

about

human

existe

nce.

II SIG

NIFIC

ANT RELATIO

NSHIP

In the

Signi

ficant

Relatio

nship

strand

, the

explo

ration o

f the m

eaning

of hum

an ex

istenc

e

conti

nues

with a

focus o

n the

signifi

cant

relati

onships

of family

and fri

endsh

ip.

III

CREATED SEXUAL: MALE A

ND FEMALE

Human

sexual

ity is

a prec

ious gift

from G

od,

inten

ded f

or life

and lo

ve, an

d is a

fund

amen

tal

dimen

sion o

f hum

an ide

ntity

IV

GROWIN

G IN C

OMM

ITM

ENT

The G

rowing in

Commitm

ent s

trand

is co

ncern

ed

with th

e inte

grity

of our

daily

lives a

s pers

ons who

live in

relat

ionship

with othe

rs.

V LIV

ING IN

THE W

ORLD

The st

uden

ts are

enco

uraged

to re

cogni

ze tha

t

they h

ave a

uniqu

e contr

ibutio

n to m

ake to

the

world, o

ne th

at can

not b

e mad

e by a

nyone

else.

Catholic

Curr

iculu

m and

the O

ntario

Cat

holic

School G

raduat

e

Expectat

ions

In 19

98, IC

E deve

loped t

he Onta

rio Cath

olic Sc

hool G

radua

te

Expe

ctation

s, whic

h ide

ntifie

d 7 ex

pecta

tions,

or desi

red outc

omes

of a C

atholic

educ

ation:

In February, 2015, the Ontario Ministry of Education released revisions to the Health &

Physical Education (HPE) Curriculum, which will be taught in classrooms across Ontario,

beginning in September, 2015.

The revised HPE curriculum, last updated in 1998, contains new material related to a

number of issues, including mental health, online safety and the risks of sexting, respect

for self and consent within healthy relationships, and respect for diversity.

This booklet and the accompanying resources will explain how the expectations of the

revised HPE curriculum will be delivered as part of the family life curriculum offered

in Catholic schools.

A DIS

CERNING B

ELIEVER

formed

in th

e Cath

olic fait

h commun

ity w

ho

celeb

rates

the sig

ns and

sacre

d myst

ery of

God’s pr

esenc

e thro

ugh w

ord, sa

cramen

t, pray

er,

forgiven

ess, re

flecti

ons and

moral

living

.

A SELF-DIR

ECTED, RESPONSIB

LE

LIFELONG LEARNER

who de

velops

and de

monstrat

es the

ir

God-give

n poten

tial.

A COLLABORATIV

E CONTRIB

UTOR

who fin

ds mean

ing, di

gnity

and vo

cation i

n work

which r

espect

s the

rights

of all a

nd co

ntribu

tes

to the c

ommon good.

A CARIN

G FAM

ILY M

EMBER

who at

tends

to family,

school, p

arish,

and t

he

wider c

ommunity.

A REFLECTIV

E, CREATIV

E, AND

HOLISTIC

THIN

KER

who so

lves p

roblems a

nd m

akes r

esponsi

ble

decis

ions with

an in

formed

moral

consc

ience

of the c

ommon good.

A RESPONSIB

LE CIT

IZEN

who giv

es witn

ess to

Cath

olic so

cial te

aching

by pro

moting p

eace, j

ustice

and t

he sa

credn

ess

of hum

an life

.

AN EFFECTIV

E COM

MUNIC

ATOR

who sp

eaks, w

rites,

and l

istens

hone

stly an

d

sensiti

vely, r

espond

ing cr

itically

in lig

ht of

gospe

l value

s.

The H

uman

Developm

ent a

nd Se

xual H

ealth

expe

ctatio

ns of th

e

HPE cu

rricu

lum ar

e taug

ht acr

oss all

the th

emes,

most

especi

ally

the th

ird th

eme o

f the F

ully Alive

Progra

m – Crea

ted Se

xual:

Male an

d Fem

ale.

A detai

led br

eakdo

wn of th

e focu

s of le

arning

for t

he Fu

lly Alive

Progra

m is pro

vided

for e

ach gr

ade l

evel in

the c

hart th

at app

ears

flipsid

e of th

is docu

ment.

