[PC News] November 2nd Meeting Agenda, Information on Healthy Schools

Fri Oct 29 11:10:27 EDT 2004

Parent Council News
October 29, 2004
http://avenue.org/parentcouncil <http://avenue.org/parentcouncil>
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Topics in This Issue:

*        November 2nd Meeting Agenda
*        SchoolMatters Message from Brian Wheeler re. Creating Healthy
Schools
*        Daily Progress Article re. Healthy Schools

***Please remember to bring in 30 copies of your PTO’s budget to share***
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November 2nd Meeting Agenda
Parent Council Meeting
November 2, 2004
Agenda
1. 7:00 - 7:10pm  Welcome and Old Business:  Minutes to October 5th meeting;
distribution of sample PTO budgets (item discussed at October meeting) -
Chip Deale
2. 7:10 - 7:20pm  Students Make a Difference Day: Recap & final action
steps - June Smith and/or Teresa Hashisaki
3. 7:20 - 7:30pm  Parent Council website plans - Lisa Moorefield and Shelley
Payne
4. 7:30 - 7:45pm  Superintendent's Report - Dr. Kevin Castner
5. 7:45 - 8:45pm  Program Presentation & Group Dialogue:  School Nutrition &
Child Obesity
A. School Board's perspective - Diantha McKeel, School Board Chair and
Gordon Walker, Vice Chair
B. School Division's philosophy or approach to school menus; vending
machines in schools; educational components that address nutrition, exercise
and obesity; etc. – Regina Kirk and Christina Pitsenberger
C. Examples of school-based educational initiatives:
a. "Food is Elementary" pilot program at Hollymead - Alison Wilson
b. Wellness Fair at Stone-Robinson - Shelley Payne
D. Idea Exchange: Group discussion re. events and/or activities that PTOs
have conducted or have planned for this school year on the topic of
nutrition/obesity/wellness
6. 8:45 - 9:00pm  Good & Welfare: An opportunity for attendees to share
thoughts, comments, ideas or opinions on any Parent Council, school or
general education-related topic.
7. 9:00pm  Adjourn until December 14th (2nd Tuesday of that month)
There are two websites that may be helpful to visit prior to our meeting:
*         School Nutrition Association (formerly, American School Food
Service Association) at www.asfsa.org/childnutrition
<http://www.asfsa.org/childnutrition>
*         USDA's Food, Nutrition & Consumer Services at www.fns.usda.gov/fns
<http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns>
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SchoolMatters Message from Brian Wheeler re. Creating Healthy Schools

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This message is not an official communication of the Albemarle County School
Board. It is a private, e-mail-only newsletter written by Brian Wheeler,
At-Large Member of the Albemarle County School Board.
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Dr. Martha McKechnie, my appointee on the School Board's Health Advisory
Committee, is mentioned below in a Daily Progress article on school
nutrition issues.  Last night, Martha Bain, another Committee member and
School Nurse at Crozet Elementary, presented the School Board a report on
the Committee's activities during 2003-04.  The School Board will hear
additional reports on nutrition and physical education issues at our
November 11, 2004 meeting.  School staff and the Health Advisory Committee
are all responding to this School Board's new priority related to the
creation of a healthy school environment.
Goal 2: School Climate and Board Adopted Values
2.1.2 By December 2004, staff will identify strategies to promote a healthy
school environment and report recommendations and budget implications to the
Board. Identified strategies will center on the whole child and promote good
health and fitness including aspects related to nutrition, physical
education, and mental health.
In September, the school system announced revised nutritional guidelines
which "exceed those developed by the National School Lunch Program, a
federal initiative that provides support in the form of funding and surplus
foods to schools serving foods approved by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture."
Albemarle County Schools Revise Nutrition Guidelines
New Rules Help Students Make Healthy Food Choices
http://www.k12albemarle.org/Board/media%20releases/releases2004/nutrition%20
guidelines.pdf
Brian Wheeler
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Daily Progress Article re. Healthy Schools

Weight figures bring food changes to schools
By James Fernald
Daily Progress staff writer
Friday, October 29, 2004
With Albemarle County students twice as likely to be overweight as their
peers across the country, members of the county‘s School Health Advisory
Board are pushing for better nutrition.  “We’re desperate to bring nutrition
to the forefront,” Martha McKechnie, a pediatrician and member of the
advisory board, told the School Board at its meeting Thursday.
In the latest collected data, in 2002, more than 20 percent of Albemarle
children were overweight, according to data from the Thomas Jefferson Health
District. That compares with 10 percent of children overweight nationwide.
School officials said some steps already have been taken to deal with the
problem. They listed some limits in place on cafeteria menus to teach
healthier eating habits and combat the high incidence of excess weight.
Since the start of the school year, most common snacks have been offered
more sparingly than in the past. Rice Krispy treats, brownies, cinnamon buns
and donuts are now offered no more than twice a month. French fries are only
available with a meal, not sold as a separate side dish.
“Kids are choosing to eat high-fat content,” said Diane Behrens, executive
director of support services. “You see kids choosing a whole plate of fries
instead of an entrée.”
Cereals, breakfast pastries and all snacks in Albemarle County schools now
contain no more than 35 percent sugar by weight, school officials reported.
Ice cream products and cookies meeting the 35 percent guideline are offered
at elementary schools and middle schools only once a week but offered daily
at the high schools.
Cafeteria staffs in the county schools learned about using spices in place
of fat to enrich the flavor of vegetables in a workshop last summer.
“You have to offer what they eat, but there are healthy foods that can be
appealing,” Behrens said.
In the 2003-2004 school year, 156,731 breakfasts were served in county
schools and more than 1,000,000 lunches were given out.
Christina Pitsenberger, food service director for Albemarle County, is
responsible for collecting enough revenue in cafeterias to pay for materials
as well as employee salaries and benefits. This makes it essential that
students purchase the food, advisory board member McKechnie noted.
At Hollymead Elementary School, the Food is Elementary program has been
adopted. In this program, children learn how to cook more nutritious foods
from different cultures to introduce them to healthier eating habits.
Behrens said the Food is Elementary program costs $25,000 for each grade,
which limits its use on a countywide basis without more funding.
McKechine suggested raising the price of lunches to cover additional fresh
fruits and vegetables. Diantha McKeel, chairwoman of the School Board, said
the board would consider providing additional funding for more nutritious
foods at budget time.
“The earlier you can get kids into healthier eating habits the better,”
Behrens said. “It’s easier to maintain that lifestyle than break it.”
Contact James Fernald at (434) 978-7299 or jfernald at dailyprogress.com.
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