The end of the year is often a time to reflect on the past 12 months and plan for the coming year. At a recent staff meeting, we took a few moments to share with each other what we have received as "gifts" over the past year: the connections, experiences and learnings that bring meaning and joy to our work. During this season of giving, we give thanks for these gifts--both given and received. A healthy, happy holiday to all.

What if you could eat at your favorite restaurants and cut down on calories at the same time? Providing customers with more healthy options is the idea behind the Healthy Dining Program, a statewide initiative of Mass in Motion. The Chateau Restaurant recently signed on as Waltham's first healthy dining restaurant with the creation of their new low-calorie menu options. Allowing substitutions of vegetables instead of fries, dressing on the side, or a broiled entree instead of fried are just a few ways that restaurants can help their customers eat healthier. Healthy Dining restaurants receive a door decal and may be listed in Healthy Dining Program directories. Any restaurant may apply to the Healthy Dining Program. Please download the application here. Read about the Healthy Dining Program and the Chateau's new menu options in the Waltham News Tribune by clicking here.

How many seeds are in a pumpkin? (**answer below) Pumpkins, those cheery orange gourds plentiful in the fall, provide many opportunities for learning. Healthy Waltham recently enthralled first grade classes at the Northeast Elementary School with the Pumpkin Lesson. Louise Forrest, Healthy Waltham Garden Facilitator, and Jaclyn Kellner, Healthy Waltham intern from Brandeis University, led the eager students in removing the contents of a pumpkin and counting out the seeds. They also read a book to the students called "Pumpkin Jack" which follows the pumpkin from its time as a jack-o-lantern to decaying outside to its seeds starting to germinate in the spring to produce green globes, etc. (**The number of seeds in the pumpkins we opened varied widely from about 200 to 1,200 for the largest pumpkin)

The Veggie Buddies are an energetic group of Brandeis students who talk to kids about eating their veggies. Begun by a Healthy Waltham intern last year, the Veggie Buddies play trivia games, role-model healthy eating, and help motivate the kids to try the vegetables served in the elementary school cafeterias. Our goal is to eventually have the Veggie Buddies make one appearance at each Waltham elementary school annually. The Veggie Buddies help kids learn the importance of eating healthy AND make it fun.

Every other year, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is administered to Waltham middle and high school students, and the results are posted on the school website. In a recent Tribune column, Beth Toolan, Executive Director of the Waltham Partnership for Youth, shared some of the top level findings. Bullying, including cyber-bullying, and drug & alcohol use by teens emerged as areas of concern. However, Waltham was also rated highly on protective factors such as our students having adults they can talk to. A new anti-bullying group has been formed at the high school, and there will be a community forum in the spring. To read the article or get involved, please click here or send an email to the Waltham Partnership for Youth.