Want m

ore in

form

atio

n?

More de

tailed

inform

ation c

an be

foun

d on

the In

stitute

for C

atholic

Educ

ation w

ebsite

at:

www.iceont.c

a

Paren

t resourc

es for th

e Fully

Alive pr

ogram ar

e foun

d on

the Asse

mbly of C

atholic

Bisho

ps of O

ntario

web

site at

:

www.acbo.ca

The H

ealth

and Ph

ysical

Educa

tion C

urricu

lum, an

d add

itional

paren

t resourc

es

prepa

red by

the O

ntario

Minis

try of E

ducat

ion, are

availab

le at:

http://

edu.gov.o

n.ca/e

ng/cu

rricu

lum

/elem

entary

/healt

h

office@

iceont.

ca

T: 416

.962.0

031

F: 416

.962.1

672

10 St

. Mary

Stree

t, Suit

e 604

, Toro

nto, O

N M4Y

1P9

The Fa

mily Lif

e Curr

iculum

(FLE

), usin

g the

reso

urce s

eries,

Fully

Alive, is

broken

down i

nto 5

themes.

The Role of ICE

Established by the Ontario Bishops in 1986, the Institute for Catholic Education (ICE)

brings together 7 partners in the English Catholic educational community that work

together and share responsibility for Catholic education in Ontario.

ICE coordinates the work of Catholic associations and organizations in writing Catholic

curriculum within the guidelines established by the Ministry of Education.

The Bishops of Ontario have asked ICE to oversee the development of resources

to implement the revised HPE curriculum as part of the Family Life program in

Catholic schools.

“In C

atholic

schools, O

ntario

’s new

HPE cu

rriculu

m is an

opportu

nity

for pare

nts an

d teac

hers

to talk

to stude

nts ab

out a d

istinct

ively

Catholic

view of h

uman

life,

sexual

ity, marr

iage, a

nd fa

mily.”

FAMILY LIFE EDUCAT

ION

(F

LE

)

FULLY ALIVE P

ROG

RA

M

RELIG

IOU

S EDUCATION (RE)

III

III

IV

V

Religio

us

Educatio

n and

Family

Life

Educatio

n

Curricu

lum

RE and FLE

Curricu

lum

The Revise

d Healt

h

& Physic

al Educa

tion

(HPE) C

urricu

lum

The H

PE C

urricu

lum is

made u

p of 3

parts

: Acti

ve Liv

ing,

Movemen

t Compe

tence

, and H

ealthy

Livin

g.

The Ac

tive Liv

ing st

rand c

onsists

of:

• Acti

ve Pa

rticip

ation

• Ph

ysical

Fitne

ss

• Saf

ety (e

.g. bik

e safe

ty, co

ncuss

ions)

The M

ovement

Compe

tence

– Skill

s, Conc

epts a

nd

Strate

gies s

trand

consi

sts of:

• Ph

ysical

Activit

y and

Sports

Skills

The H

ealthy

Living

stran

d consi

sts of:

• Heal

thy Ea

ting/N

utritio

n

• Pe

rsonal

Safet

y and

Injur

y prev

entio

n

• Su

bstanc

e Abu

se, Add

ictions

and othe

r

behav

iour (e.

g. gam

ing, sc

reen t

ime)

• Hum

an Deve

lopmen

t and

Sexu

al Heal

th*

*The

chang

es to th

e HPE

curri

culum

that

have a

ttract

ed

the m

ost att

entio

n and

have

been

the s

ource o

f conc

ern fo

r

many ar

e foun

d in t

he H

ealthy

Living

secti

on, und

er Hum

an

Develop

ment an

d Sexu

al Heal

th.

In orde

r to un

derst

and ho

w the r

evised

HPE

curri

culum

will be

taug

ht in

our C

atholic

classr

ooms, we m

ust fir

st

unde

rstand

what

curri

culum

looks

like in

Cath

olic sch

ools.

