Tiverton School Department
Health and Wellness Policy
Policy Intent/Rationale
The Tiverton School Department will promote healthy schools, by supporting wellness, good nutrition, and regular physical activity as part of the total learning environment for its school community. The District supports a healthy environment where students and staff learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices. Schools contribute to basic health status by facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Improved health optimizes the performance potential of students and staff.
In accordance with the intent of this policy and all applicable state and federal laws and regulations, the Tiverton School Department will:
To accomplish these goals the Tiverton School Department will:
Provide a comprehensive learning environment for developing and practicing lifelong wellness behaviors for students and staff.
1. The entire school environment, not just the classroom, shall be aligned with state law to positively influence the understanding, beliefs and habits of students and staff as they relate to good nutrition and regular physical activity.
2. To accomplish this, the Superintendent of Schools through Building Administrators, the Director of Finance and Administration and the Curriculum Director will ensure that certified and non-certified staff and vendors incorporate sound wellness standards, practices and activities in all aspects of the school environment.
Support and promote proper dietary habits contributing to student and staff health status and students’ academic performance.
1. The Superintendent an/or his/her designee will ensure that the food service program and health curriculum, will support and promote students’ proper dietary habits which contribute to good health and improved academic performance.
2. The Superintendent an/or his/her designee will ensure compliance with district nutritional guidelines for foods/beverages sold or distributed to students on school grounds and at school-sponsored activities during the instructional day at a minimum meet the USDA requirements for federal school meals programs and any other applicable state and federal statutes and regulations and, to the extent that it is fiscally prudent, surpasses and supplements these requirements.
3. The Superintendent an/or his/her designee will ensure implementation of this policy and nutritional guidelines at each school site.
Provide more opportunities for students and staff to engage in physical activity.
1. The Superintendent of Schools, the Curriculum Director, and Building Administrators will ensure that the physical education program at all schools and co-curricular activities such as recess is supported and viewed as integral to a healthy school environment(recess should not be used a regular form of punishment). A quality physical education program is an essential component for all students to learn about and participate in physical activity. Physical activity should be included in a school's daily education program from grades pre-K through 12. Physical activity should include regular instructional physical education, in accordance with The Rhode Island Physical Education Framework, as well as co-curricular activities, and recess.
2. Through the Superintendent of Schools, the Curriculum Director, Building Administrators and Health/PE teachers, the Tiverton School Department will provide students, parents and guardians with information regarding wellness and nutrition and the relationship between good nutrition, physical activity and the capacity of students to develop and learn.
3. The Superintendent of Schools, the Curriculum Director, Building Administrators will encourage that all K-12 instructional staff to integrate nutritional themes from the Rhode Island Department of Education Health Education Framework and/or the Rhode Island Family & Consumer Science Framework into daily lessons when appropriate. Nutrition education may be provided in the form of handouts, postings on the district website, articles and information provided in district or school newsletters, presentations that focus on nutritional value and healthy lifestyles, and through any other appropriate means available for reaching parents.
This policy will go into effect _________of_________, __________
Nutrition Education Standards
Student Nutrition Education:
The Tiverton School Department has a comprehensive curriculum approach to nutrition in Kindergarten through 12th grade. All K-12 instructional staff will be encouraged to integrate nutritional themes from the Rhode Island Department of Education Health Education Framework and/or the Rhode Island Family & Consumer Science Framework into daily lessons when appropriate. The health benefits of good nutrition should be emphasized. These nutritional themes include but are not limited to:
Knowledge of the Food Guide Pyramid Healthy heart choices
Sources & variety of foods, including locally grown Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Diet and disease prevention Understanding calories
Healthy snacks Healthy breakfast
Food labels Bone health & osteoporosis
Major nutrients Multicultural influences
Serving portion sizes Proper Food Safety/Sanitation
Promote and identify high nutrient dense foods
Parent Nutrition Education:
· Nutrition education will be provided to parents beginning at the elementary level. The goal will be to continue to educate parents throughout middle and high school levels.
