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.

    December Monthly Goals

    This Month’s Goals:  
    • Focus: Healthy School & Family Promotion – Extra resources are provided this month to support healthy celebrations as well as family connection and active moments throughout the winter break.
    • Complete your monthly healthy champion survey (DUE DEC 12) reporting on the program progress made in November. (Reminder: Monthly surveys are always reporting on the progress made the month before.) 
    • This month our BHC healthy eating lesson is about Grains. If time allows, check out this whole grains experiment to help reinforce what students learned in their monthly lesson. Please at minimum play the 5-minute lesson video and talk through the discussion questions. The optional Food = Energy lesson is a great companion lesson for classrooms wanting to do more!
    • This December 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 – email, google classroom, etc.
        
    • Ensure December Healthy Announcements are continuing to be communicated in your school.
    • Remember to schedule a time for your monthly check-in with your coordinator. 
     
    QUICK LINKS: 
    December 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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