Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School Wellness Policy
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Wellness Committee Role and Membership
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will convene a representative Local Wellness Committee (hereto referred to as the LWC) that meets at least four times per year to establish goals for and oversee school health policies and programs.
Leadership – Principal, Jenny Dunn, of Sacred Heart School will convene the LWC and facilitate development of and updates to the wellness policy, and will ensure compliance with the policy.
Volunteer committee members are: Jenny Dunn, Principal Cathy O'Grady Francis & Julie Fiegener Pam Smith Dina Sells Father Rynearson, Assistant CA) Fr. Hoesing Lunchroom Supervisor Doug Goltz, CAO Bart & Gayle Keller Willie and Katie Geisendorf AJ & Jessica Ahern Tim & Stacey Bailey Dr. Allan Tramp Brent & Tanya Shubert Adam & Jessica Gruber Tim & Molly Kirkendall Phil & Gina Scheitel Robbie & Amanda Sipple Student Council Pres/Vice Pres Father Meysenburg Brian Lemerond
Parents, students, teachers, health professionals and the general public are invited to get involved in the development, implementation, periodic review and update of the wellness policy by contacting the school office 402-245-4151.
Implementation
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will develop and maintain a plan for implementation to manage and coordinate the execution of this wellness policy.
Record Keeping
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will retain records to document compliance with the requirements of the wellness policy. Documentation will include but will not be limited to:
- Documentation of efforts to review and update the local school wellness policy
- Documentation to demonstrate compliance with the annual notification requirements
- The most recent assessment on the implementation of the local school wellness policy
Annual Notification of Policy
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will inform families each year of basic information about this policy, any updates to the policy and implementation status. Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will make this information available through school communications. Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will annually publicize the name of the school officials coordinating the committee. Every three years, the committee will evaluate compliance with the wellness policy to assess the implementation of the policy and include:
- The extent to which the school is in compliance with the wellness policy.
- A description of the progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy.
The Principal will be responsible for managing the triennial assessment. The school committee will notify families of the availability of the triennial progress report.
- Nutrition-School Meals
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School participates in USDA child nutrition programs and is committed to serving healthy meals that:
- Are appealing and attractive to children
- Are served in clean and pleasant settings
- Meet or exceed current nutrition requirements established by local, state, and
Federal statutes and regulations
Promotes healthy food and beverage choices using some of the following:
- Daily fruit options are displayed in a location in the line of sight and reach of students
- All staff members, especially those serving, have been trained to politely prompt students to select and consume the daily vegetable options with their meal
- Student surveys and taste testing opportunities are used to inform menu development, dining space decor and promotional ideas
- Student artwork is displayed in the school dining area
- Daily announcements are used to promote and market the lunch menu
- Menus will be posted on school websites, and the child nutrition program will
accommodate students with special dietary needs according to USDA Standards.
- Students will be allowed at least 20 minutes to eat lunch, counting from the time they have received their meal and are seated
- Students are served lunch at a reasonable and appropriate time of day
Water
To promote hydration, drinking water will be available to all students in the lunch cafeteria and throughout the school day.
Nutrition Promotion/ Education
Nutrition promotion and education positively influence lifelong eating behaviors.
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will teach, model, encourage and support healthy eating by all students and provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:
- Is part of not only health education classes, but also integrated into other classroom instruction
- Is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health
- Promotes fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products and healthy food preparation methods
- Emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure
- Includes nutrition education training for teachers and other staff
Essential Healthy Eating Topics in Health Education
The K-12 health education curriculum includes some of the following topics on healthy eating:
- Relationship between healthy eating and personal health and disease prevention
- Reading and using FDA’s nutrition fact labels
- Eating a variety of foods every day
- Balancing food intake and physical activity
- Eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grain products
- Choosing foods that are low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and does not
contain trans fat
- Choosing foods and beverages with little added sugars
- Eating more calcium-rich foods
- Preparing healthy meals and snacks
- Risks of unhealthy weight control practices
- Food safety
- Importance of water consumption
- Importance of eating breakfast
- Making healthy choices when eating at restaurants
- Eating disorders
- Reducing sodium intake
Competitive Food and Beverages
All food and beverages sold at school during the school day will meet nutrition standards. A summary of the standards and information, as well as a Guide to Smart Snacks in Schools are available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/healthierschooldav/tools-schools-smart-snacks.
