Wellness Procedure
The primary goals of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph Catholic Schools/Centers wellness program are to promote student health, reduce student overweight/obesity, facilitate student learning of lifelong healthy habits and increase student achievement. The following procedures will guide the implementation of the Diocesan schools’/centers’ wellness program.
Nutrition Guidelines
The Diocesan schools/centers designate the following nutrition guidelines for Pre-School and Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, based on the Missouri Eat Smart Nutrition Guidelines, for foods and beverages served in schools/centers during the school day:
Holy Rosary Lunches:
- A main dish with total fat < 16 g. per serving is offered at least 3 times a week.
- Dark green or orange vegetables or fruits are offered 1 time a week.
- Fresh fruits or raw vegetables are offered 1 to 3 times a week.
- A food item containing whole grains is offered at least 1 time a week.
- At least one of the following will be offered daily: low Fat (1%, ½%) or skim (nonfat) milk.
- Reduced-fat and/or fat-free salad dressings are offered.
À La Carte Beverage Items include the following:
- Non-caloric Water.
- Only low fat (1% or ½%) and/or skim (nonfat) milk.
Food Served in After-School Programs:
On at least 3 days a week, snacks meet the following standards:
- Fat – not more than 35% of total calories from fat except for cheese, nuts, seeds and nut butters.
- Sugar – not more than 35% of weight from sugar except for fruit (without added sugar)
- Only low fat (1% or ½%) and/or skim (nonfat) milk.
Other:
- Students are encouraged to have individual water bottles in the classroom.
Classroom Rewards:
Decrease the use of foods or beverages as rewards and increase the use of nutritious foods or beverages and alternatives as rewards.
Celebrations and Parties:
- Consideration of the following points is given for classroom parties and celebrations:
- Types of foods and beverages available
- Scheduled after lunch period
Fundraisers and Intramural Activities:
Fundraising and intramural activities are supportive of physical activity and healthy eating.
Nutrition Education
The Diocesan schools’/centers’ nutrition education goal is to integrate sequential nutrition education with the comprehensive health education program and, to the extent possible, the core curriculum taught at every grade level in order to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to make healthy nutrition decisions. In order to achieve the nutrition education goal, the schools/centers will:
- Provide students at all grade levels with adequate nutritional knowledge including, but not limited to:
- The benefits of healthy eating.
- Essential nutrients.
- Nutritional deficiencies.
- Principles of healthy weight management.
- The use and misuse of dietary supplements.
- Safe food preparation, handling and storage.
- Provide students with nutrition-related skills that minimally include the ability to:
- Plan healthy meals.
- Understand and use food labels.
- Apply the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) and MyPyramid.
- Critically evaluate nutrition information, misinformation and commercial food advertising.
- Assess personal eating habits, nutrition goal setting and achievement.
- Provide instructional activities that stress the appealing aspects of healthy eating and are hands-on, behavior based, culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate and enjoyable. Examples of activities include, but are not limited to: food preparation, contests, promotions, taste testing, farm visits and school gardens.
- Encourage school staff to cooperate with local agencies and community groups to provide students with opportunities for volunteer work related to nutrition, such as in food banks, soup kitchens or after-school programs.
- Ensure that school counselors and school health services staff consistently promote healthy eating to students and other staff and that these professionals are prepared to recognize conditions such as unhealthy weight, eating disorders and other nutrition-related health problems among students and staff as well as assure access to healthcare.
- Coordinate the food service program with nutrition instruction. Food service staff should also work closely with those responsible for other components of the school health program to achieve common goals.
Physical Activity
The Diocesan schools/centers physical activity goal is to assist students in learning to value and enjoy physical activity as an ongoing part of a healthy lifestyle by ensuring that every student has the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to perform a variety of physical activities, maintain physical fitness and regularly participate in physical activity. In order to achieve the physical activity goal, the schools/centers will:
- Develop a sequential program of appropriate physical education for every student. The program will:
- Provide for at least 120 minutes of physical education for students in the elementary grades during the school week; at least 180 minutes during each school week for students in middle school. at
- Emphasize knowledge and skills for a lifetime of regular physical activity.
