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How
"Well" Is Your School?
In
an effort to improve both the school environment and the overall
health and well being of our children, a Federal law was created
stating that, by 2006, all school districts participating in federally-funded
meal programs must have in place a "Wellness Policy".
The Wellness Policy
provides guidelines to aid schools in protecting the health of students,
faculty and staff through better school nutrition and increased
physical activity.
By
now, every school should have an appointed Wellness Committee,
which might be called the School Health Advisory Council (although
it may be known by some other name). This group of individuals is
required to meet at least once per semester in order to monitor
compliance with and facilitate implementation of the Wellness Policy.
Local PTAs can offer assistance to school districts in educating
students, parents, faculty and staff about their school's Wellness
Policy as an important part of advocacy activity.
Click
here for your School Wellness "checkup".
One
component of the Wellness Policy addresses student rewards
and states that food should not be used as a reward.
This is certainly a guideline that benefits our children's nutritional
and emotional well-being. PTA encourages our local units to use
non-food rewards rather than contests that reward a class with an
ice cream or pizza party, for example. Offering extra recess or
homework passes, or recognition during morning announcements are
some ideas that can better serve the students and comply with the
Wellness Policy. (Click
here for more class reward ideas.)
Fundraisers
- PTA local units and councils should lead the way in using healthy
fundraising sources of revenues. There are many alternatives
to the old-fashioned cookie dough or candy bar sales that are great
ways to raise money for our local units. Fundraisers involving Fast
Food Companies that encourage participation through peer pressure
and reward a class with a pizza or ice cream celebration are also
not the best way for our PTAs to model health & wellness and
non-food rewards. Using our children to market Fast Food is in conflict
with the classroom curriculum which attempts to teach children to
choose healthy vs. non-healthy foods. There are many resources for
fundraising that do not involve food. (Click
here for some ideas.)
Georgia PTA Salutes 3 Healthy Fundraising Award Winners
Georgia PTA has created a first-time Healthy Fundraising Award. An award of $1,000 will be given to the local unit best utilizing a healthy or non-food fundraiser. A winner at each level (elementary, middle and high school) was selected. Read more about these creative initiatives and see what healthy fundraising ideas your local unit can generate!
Congratulations to the following local units:
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