Resurrection School

_________________________________
(School Name)
WELLNESS POLICY
2018-2019
________________
(School Year)

The Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Evansville are committed to providing school environments
that promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn, by supporting healthy eating
and physical activity. Therefore, it is the policy of the Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Evansville
that:
• The schools will engage students, parents, teachers, food service staff, health professionals,
and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring, and
reviewing school nutrition and physical activity policies.
• All students in grades Preschool-12 will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to
be physically active on a regular basis.
• Foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutrition recommendations of the
US. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
• Staff will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing
foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students, and will provide clean, safe, and
pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.
• Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits
of healthy eating and physical activity, and will establish linkages between health
education and school meal programs, and with related community services.
The Catholic Schools of the Diocese of Evansville will continue to implement and annually update this
policy for health and wellness of all students.

Resurrection School
______________________________’s Wellness Policy includes the following elements, each addressed
with specific goals:

I. Wellness Committee
Resurrection School
• ______________________________will form a Wellness Committee to serve as a
resource to develop, implement, monitor, review, and revise school nutrition and
physical activity policies.
• The Wellness Committee will meet at minimum twice annually with an agenda and
minutes to be kept at the school.
• The Wellness Committee will consist of individuals from the following areas:
o School Administrator
o PE Teacher and interested faculty and staff members
o Student(s)
o Parent(s) or School Board Member
o Cafeteria or Child Nutrition Manager
o Health Care/Nutritionist/Certified Dietician professional
o Interested individuals from the general public who have a vested interest in our
schools
II. USDA Requirements for School Meals
Resurrection School
• The school breakfast and lunch programs at ____________________________ will:
o Meet, at minimum, nutrition requirements established by USDA for federally
funded programs, as found on the USDA website
at https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/nutrition-standards-school-meals
o Provide access to and emphasis on high quality foods and beverages, such as
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and water.
o Be appealing and attractive to students,
o Be served in clean and pleasant surroundings,
o Provide students with adequate time to eat (the School Nutrition
Association recommends at least twenty minutes for lunch),
o Promote school meal participation with taste tests, contests, etc., and make
available a nutritional analysis of menu items.
• Parents will be provided information regarding eligibility and application for
participation in the free/reduced price meals.

III. Nutritional Guidelines for All Food and Beverages Sold

• Food and beverages sold outside of the Child Nutrition Program, including a’ la carte
and vending machine items, will be approved by either the school’s Food Service
Director or the School Wellness Committee, and will meet the following guidelines:
o Beverages
 Water (flavored and non-calorie sweeteners),
 Fruit and vegetable juices,
 Fruit based drinks containing at least 50% fruit juice,
 Low-fat unflavored or fat-free flavored fluid milk,
 Sports drinks (middle and high schools only)
o Foods
 Individual food items must meet USDA Smart Snack Standards, which
can be accessed at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/healthierschoolday/tools-
schools-focusing-smart-snacks
o Elementary and Middle Schools (Grades Preschool-8)
 Vending machines dispensing either food or beverages are not
accessible to students in grades Preschool-8.
 Sale of foods and/or beverages containing caffeine or non-nutritive
sweeteners is prohibited during the school day.
o High Schools (Grades 9-12)
 At least 50% of all foods and beverages sold outside the reimbursable
school meal programs during the school day will meet the nutritional
guidelines above.
 Sale of foods and/or beverages containing non-nutritive sweeteners is
prohibited during the school day.
 Vending machines dispensing either food or beverages are not
accessible to students in grades 9-12.
o Fundraising
 50% of the school fundraising activities will not involve food.
 Two exemptions, each exemption lasting one day in duration only, are
allowed during the school year if approved by the School Wellness
Committee.
o School-Sponsored Events (Such as, but not limited to, Athletic Events,
Dances, or Performances)
  It is recommended that an effort be made to offer or sell only those
foods and beverages that meet the above nutritional guidelines.

IV. Nutritional Guidelines for Non-Sold Foods and Beverages

• Preschool Programs, After-School Care and/or Extra-Curricular Programs
o Snacks served will make a positive contribution to children’s diets and health,
and
o Will emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, and
the importance of water as a beverage.
• Celebrations
Resurrection School
o _____________________________ will allow healthy food choices for
celebrations throughout the school year.
o One celebration per year may be designated as exempt, which would allow for
each healthy food or beverage to pair with a food or beverage that does not
meet the nutrition guidelines for food and beverages sold individually.
in preschool are allowed to bring in food or beverages that meet
o Students ______________
Smart Snacks Standards to celebrate their birthday.
• Rewards
o Teachers and staff should not use foods or beverages as rewards for academic
performance or good behavior.

V. Food and Beverage Marketing

• ______________________________
Resurrection School will limit food and beverage marketing to the
promotion of foods and beverages that meet the nutrition guidelines for meals or for
foods and beverages sold individually.
• Promotional materials (Fall festival, give back nights, steak nights, fish fries, etc.) that
are distributed during the school day will not contain images or wording for food or
beverage items that do not meet the nutritional guidelines for food or beverages sold
individually.
• As contracts expire, promotional materials, such as, but not limited to, scoreboards,
vending machines, etc. that currently advertise non-compliant foods or beverages will
be changed to market water or only the company and not the product.

VI. Nutrition Education

• _____________________________
Resurrection School will follow health education curriculum
standards and guidelines as stated by the Indiana Department of Education.
• Nutrition education will be taught by a licensed teacher in grades K-12. In self-
contained classrooms, teachers holding an appropriate license may teach their
own health and nutrition education, as well as other required subjects as their
license allows.