- Devote at least 70% of physical education class time to actual physical activity with at least 18 minutes of time spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity for target heart rate work.
- Meet the needs of all students, especially those who are not athletically gifted or who have special needs.
- Give close observation of gait pattern and locomotor skills assessment for pre-K and kindergarten students.
- Provide a variety of activity choices, feature cooperative as well as competitive activities, and account for gender and cultural differences in students’ interests.
- Prohibit exemptions from physical education courses on the basis of participation in an athletic team, community recreation program, marching band or other school or community activity.
- Ensure appropriate class size so all students may have an opportunity to adequately participate in the activities.
- Be closely coordinated with the other components of the overall school health program.
- Provide time in elementary schools for supervised recess. All students will have at least two (2) twenty (20) minute periods of adequately supervised physical activity per day. Recess will be at least 10 minutes of vigorous activity. Recess will be scheduled before lunch and held outdoors when possible.
- Provide opportunities and encouragement for students to voluntarily participate in before and after-school physical activity programs, such as intramural activities, interscholastic athletics and clubs by:
- Providing a diverse selection of competitive and noncompetitive, as well as structured and unstructured, activities to the extent that staffing and district/community facilities permit.
- Offering intramural physical activity programs that feature a broad range of competitive and cooperative activities for all students.
- Encouraging partnerships between schools and businesses. Promotion of such partnerships must be appropriate and in accordance with Diocesan policy and procedures.
- Strive to provide joint school and community recreational activities by:
- Actively engaging families as partners in their children’s education and collaborating with community agencies and organizations to provide ample opportunities for students to participate in physical activity beyond the school day.
- Working with recreation agencies and other community organizations to coordinate and enhance opportunities available to students for physical activity during their out-of-school time.
- Negotiating mutually acceptable, fiscally responsible arrangements with community agencies and organizations to keep school facilities open for use by students, staff and community members during non-school hours and vacations.
- Working together with local public works, public safety, police departments and/or other appropriate state and federal authorities in efforts to make it safer and easier for students to walk and bike to school.
- Prohibit the use of physical activity as a form of discipline or punishment and ensure that physical education and recess will not be withheld as punishment.
- Discourage periods of inactivity that exceed two (2) or more hours. When activities such as mandatory school wide testing make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, staff should give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.
- Provide and encourage–verbally and through the provision of space, equipment and activities–daily periods of moderate to vigorous physical activity for all participants in onsite after-school childcare and enrichment programs sponsored by the schools.
- Provide opportunities and encouragement for staff to be physically active by:
- Planning, establishing and implementing activities to promote physical activity among staff and providing opportunities for staff to conveniently engage in regular physical activity.
- Working with recreation agencies and other community organizations to coordinate and enhance opportunities available to staff for physical activity during their out-of school time.
Other School-Based Activities
The Diocesan schools’/centers’ goal for other Holy Rosary-based activities is to ensure an integrated whole-school approach to the wellness program. The Diocesan schools/centers will achieve this goal by addressing the areas itemized below.
Community Involvement
Holy Rosary instructional staff will collaborate with agencies and groups conducting nutrition education in the community to send consistent messages to students and their families. Guest speakers invited to address students will receive appropriate orientation to the relevant policies of the Diocese.
The wellness program shall make effective use of Holy Rosary and community resources and equitably serve the needs and interests of all students and staff, taking into consideration differences of gender, cultural norms, physical and cognitive abilities and fitness level.
Family Involvement
Holy Rosary will strive to engage families as partners in their children’s education by supporting parental efforts to motivate and help their children with maintaining and improving their health, preventing disease and avoiding health-related risk behaviors. Strategies the schools/centers may implement to achieve family involvement may include, but are not limited to:
- Offering healthy eating seminars for parents/guardians.
