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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M arch 14,2019 w aterloochronicle.ca 1362 VICTORIA STREET N. KITCHENER 519.742.9188 MON-FRI 9AM-9PM SATURDAY 9AM-6PM SUNDAY 10AM-5PM W W W . . C O M THIS WEEKS DEALS! IN ST OCK $167/ LIN FT$157/ LIN FT67¢ / LIN FT 67 / LIN FT 67 7/83 " 5¼" 5½" MDF PRIMED WHITE BASEBOARDS IN ST OCK MODERN GRAY LEDGESTONE $497REG 8.99REG 8.99REG 8.99REG 8.99REG 8.99REG 8.99from per sq ft NEW PRODUCT IN ST OCK RUSTIC MAPLE SPC CLICK VINYL $199REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99from per sq ft 4.5MM THICK! IN ST OCK ENGINEERED CLICK HARDWOOD $299REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99REG 5.99from per sq ft HANDSCRAPED! IN ST OCK HIGH-GLOSS LAMINATE $177REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99from per sq ft NATURAL RED OAK IN ST OCK 6MM THICK CLICK VINYL $177REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99REG 3.99from per sq ft 100% WATERPROOF MARCH 14-17 4 DAYS ONLY! THUR 9-9 FRI SAT SUN 9-9 9-6 10-5 IN ST OCK PATTERNED TILES NEW! $297REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99REG 6.99from per sq ft FLOOR OR WALL ALL BACKSPLASH NO TAX OVER 200 STYLES IN STOCK! WATERLOO REGION - High school might be seen as a difficult time. Now there's proof. Students in public high schools struggle to get the sleep and meals they want, new data shows. They also feel less positive about friends, adults and after- school activities than when they were younger. Half of local high school students are deemed to have low well-being. Just one in four is deemed to be thriving. These findings are from the first well-being survey conducted by the Waterloo Region District School Board. The anonymous on- line survey was completed voluntarily last spring by 27,428 students in grades 4 to 12. "When you see what those results are, there could be a high level of con- cern," said Dana Lieber- mann Finestone, who man- ages research at the board. But educators, while concerned, aren't sounding the alarm, noting that a declaration of low well-be- ing comes easily with the survey. The survey measures five traits: optimism, hap- piness, self-esteem, ab- sence of sadness and gener- al health. A student who re- sponds negatively to just one of these five measures is deemed to have low well- being. To be declared thriving, a student must record a positive response on four of five measures. Children are deemed middling if their responses are not positive or negative. The survey results were released Friday, and educa- tion trustees might discuss them Monday. Schools are already por- ing over the findings to fig- ure out how to help make students feel better, expect- ing that stronger well-be- ing will help them achieve. The board considers im- proving well-being as im- portant as improving be- low-average achievement and advancing below-aver- age graduation. Just two in three students at the re- gion's public board earn a diploma within four years of high school, a rate in On- tario's bottom quarter. "What are some things that we can pay attention to, and maybe do different- ly, to help students become more well?" superinten- dent Peter Rubenschuh said. Survey findings show that fewer students thrive and more students strug- gle as they move from ele- mentary school to middle school to high school. The survey measures how positively students feel about peer relation- ships, nutrition and sleep, after-school activities and adult relationships. As they age, they feel less posi- tively about all of these fac- tors, souring most strongly on nutrition and sleep. Peer relationships stand up best. Included in the category of nutrition and sleep are eating breakfast, having meals at home with adults and frequency of good sleep. The peer relation- ships category encompass- es friendship and intimacy, as well as peer belonging. Individual schools are taking various measures to improve well-being, from practising mindful min- utes to ensuring that strug- gling students eat meals to- gether. The Waterloo board in- tends to survey students every second year to mea- sure gains in well-being. Results just released are considered the baseline. The board measured student well-being using a survey tool developed in British Columbia called the Middle Years Develop- ment Instrument. Two oth- er Ontario boards also use it, but the Waterloo board has not compared results. While survey answers are anonymous, the board knows the results by grade and by school. The board would not release results for individual schools. HALF OF WATERLOO REGION'S HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ARE SOMETIMES BLUE, WHILE JUST ONE IN FOUR THRIVES, SURVEY SHOWS JEFF OUTHIT jouthit@therecord.com LOCAL THE FINDINGS ARE FROM THE FIRST WELL-BEING SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE WATERLOO REGION DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD. THE ANONYMOUS ONLINE SURVEY WAS COMPLETED VOLUNTARILY LAST SPRING BY 27,428 STUDENTS IN GRADES 4 TO 12. SUBMIT YOUR EASTER EVENTS AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA