 |
Healthy Schools Stories
Send us your Healthy School Stories
Healthy Canteen
Tanner's Crossing School (Minnedosa, Manitoba)
School Division: Rolling River School Division
Student Population (approximate): 395
Grade Level: K-8
Contact: Jacki Nylen, Teacher
Phone Number: 204-867-2591
Email: jnylen@rrsd.mb.ca
Health Topics:
Individuals involved:
- Principal
- School Board
- Chronic Disease Prevention Initiative (CDPI)
- School Superintendent
Target group:
Factors that contributed to success:
- Start up grants from the Assiniboine Region Health Authority (RHA) for CDPI
- Support of the school division in creating the physical area for the canteen
- Involvement of the staff and the initial CDPI committee in accessing need
- CDPI program coordinator (the canteen as part of her portfolio)
Details:
- As part of CDPI, approximately 20 people from various associations in and around Minnedosa met to create a committee and establish priorities. A program co-ordinator was hired. Rolling River School Division provided the labour and space for the creation of the facility.
- Food is made "from scratch" and only includes healthy ingredients - only whole-wheat flour is used and no processed foods are included in the ingredients. On a daily basis, the canteen sells milk, juice, water, fruit, yogurt, veggie packs, and occasionally sells fruit packs, homemade granola bars, homemade muffins, salads, homemade soup, as well as daily food specials are offered that include homemade macaroni and cheese, chilli and wraps. Healthy snacks are also sold at recess times.
- The canteen can service approximately 80 students and staff at lunch time in seven minutes.
- Food cards can be purchased so that students do not have to bring money each day.
- The canteen is self-sustaining; profits pay the salary for the CDPI co-ordinator and for supplies. Prices are very reasonable.
- Our co-ordinator has also added nutrition education to her activities for the canteen. There are informational posters around the sales area and she has gone into classrooms to have students try different foods and look at the value of those foods.
- Students are eating healthier at school, and many students are replacing less healthy foods with the healthier ones. There is never a request for junk foods.
Food for Thought - Nutrition Matters at Maple Leaf School: A parent/guardian information handbook on healthy eating
Maple Leaf School (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
School Division: River East Transcona School Division
Student Population (approximate): 340
Grade Level: K-6
Contact: Victor Kuzyk, Principal
Phone Number: 204-661-9509
Email: vkuzyk@retsd.mb.ca
Health Topics:
Individuals involved:
- Classroom teachers
- Principal
- Parents
- Graphic designer
- Photographer
- Communications coordinator
Target group:
Factors that contributed to success:
- Committee involvement
- Administrative support
- Funding
Details:
- Maple Leaf School established a SNAC (School Nutrition Action Committee) of teachers and parents in 2003 to promote healthy eating at school. The SNAC developed and implemented a school nutrition policy with guidelines. The policy has been included in the Manitoba School Nutrition Handbook.
- The SNAC set a goal in school year 2006-2007 of writing and publishing a parent/guardian information handbook on healthy eating. The committee was provided with release time to prepare an initial draft for a handbook. The draft was edited and revised by the principal and the Communications Coordinator of the River East Transcona School Division. A final draft was completed and a volunteer photographer agreed to take a variety of photos to complement the text of the handbook.
- The Principal contacted potential sponsors, many of whom agreed to provide financial support for the printing of the handbook. The school division's graphic artist completed the layout and graphic design for the handbook.
- The handbook has been distributed to all families who have children attending Maple Leaf School.
Breaking the Guinness World Record (for number of people walking one kilometre at the same time)
Kent Road Elementary (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
School Division: Winnipeg School Division
Student Population (approximate): 260
Grade Level: N-6
Contact: Diane Zakala, Administrator
Phone Number: 204-669-1228
Email: dzakala@wsd1.org
Health topics:
- Physical activity
- Healthy Eating
Individuals involved:
- 235 students
- 30 staff including the principal, teachers and educational assistants
- Parents, siblings and grandparent
Target group:
- Students
- Staff
- Parents and family members
Factors that contributed to success:
- Administrative support
- Organization by physical education teacher
Details:
- On October 3, 2007 our school joined the Walkolution and broke the existing Guinness Book of Records for the largest number of people walking one kilometre at the same time.
- Students collected pledges to raise funds for the school for physical education equipment.
- Everyone received apple juice following the walk.
Recess Activity Afternoon
R.H.G. Bonnycastle (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
School Division: Pembina Trails School Division
Student Population (approximate): 255
Grade Level: K-6
Contact: Kim Gusdal, teacher
Phone number: 204-269-4624
Email: kgusdal@pembinatrails.ca
Health Topics:
- Physical activity
- Healthy eating
- Fair play and cooperation
- Safety
Individuals involved:
- Physical Education and classroom teachers
- Principal, all specialist and educational assistants and student teachers
Target group:
Factors that contributed to success:
- Committee who organized the afternoon
- Received low cost apples from local grocery store
- Administrative support
Details:
- The school spent an afternoon teaching the entire school a variety of recess games and activities to try to cut down on the number of recess incidents that have been occurring.
- We met as a committee and selected 12 different activities to teach students. We broke up the students into grades K-2 and grades 3-6 groups.
- The students rotated through the stations where they had 10 minutes to learn the rules and take part in each activity. Some activities were appropriate for all age levels and some were for specific grade levels only. After six rotations, the students and staff had a 15-minute break and everyone enjoyed a healthy snack (an apple).
- Activities included such things as 4 Square, Tag games, circle dodgeball, basketball, flag football, 7 up, skipping, jacks, cup stacking, hop scotch etc.
- The afternoon went very well and we have decided to have large containers of equipment available at recess as well as instructions for some of the activities.
|
