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Upcoming Events & Announcements
Position Opening: Director of Implementation, Health & Wellness Dept.
Reporting directly to the department's Executive Director, the Director of Implementation will manage the operations and strategic direction of the Health and Wellness Department in order to meet the directives and scope of work outlined by the district, the department's strategic objectives and grants; ensure compliance of grants, budgets and reporting; and support the department's sustainability by helping secure additional department funding.
The Director of Implementation will work closely with the Executive Director, while holding a high level of independence and decision-making authority, as he/she leads the development, implementation and evaluation of Let's Move in BPS: the district's initiative to provide all students in grades K-12 with weekly, standards-based Physical Education (PE) and daily, planned Physical Activity (PA); and leads the implementation of the department's school-based technical assistance, supports, and services.
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Grant Opportunities
Helping Children in Urban Poverty Grants The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation seeks to fund projects that directly serve or impact children living in urban poverty, particularly in the areas of education, childhood health and family economic stability. Award amounts vary Deadline: Rolling
Fund for Teachers Grant
The purpose of this funding is to enrich the personal and professional growth of teachers by recognizing and supporting them as they identify and pursue opportunities around the globe that will have the greatest impact on their practice, the academic lives of their students and on their school communities.
Grants of up to $5,000 for individuals and up to $10,000 for teams will be awarded to select applicants.
Deadline: January 31, 2013
Learn more and apply>>
Youth Mental Health Grants
The Viola W. Bernard Foundation was established to provide seed money for innovative mental health programs with an emphasis on families and children. The program provides support to innovative programs that address the interplay between social conditions and the psychological health of children and families.
Award amounts vary
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2013
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Healthy Connections Images
Last week 58 BPS physical education teachers came together to share best practices and participate in SPARK and Project Adventure training. |
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Boston Moves for Health Wellness Champion Challenge!
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We are excited to be once again collaborating with Boston Public Health Commission and Partners Healthcare to bring the Boston Moves for Health Wellness Champion Challenge!
This 4-week challenge will be asking Wellness
Champions to track steps collected by their students and submit them each week to compete against other schools. There will be a $750 prize for Physical Activity Equipment in 3 categories: Elementary, Middle & K-8, and High Schools.
This past fall a similar challenge was run for PE teachers, after 4 weeks participating schools accumulated over 9,000 miles!
Each school will be receiving a tool kit with all the materials to run
this promotion the first full week in January. There will be pedometers and detailed instructions on how to get the promotion going. We are asking each school with Wellness Champions to participate in the contest. Stay tuned for more details. Tracking will begin January 22nd.
Learn more about Boston Moves for Health here>>
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BPS Nurse Named Nurse of the Year in Community and Public Health Nursing
|  Roselaine C. Koech, RN, BSN, MEd, school nurse at the West Roxbury Educational Complex, was named Nurse of the Year in Community and Public Health Nursing by the March of Dimes of Massachusetts. Roselaine received recognition for her work during the Nurse of the Year event held to honor the best of the best and pay tribute to the nurses who help protect the health of children and families every day. Roselaine was chosen as Nurse of the Year out of a pool of over 5,000 nurses who were nominated across the country. These nominations demonstrate the true appreciation and respect that so many have for the compassionate, skilled professionals in the nursing industry.
Some of the highlights of Roselaine's career include her work in creating the "Healthy Connection," a peer-mentoring program that helped give immigrant students the bond that they needed while trying to adjust to a new environment and a new school. Congratulations to Roselaine on receiving her award!! |
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BOKS is a free before-school physical activity program for elementary school age children developed by moms and P.E. teachers. Founded on the principals of Dr. Ratey's book Spark - that states that "exercise is miracle grow for the brain", BOKS prepares children for a day of learning and is an important step in helping children to appreciate the benefits of exercise and establishing healthy choices that will last a lifetime by increasing physical activity minutes with fun, non-competitive games. BOKS is running in almost 200 schools in over 20 states and 4 countries, 22 of which are Boston Public Schools. BOKS runs 2-3 mornings a week for 12 weeks during the Fall and Spring. The program is 40 minutes long and includes a warm up, skill of the week, running activity, end of class game, and short kid-friendly nutrition tip.
A teacher from the Otis school said "Students are excited to be in BOKS. They look forward to coming to school and are more alert and engaged in class. They definitely eat healthier!". In surveys from last year 96% of kids wanted to come back for the second session of BOKS! BOKS offers free trainings and a free program curriculum to participating schools. Sign up is available on the BOKS website for the next two trainings: 4pm-8pm on January 8th and January 22 at Reebok Headquarters. For more information on BOKS visit the BOKS website and "like" BOKS on Facebook.
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Healthy Winter Celebrations
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Season's greetings from the Health and Wellness Department. Congratulations on a wonderful school year thus far. The winter holiday usually comes with cheerful celebrations. As you plan school festivities, please remember both Boston Public Schools Policy and Massachusetts State Law. The District's policy identifies nutrition guidelines for foods sold or provided to students at all school-sponsored events, including fundraisers, classroom parties, and food as reward. All foods sold to students cannot compete with the School Meals Program.
Aim for a healthier winter celebrations. For more resources, check out the Smart Choices Toolkit. It lists over 40 fundraisers and 30 alternative celebrations.
We have also posted a confidential Smart Choices Observation Report on our website. Click here for more information.
Thank you for making the healthy choice the easy choice at school.
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BPS Teacher's Article on Healthy Choices for Students
|  The December issue of Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) e-newsletter featured Boston's very own Elizabeth Reynolds-Lupo, a physical education teacher at Russell Elementary who wrote the issue's "Active Educators" column. The national e-newsletter goes out to 70,000 FUTP 60 schools in the country. "As the Wellness Champion for my school, I am always looking for ways to help students make healthy choices. Last year, students who were having behavioral issues at lunch and recess were looking for more structure to help keep them out of trouble. Fuel Up to Play 60 was the answer! Around the same time, students approached me about wanting salad and yogurt in the cafeteria. Once again, Fuel Up to Play 60 offered great solutions. These fifth-grade students came together to start a Wellness Council. Other students thought the Wellness Council was cool and wanted to join. The Wellness Council has become so popular this year that we've expanded to include third and fourth graders as well. The students are excited because they feel they have a voice." "We've been busy with all kinds of Plays. Last year, for example, the students created classroom movement videos and accompanying how-to worksheets to help teachers lead in-class physical activities. We even connected the creation of the worksheets to the Common Core Standard on writing "how-to" documents. This year we've started an after-school running program, created a "Breakfast Mission Possible" program to increase breakfast participation and toured a local grocery store to learn about nutritious food choices." Read the rest of Elizabeth's article on the FUTP website>> |
Hundreds of Boston School Students Enter School Breakfast Poster Contest
|  Students at Boston Public Schools expressed their creativity and feelings about eating a healthy breakfast by participating in the Fuel Up to Play 60 School Breakfast Poster Contest which was held in mid-November. Entries were judged by principals/headmasters, art teachers, wellness coordinators and others at each school. All first, second and third place winners receive prizes and recognition in their schools.
The Contest was sponsored by the Fuel Up to Play 60, which is a collaboration of the National Dairy Council and the National Football League through a grant for calendar year 2012. Thirty two Boston schools across the City and all grade levels participate in the grant which is intended to engage students in the habit of eating a healthy breakfast at school.
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Discounted Weight Watchers Memberships for BPS Employees
|  "In support of Mayor Menino's Boston Moves for Health Initiative, Weight Watchers is offering a very generous discount to City of Boston employees who sign up for the Weight Watchers Monthly Pass, which includes unlimited access to eTools and mobile apps or Weight Watchers Online programs. Weight Watchers has set up a registration portal specifically for City of Boston employees, which must be used in order to receive the discount.
Please contact Kathleen McGinnis, Assistant Director of Health Benefits at 617-635-2590 or Kathleen.McGinnis@cityofboston.gov for more information on registering. Don't forget - if you are enrolled in a BCBS health insurance plan through the City of Boston, you are also eligible for the annual $150 weight loss reimbursement.
Learn more about Weight Watchers through this video» |
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