- Providing nutrition information to parents/guardians in the forms of newsletters, handouts, presentations or other appropriate means.
- Posting nutrition tips on school/center websites.
- Providing nutrient analyses of school/center menus.
- Providing parents/guardians a list of appropriate foods that meet the schools’/centers’ nutrition standards for snacks.
- Providing parents/guardians with ideas for healthy celebrations, parties, rewards and fundraising activities.
- Encouraging parents/guardians to pack healthy lunches and snacks and to refrain from including beverages and foods that do not meet the Diocesan schools’/centers’ nutrition standards for individual foods and beverages.
- Providing opportunities for parents/guardians to share their healthy food practices with others in the school/center community.
- Designing curricular nutrition education activities and promotions to involve parents/guardians and the community.
- Supporting efforts of parents/guardians to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school/center.
- Providing information about physical education and other school/center-based physical activity opportunities available to students before, during and after the school day.
- Sharing information about physical activity and physical education via the school’s/center’s website, newsletter, other take-home materials, special events or physical education homework.
- Assembling and distributing community based summer programs and camp information for age appropriate programs that offer physical activity or enrichment to health and nutrition education to families. Identifying scholarship or grant allocations to supplement program costs for families.
- Working with families to provide consistent sun safety information that includes an overview of the school’s/center’s sun safety program, an explanation of how parents/guardians can reinforce the program at home and how they can become involved with and support the school’s/center’s program.
- Encouraging parents/guardians to volunteer time in the classroom, cafeteria or at special events that promote student health.
- Disseminating information about community programs that offer nutrition assistance to families.
Marketing and Advertising
Marketing in the Holy Rosary facilities will be consistent with the goals of the school’s wellness program and comply with Diocesan policy. Holy Rosary will strive to promote the wellness program and educate parents regarding the quality of Holy Rosary foods.
Tobacco advertising is not permitted on Holy Rosary property, at Holy Rosary sponsored events or in Holy Rosary sponsored publications. Food and beverage marketing will be limited to the promotion of foods and beverages that meet the nutrition standards adopted by the Diocese. Other examples of marketing and advertising the Holy Rosary will scrutinize include, but are not limited to: pricing strategies that promote healthy food choices, audiovisual programming, educational incentive programs, scoreboards, book covers and vending machine displays.
Meal Times
Students are not permitted to leave school campus during the school day to purchase food or beverages. Meal times will comply with the following guidelines:
- Meal times will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch.
- Activities such as tutoring or meetings will not be held during mealtimes unless students may eat during such activities.
- At the elementary and middle school level, lunch periods will follow recess periods.
- Drinking water facilities will be available to students during meals.
- Students will have access to hand-washing facilities before they eat meals or snacks.
- The schools will take reasonable steps to accommodate the tooth-brushing regimens of students.
- Students will be allowed to converse during meals.
- The cafeteria will be clean, orderly and inviting.
9. Adequate seating and supervision will be provided during meal times.
Outdoor Air Quality
The principal/director of Holy Rosary will be responsible for daily monitoring of Air Quality Index (AQI) information provided by local authorities based on the following guidelines:
- When the AQI is “code orange” (unhealthy for sensitive groups of people), students with a history of reactions to ozone exposure will be permitted to reduce their outdoor exertion level or time spent outdoors, and the staff will arrange alternative indoor physical activities.
Appropriately trained staff responsible for student supervision will monitor such students for symptoms of respiratory distress.
- When the AQI is “code red” (unhealthy), students with a history of reactions to ozone exposure will remain indoors and participate in indoor physical activities. Appropriately trained staff responsible for student supervision will monitor such students for symptoms of respiratory distress. All other students will be allowed to engage in no more than one (1) hour of heavy exertion (i.e., activities that involve high-intensity exercise such as basketball, soccer and running) while outdoors.
- When the AQI is “code purple” (very unhealthy) or “code maroon” (hazardous), all students will be kept indoors and participate in indoor physical activities. Appropriately trained staff responsible for student supervision will monitor all students for symptoms of respiratory distress.
