Upcoming Events & Announcements 

Grant Opportunities 

 The Big Help Grants program sponsored by  Nickelodeon & 

The NEA Foundation, supports approaches to addressing four key concerns - environmental awareness, health and wellness, students' right to a quality public education, and active community involvement.

Multiple grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to select applicants. 

Deadline: October 15, 2012

Responsible Sports Community Grant 

Liberty Mutual provides grants to non-profit youth sports organizations and educational athletic programs to help defray the many costs of running a successful youth sports program.

Fifteen grants of $2,500 each will be awarded.

Deadline:  May 31, 2012 and November 30, 2012 

Click here to learn more and apply>> 

Boston Public Schools start the school year with wellness in mind. Superintendent Carol Johnson has appointed 25 members of the school community to a newly invigorated District Wellness Council this fall. Due to the many health crises and health inequities faced by our students, BPS has had a council to address student health and wellness since 2004.  It was established to identify best practices and create policies that would create healthy school environments equitably across the district. 

To continue and expand this important work, BPS will now have a District Wellness Council appointed by the Superintendent.The new Council will recommend, review and advise the implementation of school district policies that address student wellness. BPS will take a comprehensive approach to reviewing and incorporating changes in policy, curriculum, and operating procedures to promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable wellness practices for all students and staff comprehensive school supports around health and wellness.

Council meetings are open to the public. The first meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 26 from 3:00-5:00 at the Title I Center 445 Warren Street Dorchester, MA 02121.  

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American HeartAssociation and the William J. Clinton Foundation, recently announced Donald Lucente, a special education teacher from Thomas Edison K8, and Elizabeth Reynolds Lupo, a physical education teacher at William E. Russell Elementary School, as a Healthy Schools Program Champions.

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Healthy Schools Program supports the work of more than 14,000 schools across the country as they strive to make their campuses healthier places to learn and work. Each year the Healthy Schools Program selects a handful of its most effective advocates to join the National Champions Network-motivating and leading students and staff toward healthier school environments and serving as national spokespeople for the Healthy Schools Program.

 Read the full article on the Health & Wellness Dept. website>> 

There are only two weeks left to participate! The Green Apple Day of Service on Sept. 29 is an opportunity for your school or organization to highlight the important work you do to create a healthy and sustainable learning place for your students and staff.  Service projects are already planned and registered at schools around the world, including many in Boston. Join the movement and make a difference by planting a garden, painting a mural, conducting an energy audit, hosting a green educational event or any other green school project you want to accomplish!

Don't have time to design your own project? Have fun, learn how to start a green team and connect with other green school advocates in BPS at the Go Green Costume Party and Green Schools Kick Off Event at Boston Latin School. September 29, 12-2pm. Download the flyer here>>

Contact Phoebe Beierle, BPS Green Schools Fellow for more resources: pbeierle@boston.k12.ma.us

Visit Green Apple Day of Service to learn more>>

News stories in the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe during the first few days of school echo the excitement of Food and Nutrition Service about free breakfast for all Boston school students.

Starting on the first day of school, September 6, all students at all Boston schools were offered the opportunity to start the day with a healthy, free meal. The program is applauded by nutritionists, principals, and students.

The Boston Globe article refers to a study that measured the impact of school breakfast in 16 Boston public schools.  The study showed that increasing student participation in school breakfast also improved nutrition, school attendance, emotional functioning, and math grades.

Click here to read the full article on Boston.com>>

Click here to read the full Boston Herald article>>

Visit the FNS blog, School Lunch Boston for more information on how families can apply and other school meals updates.

The Health and Wellness Department is excited to announce that a new tobacco prevention resource guide is now available for schools. The guide has information about the Tobacco-Free Environment Policy, cessation resources, recommended resources for classroom materials and activities and more! You can download this and other Health & Wellness resource guides from the BPS Health & Wellness website or contact the Health & Wellness Department at 617-635-6643 or lkopper@boston.k12.ma.us for a print copy. 

BPS has been recycling for decades but this fall the district took a big step forward by implementing single stream recycling, meaning all recyclables can be mixed in the same bin. Now students can recycle at school just like they do at home! Fifty schools are starting this September and the rest will be phased in over the course of the school year. Please contact Facilities if your school wants to sign up. 

A Single Stream Recycling Kick Off Event will be held at Blackstone School at11am, on Wednesday September 26th. The Mayor and Superintendent will meet students across BPS to hear about their recycling best practices and share highlights of the program. 

As the new school year starts up the Health & Wellness Department would like to bring BPS staff together to discuss how we all can continue to make the district a place that supports staff wellness. The department will be hosting a forum in late September/early October to learn about your staff wellness ideas. Two afternoon sessions will be held at Court Street. All BPS staff are invited to attend.

If you have some great ideas you want to share but you are unable to attend you can submit your ideas using the survey link below.

Click here to complete the BPS B-Well Staff Wellness Program Input Survey>> 

We thank you very much for your input and look forward to seeing folks at the forum. Please contact Lauren Kopper for more details and to RSVP.

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Events and promotions are taking place around the country to build awareness and take action to change rising obesity rates in all age groups, but especially children, nationwide. 

JIll Carter, Executive Director of the BPS Health & Wellness Department will be presenting during a webinar, Strategies for Prevention of Childhood Obesity hosted by the National Society of Physical Activity Practitioners in Public Health.  Carter will outline the success stories and lessons learned around improving student health and wellness in Boston Public Schools as well as the built environment's impact on childhood obesity. 

The discussion will take place Monday, September 17th at 1:00pm and will also include remarks from Amy P. Root, MPH of University of Southern Main and Root Rhythms Coaching and Consulting and Kim Irwin, MPH Executive Director, Alliance for Health Promotion with Health by Design, Indiana Citizens' Alliance for Transit.

NSPAPPH's monthly webinars are produced in partnership with the CDC Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Prevention.  This webinar is proudly produced with the additional assistance of the American College of Sports Medicine.  

Register to participate in the webinar here>>

  Please join us for the first National Green Ribbon Schools Award Conference in Massachusetts Sponsored by the Indoor Air Quality in Schools  Taskforce*, facilitated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

When: Friday October 5th, 8:30 am- 12:30pm

Where: EPA New England Regional Laboratory

           11 Technology Drive Chelmsford, MA 01863

This year, Massachusetts will participate in the U.S. Department of Education's Green Ribbon Schools program!

• Learn about the comprehensive approach we are using in Massachusetts to create "healthy and green" schools.
• Meet experts who can mentor your school staff and students to create healthy and sustainable learning environments.
• Hear how your school can apply.
• Gather valuable and useful resources

Space limited. You must attend as a team! Register early with a 2-3 person team from your school that is excited to learn more about this comprehensive approach.

Click here to register>>