Wellness Policy - Epiphany Catholic School

Purpose

Epiphany Catholic School is committed to promoting and protecting students’ health, well-being and ability to learn. Thus, Epiphany School supports healthy eating habits and healthy physical activity. We strive to provide a healthy school nutrition environment which is conducive to good learning. These efforts contribute positively to honoring our bodies as a gift from God.

General Statement of Policy

By working toward the following goals, Epiphany supports the link between health wellness and improved educational outcomes of our students.

Food and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans and to meet smart snack standards.
Students will have access to affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students.
Epiphany Catholic School will participate in the National School Lunch Program.
Epiphany will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity.
All students will have opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically active regularly.
Epiphany will establish a Wellness Task Force to promote healthy living, wellness of staff and students, and to assist in the reporting and monitoring requirements of this policy.

Nutrition and Food Environmental Guidelines

Food Environment

Students are encouraged to start each day with a healthy breakfast; breakfast is offered 7:00-7:20 am.
Lunch periods will be scheduled in the middle of the day.
It is a goal to provide students 20 minutes to eat during meal periods.
It is a goal to provide dining areas that will be attractive and include enough seating areas to accommodate all students who would like to sit and eat lunch, as well as enough serving areas so that students do not have to spend too much time waiting in line.
Hand-washing will be available for students prior to eating. They will be reminded to wash their hands before meals as a way of preventing the spread of germs and reducing the risk of illness.
Drinking water will be available for students.
Epiphany School will follow the CDC health and safety guidelines for food service as established in response to COVID-19.

Food Service Operation

Epiphany Catholic School promotes a pricing plan to ensure maximum participation in the school meal program and will make certain that all eligible children that qualify receive free and reduced- price meals.
Epiphany will ensure that students eligible to receive free or reduced price meals are not treated differently from other students nor are they easily identified by their peers.
Epiphany will employ a food service director who is properly qualified and certified.
Food service personnel will meet professional standards to administer the school food service program and satisfy reporting standards.
All child nutrition personnel will have adequate training in the school food service program.
Epiphany will adopt methods of cooking that decrease fat, calorie and sodium levels in food.
Epiphany will plan menus that will meet the nutrition standards recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and ensure that the school meals meet requirement set forth under USDA 7 CFR Part 210 and Part 220.

Food and beverages Served and Sold During the School Day

Food and beverages offered will be nutritiously based, including whole grain products, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables.
Food and beverages offered will be of excellent quality, appealing to students and are served at the proper temperature.
Food and beverages offered will minimize use of fats, sodium and sugar as defined by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
A la carte will provide a variety of choices of nutritious food such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat or non-fat dairy foods and will meet the smart snacks standards.
All Beverages sold or given away on school premises during the school day must be non- carbonated.
If food is provided for classroom celebration, it must be commercially prepared.
Classroom snacks and celebrations should reinforce the importance of healthy choices. Families
will receive information from the school on foods that are appropriate for such celebrations.
School fundraisers involving the selling of food will support positive health habits.
Food and beverage will not be marketed during the school day.

Community Collaboration

Communications with Parents

Epiphany will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children.
Epiphany will provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities during and after the school day and will support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school.
Parents and the community will be invited to participate in the bi-annual wellness committee. Meeting dates will be posted in the E happenings email.

Opportunities After School

Epiphany encourages the participation of all students in activities such as extra-curricular activities, community and family activities that promote physical activity.
Epiphany will offer a range of physical activities that meet the needs, interest and abilities of all students.

Curriculum

Epiphany will provide education to promote lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity. Linkages between health education, physical education, school meal programs and related community services will be fostered.

Integrating nutrition education into the classroom setting that:

is offered at each grade level as part of a comprehensive, standards-based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health
promotes fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free daily products, and health enhancing practices
emphasizes caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure (physical activity/exercise); and nutrition related community services
links with school meals program
teaches media literacy with an emphasis on food marketing
includes training for teachers and other staff
encourages staff to model good nutrition

Physical Education

All students will be provided opportunities for physical education as part of Epiphany’s overall curriculum.
Students will spend at least 75 percent of physical education class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom Setting

Students need opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class.
Classroom teachers are encouraged to develop opportunities for physical activity that can be incorporated into subject lessons and are encouraged to provide short, physical activity breaks during class.
Staff are encouraged to model physical activity.

Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Classroom instruction will complement physical education by reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities such as watching television.

Rewards and Consequences

Physical activity is important, therefore, staff will use reasonable judgment before using physical activity or the withholding of physical activity as consequence. A student may miss a portion of recess as a consequence, but not the entire recess.
Food should be limited as a reward and not used as a consequence.

Timeline

This policy will be reviewed annually.

Monitoring and Policy Review

The principal (or designee) will ensure compliance with this Wellness policy.
The Wellness Committee will establish procedures to monitor compliance with the policy. The committee will meet as needed to gather compliance data, review the plan, and make any recommendations.
An overall wellness policy assessment will take place every 3 years by a committee selected by the principal. A summary report will be provided to the School Advisory Committee and school community.

Revised July, 2020