I. School Health Policy

Champion Schools will create, strengthen, or work within the existing School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) to develop, implement, monitor, review, and as necessary, revise school nutrition and physical activity policies.

II. Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus

School Meals. Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program will:

• Be appealing and attractive to students
• Be served in a clean and pleasant setting
• Meet, at a minimum, all nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations
• Offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables
• Provide only low-fat (1%) or fat-free milk
• Ensure that half of the served grains are whole grains
• Ensure that lean protein sources are being provided when possible

Breakfast. To ensure that all students have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to enhance their ability to learn and meet their nutritional needs, Champion Schools will:

• Meet, at a minimum, all nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statutes and regulations related to the School Breakfast Program
• Serve breakfast during the first period of school
• Provide students at least 10 minutes to sit down to eat their breakfast
• Provide only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk
• Be available to all students

Snacks. Champion Schools will provide healthy snacks through the After School Snack Program. Snacks served during the school day or in after-school care or enrichment programs will make a positive contribution to the student’s nutrient needs. Serving fresh fruits and vegetables will be emphasized and drinks will be limited to water, reduced-fat milk, or 100% juice.

Free and Reduced-priced Meals. Champion Schools will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals.

Summer Food Service Programs. Champion Schools will participate in a Summer Food Program that will provide students breakfast and lunch meals to those students that participate in the summer learning programs.

Meal Times and Scheduling. Champion Schools will:

• Provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch
• Schedule meal periods at appropriate times during the day from 11am-1pm.
• Not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless student may eat during such activities
• Provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks

Sharing of Foods and Beverages. Champion Schools will discourage students from sharing their foods and beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.

III. Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion

Nutrition Education and Promotion. Champion Schools aims to teach, encourage, and support healthy eating by students. We will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion that:

• Provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health;
• Is part of not only health education classes, but also incorporated into classroom instruction in subjects such as math, science, language arts, social sciences, etc.
• Promotes fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and health-enhancing nutrition practices
• Links with school meal programs
• Emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and physical activity

Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom Setting. Students will be given opportunities outside of workout and sport to participate in physical activities by integrating physical activity into the classroom setting. Opportunity for physical activity will be incorporated into subject lessons if possible.

Communication with Parents. Champion Schools will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children. Champion Schools will offer healthy eating seminars for parents, post nutrition tips on social media networks, and provide nutrition education through handouts and school menus.

Staff Wellness. Champion Schools highly values 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. Staff members are provided with the ability to be in contact with nutrition and physical activity specialist each day, and are open to the use of the gym equipment. To ensure that staff maintain healthy throughout the school year, various antibacterial agents are available in each classroom.

IV. Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education

Daily Physical Activity (Workout). Champion Schools emphasizes physical activity through our Sports-Centric mentality. Each student is required to participate in workout each day ranging from 30 minutes to 75 minutes based on the students grade level. The core values of Champion Schools Sports-Centric Model are as follows:

• Training

• Many of the qualities needed for success academically are supported by a set of skills and behaviors gained in sports training and competition. Fundamental physical skills development training at an early age is a huge benefit to future athletic performance.

• Methodology

• Champion Schools uses specific methods designed by occupational therapists and professional athletic trainers to build the motor skills necessary to become an academic and athletic performer.

• Commitment

• Commitment to practicing and competing go hand in hand, to guarantee results. Champion Schools make athletic training an integral part of a longer school day.

• Equity

• Champion Schools levels the playing field giving ALL students an academic and athletic advantage regardless of their background.

• Winning Habits

• Champion Schools builds a strong culture that supports students in making significant academic gains and excelling in athletics: an unbeatable formula for success.

Daily Recess. All students will have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity verbally and through the provision of space and equipment. When activities, such as mandatory school-wide testing, make it necessary for students to remain indoors for long periods of time, schools should give students periodic breaks during which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.

Physical Activity Opportunities Before and After School.  All students will be offered extracurricular physical activity programs, such as sports. Students will be required to participate in a specific number of sports per school year pertaining to their grade level as follows:

• Kindergarten- 4th grade: Participation in 1 sport required per school year.
• 5th-8th grade: Participation in 2 sports required per school year

V. Monitoring and Policy Review

Monitoring. The School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) will ensure compliance with established Champion Schools nutrition and physical activity wellness policies. SHAC members currently include: Ms. Ruiz (Principal), Coach Philip (Athletic Director), Christopher Greene (School Food Director/Nutritionist), Kathryn Saliski (Site Supervisor/Nutritionist), Ms. Bess (Teacher/Parent), and Genesis Ayala. SHAC encourages the inclusion of potential stakeholders from different members of the community.

School food service staff will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas and will report on this matter to the principal of Champion Schools. In addition, Champion Schools will report on the most recent USDA School Meals Initiative (SMI) review findings and any resulting changes.

The principal will develop a summary report every year on compliance with the established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies.

Policy Review. Assessments of the present nutrition and physical activity wellness policies will be taken. Assessments will be repeated each year to help review policy compliance, assess progress, and determine areas in need of improvement. As a part of that review, Champion Schools will review our nutrition and physical activity policies; provision of an environment that supports healthy eating and physical activity; and nutrition and physical activity policies and program elements. Champion Schools will revise the wellness policies and develop work plans to facilitate their implementation.

Reviewed and Revised November 2017