Sustainability Resources

[vc_row equal_height=”” shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ css=”.vc_custom_1588020096213{margin-bottom: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of our goals in Building Healthy Communities is to provide a long-lasting impact on the health and wellness of students and staff in your school. Although we are only in your school for one year, there are several things that you can do to sustain the impact of BHC for years to come. This section provides tools and resources to help your school continue to create and encourage a healthy school environment.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row equal_height=”” shift_y=”0″ z_index=”0″ row_name=”principal-engagement” css=”.vc_custom_1587486057584{padding-top: 5em !important;padding-bottom: 1em !important;}” el_class=”our-model-card”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text]

Principal Engagement

As principal, there are several ways in which you can continue to support and encourage your staff and students to engage in healthy behaviors. Consider:

  • Continue the daily healthy announcements
  • Continue healthy messaging to parents and staff with newsletters or social media
  • Encourage teachers to utilize brain breaks
  • Discourage withholding recess as a punishment, instead consider: Walk and reflect (students walk during recess to reflect on behavior choices)

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Quality Physical Education

Many students are not meeting the recommended 60-minutes per day of physical activity. Maintaining a quality physical education program is just one way to help all students meet this recommendation. The following are ways to continue to fully engage all of your students in your PE program.

  • Utilize an active attendance strategy. Examples are:
  • Warm-up sheet (checklist of exercises are on each sheet with the students name on the back)
  • Popsicle stick laps (students immediately start walking/jogging lap and move a popsicle stick with their name on it to the completed bucket)
  • Numbers or spots (students have a designated number or spot they go to immediately when the class starts to begin warm-up exercises)
  • Limit transition time between activities by having a clear, organized set-up and lesson plan
  • Create lesson plans that are developmentally appropriate for the class
  • Be prepared with several modifications for students who are advanced or struggling with the task
  • Regularly inventory equipment. For any broken BHC provided equipment, contact GOPHER Customer Care (855-899-9560) to replace items

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Classroom Engagement

As a classroom teacher, you have many direct and indirect influences on your students. Creating a “healthy classroom” environment is crucial to the sustainability of healthy students. Ways to continue the work you have accomplished in one year with BHC are…

  • Continue to implement the Healthy Eating Lessons
  • Incorporate physical activity/brain breaks throughout the day (2-3 per day). Some physical activity resources are:
    • GoNoodle
    • Fit4Schools
    • CosmicKidsYoga
    • Move to Learn
  • Implement a policy for healthy birthday and holiday celebrations. Examples of policies are:
    • Substitute cake, candy, sweets for healthy food options
  • Allow non-food items only like:
    • Stickers
    • Coloring pages
    • Fun hats or glasses
    • Board games or card games
  • Refrain from withholding recess as a punishment and utilize alternative actions like:
    • Walk and reflect (students walk during recess to reflect on behavior choices)
    • Clean up playground (picking up litter, wiping down slides, etc.)
    • Rake leaves or pull weeds
    • Lose screen time instead of recess time
    • Assign an end of the day classroom cleaning job (stacking chairs, sweeping floor, wiping tables, etc.)
  • Utilize a non-food item reward system. Examples of alternative rewards are:
    • Extra recess
    • Class leader/teacher helper for the day
    • Student gets to choose physical activity break activity
    • Receive a prize like stickers, pens or pencils, fidget gadget, etc.

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Active Recess

There are endless benefits to active recess, including improved academic performance and less behavior management issues. Below are a few ways to continue the active recess your school has developed with BHC…

  • Constant availability and access of BHC provided recess equipment
  • Encourage the recess monitoring team to ensure more active recess. Examples include:
    • Understanding and utilizing “Activity Cards” (included with recess equipment)
    • Encourage participation and interaction with students, not just observing
    • Utilize Student Leadership Team for encouraging inclusive games during recess
  • Create (or continue to implement) indoor recess plan
    • Utilize all available spaces, especially for indoor recess plan
    • Cement areas
    • Media Centers
    • Auditoriums
    • Hallways
  • Regular inventory of BHC provided recess equipment
  • For any broken BHC provided equipment, contact GOPHER Customer Care (855-899-9560)

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Student Leadership Team

The Student Leadership Team is one of the greatest tools to ensure the sustainability of the Building Healthy Communities program. Below are ways to continue to utilize your Student Leadership Team:

  • Utilize your Student Council to take on healthy eating/behavior projects. Some examples include:
  • Healthy Spirit Week
  • Fruit Fridays, Move it Mondays, etc.
  • Recess Mentorship Programs (creating an inclusive, active recess environment)
  • Classroom health competitions (most days without drinking soda, most fruit or veggies brought as snack, etc.)

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Healthy Kids Club

The Healthy Kids Club might be one of the most impactful components of BHC but can also be one of the hardest to sustain for future years. Below are ways to sustain your Healthy Kids Club for years to come:

  • Work with PTA/PTO to fundraise to support HKC
  • Utilize a rotating weekly “HKC Parent” to bring healthy snacks for HKC sessions
  • Collaborate with local farmer’s markets, grocery stores, or food service vendors for possible snack donations
  • Encourage faculty and parent participation at each HKC session

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Grants and Healthy Fundraising Opportunities

Financial support and funding can be hugely beneficial for sustaining your healthy school environment. Below are some potential grants and fundraisers to apply for in future years…

  • FarmRaiser – https://www.farmraiser.com
    FarmRaiser connects farmers and food artisans to student-led fundraisers, turning energetic students into healthy-eating advocates that sell locally-grown and -made products.  Our kids, our schools and our communities need an alternative to the typical product fundraisers that have our kids pushing wrapping paper, candy bars, cookie dough and other preservative-filled or high-priced, low-value products each year.
  • Annie’s Grants for Gardens – https://www.annies.com/grants-for-gardens/
    Annie’s offers grants to school gardens that connect children directly to real food. These funds can be used to buy gardening tools, seeds or other needed supplies.  Get $500 to start a brand-new school garden program. Use these funds for anything from classroom seeds in a cup to garden beds. There’s no need to have an existing garden! Or, apply for $1,500 to deepen your school garden program. You must have an existing school garden to choose this entry type.
  • Action for Healthy Kids – https://www.actionforhealthykids.org/school-grants-support/
    Action for Healthy Kids has provided $8.7 million in grants to schools since 2009 to help them accomplish their student wellness goals. They offer several grants that support healthy nutrition and encourage physical activity projects.
  • Let’s Play Community Construction – https://kaboom.org/grants/lets-play-community-construction
    Keurig, Dr Pepper & KABOOM! have teamed up to offer $15,000 grants to be used toward the purchase of playground equipment. Grantees will lead their community through a self-guided planning process, using the $15,000 grant towards the total cost of playground equipment and assembling the playground using the KABOOM! community-build model. Grantees have up to one year to build the playground and will have the support of a remote KABOOM! Grants Manager and an onsite Certified Playground Installer
  • Peaceful Playgrounds Resource – https://peacefulplaygrounds.com/playground-and-garden-grants/
    This resource offers multiple grants that offer assistance with playgrounds, gardens, physical activity, nutrition and overall school health and wellness.

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