· Nutrition education may be provided in the form of handouts, postings on the district website, articles and information provided in district or school newsletters, presentations that focus on nutritional value and healthy lifestyles, and through any other appropriate means available for reaching parents.
Staff Nutrition & Physical Activity Education:
Nutrition and physical activity education opportunities will be provided to all school staff at the elementary, middle and high school levels, as developed by the Health and Wellness Committee. These educational opportunities may include, but not be limited to, the distribution of educational and informational materials and the arrangement of presentations and workshops that focus on nutritional value and healthy lifestyles, health assessments, fitness activities, and other appropriate nutrition and physical activity-related topics. The purpose of staff nutrition and physical activity education will be to:
· Encourage all school staff to improve their own personal health and wellness
· Improve staff morale
· Create positive role modeling
· Build the commitment of staff to promote the health of students
· Build the commitment of staff to help improve the school nutrition and physical activity environment.
District Physical Education and Physical Activity Policy
Definitions for the purposes of this policy:
Physical Activity (PA) -is any leisure or non-leisure movement of the body that expends energy, such as exercise, sports, dance, mobility training or physical therapy, brisk walking, swimming or other body movements that result in an increased heart rate.
Physical Education (PE) -a sequential, developmentally appropriate K to 12 curriculum, in accordance with the Rhode Island Physical Education Framework, enabling students to develop the knowledge, motor skills, self-management skills, attitudes and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physical activity throughout their lives.
Adapted Physical Education and Physical Activities -are those designed for a student whose special needs or other health conditions require alternative safe and appropriate physical activities that meet their specific needs.
District Physical Activity Goal: To provide daily physical activity and physical education opportunities, empowering students with the knowledge and skills to lead a physically active lifestyle.
The Tiverton School Department shall utilize the following Implementation Strategies:
Physical Education: PE and/or adapted PE will be available for all students.
1. Every student in grades k-12 should participate in daily PE for the entire school year with the state mandated requirement as the minimum time allotment. The District shall establish specific learning goals and objectives for PE. A sequential, developmentally appropriate curriculum shall be designed, implemented, and evaluated to help students develop the knowledge, motor skills, self-management skills, attitudes, and confidence needed to adopt and maintain physical activity throughout their lives.
2. The District will implement recommended guidelines for school PE/PA leaders established by the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) enabling students to achieve and maintain a high level of personal fitness:
- Expose students to a wide variety of physical activities
- Teach physical skills to help maintain a lifetime of health and fitness
- Encourage self-monitoring enabling students to set and achieve fitness goals
- Individualize fitness/activity programs
- Help students to establish a personal fitness baseline and create individual fitness benchmarks to monitor progress
- Be active/positive role models
4. District will implement recommended PE/PA guidelines for students K-12 established by NASPE:
- Children should accumulate at least 60 minutes, and up to several hours, of age appropriate physical activity on all (or most) days of the week.
- Children should participate in several bouts of PA lasting 15 minutes or more each day
- Children should participate in a variety of age appropriate physical activities designed to achieve optimal health
- Extended periods (periods of 2 hours or more) of inactivity are discouraged for children during daytime hours
5. District will implement health-related fitness assessment:
- Introduce developmentally appropriate components of a health-related fitness assessment (e.g. FitnessGram, Physical Best or the President’s Challenge) in kindergarten or first grade.
- Beginning in middle school and continuing through high school a health-related fitness assessment should be administered to all students.
Physical Activity: PA and/or adapted PA opportunities will be available for all students daily: before, during and after school.
1. Provide adequate, developmentally appropriate, safe facilities and recreation areas for PA.
2. Develop student understanding of all procedures and information to minimize risks associated with PA
3. Collaborate with qualified professionals and organizations in the community contributing to PA opportunities.
4. Require the incorporation of NASPE Guidelines, as listed in 3 and 4 above, throughout all district PA activities.
Create opportunities for STAFF to engage in physical activity.