Administrators and Healthy Champions

Administrator support

Administrator support is one of the most significant factors in the success of the Building Healthy Communities program. Schools’ leaders play a key role in transforming the climate of their buildings and impacting the health of their students. In fact, our research suggests that Administrator support (observing, encouraging, discussing, or participating in physical activity with students) has more of an impact on increasing students’ in-school physical activity than any other factor, including support provided by parents!  When school leaders champion issues related to healthy eating and physical activity, students are more likely to adopt healthy behaviors. Promoting healthy choices shouldn’t stop with your students – encouraging your staff to emphasize overall wellness personally and in their classrooms will also have benefits for your school community. During this year administrators will

  • Participate with the healthy champion in a virtual orientation session and assist with BHC program guide planning. 
  • Introduce the BHC program to parents and students. There is a parent letter included in the below resources

Championing the cause

The Healthy School Champion role (HSC) essentially serves as a liaison between our Building Healthy Communities staff and your school stakeholders – teachers, administration, students, and families. You’ll work alongside your BHC Coordinator this year to support your schools’ wellness efforts. This page will house a monthly checklist along with the monthly survey for you to complete. The job of the HSC changes a bit as we progress throughout the year, but your main responsibilities are to:

      • Promote the BHC program in your building and assist your school staff with implementing the program,
      • Navigate challenges that may arise in your building (along with the help of your BHC School Coordinator), and
      • Report on your school’s success.

    January Monthly Goals

    This Month’s Goals:  
    • Focus: Schoolwide Mental Health & Well-being –The SEL toolkit shipped to your school includes learning activities, manipulatives, and related texts that can be a great resource. Additionally, check out the BHC in the classroom BHC webpage for available SEL resources, the monthly PA break lists for suggestions practicing mindfulness, and Healthy@Home parent tip sheets for more ideas!
    • Complete your monthly healthy champion survey (DUE JAN 9) reporting on the program progress made in December. (Reminder: Monthly surveys are always reporting on the progress made the month before.)
    • The Protein lesson is January’s primary lesson. Please ensure students watch the video and talk through the discussion questions. The What’s your eating style lesson is a great companion lesson for classrooms interested in more.
    • This January School Staff Script can assist you with school staff communication. Feel free to copy, paste, edit, and share with your school’s staff however works best.
    • Encourage your staff to continue to make recess a priority with our  indoor recess resources,  restorative recess practices, and the curated list of January PA breaks.
    • Ensure January Healthy Announcements  are continuing to be communicated in your school. 
    • Schedule your monthly check-in with your BHC coordinator any time before the end of January.
    Mid-year Check-up:
    • Email your BHC coordinator at least 7 photos of new healthy habits happening in your school before the end of the school year. This can include photos highlighting active recess/PE, students using the new equipment provided, displayed healthy messaging posters, nutrition lesson engagement, supplemental opportunities, etc.
    • If you have not done so already, please forward a copy of the custom PE Gopher order packing sheet or the Gopher confirmation email to your BHC school coordinator after receiving your new PE equipment from Gopher Sport.
     
    QUICK LINKS: 
    January resources:
    Family engagement resources:

      HEALTHY COOKING UNDERSTANDING THE NUTRITION FACTS LABEL
      Green square with white lettering that says DEC
      Green square with white lettering that says DEC
      Green square with white lettering that says DEC
      Green square with white lettering that says DEC
      We want this year to be the beginning of a healthy future for your school. To promote sustainability, we offer support for creating a school wellness committee, updating your School Wellness Policies and the HSAT (Healthy School Action Tool) to assess your school’s strengths and weaknesses in health-related areas.
      Joining the Building Healthy Communities and creating changes to your school’s health deserves recognition. We would love to see our BHC schools recognized for all their hard work they put into transforming their school environment. The school wellness award recognizes schools that are making significant policy and environmental improvements in their environment related to healthy eating, physical activity, and tobacco-free lifestyles. The SWA is sponsored by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the Michigan Department of Education, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. These partners want to honor schools that are working hard to create healthier school environments. The wellness award applications will open in winter 2022.

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