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Upcoming Events & Announcements
The Health & Wellness Department is Hiring
The Health and Wellness Department will be hiring a Recess Program Coordinator (RPC) to assist with the implementation of the Lets Move in BPS Recess Program at participating schools. They will report to the Physical Activity Program Manager as a consultant for approximately 30 hours per week during the school year. The RPC maintains a relationship with members of the Recess Team and supports their work on the recess yard. With the support of the RPC, schools will improve the quality of recess.
Read the full position description here>>
OSNAP Professional Development Opportunity
The Out of School Nutrition and Physical Activity Initiative Making Healthy Changes with Boston Afterschool Programs will support aftershool programs in establishing or continuing healthy practices and polices around food and beverages, physical activity and screentime.
Afterschool programs are invited to participate in two trainings to learn new skills and how to address barriers and create solutions to provide physical activity and healthy eating opportunities.
March 26th & May 21st
10am-1pm
BPS Health & Wellness space, at 370 Columbia Road, Dorchester
If you have any questions or would like to sign up lease
Email or call (617)384-8545 OSNAP with questions or to sign up
Harvard School of Dental Medicine's Give Kids a Smile Day!
Give Kids A Smile Day is an annual, national event created to provide free dental care to children and increase awareness about the barriers some children and their families face in accessing dental care.
Saturday, March 2nd
9 am-1 pm
Harvard School of Dental Medicine
188 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
HSDM students and faculty will provide children age 1-17 with:
- free dental exams, teeth cleaning, and fluoride treatment
-free oral-health education, coloring, games
- mouth guards made for children of age 10+
Patient appointments are on a first-come, first-served basis. Reserve a spot by calling (857)209-4963.
The ABCs of Food Allergies
March 11, 2013 with Allergist Lisa Bartnikas, MD, Children's Hospital, Boston
Get an introduction or review of the "basics" PLUS answers to your current
questions about food allergy triggers, when and how to test for allergies and
interpret the results, new approaches to treating food allergies, and more!
Other support group meetings will be held on April 8 and May 13 (topics and speakers TBA)
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Grant Opportunities
NFL Keep Gym in Schools
NFL Network's Keep Gym in School program continues its mission to boost fitness and physical education across the country. NFL Play 60 and the Super Schools program to offer $10,000 grants to schools in 32 team markets and 2 national markets that show their commitment to health and wellness.
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Deadline: March 1, 2013
The goal of the NFL Grassroots Program is to provide non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields. The NFL Grassroots Program provides grants of up to $200,000 for capital improvement projects.
Deadline: March 15, 2013
Learn more and apply>>
Dominion K-12 Educational Partnership
The Dominion K-12 Education Partnership, a charitable initiative of energy company Dominion, is accepting applications from elementary and secondary schools and nonprofit organizations for new programs designed to strengthen math and science education through the study of energy or the environment.
The program awards grants of up to $10,000. Deadline: May 1, 2013 Learn more and apply>>
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Cheryl Charles, Ph.D Announced as Keynote Speaker of the BPS 6th Annual Wellness Summit
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 The 6th Annual BPS Wellness Summit: Building Connections for Healthy Schools will feature a keynote address by Cheryl Charles, Ph.D, President, CEO, and co-founder of the Children & Nature Network. Cheryl is an innovator, entrepreneur, author, and educator who is among those instrumental in developing the worldwide movement to reconnect children and nature. Cheryl has a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Washington with a specialty in factors affecting the achievement of minority youth. She speaks internationally about the benefits of nature to children.
The keynote address will be followed by remarks by Superintendent Carol Johnson who will present winning BPS schools with an "Excellence in School Wellness" for their work in building connections and collaborating with multiple stakeholders to create sustainable, healthy, whole-school environments. Join members of the BPS community on Thursday April 25, 2013 as we come together to share knowledge and build connections to create sustainable, healthy, whole-school environments. Wellness Summit attendees will learn about the importance of building connections and gain successful strategies for collaborating with multiple stakeholders with one shared goal in mind - to actively promote the health and wellness of all BPS students.
Visit the Health & Wellness website to learn more about the day's events and register to attend. Schools interested in applying for an "Excellence in School Wellness" award can download the application from the website as well. Winning schools will receive an award of up to $2,000 for future wellness efforts. The application deadline has been extended to March 1, 2013.
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Boston Moves for Health: Physical Activity Challenge Winners!
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Challenge this year. Participating schools were asked to have fivestudents wear pedometers during the school day and track steps for four weeks. While the snowy weather prevented schools from tracking the full four weeks, the group still accumulated 6,706 miles! Those miles will counted towards the Mayor's goal of having residents and employees walk 10 million miles.
Thanks to the partnership with Partners HealthCare and Boston Public Health Commission the winning school at each grade level will receive $750 to purchase physical activity curriculum materials.
Congratulations to the winning schools -
ELCs/Elementary: Manning Elementary, 626 miles walked
K-8/Middle School: Young Achievers, 505 miles walked
High School: Charlestown High School, 110 miles walked
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Happy February! Although it has been cold, a lot has been happening inside with the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP). Children who have participated in the program have tasted more than 30 different types of fresh fruits and vegetables with the FFVP during school year 2012-2013. The variety of produce has ranged from persimmons and avocadoes to sugar snap peas and grape tomatoes.
Ms. Baszkiewicz, a science teacher at the Mather School in Dorchester is a champion of nutrition and food-based education and connecting the FFVP with her curriculum. Phoebe Flemming, our FFVP Coordinator, had the honor of being a guest in Ms. Baszkiewicz's science class to talk about heirloom apples and play Nutrition Bingo.
Stay tuned for more exciting things going on this spring with the FFVP!
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Join Weight Watchers Today!
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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 access to PointsPlus® program, 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. If Weight Watchers sees that at least 20 employees at the same work site have registered for the Weight Watchers Monthly Pass program, they may decide to set up a Weight Watcher At Work Meeting at that worksite.
Please email Lauren Kopper in the BPS Health and Wellness Department for more information on how to sign up.
Don't forget - if you are enrolled in a Blue Cross Blue Shield 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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Family Nights Get Healthy in BPS
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Family nights are getting healthy in Boston schools. Wellness and Parent Site Councils are engaging their school communities during evening events that feature healthful foods, physical activities and resources to  promote wellness.
The Wellness Council from the Edison K-8 held a family health fair this January. Families enjoyed healthy cooking demonstrations, opportunities for physical activity and connections to healthy community resources. With over 200 participants, the event was filled with interactive community-building activities. "The Edison Health and Wellness Fair was a huge success. The variety of community resources that attended was amazing. Children and families really seemed to enjoy the physical activity component and the opportunity to try some different foods. The Edison Wellness Council is looking forward to hosting future events as a way to continue the push for health and wellness education and opportunities in our school" reported Donnie Lucente, a Wellness Council member.
The King K-8 School co-hosted a healthy potluck for families with the Boston Chapter of Links, Inc. Coinciding with Black History Month and African Heritage & Health Week, the night commemorated the foods, flavors, and healthy cooking techniques that were core to the well being of ancestors from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the American South. Families enjoyed a screening the documentary Soul Food Junkies and brought healthful dishes from home that featured whole grains and vegetables. "It was memorable night for all, especially with the viewing of the film Soul Food Junkies. Parents were able to see and hear about better healthy ways to prepare ethnic foods" said Jessica Bolt, Principal of the King K-8 school. Thanks to a generous donation from The Links, Inc., all families that attended the event received a copy of Michelle Obama's cookbook, American Grown.
Wellness and Parent Councils will be hosting more Family Nights that promote healthy living, with help from the BPS departments of Family & Student Engagement and Health & Wellness. Healthy Family Nights are supported by Kohl's, in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital.
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Don't Invite Pests to Breakfast!
|  Research indicates that students who eat a nutritious breakfast learn better, are less likely to be absent and are healthier. BPS has implemented a Breakfast in the Classroom program which is providing a nutritious meal to thousands of students each day. However, when implementing new programs we can encounter new challenges. With more students eating breakfast and lunch in classrooms throughout the school, there is inevitably going to be more messes for custodians and increased issues with pest control. Crumbs and liquids attract pests which leads to pest droppings. These pest droppings can trigger asthma attacks in students. With just a little effort, teachers and students can create a Crumb- and Spill -Free classroom by establishing an eating and cleaning plan. Remember, keeping the students learning environment clean, healthy and free of critters is just as important as getting them a healthy breakfast. Here are some useful tips for teachers and staff: - ALL food stored in your classroom must be kept in a lid-tight container - Have a routine established with the custodian(s) for handling food spills and for promptly emptying breakfast food trash - Ensure you have enough receptacles for breakfast trash in your room or better yet, take the trash to a hallway barrel for disposal - Have paper towels and a spray bottle with green surface cleaner (provided by your custodian!) handy for quick clean up of spills - Clearly label your recycling box and ensure only clean recyclables are put there - Involve students in caring for their learning environment by cleaning up after themselves - helping take the trash and recycling to the hallway, etc. - Report any signs of pests in the Integrated Pest Management log (typically in the main office) BPS has a Healthy Schools Taskforce that is here to support teachers, parents and school staff to establish best practices for a healthy school environment. For more information about this Taskforce, about BPS Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program or green cleaning procedures, please contact Phoebe Beierle, Green Schools Fellow. |
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