TIA Wellness Policy
Setting Nutrition Education Goals
The Tucson International Academy (TIA) promotes wellness by supporting proper nutrition and regular physical activity as part of the total learning environment. Wellness can be defined as the dynamic state of achieving optimal well-being in all the dimensions of health: physical, mental/emotional, and social.
TIA supports a healthy environment where children learn and participate in positive dietary and lifestyle practices. TIA schools contribute to the basic health status of children by facilitating learning through the support and promotion of good nutrition and physical activity. Improved health optimizes student performance potential.
TIA supports a work environment where employees are encouraged to embrace healthy lifestyle choices, educational resources are provided, and information about wellness activities is available so that employees can serve as good role models for students. TIA provides a comprehensive learning environment for developing and practicing lifelong wellness behaviors.
Setting Goals for Measurement and Evaluation
Tucson International Academy is committed to improving academic performance. Educators, administrators, parents, health practitioners, and communities must consider the critical role student health plays in academic stamina and performance and adapt the school environment, to ensure students’ basic nourishment and activity needs are met. To ensure widespread understanding of the nutritional and academic benefits received in school environments a public awareness campaign that highlights research demonstrating the positive relationship between good nutrition, physical activity, and capacity of students to develop and learn, should be conducted.
Establish and maintain a TIA Wellness Committee with the purposes of:
• Developing guidance to explicate this policy
• Monitoring the implementation of this policy
• Evaluating and reporting policy progress
• Serving as a resource to school sites, (e.g. providing lists of healthy snacks for incentives, celebrations and physical activity initiatives, etc.), and
• Recommending revisions to the policy as necessary.
The Committee is appointed by the Superintendent and meets a minimum of annually with Committee membership including, but not limited to:
• TIA Food Service Director/Manager, Co-Chair
• TIA Health Clerk
• Committee members shall also include: Physical Education Coach • Classroom Teacher
• Parent Representative – Student Representative
• Governing Board Member
• Administrative Representative – School Food Authority
• Public Responsibilities of the TIA Wellness Committee may include, but not be limited to, oversight of the following:
• Implementation of TIA nutrition and physical activity standards.
• Integration of nutrition and physical activity in the overall curriculum.
• Assurance that staff professional development includes nutrition and physical activity issues.
• Assurance that students receive nutrition education and engage in moderate/vigorous physical activity.
• Development and/or revision of the Local Wellness Policy
• Promotion of healthful choices among all school venues that involve the availability and/or sale of food and beverages.
On each school campus, schools shall establish a plan for implementation including principal designation of one or more individuals to ensure implementation and compliance with standards of the TIA Wellness Policy. The principal of each school will report on the school’s compliance to the Co-Chair persons of the TIA Wellness Policy. The Director of Food Services will ensure compliance with the nutrition-related components of the policy within the school food service areas and will report to the TIA Wellness Committee on this matter.
Adopted: August 28, 2002 Revision: July 21, 2021 Review: August of2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2021
School Wellness Policies – Overview & Action Steps
Overview
• The Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 required all districts to establish local school wellness policies by School Year 2006‐
• The Healthy, Hunger‐Free Kids Act of 2010 expands the scope of wellness policies; brings in additional stakeholders in its development, implementation and review; and requires public updates on the content and implementation of the wellness policies (Section 204). The intent is to strengthen local school wellness policies so they become useful tools in evaluating, establishing, and maintaining healthy school environments, and to provide transparency to the public on key areas that affect the nutrition environment in each school.
Summary of Action Steps for Local Educational Agencies and Districts/Schools:
1. Review the memorandum on wellness policies: https://www.fns.usda.gov/cn/fr-072916c
2. Continue reviewing and assessing local wellness policies during 2021-2022 School Year and implementing new requirements.
3. Consult the resources linked below.
4. Continue to inform and update the public about the content, implementation, and assessment of wellness policies.
5. Keep Supporting Documentation on file as local educational agencies will be held accountable for local school wellness policy implementation, assessment, and public updates.http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthy/wellnesspolicy_process.html
Interagency Workgroup
• Agencies involved: U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS), working with the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), and Pima County Health Department (PCHD).
• Interagency Workgroup:
• Has published the final 5‐Year Technical Assistance and Guidance Plan outlining activities to support local educational agencies (LEAs) at http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Healthy/lwp5yrplan.pdf
• Will continue to provide ongoing training and technical assistance to local educational agencies, school food authorities, and State educational agencies to meet these new requirements and establish healthy school environments that are intended to promote student health and wellness.
• Will continue to identify and develop resources and training on designing, implementing, promoting, disseminating, and evaluating local school wellness policies and overcoming barriers to the adoption of local school wellness policies (ongoing).
