School Wellness

1. School Wellness Alyson Brabitz Showell Elementary School Worcester County ajbrabitz@mail.worcester.k12.md.us

2. Purpose • The link between wellness and student learning is well-documented. Consistent with research, I believe that students who adopt healthy eating patterns and incorporate physical activity into their daily lives are able to achieve their full academic potential, full physical and mental growth, and lifelong health and well-being. In addition, the staff members who model these healthy behaviors, help to promote lifelong health and well-being.

3. “If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?”  ~Unknown

4. How does it work? Faculty and Staff Students • See what your staff is interested in • Create an action plan • Provide resources • Cover all types of wellness (stress relief, mental wellness, nutrition, etc) • Provide incentives • Brain breaks in traditional classrooms • ACES (all children exercise simultaneously) • Before or after school exercise programs • Healthy choice awards at lunch

5. Did you know? • Approximately 2/3 of all deaths in adults aged 25 year and older in the US can be attributed to cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. The primary causes of these conditions are four preventable risk factors – tobacco use, poor eating habits, inadequate physical activity and overweight. • Obesity and related chronic diseases cost employers up to $93 billion per year in health insurance claims • The cost of obesity, including medical expenditures and absenteeism, for an employer with 1,000 employees is estimated to be $277,000 per year

6. We need to be the good example for our students! If we are healthy and active, they will be too!

7. Action plan for faculty and staff • Begin with a survey to see what your faculty and staff are interested in • Set a few goals for the year and how you will implement them (ex. Walking program, biggest loser, first aid/cpr training, healthy recipes, exercise challenges, healthy breakfasts, health screenings) • Where to get $$ • Soda machine $ • Casual days • Grants • PTA • A school fun run

8. Make it worthwhile! • Offer incentives to keep people motivated!

9. Wellness programs not only control health care costs and reduce claims, but also improve employees’ health and morale!

10. Minute to win it games to spice up faculty meetings or lunch time! • Baby blocking • Bobble head • Hanky panky • Stack attack

11. Questions, comments, concerns?? Balloon ball brain break!

12. Did you know? • Students who get physical activity and eat healthier are more likely to have higher grades • 1 in every 3 children (31.7%) ages 2-19 is overweight or obese • 1/3 of all children born in the year 2000 are expected to develop diabetes during their lifetime • Many experts believe that today’s kids may be the first generation in American history to live shorter lives than their parents. • Schools alone cannot be responsible for the health and well-being of children, but along with other families and partners in the community, they do play an important role.

13. Now for the children • Once you have the faculty and staff on board, create a committee to help organize things for the students • Physical Education teachers • Nurse • Administrator • Fit healthy teachers • Cafeteria workers • Local parks and recreation

14. Healthy Choice awards at lunch • Get the cafeteria workers on board and really encourage healthy choices. • Have the myplate charts visibly placed around cafeteria • Highlight the students who have healthy choices for lunch (ex. Let them line up first, take their picture for a bulletin board, give them a certificate, etc) • Have students make a pledge that they will make healthy choices at school and at home.

15. ACES (All children exercise simultaneously) • An event that usually happens once a year, could be a weekly or monthly event. • The event should be short and easy, but everyone drops what they’re doing to MOVE! • Choose a time where the whole school stops and does some sort of exercise • Walk around the school • Aerobics in the gym • Dancing in their classrooms • Stretching to calming music • Calisthenics

16. Before or after school exercise programs • Create a walking or jogging group before school. • Offer an after school program that incorporates physical activity (yoga, dance, wii sports, etc) • Offer extra Physical Education class to star students. • Coordinating with local parks and recreation facilities to provide activities.

17. Brain breaks in traditional classrooms • http://www.emc.cmich.edu/BrainBreaks/ • The focus here is on whole school health, so why don’t we give teachers in traditional classrooms ways to use some BRAIN BREAKS! • Examples: • Balloon ball • Reaction game • Brain break cup • Knots of people • The seat exchange • A special person

18. “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”  ~John F. Kennedy

19. Let’s chat • Share some ideas with people around you • What are some struggles you might have? • Any good resources to share?

20. Resources • https://schools.healthiergeneration.org/_asset/wwj4dq/schoolwellnesscounciltoolkit.pdf • http://www.nbc.com/minute-to-win-it • http://www.emc.cmich.edu/BrainBreaks/