Staff Development and Training
All staff will be provided with ongoing training and professional development related to all areas of student wellness. The pre-service and ongoing in-service training will include teaching strategies for behavior change and will focus on giving teachers the skills they need to use non-lecture, active learning methods. Staff responsible for nutrition education will be adequately prepared and regularly participate in professional development activities to effectively deliver the nutrition education program as planned. All PE Teachers are qualified and participate in Diocesan PE professional development. Qualified is defined as certification in PE or diocesan approved via experience.
Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the Diocesan schools/centers meal programs and will receive ongoing, area-specific professional development. The schools/centers will provide continuing professional development for all school nutrition professionals. Staff development programs will include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, school/center nutrition managers and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.
Staff Wellness
The Diocesan schools/centers highly value the health and well-being of every staff member and will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Holy Rosary will offer staff wellness programs that include education on nutrition, healthy eating behaviors and maintaining a healthy weight for optimal health. The Diocesan schools/centers will establish and maintain a staff wellness committee composed of at least one (1): staff member; wellness committee member; registered dietitian, school nurse or other health professional; employee benefits specialist; and other appropriate personnel. The staff wellness committee will develop, promote and oversee a multifaceted plan to promote staff health and wellness. The plan will be based on input solicited from Holy Rosary staff and will outline ways to encourage healthy eating, physical activity, sun safety and other elements of a healthy lifestyle. The staff wellness committee will distribute its plan to the Diocesan School Office annually.
Sun Safety
“Sun safety” describes a range of behaviors that include wearing appropriate clothing, applying sunscreen and limiting sun exposure. The sun safety program will focus on outdoor behavior and will be developmentally appropriate, active, engaging and taught in lessons that emphasize the positive benefits of sun safety. Sun safety education will be designed to assist students with:
- Knowledge about the harmful effects of the sun and ways to protect skin.
- Sun-safe skills, including the correct use of protective clothing, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen and lip balm as well as seeking shade and limiting sun exposure when possible and practical during the hours of peak sun intensity.
- Knowledge about how to assess personal sun safety habits, set goals for improvement and achieve these goals.
Tobacco Use Prevention Education
- Tobacco use prevention education will be taught in all grade levels with particular focus on grades four (4) through eight (8). Instructional activities will be participatory and developmentally appropriate. Tobacco use prevention education programs will be designed to:
- Instruct about immediate and long-term undesirable physiological, cosmetic and social consequences of tobacco use.
- Decrease the social acceptability of tobacco use.
- Address reasons why young people smoke.
- Teach students how to recognize and refute advertising and other social influences that promote tobacco use.
- Develop students’ skills for resisting social influences that promote tobacco use.
- Develop necessary assertiveness, communication, goal-setting and problem-solving skills that may enable students to avoid tobacco use.
- The principal/director will provide referrals to community resources and programs to help students and staff overcome tobacco addiction.
- School counselors or community agencies are encouraged to establish voluntary tobacco cessation programs at school/center, but attendance or completion of a tobacco cessation program will not be used as a penalty. However, attendance or completion of a tobacco cessation program is allowed as a voluntary substitute to suspension for possession or use of tobacco.
- Students, staff members and visitors are prohibited from possessing or using tobacco in accordance with school/center policy. No student may leave the school campus during the school day to use a tobacco product. The principal/director will notify students, families, education personnel and visitors of the tobacco-free policy in handbooks and on notices or signs posted at every school/center entrance and other appropriate locations, as well as by other efficient means.
- The schools/centers will consult with local law enforcement agencies to enforce laws that prohibit the possession of tobacco by minors within the immediate proximity of school/center grounds.
- Students and employees who violate the Diocesan schools/centers tobacco-free policies will be subject to disciplinary actions in accordance with administrative policy. All school/center staff will be trained on the correct and fair enforcement of tobacco-free policies.
