Wellness Policy

Local Wellness Policy

 

Burke Basic School is committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.

Burke Basic School will provide nutrition information and physical education opportunities that foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical fitness.

Good health fosters student attendance and education.

Children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn, and thrive.

A healthy diet should consistent of the five main recommendations from the Food Guide Pyramid.

Participation of the entire school community is essential to the development and implementation of successful school wellness policies.

 

1.      Monitoring and Evaluation:

 

The School Wellness Team will meet at least annually to evaluate the effectiveness of policy and make any revision deemed necessary. The school wellness team will invites faculty, staff, parents and students to provide input which they feel would be instrumental in improving the overall wellness program. All input provided will be taken into consideration and evaluated by the school wellness team.

 

2.      Nutrition:

 

1. Nutrition and healthy living skills shall be taught as part of the regular instructional program. Opportunities will be       provided for all students to understand and practice the concepts and skills related to good nutrition, health promotion and disease prevention

i.      Promote fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low fat dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health enhancing nutrition practices.

ii.      Avoid low-nutrition foods and beverages, such as soda, sports drinks, imitation fruit juices, chips, candy, cookies, and snack cakes.

2. Food and beverages served at school shall meet the nutrition standard set forth by Arizona Department of Education.
3. School will encourage parents to bring nutritional snacks to recognize student’s birthday.
4. School will provide parents/guardians with information regarding healthy food/beverages
5. Food will not be used as classroom reward.

 

3.     Physical Activity:

 

1. Students in Kindergarten through 6^th grade shall participate in daily physical activity that enables them to achieve and maintain a high level of personal fitness.
2. The School shall provide a daily supervised recess period.
3. The school will ensure that all the recreational amenities are safe, clean and accessible to all students.
4. At the beginning of the school year, Burke will provide every student with a scorecard that has 25 slots on it. We are offering scorecards to parents and staff members who are interesting in participating also. For every day that a student either walks at least one mile, or performs the equivalent 30 minutes of exercise, they get one slot signed off. They may walk more than one mile each day, but they can only mark off one slot per day. Burke wanted this       program to focus on cardiovascular walking/jogging/running, however, we realized that everyone has a different exercise regimen that works for them. If a student is not a runner, but enjoys dancing, they may count that on their scorecard as well. We wanted to ensure versatility to match everyone’s fitness needs. Participants must get a witness to sign each slot after the exercise is completed to ensure honesty. We will give the participants 60 days, from start to finish, to complete all 25 slots (averaging around one day of exercise every other day). Some participants will want to go faster, so we will have additional scorecards always available to pick up at the front office. For every scorecard       completed  the participant will get a 25 mile club certificate. They may also be able to purchase a 25 mile club shirt that can be worn on Fridays. Each participant is acknowledged on the 25 mile club bulletin board in the hallway to recognize others achievements and encourages others to join.
5. Faculty, staff, school administrators, food service professionals, parents and students will be encouraged to serve as a roles model by practicing healthy physical activity habits.

 

4.     School-based Activities to Promote Wellness: 

1. Students shall be provided with the opportunity for physical activity through the afterschool sports program.
2. Students will have adequate time to eat lunch, relax, and socialize.
3. School does not have a vending machine on site available to staff or students.
4. The school shall prohibit the use of food as a reward in the classroom.
5. Food safety will be a key part of School Nutrition operation.
6. Cafeteria will be clean, safe and attractive.