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Welcome to HCCA's Newsletter!
Volume One, Issue Two
Enhancing the quality of life in our communities is central to our purpose. The goals of this newsletter are to provide you with resources to make connections with others to improve lives.
Each issue will focus on a different topic and activities.
This month's focus: Back to School
This is Part One of a two-part Back to School Issue. We hope you will find the information here interesting and informative. Please send any comments and suggestions to the contact information above.
All our newsletters are permission only. You are receiving it because we have an established relationship with you. If you do not want to receive future newsletters, please activate the "SafeUnsubscribe" link below. |
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Is Your District Ready for Maine Harvest Lunch? 
Schools across the state began participating in Maine Harvest Lunch in 2003, joining the movement that began in Gorham Schools in 2001, and on September 26, 2007 over 200 school districts participated in the annual event! This year Maine Harvest Lunch will be celebrated at schools across the state on September 17th. School Lunch Programs that participate in Harvest Lunch serve a lunch prepared from ingredients grown entirely or mostly in Maine. School Food Service Directors are encouraged to build ongoing relationships with local farmers to establish regular procurement of locally grown foods. This, in turn, supports the local economy and increases the amount of fresh produce served in schools, thereby improving student nutrition.
Try these strategies to ensure a successful Maine Harvest Lunch in your district:
· Include an educational component for students to learn about local agriculture and the foods that will be served
· Ensure adequate promotion and advertising including press releases
· Consider visits to the school by the farmers themselves, or
· Field trips to the farms that will be providing the food for the lunch.
If your school district needs help planning for or promoting Maine Harvest Lunch, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020. |
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Local Schools Participate in FREE Take Time! Training 
In May HCCA, in collaboration with MSAD #11, sponsored a free training for several local schools. National recommendations are that all students receive 150 minutes per week (elementary) or 225 minutes per week (middle and high school) of physical education. Because most Maine schools do not currently attain this important health goal, several advocates from state and local agencies designed Take Time! as a way to increase physical activity among all students. Offering daily physical activity opportunities in addition to physical education classes, benefits both the mental and physical health of all students.
Teachers from the following school districts participated in the free training and received free materials to take with them:
· Augusta Public Schools
· School Union #44 (Litchfield Schools)
· MSAD #16 (Hall-Dale)
· MSAD #11 (Gardiner Area Schools)
· School Union #133 (Windsor Schools)
· School Union #42/CSD #10 (Maranacook Area Schools)
· Winthrop Public Schools
HCCA will be partnering again with MSAD #11 to offer a follow-up training on August 21, 2008 from 1:00-3:00 to help districts implement Take Time! and to introduce an incentive program.
If you are interested in participating in the August 21st training or hosting a Take Time! training your district, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
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It's 10:00, Do You Know Where Your Local Wellness Policy Is?
The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires all schools that participate in the Federally-funded National School Lunch Program create, implement, and enforce a Local Wellness Policy that addresses physical activity and nutrition in an effort to combat obesity and prevent chronic disease. Previously, HCCA convened a work group consisting of representatives from several local school districts to create a region-wide Wellness Policy. HCCA continues to support your efforts in implementing and improving upon your Local Wellness Policy.
HCCA recognizes that school districts are overburdened with consolidation efforts, curriculum development, and balancing ever-tighter budgets. It is during these stressful times that health and wellness initiatives are often overlooked, but ironically most needed.
In order to obtain and maintain optimal health we must go beyond the minimum requirements of the law and strive to provide healthful food choices throughout the school day, at all school events and activities, and to provide as many opportunities for physical activity as possible for all students. One of the requirements of the Federal law is that Local Wellness Policies are enforced and monitored. HCCA can assist school districts in evaluating their Local Wellness Policies to ensure they are being followed and enforced and to also assess the policy's strengths and weaknesses.
HCCA, in collaboration with MSAD #11, is hosting a free forum for Local Wellness Policy assessment and enforcement on August 20, 2008 from 1:00-3:00. Anyone interested in evaluating their district's Local Wellness Policy can attend. For more information, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
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On September 1st, 2008, An Act to Protect Children in Vehicles from Secondhand Smoke will take effect.
It will be illegal as of September 1, 2008 to smoke in a car if a child under 16 is present. The law was passed to protect children from the dangers of secondhand smoke. Violators will receive a written warning for the first year after the law goes into effect. After that, they will receive a $50 fine.
Vehicles are small, confined spaces and smoking in a car can expose children to very high concentrations of pollutants caused by secondhand smoke. National surveys show that children spend an average of one hour in a car each day and children are often not able to tell a caregiver or parent not to smoke.
Second hand smoke causes numerous children's ailments including asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infection, respiratory tract infections and sudden infant death syndrome. Maine has kept pace with the public's growing awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke. Laws have been enacted restricting smoking in virtually every public space and workplace. An Act to Protect Children in Vehicles from Secondhand Smoke goes one step further to protect Maine's children from the ravages of secondhand smoke.
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Mini-Grants, Free Training, & More
Youth Voices Program: Small grants are available to host organizations to support a Youth Voices group. The Youth Voices program is a proven strategy for identifying, organizing, and supporting youth who choose not to use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs and help them take action to prevent substance use among youth in our communities. HCCA supports the involvement of youth in tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use prevention by offering mini-grants in the amount of $1800 to host organizations that want to create new or sustain existing Youth Voices programs. Funding supports a stipend for an adult leader and out-of-pocket program expenses. Funding is limited and distributed on a first come, first served basis. For more information, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
School Health Leadership Councils: HCCA offers mini-grants to support the development and coordination of School Health Leadership Councils (SHLC) for Coordinated School Health Programming (CSHP). CSHP is a proven effective strategy for improving the health of our children. Grant funds in the amount of $1800 may be used to stipend a coordinator and provide other supports to develop the SHLC. Funding is limited and distributed on a first come, first served basis. For more information about Coordinated School Health Programming, go to: www.mainecshp.com. For mini-grant applications and information, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
Wellness Policy Assessment: The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires that all schools that participate in the Federally-funded National School Lunch Program create, implement, and enforce a Local Wellness Policy that addresses physical activity and nutrition in an effort to combat obesity and prevent chronic disease. One of the requirements of the Federal law is that Local Wellness Policies are enforced and monitored. HCCA can assist school districts in evaluating their Local Wellness Policies to ensure they are being followed and enforced and to also assess the policy's strengths and weaknesses. If you are interested in evaluating your district's Local Wellness Policy, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
Take Time! Training: Take Time! is a proven strategy to increase the amount of physical activity students receive during the school day by integrating movement into daily lessons. Take Time! has been successfully implemented across the state as a method to combat the rising incidence of childhood obesity and chronic disease. For more information on Take Time! go to: www.maine-nutrition.org. If your school would like to host a free Take Time! training and receive free materials, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
Not On Tobacco: Not On Tobacco, or N-O-T, is an effective voluntary tobacco treatment program designed especially for teens. N-O-T's 10-session curriculum works to increase healthy lifestyle behaviors such as nutrition and exercise and improve life skills such as stress management. For more information on the N-O-T program, go to the American Lung Association's Tobacco Control and Teens webpage at: www.lungusa.org. If you or someone from your school district is interested in participating in a N-O-T training, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
Tobacco Basic Skills & Intensive Treatment Training: HCCA sponsors individuals who would like to participate in Basic Skills and/or Intensive Treatment trainings offered by The Center for Tobacco Independence (CTI). Once individuals are trained, they can offer brief interventions or intensive counseling to tobacco users. Trainings are offered throughout the year. For more information about CTI, go to: www.tobaccoindependence.org. If you would like to participate in a training, contact Joanne Joy at j.joy@healthycommunitiesme.org or 207-588-5011.
LifeSkills™: LifeSkills™ is an in-school substance abuse and violence prevention program for upper elementary and middle school students. LifeSkills™ is an evidence-based curriculum that provides students with the necessary skills to resist social pressure to smoke, drink, and use drugs. It helps them develop greater self-esteem, self-mastery, and self-confidence. LifeSkills™ enables children to effectively cope with social anxiety, increases their knowledge of the immediate and long-term consequences of substance abuse, and enhances cognitive and behavioral competency to reduce and prevent a variety of health risk behaviors. If you would like to learn more about LifeSkills™ go to: www.lifeskillstraining.com, or if you are interested in participating in a training and implementing LifeSkills™ in your school district, contact Renee Page at rpage@mcd.org or 207-588-5020.
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Thank you for your commitment to the health and wellbeing of our children. Please contact us if we can be of assistance in supporting your southern Kennebec communities' quality of life.
Sincerely,
Joanne Joy, Director
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Renee Page, School/Youth Program Manager
Healthy Communities of the Capital Area
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