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Welcome to the King County Schools Health and Wellness: News You Can Use newsletter. Each month, we will be bringing you updates, news and announcements to support the health and wellness of your schools. If you have something to submit, please email it to me, Carolyn Kramer, by the last day of the month and I will get it into the next month's newsletter. THANKS!
If have not done so already, be sure to also subscribe to
Healthy King County- an interactive site and posting board for all CPPW grantees. If you have not received an invitation to join, please email Donna Oberg
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How Exercise Can Boost Kids' Brain Power... And Yours, Too
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-Christine Carter, PhD, Huffington Post, December 26, 2010
Like 44 percent of the population, I will make New Year's resolutions this year, and I'm starting to think about them already. As we celebrate Thanksgiving and Hanukkah and Christmas -- holidays all accompanied by special foods and big meals, often with more cheese and sweets than I ingest in January through October combined -- I know that one of my resolutions is going to be to get back into a regular exercise regimen. Click here to read more.
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Child Nutrition Reauthorized PASSED!
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-School Nutrition Association, National Harbor, MD (December 2, 2010)
Today, the US House of Representatives passed S. 3307, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act by a vote of 264 to 157. The School Nutrition Association (SNA) endorsed the child nutrition reauthorization legislation, which will allow school meal programs to offer a greater variety of nutritious foods in school cafeterias nationwide.
"Members of Congress, the Administration and the First Lady should be recognized for their tireless efforts to improve children's access to healthy, nourishing meals during these tough economic times," said SNA President Nancy Rice, M.Ed., RD, LD, SNS, State Director of the Georgia Department of Education, School Nutrition Division. "The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act gives schools critical resources to reach more children with healthy school meals and to serve more fresh produce, whole grains and low-fat dairy products in cafeterias. By establishing nutrition standards for all foods served or sold in schools, the legislation ensures that students will receive a consistent message about healthy choices."
Click here to read more from this press release.
Read more through a variety of perspectives:
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In St. Paul schools, the not-so-sweet life
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The St. Paul school district will make all public schools "sweet-free zones" by the end of the school year.
Jill Gebeke made it a habit to reward herself with a small piece of chocolate after lunch every day. It's hard work being a school principal, after all. But the chocolate rewards ended last month when some first- and second-graders caught her. "I thought you said this was a sweet-free zone," they reminded her. Click here to read more.
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Sports Participation Does Not Guarantee That Children Get Enough Physical Activity
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-Red Orbit, December 7, 2010
Only about one-fourth of children participating in organized sports-such as baseball, softball or soccer-receive the government-recommended amount of physical activity during team practices, according to a report posted online today that will appear in the April 2011 print issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. National guidelines recommend that children and teens perform 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, but fewer than half of children and 10 percent of teens meet these guidelines, according to background information in the article. "The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends youth sports as a means of obtaining physical activity as well as social benefits," the authors write, and an estimated 44 million American youth participate in an organized sports program. More... |
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5 Myths about School Food
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-Janet Poppendieck, Washington Post, December 17, 2010
A challenge to everything you think you know
When President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act on Monday, he joked that if he hadn't been able to get the bill passed he would have been "sleeping on the couch." His wife, Michelle, laughed this off: "Let's just say, it got done so we don't have to go down that road," she told the crowd at a D.C. elementary school for the signing. The bill, which was a priority for the first lady, is designed to improve both access to and quality of school food, and it contains many provisions that will help in Michelle Obama's campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation -- and a few that may actually hurt it. The fight over how and what we feed our kids at school is a complex one; clear thinking about what we need is often hampered by persistent myths... Click here to read more
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More Students Opting Out of Phys Ed Classes Despite Obesity Epidemic
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-ABC News, December 14, 2010
Once a mainstay of the school day, physical education classes have fallen by the wayside for many American students, despite a massive push by doctors, nutritionists and even the first lady to get children more active. The message has come fast and furious -- childhood obesity is a national epidemic. But physical education advocates say more and more students are being allowed to opt out of gym class in favor of activities like marching band, ROTC, even an extra art class. Students in some school districts are even allowed to complete their physical education requirements online ; They promise to exercise on their own time and just click their way through to course completion. More...
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| Resources, Grants and Tools | |
GRANTS
- Seattle Foundation's Youth Grantmaking Board: Request for Proposals 2011- The YGB invites proposals from established organizations working to provide educational enrichment programs for economically disadvantaged youth in King County.Applications must be received at The Seattle Foundation offices no later than Friday, February 11 at 5:00 p.m.
- The SPARK Grant-Finder Tool is your best resource for locating national and state-specific grants for your Physical Education, After school, Early childhood or Coordinated School Health program. Grants can be used for curriculum, teacher training, or equipment.
GREAT sites to subscribe to:
- Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Program: The Alliance's Healthy Schools Program supports more than 10,000 schools across the U.S. in their efforts to create environments where physical activity and healthy eating are accessible and encouraged. They have a weekly newsletter- Helpful Tools for Healthy Schools that highlights real schools and includes useful information and articles focused on both school nutrition and physical activity
- School Food FOCUS publishes Month in FOCUS, a regular dispatch that keeps stakeholders informed about what's happening within our program areas, shares success stories and things we've learned, spotlights our community partners and food service directors, and publicizes upcoming events.
- National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity News (NCPPA News) is a comprehensive electronic newsletter that includes current physical activity articles in the media, conference and event updates, physical activity resources and grant opportunities. It is published twice a month. Note: the link to subscribe is about 3/4 the way down the page in the right column.
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