Strand A

:

Active L

iving

Strand B

:

Movem

ent

Competen

ce

Strand C

:

Healthy

Livin

g

Healthy E

atin

g

Human Development & Sexual Health

HPE

Curricu

lum

Personal

Safety

& In

jury

Preve

ntion

Substance

Abuse

,

Addictio

ns &

Related B

ehavio

urs

Health and

Physical Education

RE V IS ED

The Ontar

io Curri

culum

Grades 9

to 122 0 1 5

Health

and

Phys

ical E

ducatio

n

REV IS E

D

The Ontario C

urric

ulum

Grade

s 1-82 0 1 5

A Message from

the Bishops

of Ontario

Parents and guardians are the first and most important teachers of their

children and no place is this statement more true than in the areas that are

introduced and explored in family life education. As Catholics, we know that

it is through their parents that children first learn of God’s love. Within the

family, the generous and unconditional love of parents provides children with

valuable and fundamental lessons in life that cannot be learned anywhere else.

Catholic schools seek to do all they can to support families as they fulfill this

awesome responsibility.

Since 1989, the Institute for Catholic Education (ICE) has coordinated

the implementation of a family life curriculum, consistent with our faith,

in Catholic schools across the province. The goal is to present a Catholic

view of human life, sexuality, marriage and family, complementing the

efforts of parents to teach their children at home.

With the guidance of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario,

resources are being developed to ensure that the family life curriculum in

Ontario’s Catholic schools continues to be consistent with our Catholic

teachings, appropriate within the context of our Catholic classrooms, and

complementary to the efforts of parents to guide their children to full

Christian maturity. We know that Catholic teachers will continue to present

the issue of human sexuality within the fullness of our faith-based family life

curriculum that teaches the content of our faith, the value of persons, human

relationships, commitment, and social responsibility.

Schools, parents, and parishes must continue working together to provide

students with an education that is founded in the Gospel of Jesus, and

reflects a Catholic worldview. This is our shared mission. It is what Catholic

schools in Ontario have done for the past 175 years, and it is what we will

continue doing. It is through this shared commitment to our faith, and to

our Catholic schools, that we remain steadfast in our call to serve and

honour God.

Education Commission

Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario

• The

Hum

an Deve

lopmen

t and

Sexu

al Heal

th co

mpone

nt of th

e

Healthy

Livin

g Stra

nd re

presen

ts

approx

imate

ly 10%

of the o

verall

Health

and Ph

ysical

Educ

ation

Curricu

lum.

• The

Family

Life C

urricu

lum, us

ing

the Fu

lly Alive

reso

urce s

eries,

makes u

p 20%

of the R

eligious

Educ

ation p

rogram in

Cath

olic

schools,

and is

usually

taugh

t 1 da

y

a wee

k.

• The

Hum

an Deve

lopmen

t and

Sexu

al Heal

th ex

pecta

tions

are

taught

across

all the

mes, bu

t most

especi

ally th

e thir

d the

me of th

e

Fuly A

live pr

ogram –

Created

Sexu

al: Male

and F

emale

.

• 90

% of the e

xpect

ations

from

the H

PE cu

rricu

lum w

ere alr

eady

includ

ed in

the Fa

mily Life

curri

culum

,

and ha

ve be

en fo

r many

years

.

The O

ntario

Cath

olic Sch

ool Grad

uate E

xpect

ations

(OCSG

Es)

provid

e the

framew

ork for d

esigni

ng Cath

olic cu

rricu

lum an

d

resourc

e mate

rials a

t all g

rade l

evels i

n Onta

rio. Te

achers

in

Catholic

schools u

se the

OCSG

Es to gu

ide th

eir w

ork and

make

curri

culum

decis

ions rel

ated t

o instr

uctio

nal pl

anning

, strat

egies,

assess

ment, a

nd ev

aluati

on.

Learnin

g in C

atholic

Classro

oms

The re

lationsh

ip be

twee

n lear

ning a

nd

believ

ing is

funda

mental

to our

Catholic

schools.

We f

ocus n

ot only

on stud

ent

knowled

ge and

skills

, but a

lso on v

alues

and ac

tions.

The Lens of F

aith

As a pu

blicly f

unde

d Cath

olic

school sy

stem in

Onta

rio, w

e

teach

the c

urricu

lum es

tablish

ed

by the

Minis

try of E

ducat

ion.

