Healthy Schools Training Krewe

Could your physical education (PE) program use a reboot? Bring new energy and excitement to PE class with fresh ideas. During this workshop, PE teachers will learn strategies for helping students practice and improve movement patterns, attain high levels of fitness, and recognize the value of self-expression through dance and movement. Teachers will experience dynamic fitness and cooperative activities that can be incorporated into their own PE programs with student assessment.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Implement dynamic fitness and cooperative activities into PE instruction.
• Implement strategies to increase student creativity, self-expression, and social interaction in PE classes.
• Incorporate student assessment into PE programs.
• Access free PE curriculum resources.

Enhance and activate the learning process for students! Research shows that classroom-based physically active lesson interventions improve educational outcomes in math and reading. In this training, participants will discuss how physical activity affects the brain, academic performance, and classroom behavior. After learning how to integrate physical activity within academic instruction, participants will then identify opportunities to link physical activity to core content in their own classroom for an immediate impact.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Describe the benefits of physical activity on students’ academic performance, behavior, readiness to learn, and physical and mental health.
• Identify opportunities for linking physical activity to core content within their specific subject matter.
• Select age- and classroom-appropriate activities and prepare or revise lesson plans that include physical activities linked to core content.
• Demonstrate how to guide students through physical activities and how to modify activities to include students of all abilities.

A Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) can increase physical activity opportunities before, during and after school. This workshop lays the foundation for schools to intentionally plan more physical activity opportunities for students during their entire time on campus. Participants will learn about the essential components of a CSPAP and a step-by-step process for establishing one in their school or school district.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Define the components of a CSPAP.
• Describe the process for developing, implementing and evaluating a CSPAP.
• Identify strategies for engaging school staff to develop, implement and evaluate a CSPAP in your school or school district.

School nutrition professionals will first gain a foundational knowledge of Child Nutrition Program (CNP) requirements for school meals and the significance of school meals as it relates to students’ overall diet quality and health. Then, participants will learn marketing and merchandizing techniques that will help make healthy choices more appealing to students. Finally, participants will develop skills to engage students and increase acceptance of healthier foods. This workshop will cater to a variety of learning styles and include visuals, hands-on demonstrations, and verbal discussion.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Define the basic Child Nutrition Program (CNP) requirements for school meals and snacks.
• Demonstrate how to conduct a taste test and collect student feedback.
• Use marketing and merchandising techniques to promote healthier food and beverage choices.
• Communicate the nutritional value of different foods.

Through school stores, vending machines, and other venues, most students have the opportunity to purchase snacks at school throughout the day. It is incumbent upon schools to support students in making healthy choices, and ensure the snacks accessible to students while on campus are nutritious. Smart Snacks in School refers to the national nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold during the school day.

In this workshop, participants will first learn about the nutrition standards and the school venues that are affected by the standards. Then, participants will practice using free tools and resources available to check common snack foods for Smart Snacks in School compliance. After creating a return-to-school plan for replacing junk foods with healthy options in their snack venues, participants will learn simple strategies for supporting student and staff health that go beyond the minimum requirements to more effectively foster a culture of health in their school community.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Identify the school venues that must meet Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
• Use available tools and resources to determine whether or not a food or beverage meets Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
• Replace less healthy foods and beverages for sale during the school day with options that meet Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.
• Apply Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards to a variety of school wellness initiatives to support student and staff health.

Any adult working in school buildings can influence students’ decision-making for better or worse. With students spending, on average, six hours per day learning in school, teachers, administrators and support staff become like actors on a stage—modeling various behaviors for an audience full of students.

In this workshop, participants will explore the ways they consciously and unconsciously teach students how to make healthy choices. After learning what experts recommend, participants will have a chance to reflect on their own settings and identify practical changes they can make to establish celebration and reward systems in their school or classroom that encourage students to practice healthy behaviors.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Describe best practices for modeling healthy behaviors for students.
• Reflect on the ways they are modeling unhealthy and healthy behaviors throughout the school day.
• Develop or modify classroom practices to reinforce health-promoting behaviors in students.

A local school wellness policy is a written document that guides a school district’s efforts to create school environments supportive of student and staff health and well-being. All educational agencies participating in federal Child Nutrition Programs, including the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program, are required to develop and implement a wellness policy.

In this workshop, participants will learn how to build or refresh an effective wellness policy that supports a culture of health within the school community. Participants will receive tools and resources to facilitate policy updates with their District Health Advisory Council.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Update their local school wellness policy to meet national standards.
• Enhance their local school wellness policy with best practices for a stronger, more comprehensive policy.
• Communicate with school leaders, faculty, staff, students, families, and the community to gain support of the local school wellness policy.

Creating a healthier school environment can be daunting, and sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. The truth is, this journey looks different for every school, because every school has its own unique needs, challenges, student body, and staff. Using evidence-based assessments, schools can get a clear picture of how they are supporting student and staff health. From this starting point, schools can then work with their wellness committee members to create a school health improvement plan that will support their specific goals.

In this workshop, participants will learn about assessment tools and resources and practice using them. After completing the workshop, participants will be able to return to their school and facilitate the assessment and planning process with their school wellness committee.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Assess current school health policies and practices.
• Identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
• Engage members of their school community to create a school health improvement plan.

Research shows that when schools intentionally support students’ well-being, student outcomes improve. Student well-being is linked to an increase in academic performance when core content teachers integrate well-being competencies in activities.

During this workshop, teachers will first learn about the effects of emotional and mental well-being on student learning and classroom behavior. After exploring a variety of classroom activities that support well-being competencies and diverse learning styles, teachers will practice planning and teaching a lesson in their own subject matter with supportive well-being activities.

After the training, participants will be able to:

• Describe the effects of well-being on student outcomes and the five well-being competencies.
• Identify classroom-based activities that support student well-being.
• Design and teach lesson plans with supportive well-being activities linked to core content.