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  HEALTHWISE
               November 2013                      Vol. 5 Issue 2
      
RESOURCES

 

 

FOOD DAY UPDATE:

 

Montclair Schools Celebrate Food Day

 

 



HEALTHY SNACK AND PARTY OPTIONS:

Sesame Street - Cookie Monster & Hoots The Owl
Cookie Monster's Dilemma:
"A Cookie is Sometimes Food"

 

 

HEALTHY FOOD DRIVES AND DONATIONS:

 

      

 

 

 

 

Toni's Kitchen

 

 

Human Needs Pantry

 

  ______________________________

  

This newsletter is made possible by a grant from the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse. 

 

 

GCADA 
Message from the Associate Director
Karen Straim
Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Food and food systems have been one of our themes this fall - how food is grown, making healthy choices, and finding out that fruits and vegetables can taste delicious!

In a number of schools, parents have been guiding their health and wellness committees to encourage healthy choices for food offered at school - for classroom celebrations, snacks and school events. Check out the article below for more on this exciting initiative.

Parents have also shared ideas and arranged for harvest, farm-to-table and Food Day events in their schools in October to celebrate healthy, affordable and sustainable food, including tastings from their own school gardens (see the Healthy Food Guides in the left-hand column).
 
We often teach our children to help those who are hungry through food drive donations. Take a look at the Partners for Health Foundation's Toolkit (in the left-hand column), which includes tips for running a healthy food drive, local food programs and suggestions for healthy foods.
 
Please check out our Facebook page to learn more about what the health and wellness committees are doing in their schools.
 
We wish you and your family a health and happy holiday season!
 
Karen Straim
Associate Director 
kstraim@montclairhealthandwellness.org
Feature Article
It Takes a Village:
Parents Collaborate on Healthy Food Guide for Schools
 
By Karen Straim                                                
Associate Director,        
Montclair Public Schools Health and Wellness Partnership 
  
Montclair parents are working together to make the healthy choice the easy choice for snacks, parties and events at school, and they are doing it in a fun, creative way.
 
It all started at Bradford, where parents Beth Guthrie and Sarah Forrest worked with Bradford's Health and Wellness committee to create a guide with suggestions for food offered to students in the classroom and at school events. With the help and support of Principal Naomi Kirkman, the Bradford Food Guide was published in time for the start of the 2012 school year. Printing was made possible by the Montclair Fund for Educational Excellence. You can view the guide here.
 
The Food Guide uses the traffic light motif of Green, Yellow and Red Light foods. According to Sarah Forrest,"the Food Guide was developed to show a range of health options on the Green Light List, while minimizing foods on the Red Light List. Ultimately, we just want to provide the students with the best 'fuel' for learning."
 
Inspired by Bradford, Edgemont parents collaborated with Principal Cheryl Hopper to create their own guide, which focuses on tips for classroom parties and celebrations. 
 
This fall, Charles A. Bullock parent Dina Aronson and Sarah Forrest are teaming up to create a new Food Guide template with common suggestions for food options, but which can be personalized by any interested school. The goal is for schools to collaborate on healthy snack guidelines in the spirit of the PTA Council's "One District, One Community" theme. Watch for this template to come to your school soon.