The 2nd Principal's Coffee took place last week in the Library. Mr. Clarke packed in the parents with topics like construction/traffic concerns, 4/5 multi age classrooms, diversity and equity in the Burlington School district and homework at the elementary level. Much of the time was spend on parents sharing their views on homework. Opinions were decidedly split and Mr. Clarke said that the teachers are evenly split. Parents asked that this topic be brought up with staff and that we continue the dialogue on homework. BSD is adopting a revised Wellness Policy which seems unconnected, but does say that teachers cannot restrict recess for incomplete/missing homework. The value of exercise to the mind and body is also valued. The BSD Wellness Policy is included at the end of this post.
PTO volunteers will be giving tours and treating incoming kindergartners to a practice lunch this week and next. If you see lots of wide eyed munchkins roaming the halls, be sure to give them your friendliest Flynn welcome! Thank you Sarah, Laurie and Tammy for leading tours!
Principal's Coffee update
PTO Pizza pickups today! Come grab your pizza between 4:30-6 in the stage gym
If you missed the annual Flynn Spring Choral Concert, feedback was that it was the best one yet! All the grades sang, danced and/or played songs on the recorder. It is always delightful to hear the sweet kindergarten voices and contrast them with the range and maturity of our fifth graders. For many of us the years between K and 5 go by in a heartbeat. Thank you Mr. Reynolds for sharing song and dance with our kids!
Join the Burlington Students Foundation on Tuesday evening, June 19, at
American Flatbread, 115 St Paul Street, Burlington, Vermont to support the Burlington Students Foundation - 5 pm to 10 pm
For every flatbread purchased, $4 will be donated to support student programs.
Visit our new website: www.bsfvt.org
Like BSF on facebook!
Check your Calendar...
- May 29 - PTO pizza pick up
- May 29 - Special School Board Meeting at 7pm - BHS
- May 30 - School Tour, St. Joe's campus on Allen St. at 3:30, 6:30 pm - 3/4/5 Families
- May 31 - 3rd grade overnight to Camp Abenaki
- June 4 - Flynn Olympics - Parent help needed! e-mail Lida at ldvorak@bsdvt.org
- June 6 - 5th Grade Bridging Ceremony, 6:30 pm
- June 7 - Last PTO meeting of the School Year - 6:30 pm in the library, childcare provided. Let's wrap up the year and vote in our 2012-13 PTO Board.
- June 8 - Early Release @11:30
- June 11 - Last Day for Flynn!!!! Early release w/ parade at 11:30
WELLNESS POLICY
Final Draft 11.08.11
The Burlington Board of School Commissioners believes that health and
wellness are essential for individuals to recognize their personal
responsibility, value their participation in their communities, and understand
their relationship with their environment.
The Commissioners also recognize the important connection between
student and staff health and its impact on effective learning, high achievement
and active citizenship.
Thus, the Burlington School District is committed to promoting school
health programs and education that address nutrition, physical activity and
psychosocial well-being.
Therefore, it is the policy of the Burlington School District that the
following goals be achieved:
A. Health and Nutrition Education
1.
The school district shall establish and implement a sequential,
developmentally appropriate preK-12 comprehensive health and nutrition
curriculum that is in alignment with standard 3.6 of the Vermont Framework of
Standards and Learning Opportunities and with the Vermont Health Education Grade Expectations. (See Appendix #3 for the definition of comprehensive.)
2.
The school district believes that visible, interesting and productive
gardensestablished and maintained at school, can create lasting ties between
students,their families, staff and others in the community. Related activities
may includebut not be limited to cooking programs, school garden space for
families, andCSAs for families and staff with school site drop-offs.
3.
Staff shall integrate, where possible, experiential education
activities such asgardening, cooking demonstrations and farm and farmers’ market tours
intoexisting curricula at all grade levels.
4.
School foodservice, in partnership with other school departments and
communityorganizations, will work to creatively market and promote
locally-produced foodto students through activities such as:
a)
Featuring food grown in the school garden in the cafeteria through
sampling and inclusion in school meals based upon availability and
acceptability.
b)
Developing cafeteria themes relating to local farmers and products grown in the region.
B. Physical Education and Activity
Physical Education
The school district shall:
1.
establish a physical education program that is sequential,
developmentally
appropriate and in alignment with the National Association for Sports and
Physical Education, standard 3.6 of the Vermont Framework of Standards
and Learning Opportunities and with the Vermont Physical Education
Grade Expectations.
2.
look into increasing minutes of physical education and should not
decrease it inorder to accommodate the master schedule.
3.
encourage district wide health initiatives that include daily movement
for allstudents and staff.
4.
offer curriculum that is taught by licensed physical education
teachers.
5.
provide curriculum that equips students with the knowledge, skills and
attitudesnecessary for lifelong physical activity.
6. develop curriculum that is closely coordinated with the overall
school health
program.
7. support integrating physical education topics with other curricular
areas.
8. minimize student pull-outs during scheduled physical education
classes.
9. provide a safe environment to implement the program, with functional
and
protective equipment for all students.
10. recommend district-wide professional development around the
relationship
between health and wellness and academic achievement.
Activity Other Than Physical Education
The school district shall:
1. provide opportunities for physical activity are incorporated
throughout the school
day.
2. prohibit recess and other physical activity to be taken away as a
form of discipline
unless a student’s objectionable behavior occurs during recess or a
physical
activity.
3. support the utilization of school gardens and farm visits which
offer physical
activity opportunities, as well as agricultural education.
C. Health Services
1. The school district shall provide a cohesive, integrated approach to
the delivery of
services to appraise, promote and protect health.
2. School health services are evidenced based as outlined in the School
Nurse
Standards of Practice Manual, the National Association of School Nurses
Scope
and Standards of Practice, and the American Academy of Pediatrics
Bright
Futures Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and
Adolescents.
