Wellness Committee Minutes, 1.3.08
High School Library
Attending: Don Siviski, Judy Skehan, Betty Stevenson, Matt Day, Steve MacDougall, Margaret Yeterian, Dylan Sirois, Laura Harper, and Renee Page
Updates on items from November
Holiday season posed some challenges with non-compliant foods being requested from teachers for student celebrations. Committee agreed that staff must be reminded regularly of the Wellness Policy; when students are the primary audience, foods must be of nutritional value. Committee suggested that teachers’ meetings are a great venue to bring up the policy.
Policy and Personnel Committee has articulated use of facility in compliance with wellness policy via form.
Laura apologized to the Committee; she forgot to invite the Boosters to the January meeting. She will do so for the March meeting with the help of Matt.
Board approved created of intramural job position for High School. Steve M. has emailed staff with information on the position. He has already received several responses.
Wellness Policy is now on-line.
Sugar-Out Day or 5:2:1:0 Day in February
February 1st is Sugar Out Day – organized statewide by the Maine Center for Disease Control. There is a wellness and an oral health focus for the event.
Administrators will introduce Sugar-Out Day to staff at their meeting on January 9th.
Betty will share materials from ME Ctr. For Disease Control with staff for activities and curriculum content. Materials can be found at HYPERLINK “http://www.maine-nutrition.org” www.maine-nutrition.org.
One idea was to have a poster contest for K-5, a t-shirt contest for 6-8, and an “U-Tube” contest for 9-12 (as a part of winter carnival.)
Renee will research other healthy poster contests statewide and share with the group at March meeting.
Dylan will talk to Student Senate about Sugar-Out Day/5:2:1:0 contest as part of Winter Carnival.
The Committee discussed expanding Sugar-Out Day to include a month-long educational campaign on 5:2:1:0.
Broadening our goals for next year
Dylan brought up breakfast for high school students. Many students don’t eat breakfast at home or in the cafeteria and it affects their ability to learn, their health, and studies have show that skipping breakfast can contribute toward obesity. Therefore the group decided to address this issue through goal number 1 under “Nutritional Education” on page 3 of the Wellness Policy.
1. The schools will provide nutritional education that focuses on the skills students need to adopt and maintain healthy eating behaviors.
The Committee discussed some of it’s past successes and ideas that didn’t quite come to fruition. Those discussed were the walking program at the old Elementary School, the walking school bus that Gardiner has, offering an open gym before, after and during school hours when possible, and expanding the intramural program (if successful at the High School) to the Middle School. Therefore the group decided to address these issues through goal number 7 under “Physical Activity and Physical Education” on page 4 of the Wellness Policy.
7. MSAD # 16 supports and encourages the integration of up to 90 minutes of physical activity per week for all students. This is outside the regular PE classes and recess. Examples of such activities could include but not be limited to Daily walk (outside is preferred), music CD’s that promote movement, DVD’s/VHS tapes with aerobics, basketball/hopscotch that integrate subject matter. PE teachers could work with teachers to come up with a list of age appropriate activities. (Take Time, Catch, etc.)
The group also discussed Healthy Maine Partnerships and the possibility of getting some outside funding for a stipend for staff to organize the ES walking program, walking school bus, open gym, and an expanded intramural program for the Middle School. Laura will ask Renee if she would be willing to talk to the Committee in March about Healthy Maine Partnerships.
Next meeting, March 6th, 4 to 6 pm, Hall-Dale Elementary Library