Celebration and Rewards
All foods offered on the school campus will meet or exceed the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. Healthy classroom party ideas are available from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the USDA. Rewards support student health when they involve using non-food items or activities; examples of non-food items or activities are stickers, books, or extra time for recess to recognize students for their achievements or good behavior.
Birthday parties and holiday celebrations provide a great opportunity’ for schools to make healthful eating fun and exciting for students. Schools can promote a positive learning environment by shifting the celebration from the food to the child. Games, crafts and having fewer parties and celebrating birthdays on a monthly basis are suggestions from the USDA.
Food and Beverage Marketing in School
Any foods and beverage marketed to students on the school campus during the school day will meet or exceed USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards. Food and beverage marketing is defined as advertising and other promotions in schools. As the school Nutrition Services/Athletics Department /Home & School consider new contracts, equipment and product purchasing decisions should reflect the applicable marketing guidelines established by the wellness policy.
Physical Activity/Physical Education
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School recognizes that students are more attentive and ready to learn if provided with periodic breaks when they can be physically active or stretch. Physical activity during the school day would not be withheld as punishment for any reason. To the extent practicable, the school will ensure that its grounds and facilities are safe and that equipment is available to students to be active. The school safety committee will conduct necessary inspections and repairs.
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will provide students with physical education, using an age-appropriate, physical education curriculum consistent with national and state standards for physical education.
The physical education curriculum will promote the benefits of a physically active lifestyle and will help students develop skills to engage in lifelong healthy habits.
All elementary and middle school students will receive physical education throughout the school year. All secondary students are required to take one academic year of physical education.
Essential Physical Activity Topics in Health Education
Health Education is required in all elementary grades and the high school students take and pass at least one health-related education course. The school will include in the health education curriculum some of the following topics:
- How physical activity can contribute to a healthy weight
- How physical activity can contribute to the academic learning process
- How an inactive lifestyle contributes to chronic disease
- Health-related fitness, that is, cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and body composition
- Phases of an exercise session, that is, warm up, workout and cool down
- Overcoming barriers to physical activity
- Decreasing sedentary activities, such as TV watching
- Preventing injury during physical activity
- Weather-related safety, for example, avoiding heat stroke, hypothermia and sunburn while being physically active
- Developing an individualized physical activity and fitness plan
- Dangers of using performance-enhancing drugs, such as steroids
- How to find valid information or services related to physical activity and fitness
- How to influence, support or advocate for others to engage in physical activity
Recess (Elementary)
Falls City Sacred Heart Elementary Catholic School offers at least 20 minutes of recess on all days during the school year. If recess is offered before lunch, schools will have appropriate hand-washing facilities.
Outdoor recess will be offered when weather is feasible for outdoor play.
In the event that recess must be conducted indoors, teachers and staff will follow the indoor recess guidelines that promote physical activity for students to the extent practicable.
Staff Wellness and Health Promotion/USDA Qualifications
The LWC will focus on staff wellness issues, identify and disseminate wellness resources. Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will implement strategies to support staff in actively promoting and modeling healthy eating and physical activity behaviors. All school nutrition program directors and staff will meet or exceed hiring and annual continuing education/training requirements in the USDA professional standards for child nutrition professionals.
Community Health Promotion and Family Engagement
Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School will promote to parents/caregivers, families and the general community the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity throughout the school year. Families will be informed and invited to participate in school-sponsored activities and will receive information about health promotion efforts. The school will use social media (Facebook and Instagram), email or display notices on the website, as well as newsletters or sending information home to parents, to ensure that all families are actively notified of opportunities to participate in school-sponsored activities and receive information about health promotion efforts.
Falls City Sacred Heart – LSWP Comparison Assessment
Step 1. Model Wellness Policy Comparison Results Template
STEP 2 Falls City Sacred Heart
Step 3 Extent of Compliance for All Schools with the LSWP Template
