The Sylvania Schools Wellness Policy
Talking Points for Staff/Parents
- Children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn and thrive;
- Good health fosters student attendance and learning;
- Obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades, and physical inactivity and excessive calorie intake are the predominant causes of obesity;
- Heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are responsible for two-thirds of deaths in the United States, and major risk factors for those diseases, including unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity, and obesity, often are established in childhood;
- 33% of high school students nationwide do not participate in sufficient vigorous physical activity and 72% of high school students do not attend daily physical education classes;
- Only 2% of children (2-19 years) eat a healthy diet consistent with the five main recommendations from the Food Guide Pyramid;
- Nationally, the items most commonly sold from school vending machines, school stores, and snack bars include low-nutrition foods and beverages, such as soda, sports drinks, imitation fruit juices, chips, candy, cookies and snack cakes;
- School districts around the country are facing significant fiscal and scheduling constraints, and
Because of the above and new federal legislation, the Sylvania School District is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating, physical activity and wellness education.
Therefore, it is the policy of the Sylvania School District that:
- The District will engage students, parents, teachers, support personnel, food service, health professionals and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing district-wide nutrition and physical education policies.
- Each of the schools will initiate a wellness committee as part of an adjunct to an already established group or a new stand-alone group to review the district policy/guidelines and implement a plan as part of the building CIP goals.
- All students in grades K-12 will be provided opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.
- Foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the Ohio Department of Education, Office of Child Nutrition Programs.
- Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; will accommodate the religious, ethnic and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe and pleasant environment and adequate time for students to eat.
- To the maximum extent practicable, all schools in the district will participate in available federal school meal programs.
- Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity, and will establish linkages between health education and school meal programs, and with related community services.
The Sylvania Schools Wellness Policy
Rationale:
The link between nutrition, physical activity, and learning is well-documented. Healthy eating and activity patterns are essential for students to achieve their full academic potential, physical and mental growth, and lifelong health and well-being. Healthy eating and physical activity, essential for a healthy weight, are also linked to reduced risk for many chronic diseases, like Type 2 diabetes. Schools have a responsibility to help students learn, establish, and maintain lifelong healthy eating and activity patterns. Well-planned and effectively implemented school nutrition and fitness programs have been shown to enhance students’ overall health, as well as behavior and academic achievement in school. Staff wellness is also an integral piece of a healthy school environment, since school staff may serve as daily role models for healthy behaviors.
Goal:
All students in the Sylvania Schools shall possess the knowledge and skills necessary to make nutritious food choices and enjoyable physical activity choices as part of their daily and lifetime goals. All staff in the Sylvania Schools are encouraged to model healthy eating, nutritional and physical activity choices as a valuable part of their daily lives.
To meet this goal, the District is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity. Therefore, it is the policy of the Sylvania School District that:
- The District will engage students, parents, teachers, support personnel, food service, health professionals and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing district-wide nutrition and physical education policies.
- All students in grades K-12 will have opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis.
- Foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and the Ohio Department of Education, Office of Child Nutrition Programs.
- Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; will accommodate the religious, ethnic and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe and pleasant environment and adequate time for students to eat.
- To the maximum extent practicable, all schools in the district will participate in available federal school meal programs.
- Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity, and will establish linkages between health education and school meal programs, and with related community services.
Wellness Guidelines
Develop and Coordinate Sylvania School District Wellness Council
- Develop, implement, review and monitor and evaluate district/school nutrition and physical activity policies
- Serve as a resource for implementing nutrition and physical activity programs and activities
- Establish building level councils to develop individual school plans in compliance with District Wellness Policies and Council efforts
Establish Nutritional Standards for Foods Served on Campus
- Develop standards for all meals served as part of the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program
- Encourage staff and student participation in the school lunch program
- Coordinate services to provide a clean, pleasant and time sufficient environment for lunchtime meals
Nutritional Standards of Foods Served and/or Sold Beyond the School Lunch/Breakfast Program
- Develop guidelines for food and beverages that include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Fundraising
- Concession sales
- Vending machines
- School stores
- Incentive programs
- Student/class reward programs
- School/class celebrations
- Establish and coordinate communications to provide alternative resources
Curriculum-Based Learning: Health, Nutrition and Physical Education
- Coordinate Nutrition and Health Education curriculum to follow National Health Standards approved in February 2006
- Coordinate Physical Education curriculum in accordance with standards/benchmarks set by the National Physical Education Standards
- A sequential physical education program shall be provided for students K-12 in accordance with the standards and benchmarks established by the national physical education standards.
- A sequential, comprehensive physical education standards should include the opportunities to learn, practice and be assessed on the following objectives:
- Competency in motor skills
- An understanding of movement concepts
- An acceptable level of participation in physical activity
- Maintenance of healthy level of physical fitness.
- Responsible personal and social behavior
- A value of physical activity for health, enjoyment and challenge, etc.
- Sylvania Schools needs to communicate to the parents about the physical education standards.
- Communicate to the community what the physical education standards are.
- Communicate to the parents if the physical education standards are or are not being met by the individual students.
- Provide additional opportunities for students who are not meeting the physical education standards.
- Sylvania needs a physical education advisor to see if the curriculum objectives are being met.
- Properly certified highly qualified teachers shall provide all instruction in physical education.
- All physical education classes shall have a student/teacher ratio comparable to the student /teacher ratio in other curricular areas.
National Health Standards
- Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance overall health.
- Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology and other factors on health behaviors
- Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information and products and other services to enhance health.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use good decision-making skills to enhance health.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce risks.
- Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family and community health.
National Standards for Physical Education
Physical activity is critical to the development and maintenance of good health. The goal of physical education is to develop physically educated individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity.
A physically educated person:
Standard One: Demonstrates competency in motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform a variety of physical activities.
Standard Two: Demonstrates understanding of movement concepts, principles, strategies, and tactics as they apply to the learning and performance of physical activities.
Standard Three: Participates regularly in physical activity.
Standard Four: Achieves and maintains a health-enhancing level of physical fitness.
Standard Five: Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings.
Standard Six: Values physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction.
Final Recommendations
All schools will have a Wellness/Nutrition Advisory Council consisting of teachers, administrators, staff and possibly parents and students
- Each school’s wellness plan will be part of the overall school improvement plan
- All food served in the school cafeterias will meet the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and State/National programs
- Recess will be available for all students in grades K-5; consider placement of lunchtime recess before lunch (Sylvan to pilot in 2006-07)
- Schools will provide opportunities for nutrition and physical education for students K-12 on a regular basis
- Prohibit the use of food as reward or punishment
- Fundraising/concession sales should support healthy eating habits
- Restrict access to foods of minimal nutritional value, including vending machines
- All physical education classes will be taught to National Standards
- Health and nutrition education will correlate with State Standards and the USDA regulations
- A Community Resource will be provided for all schools to encourage community partnerships to help further the Wellness/Nutrition link
- Staff should model wellness/nutrition and be encourage to follow similar guidelines/programs as students
