Healthy changes for our RCSD kids! :)

Hi Pamela,

I hope this email finds you well. Healthi Kids has an article we’d like to share with you and your neighbors. Would this be something you’d be interested in? Please let me know.

Thank you,

Lauren Morelle
Communications Coordinator
Healthi Kids
Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency
www.healthikids.org
p: 585.224.3121
c: 585.429.0956

YES! Thank you, Lauren! ~ Pamela :)

District Makes Changes
How new rules at school will make your schoolhouse rock!

Healthi Kids knows going back to school isn’t your child’s favorite topic; but this school year could be the best yet, thanks to some new rules in place at the Rochester City School District (RCSD).

Healthi Kids and City residents worked together throughout the 2010-2011 school year to ensure that student health was at the top of the District’s priority list. Last April, the Rochester City School Board passed updates to the District’s Wellness Policy, including new rules for students for food and physical activity. This update means big changes to students’ daily activity and food choices.

The most important difference that elementary students will see this year is the inclusion of a 20 minute recess period every day. While some students were lucky to have daily recess, it will be new to many RCSD students. A Healthi Kids survey found that only 37% of elementary schools in the City of Rochester offered recess during the day. Through recess, students can relax and recharge themselves, so when the time comes for more learning they are mentally and physically ready. By making time for supervised, unstructured recess, children will have that break to help them learn better and feel better.

Another improvement kids will see this year are higher nutritional standards for foods that are served outside of the cafeterias, including at events, in vending machines, and as fundraisers. Healthier food choices encourage children to think twice before picking up a bag of chips or reaching for a soda. By learning what is good for them, students play a more active role in what they eat, and feel the positive effects of a healthier diet.

The District is rolling these new rules out in stages, the first in two schools in the District, Wilson Foundation Academy and Clara Barton School #2, both of which are less than 3 miles from the Lyell/Otis Neighborhood. Healthi Kids looks forward to working with our neighbors in this area and encourages parents and community members to contact their child’s school to request they follow the District’s guidelines for healthy fundraisers and classroom rewards.

With exercise and healthier choices to look forward to, how could this school year not rock? So let’s enjoy getting back to school, and commit to making 2011-2012 the best year ever!