posted Jan 7, 2013, 12:22 PM by Susan Conley
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updated Jan 7, 2013, 12:23 PM
]
NYMS students stay active playing outside! Health and Wellness
Many people make New Year’s resolutions, and
exercise and healthy eating are often on the list. The teachers and
administrators at North Yarmouth Memorial School prioritized wellness for the
2012-2013 school year and are taking many steps to encourage physical activity,
healthful eating and limited screen time. The engagement of the students
demonstrate the school’s wellness goals are being met!
In November, 2012, NYMS’s Wellness Committee
introduced the 5-2-1-0 Challenge to encourage healthier eating habits and
increased activity. School nurse Libby Gordon and 5th grade teacher
Colleen Staszko visited each classroom to explain the program to students. The
goal was for kids to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, spend 2
hours or less in front of a screen, spend at least 1 hour in physical activity,
and have 0 servings of sugar-sweetened drinks every day. Students tracked
their daily habits, receiving points for following the 5-2-1-0 protocol.
Many students participated making the event a great success!
On Wednesday, November 14th, local dietician Dee
Madore presented the Healthy Plate program. She highlighted the benefits
of incorporating healthier fruits and vegetables of every variety into
everyone’s diet. Following the presentation, students were dismissed to
their classrooms, where parents and PTO members distributed healthy snacks of
yogurt and hummus dips with carrot sticks and fruit kabobs to encourage
students to try some new and nutritious foods!
Thanks to a grant from Foundation 51, Guiding
Stars® Expert Chef Erin Dow will be spending time with
each of MSAD #51’s kitchen staffs this winter, assisting with procuring foods,
planning menus and preparing meals. Chef Dow will demonstrate how to
create appealing meals with high nutritional value within the financial and
regulatory constraints of a self-sustaining school meal program. The
visits will be coordinated with existing curricular activities and events at
each of our schools, to engage as many teachers and students as possible.
Finally, it’s not only the students who are
encouraged to live more healthfully. The staff at NYMS is in the second
year of the “Try for 20” program. Any staff member who wants to
participate takes a monthly calendar and 20 stickers. For each day he or she
exercises for at least 30 minutes, or walks over 10,000 paces as measured on a
pedometer, a sticker is placed on the calendar. Staff members are
modeling the same healthy living habits we’re encouraging in our students!
Whatever your New Year brings, may you enjoy
health and happiness. We know at MSAD #51, we are off to a great start!
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