3. The foundation of the school health services will be based on the
student needs
assessment, plans and implementation of programs that support the
wellbeing and
academic success of students
4. The school district shall provide a safe school facility with
sanitary conditions to
treat students for illness or injury.
5. The school district shall make available information regarding
educational and
counseling opportunities and referrals for promoting and maintaining
individual,
family and community health.
6. The school district shall pilot nutrition screening, assessment and
counseling to a
small group of student found to be in need of such care. School health
services
will make referrals and connections to the student’s medical home if
nutrition
screening and assessment reveals that nutrition counseling is
needed.
D. Nutrition Services
Related to the Foodservice Program
1. The school district shall provide nutrition education to all
foodservice employees.
2. The school district shall provide access to a variety of nutritious
and appealing
meals that accommodate the health and nutrition needs of all
students.
3. The school district will recognize child nutrition programs as food
access
programs and work to be sure all students have the opportunity to
access all
available programs.
4. The school district will provide the necessary infrastructure,
outreach and support
to the foodservice office to be sure that all families eligible for
Free and Reduced
meal benefits are able to access them.
5. School nutrition programs will reflect the U.S. Dietary Guidelines
for Americans
and the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Nutrition Standards for Foods in
Schools to
achieve nutrition integrity. (see Appendix A)
6. The school district agrees to promote and participate, through
foodservice staff, in
all federally funded child nutrition programs and operate them to their
fullest
extent.
7. The school district will consider any renovations that may be
necessary to allow
for compliance with the new IOM Nutrition Standards for Foods in
Schools. (see
appendix A)
8. Although the board believes that the district’s nutrition and
foodservice’s
operation should be financially self-supporting, it recognizes however
that the
nutrition program is an essential educational and support activity.
Therefore,
budget neutrality or profit generation must not take precedence over
the nutrition
needs of its students. In compliance with federal law, the district’s
National
School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) shall
be
non-profit.
9. The school district will provide potable drinking water in all
cafeterias.
10. The school district will consider installing full-service kitchens
at school sites
where public bond money is expended to repair or remodel a
school.
11. Compatible with federal regulations for such purchases, the
foodservice program
will continue procedures that include locally grown foods and beverages
in the
development of purchasing bids or procedures.
Not Specifically Related to the Foodservice Program
1. The school district shall encourage the investigation of healthy and
local food
fundraisers that support local businesses.
2. The school district shall encourage healthy school celebrations
whenever possible.
3. The school district shall offer students and faculty an appropriate
facility for
classroom nutrition and health education, and serve as a resource for
linkages
with nutrition-related community programs.
4. Food will not be used as a reward or punishment for
students.
5. To the extent possible, recess periods shall be followed by lunch
periods.
E. Counseling, Psychological and Social Services
1. The school board shall continue to recognize the need for
counseling,
psychological and social services for all students and shall make
available the
information necessary for families of students to seek the proper
assistance.
F. Healthy and Safe School Environment
1. The school district shall maintain and implement a preK-12
anti-bullying
curriculum.
2. The school district shall encourage a culture of wellness throughout
the district,
which includes, but is not limited to clean and safe buildings and a
positive
psychosocial climate.
3. Health and safety issues in kitchens and bathrooms will be brought
up to code.
4. Physical conditions such as temperature, noise and lighting shall be
conducive to
a positive learning and eating environment.
5. The school district shall provide adequate time to obtain and eat
food.
G. Health Promotion for Staff
1. The school district recognizes that fostering a personal commitment
to positive
health behaviors in staff contributes to improved health status, higher
morale and
greater personal commitment to the school’s coordinated school health
program
and creates positive role modeling.
2. The school district shall encourage participation in an employee
wellness program
that defines planning, implementing and evaluation.
3. The school district shall support opportunities for faculty and
staff to improve
their health status through activities such as health assessments,
health education
and health-related fitness activities when possible.
H. Family/Community Involvement
1. Curriculum will afford opportunities for connections with agencies
and businesses
aligned with the wellness policy.
2. The school district shall promote community-based learning
experiences that
promote health and wellness.
3. The school district shall partner with local business learning
experiences when
appropriate and possible.
4. The school district shall include families of students in wellness
activities
whenever possible.
I. Implementation
1. The CSHT shall continue to meet regularly to monitor the
implementation of the
Wellness Policy.
2. A grant funded district wellness coordinator is necessary to ensure
ongoing
implementation and evaluation of the policy. When the grant ends, the
district will
investigate other sources of funding.
3. Data such as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the School Nurse Report
and the
School Health Index will be used to identify areas of strength and need
and
prioritize specific implementation steps.
This policy and its procedures may be modified subsequent to federal
and state legislative
and regulatory changes.
Appendix
1. A la carte food includes all foods sold or provided throughout the
school grounds
at any time that are not part of a reimbursable meal. Nutritious foods
are foods
that include whole grains; low-fat or non-fat dairy products; fresh,
frozen or
canned fruits and vegetables; lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and
seeds.
2. Nutritious foods exceed the nutrient levels of Foods of Minimal
Nutritional Value
which have been identified by the United States Department of
Agriculture
(USDA).
3. Comprehensive health curriculum includes topics such as:
• Alcohol and drug abuse prevention
• Healthy eating/nutrition
• Mental and emotional health
• Personal health and wellness and self-care
• Physical activity
• Personal safety and injury prevention
• Sexual health
• Tobacco use
• Violence prevention
4. CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in which community
members
purchase a “share” of the farm’s produce before the growing season and
receive a
portion of the produce weekly harvest during the growing
season.
5. CSHT (Coordinated School Health Team) and is in place to monitor
the
implementation of this policy and report back annually to the School
Board and
community.