Local School Wellness Policy Resource Links
• FNS: http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/healthy/wellnesspolicy_process.html On an ongoing basis, FNS will continue to update these materials to reflect the new requirements; these materials are a useful starting point for LEAs working to strengthen their local school wellness policies to meet the requirements of the new law.
CDC:http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/npao/wellness.htm The CDC website includes resources to assist districts in designing, implementing and promoting elements of local school wellness policies. School Health Guidelines to Promote Healthy Eating and Physical Activity is a resource that presents guidelines for developing, implementing, and evaluating school‐based healthy eating and physical activity policies and practices for K‐12th grade students. There is also a series of strategies to facilitate implementation of the guideline created by US Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS); US Department of Education (ED); and US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Establishing Nutrition Standards for All Foods Available on School Campus during the School Day
The entire school environment, not just the classroom, shall be aligned with goals to positively influence a student’s understanding, beliefs, and habits as they relate to good nutrition and regular physical activity. A healthy school environment should not be sacrificed because of a dependence on revenue from high fat, high added sugar, low nutrient foods, and food and beverage sales in addition to meals to support school programs.
TIA supports and promotes proper dietary habits contributing to reducing childhood obesity and contributing to students health status and academic performance. All foods and beverages available to students on school grounds during the instructional day, except public events, will meet the TIA regulations and guidance for Nutrition Standards. Emphasis will be placed on foods that are nutrient dense per calorie. To ensure safe, nutritious foods, consideration of available foods and beverages will be based on national and local health initiatives, nutrient contribution, variety, appeal, safety, and packaging. Guidelines for reimbursable school meals will meet the regulations and guidance issued by the USDA and state.
Setting Physical Activity Goals
TIA provides physical education and physical activity opportunities for students:
• Physical education is the environment in which students learn, practice, and are assessed on motor skills, movement skills, health-related fitness, social skills in the physical activity environment and the knowledge of these skills and the components of a physically active lifestyle.
• Physical activity involves bodily movement that results in an expenditure of energy of at least a moderate intensity level and for a duration sufficient to provide a significant health benefit. Physical education and physical activity must be scheduled within the school plan.
• A quality physical education program will provide a minimum of the essential physical activity and is a vital component for all students kindergarten through 12th grade.
• Physical activity must be included in a school’s daily educational program for grades pre K through 11th grade. Physical activity can also include recess that encourages activity, recreational activities, intramurals, integrated curricular activities, physical activity clubs, and interscholastic athletics which will allow students to accumulate at least 60 minutes of activity on all days of the school week. Specific individual student adaptations will be addressed through 504 Plans or Individual Education Plans.
Setting Goals in the School Meals Program
All students will learn the knowledge and skills that are necessary to make nutritious and enjoyable food choices throughout their lifetime. In addition, all school staff are encouraged to model healthy eating behavior as a valuable part of daily life. School leaders shall plan for healthy eating by:
• Providing a food service program that employs well-prepared staff who efficiently serve appealing choices of nutritious foods;
• An overall school environment that encourages students to make healthy food choices;
• Opportunities and encouragement for staff to model healthy eating habits.
Setting Goals for Other School-Based Activities Designed to Promote Student Wellness
The nutrition education program shall focus on students eating behaviors based on theories and methods proven effective by published research, and be consistent with the state’s/district’s health education standards/guidelines/framework. Nutrition education shall be designed to help students learn:
• Nutritional knowledge;
• Nutrition-related skills;
• How to assess one’s personal eating habits, set goals for improvement, and achieve those goals.
Physical Education will be taught daily for all students K-12, encouraging a lifestyle of exercise and active fun.
TIA Wellness Participation Letter
July 21st, 2021
Dear TIA Community:
Healthy students not only excel academically but also are more likely to be positively engaged in social, community, and extracurricular activities. The benefits of supporting student health and wellness are far-reaching. This is why it is very important for our school to review, update, and implement the local wellness policy. We would like to invite you to be a member of our wellness team. The wellness team consists of administrators, curriculum leaders, food service employees, students, parents, school board members, health teachers, and physical education teachers, community members in the health, nutrition, or food service fields. The team’s primary responsibilities include:
• Providing overall leadership for the wellness policy implementation and promoting a school climate that supports and understands the importance of wellness;
• Assessing the current school environment, as needed, in the areas covered by the wellness policy;
• Developing a comprehensive action plan that addresses policy components and assures measurement of implementation objectives;
• Evaluating the progress of policy implementation;
• Communicating with the school community about the changes being made and reporting on progress;
• Updating and revising the action plan
Our first meeting is scheduled for:
Thursday, October 14th, 2021 4:30 pm Tucson International Academy 2700 W. Broadway Blvd. Tucson, AZ 85745 (520) 792-3255
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me at 792-3255.
Sincerely, Courtney Luis – Coordinator of NSLP