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As you may be aware, the New Jersey Commissioner of Education revised and updated the New Jersey State Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education
provided by the New Jersey Department of Education. These standards are based on research making clear that receiving age-appropriate information about health education is essential for
students’ physical and emotional well-being. We acknowledge that parents/guardians are the primary educators for their child/children and we are committed to partnering with families as we
educate students in the knowledge and skills they need in order to lead a healthy, active life. As we agree that some topics may be uncomfortable for students, parents and guardians, we
encourage families to have their students participate in these essential health topics.We invite you to examine and discuss this information with your child prior to the instructional units at the school.
Sussex-Wantage Regional School Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Curriculum:
Second Grade Instructional Units
1. Personal Safety (Topics include Warning Signals, Poison Symbols, Road Signs, Climate Change)
2. Nutrition (MyPlate food groups, good eating habits)
3. Social Health (different kinds of families locally and globally, healthy family relationships, friendships, pregnancy, and parenting, gender expression and stereotypes)
4. Wellness (medically accurate terminology for body parts, reproduction animals, people, fish, personal health and disease - hygiene, preventing the spread of communicable diseases, how to prevent lyme disease)
5. Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs (medicines, tobacco, substance abuse)
6. Good Character (emotions, feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, stress management)Fifth Grade Instructional Units
1. Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs (consequences of use of alcohol and substances)
2. Social and Sexual Health and Puberty (gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, puberty, and basic human reproduction)
3. Social and Emotional Health (good character, personal responsibility, digital citizenship)
Sixth Grade Instructional Units
1. Health and Wellness (emotional health, managing stress)
2. Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (advertising, media, refusal skills, legalities, use of alcohol and drugs, short/long term effects, OTC medications, and prescription medication)
3. Family Life Education (male and female reproductive anatomy and function, signs of pregnancy, stages of pregnancy, prenatal practices, menstrual cycle, fetal development)
Seventh Grade Instructional Units
1. Health and Wellness (individual choices and risk factors, health conditions, nutrition)
2. Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (use of e-cigarettes and other forms of tobacco, effects on individual and family, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder)
3. Family Life Education (male and female reproductive anatomy and function, signs of pregnancy and diagnostic methods, stages of pregnancy, prenatal practices, pregnancy maturity)
Eighth Grade Instructional Units
1. Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs (genetics, family history, services, addiction, use of marijuana and opioids)
2. Health and Wellness (technology and health, reduce injury to self and others)
3. Family Life Education (options about pregnancy, STIs, sexual behavior, consent, contraception, risk prevention, abstinence, sexual violence, laws, dating relationships, What to do about abusive dating relationships)
4. Parenting & Pregnancy in Family Life Education (prenatal practices, options, resources, maturity and challenges).
Parents/guardians have the option of excluding their child from any portion of health/family life education/sex education instruction pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A: 35-4.7 if it is in conflict with their
conscience, morals, or religiously held beliefs. If this is the case, please fill out the exclusion form below and send it to your child’s health education teacher. Students who are excused will be assigned to a separate classroom for the duration of those identified portions of the lessons/units.