While

curri

culum

across

all

subjec

t area

s is ad

apted

so th

at

it can

be ta

ught th

rough th

e

lens o

f faith

, some s

ubjec

t area

s,

such a

s Relig

ious Ed

ucati

on and

Family

Life E

ducat

ion, deal

more

direct

ly with

the t

eachin

gs of th

e

Catholic

Church

.

What

is Fam

ily Life

Educatio

n?

In 19

78, th

e bish

ops of O

ntario

publis

hed t

he ‘G

uidelin

es for

Family

Life E

ducat

ion’ to af

firm an

d sup

port

Catholic

paren

ts in

the im

porta

nt role

of raisin

g the

ir child

ren ac

cordi

ng to th

e fait

h.

The Bish

ops did

so be

cause

they b

elieve

that fa

mily life

educ

ation

should

be an

impo

rtant

part o

f

the Relig

ion Edu

cation p

rogram

offered

in C

atholic

classr

ooms.

In Onta

rio C

atholic

schools,

the

knowled

ge, sk

ills, at

titude

s, and

value

s acq

uired

in th

e Fam

ily Lif

e

Educ

ation p

rogram co

mplemen

t

those

instill

ed by

familie

s, and

reflect

a dis

tincti

vely C

atholic

view of h

uman

life, se

xualit

y,

marriag

e and

family.

A Pare

nt’s G

uide to

Understa

nding F

amily

Life

Educatio

n in C

atholic

Schools

(and h

ow it

conn

ects w

ith O

ntario

’s revi

sed

Health

and Ph

ysical

Educa

tion C

urricu

lum)

PRIMARY

Grades 1, 2 and 3


Understanding

How Human

Development and


Health & Physical


Will be Taught in

Catholic Schools

[email protected]


T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

INTERMEDIATE

Grades 7 and 8


Understanding

How Human

Development and


Health & Physical


Will be Taught in

Catholic Schools

[email protected]


T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

JUNIOR

Grades 4, 5 and 6


Understanding

How Human

Development and


Health & Physical


Will be Taught in

Catholic Schools

[email protected]


T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

SECONDARY

Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12


Understanding

How Human

Development and


Health & Physical


Will be Taught in

Catholic Schools

[email protected]


T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672

“In Catholic schools, Ontario’s new HPE curriculum is an opportunity for parents and teachers to talk to students about a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage, and family.”

FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION (FLE)

FULLY ALIVE PROGRAM

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (RE)

III

IIIIV

V

Religious Education and

Family Life Education

Curriculum

RE and FLE Curriculum

The Revised Health & Physical Education (HPE) CurriculumThe HPE Curriculum is made up of 3 parts: Active Living, Movement Competence, and Healthy Living.

The Active Living strand consists of:

• Active Participation

• Physical Fitness

• Safety (e.g. bike safety, concussions)

The Movement Competence – Skills, Concepts and Strategies strand consists of:

• Physical Activity and Sports Skills

The Healthy Living strand consists of:

• Healthy Eating/Nutrition

• Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

• Substance Abuse, Addictions and other behaviour (e.g. gaming, screen time)

• Human Development and Sexual Health*

*The changes to the HPE curriculum that have attracted the most attention and have been the source of concern for many are found in the Healthy Living section, under Human Development and Sexual Health.

In order to understand how the revised HPE curriculum will be taught in our Catholic classrooms, we must first understand what curriculum implementation looks like in Catholic schools.

Strand A:Active Living

Strand B:Movement Competence

Strand C:Healthy Living

Healthy Eating

Human Developm

ent

& Sexual Health

HPE Curriculum

Personal Safety & Injury Prevention

Substance Abuse,

Addictions &

Related Behaviours

LIVING SKILLS

Health and Physical Education

RE V I S ED

The Ontario Curriculum

Grades 9 to 12

2 0 1 5

Health and

Physical Education

RE V I S ED

The Ontario Curriculum

Grades 1-8

2 0 1 5

• The Human Development and Sexual Health component of the Healthy Living Strand represents approximately 10% of the overall Health and Physical Education Curriculum.