• Nutrition education will be taught throughout grades K-12 including, but not
limited to:
o Nutrition Knowledge
 Benefits of healthy eating
 Essential nutrients
 Nutritional deficiencies
 Use and misuse of dietary supplements
 Safe food preparations
 Handling and storage
  Caloric balance between food intake and energy expenditure
o Nutrition Related Skills
 Planning healthy meals
 Understanding and using food labels
 Critical evaluation of nutrition information
 Commercial food advertising
o Assessing Personal Eating Habits and Setting Achievable Goals
• Teachers are encouraged to integrate nutrition education into core curriculum in
areas such as math, science, social studies, and language arts.
• Professional development opportunities will be shared with teachers and staff
throughout the year.
• Cafeteria staff will participate in annual trainings as part of the professional
standards.
• Additional School Goal (if above goals are met):
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

VII. Nutrition Promotion

• Cafeteria staff will introduce students to new food choices once per semester.
Consistent encouragement will be given to students to try new foods and make
positive comments about foods.
• The cafeteria can be used to display nutrition education posters and food facts
to encourage interest in healthy foods.
• The School Wellness Committee will explore and identify at least two of the
Smarter Lunchroom techniques as listed
at http://www.smarterlunchrooms.org/scorecard-tools/smarter-lunchrooms-
strategies to implement in order to promote healthy food and beverage choices for
all students.
Resurrection School
• ______________________________ shall schedule mealtimes so there is minimum
disruption by bus schedules, recess, and other special programs or events, thereby
allowing sufficient time for students to eat (the School Nutrition Association
recommends at least twenty minutes for lunch).
• All elementary and middle schools will provide the Nutrition Nuggets newsletter,
via the school website, take home folders, or by email, in an effort to communicate,
promote, and educate parents and guardians regarding nutrition and wellness.
• Additional School Goal (if above goals are met):
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

VIII. Physical Activity

• Classroom Setting
o Classroom health education will complement physical education by
reinforcing the knowledge and self-management skills needed to
maintain a physically active lifestyle.
o Classroom teachers will provide short physical activity breaks, ie. Brain
breaks, between lessons or classes as appropriate.
o Teachers should discourage extended periods of inactivity (periods of
 two or more hours). When activities, such as mandatory school-wide
testing, make it necessary for students to remain sedentary for long
periods of time, students should be provided with periodic breaks during
which they are encouraged to stand and be moderately active.
• Physical Education Class
o All students will receive regular physical education.
o Student involvement in other physical activities will not be substituted
for meeting the physical education requirement in grades K-8.
o High school students must earn two credits in physical education.
o Students will spend at least 50% of physical education class time
participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity.
o The student to teacher ratio for physical education classes will be no
larger than other classes (30 to 1).
o Professional development will be available to PE teachers, especially at
the Diocesan Teacher Share Meetings.
o A licensed PE teacher in grades that are departmentalized will teach
physical education. In self-contained classrooms, teachers holding an
appropriate license may teach their own physical education, as well as
other required subjects as their license allows.
• Recess
o All elementary school students (K-5) will have at least 20 minutes per
day of supervised recess, preferably outdoors, during which schools
should encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity, verbally and
through the provision of space and equipment.
• Physical Activity and Punishment
o Teachers and other school and community personnel will not arbitrarily
use physical activity (running laps, push-ups) or withhold opportunities
for physical activity (recess, physical education) as consequence to
behavioral infractions.
• Additional School Goal (if above goals are met):
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

IX. Additional School-Based Activities

• Faculty and Staff will have the opportunity to be involved in wellness programs
and/or efforts to build effective school health initiatives.
• Faculty and Staff should encourage healthy eating behaviors by being role models to
students during school hours when in the presence of students.
• Cafeteria staff will be hired with the understanding that they are responsible to adhere
to the policies the school has in place.
Resurrection School
• _____________________________ will assess and, if necessary, and to the extent
possible, make needed improvements to make it safer and easier for students to walk
and bike to school. Crossing guards, school safety patrol, and bike racks will be
available at each K-8 school.
• Nutrition education and wellness will be offered to students, parents, and staff through
any of the following methods:
o Health fairs,
o Healthy eating and wellness seminars,
o Newsletters,
 o Handouts,
o Internet information consistent with USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans,
o Team Nutrition information.
• Additional School Goal (if above goals are met):
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

X. Evaluation
• The school administrator, along with the School Wellness Committee, will complete
the Diocesan Wellness Policy Checklist on school-wide compliance with the
established nutrition and physical activity wellness policies on an annual basis. The
completed checklist will be submitted to the Catholic Schools Office by June 1.
• Every three years, the school administrator, along with the School Wellness
Committee, will complete one of the following School Health Environment
Assessment Tools and submit to the Catholic Schools Office by June 1:
o HEROES Needs Assessment
o USDA’s WellSAT 2.0

XI. Person Responsible

• The school administrator will ensure compliance with the established Wellness Policy.
• The preschool director will ensure compliance with the established Wellness Policy in
the Early Learning setting.
• The school food service staff ensures compliance with the nutrition policies for the
school meal program and all food and beverages sold through the cafeteria.

XII. Communication
• Progress reports should be shared annually with the public using any of the
following channels of communication :
o The Message,
o School newsletter,
o Website,
o School Messenger, and
o Other forms of communication.
• Progress reports ensure transparency by including:
o Web address of the wellness policy,
o Description of each school's activities and goals and current level of
progress,
o Contact details for School Wellness Committee, and
o Information on how to join the School Wellness Committee.

Revised: May 2017