Wellness
A Daily Practice
Wellness is not only a strategic priority at Chadwick, it’s also part of daily life. Day to day, year over year, students are surrounded by nature and supported by a tight-knit, compassionate, attentive community. Students learn early on that living within the challenges of life is exactly how they grow through them.
Across all grade levels, students are provided the tools, space and encouragement to take ownership of their well-being through learning how to develop healthy habits, emotional awareness and the confidence to ask for support when they need it. That foundation helps them navigate school, relationships and life with resilience.
Built Into the Way We Learn
Wellness is woven into every aspect of life at Chadwick, including class discussions, grade-level programs and intentional support systems. Our small class sizes and close student-teacher relationships create a culture where students feel seen, valued and safe to be themselves.
In age-appropriate and practical ways throughout their time at Chadwick, students learn how to:
- Take smart risks that build character and stretch comfort zones.
- Make healthy choices for mind and body.
- Understand and manage stress.
- Communicate boundaries — and respect others.
- Stay grounded through movement, sleep and digital hygiene.
- Reflect on personal growth.
- Reach out and self-advocate when support is needed.
On-Campus, Professional Support
Our three counselors and three learning specialists are available on campus full-time to support students’ emotional and academic needs. These professionals work closely with teachers, advisors and school leaders to ensure each student gets the guidance and resources they need when they need it — and even before they need it.
Sustainability Starts With Us
At Chadwick, wellness extends beyond the individual. It includes how we care for — and engage with — the world around us. Chadwick students understand on day one that sustainability is a shared responsibility and that acting with compassion for the environment can have lasting impacts for future generations.
From waste reduction and recycling programs to student-led environmental clubs, green practices are woven into everyday campus life. Our natural spaces, including the Chadwick Canyon, double as classrooms, giving students firsthand experience with environmental science and conservation. Time spent engaging with the outdoors is a critical tool students use to stay grounded, present and aware of their role in something bigger than themselves.
Wellness At Every Level
Each division at Chadwick addresses wellness intentionally. Whether students join us in kindergarten, sixth grade or in ninth grade, our goal is to create a continuum of care throughout their journey with us.
Village School |
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In a warm and inclusive environment, our youngest students are taught positive behaviors and important early-life skills, including how to identify emotions, cope with setbacks, resolve common conflicts peacefully and engage productively with class activities and lessons. The day begins in the Village School with a group circle and mindful moment. It’s built into the schedule — every day, every week — in order to create an optimal space and mindset for connection and learning. |
Sixth Grade |
Students at this point in their Chadwick experience learn important social and emotional skills that build confidence and help them transition into Middle and Upper Schools. These lessons include how to build and maintain healthy relationships, make informed judgments, persevere through adversity and manage time and energy. As the leaders of Chadwick’s Village School, sixth graders also model what it’s like to take care of the younger members of the Village School community by planning and leading relationship-building activities, service learning projects and games for younger students. |
Middle School |
Learning to navigate different environments and overcome challenges are both key for these students, especially as they prepare for high school. Through a yearlong course in seventh grade, “Discovering Self,” our Middle Schoolers learn to understand their own identity. In eighth grade, they focus on the role of relationships in shaping their identity through the yearlong course “Building Relationships. Working together, these courses help students understand the changes taking place in their bodies, minds and hearts, and to learn life skills such as how to regulate emotions, resolve conflicts, identify healthy vs. unhealthy relationships and prioritize body positivity and self-worth. |
Upper School |
During their high school years, students learn to thrive as individuals and as global citizens. Emphasis is placed on building practical, real-world social, emotional and digital skills. Through mindfulness training, wellness courses, workshops and retreats, students develop a toolbox and a resiliency that help them to make healthy decisions. Upper School students also take an active approach in the well-being of the community through the Student Wellness Council (SWELL), which provides a forum for students to work with faculty and school leaders to ensure wellness programming is relevant and reflects student perspectives. |
Connecting Through Village Families in Grades K-6
Our students often feel like Chadwick is their home away from home, and for good reason. In the Village School from day one, our K-6 students become part of a “Village Family” where they meet regularly throughout the school year with their classmates from each grade level. Led by the sixth-grade student “family member,” the Village Families have a chance to learn about the experiences of each Village Family member in each grade K-6.
Guiding Growth Through Advisory in Grades 6-12
Our students don’t disappear in the back of the classroom. We are intentional about establishing a sense of belonging by making sure students are seen and known through Chadwick’s Advisory Program. Guided by a faculty or staff member, small groups of eight students meet weekly for team-building activities, games and discussions focused on key areas such as personal reflection, academic goal setting, health and wellness, and self-discovery. Not only do they grow as individuals, but they also build a strong sense of community and trust, with the realization that they are not alone in navigating the ups and downs of adolescence.