• The Family Life Curriculum, using the Fully Alive resource series, makes up 20% of the Religious Education program in Catholic schools, and is usually taught 1 day a week.

• The Human Development and Sexual Health expectations are taught across all themes, but most especially the third theme of the Fuly Alive program – Created Sexual: Male and Female.

• 90% of the expectations from the HPE curriculum were already included in the Family Life curriculum, and have been for many years.

I CREATED AND LOVED BY GOD

Created and Loved by God, is the foundation of the curriculum and affirms the Christian belief that each person is made in the image of a loving God as the starting point in the search for answers about human existence.

II LIVING IN RELATIONSHIP

In the Living in Relationship theme, the exploration of the meaning of human existence continues with a focus on the significant relationships of family and friendship.

III CREATED SEXUAL: MALE AND FEMALE

Human sexuality is a precious gift from God, intended for life and love, and is a fundamental dimension of human identity.

IV GROWING IN COMMITMENT

The Growing in Commitment theme is concerned with the integrity of our daily lives as persons who live in relationship with others.

V LIVING IN THE WORLD

Students are encouraged to recognize that they have a unique contribution to make to the world, one that cannot be made by anyone else.

Catholic Curriculum and the Ontario Catholic School Graduate ExpectationsIn 1998, ICE developed the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations, which identified 7 expectations, or desired outcomes of a Catholic education:

A DISCERNING BELIEVER formed in the Catholic faith community who celebrates the signs and sacred mystery of God’s presence through word, sacrament, prayer, forgiveness, reflections and moral living.

A SELF-DIRECTED, RESPONSIBLE LIFELONG LEARNER who develops and demonstrates their God-given potential.

A COLLABORATIVE CONTRIBUTOR who finds meaning, dignity and vocation in work which respects the rights of all and contributes to the common good.

A CARING FAMILY MEMBER who attends to family, school, parish, and the wider community.

A REFLECTIVE, CREATIVE, AND HOLISTIC THINKER who solves problems and makes responsible decisions with an informed moral conscience of the common good.

A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN who gives witness to Catholic social teaching by promoting peace, justice and the sacredness of human life.

AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATOR who speaks, writes, and listens honestly and sensitively, responding critically in light of gospel values.

The Human Development and Sexual Health expectations of the HPE curriculum are taught across all the themes, most especially the third theme of the Fully Alive Program – Created Sexual: Male and Female.

A detailed breakdown of the focus of learning for the Fully Alive Program is provided for each grade level in the chart that appears on the flipside of this document.

The Family Life Curriculum (FLE), using the resource series, Fully Alive, is broken down into 5 themes.

The Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations (OCSGEs) provide the framework for designing Catholic curriculum and resource materials at all grade levels in Ontario. Teachers in Catholic schools use the OCSGEs to guide their work and make curriculum decisions related to instructional planning, strategies, assessment, and evaluation.

Learning in Catholic ClassroomsThe relationship between learning and believing is fundamental to our Catholic schools. We focus not only on student knowledge and skills, but also on values and actions.

The Lens of FaithAs a publicly funded Catholic school system in Ontario, we teach the curriculum established by the Ministry of Education. While curriculum across all subject areas is adapted so that it can be taught through the lens of faith, some subject areas, such as Religious Education and Family Life Education, deal more directly with the teachings of the Catholic Church.

What is Family Life Education?In 1978, the bishops of Ontario published the ‘Guidelines for Family Life Education’ to affirm and support Catholic parents in the important role of raising their children according to the faith. The Bishops did so because they believe that family life education should be an important part of the Religion Education program offered in Catholic classrooms.

In Ontario Catholic schools, the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values acquired in the Family Life Education program complement those instilled by families, and reflect a distinctively Catholic view of human life, sexuality, marriage and family.

Want more information?More detailed information can be found on

the Institute for Catholic Education website at: www.iceont.ca

Parent resources for the Fully Alive program are found on the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario website at:

http://www.acbo.on.ca/

The Health and Physical Education Curriculum, and additional parent resources prepared by the Ontario Ministry of Education, are available at:

http://edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/health.html

[email protected]

T: 416.962.0031 F: 416.962.1672


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