| The Orlando schools will be promoting health and | | | | schools will enlist the involvement of parents, families, |
| wellness to its students this year. As part of the | | | | teachers, counselors, school administrators, healthcare |
| Orange County Schools, the Orlando schools will | | | | professionals, businesses, and community groups and |
| implement a new wellness policy that was just | | | | organizations. |
| approved this month. | | | | The Orange County schools already have |
| The new policy is in response to a federal mandate, | | | | experimented with the wellness program, which will |
| under the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act | | | | benefit the Orlando schools. For almost three years, |
| of 2004. All schools that receive federal funding for | | | | the program has been used in 13 schools within the |
| school lunch programs must have a wellness policy in | | | | county. The HSTs have been found to be quite |
| place. | | | | effective in promoting health and wellness, not only |
| The wellness program for the Orlando schools is | | | | for the students but their families and school staff, |
| designed to promote better health to their students. | | | | as well. The Orlando schools will use much of the |
| Healthy eating and physical activity will play a big part | | | | information and experiences from these schools, |
| in the Orlando schools' policy. The hope is to | | | | when implementing their own wellness program this |
| completely change the Orlando schools' environments | | | | year. |
| to healthier ones. | | | | The experimental HSTs have sponsored walking and |
| With the new wellness program effective on the first | | | | running clubs for students, school staff, and parents. |
| day of school, each of the Orlando schools is | | | | Another example of creative thinking by the HSTs is |
| challenged to be creative and innovative in | | | | "wellness Wednesdays", whereby students are |
| implementing wellness activities and promotions. | | | | rewarded for being involved in healthy activities, such |
| Each of the Orlando schools will create a Healthy | | | | as eating nutritious lunches, drinking water versus |
| School Team (HST). The organization of each team is | | | | soda, or participating in a physical activity. Each HST |
| based on the Centers for Disease Control and | | | | at the Orlando schools will be charged with |
| Prevention's Coordinated School Health Model. There | | | | developing activities that meet the specific needs of |
| will be a member on each HST to represent each of | | | | each school and its students. The HST members are |
| the following areas of health: | | | | limited only by their own imaginations to develop |
| - Health education, | | | | creative promotions, events and activities. |
| - Counseling. | | | | The new wellness program at the Orlando schools is |
| - Psychological and social services, | | | | all about health and wellness for children, and helping |
| - School health services, | | | | everyone concerned to understand the importance |
| - Nutrition services, | | | | of good health and its effect upon a child's ability to |
| - Physical education, | | | | learn. From the federal mandate to the Orlando |
| - The healthy school environment, | | | | schools' implementation of the wellness program, the |
| - Health promotion for Orlando schools' staff, and | | | | sole purpose is to improve the health of students in |
| - Family and community. | | | | order for them to be better able to learn and |
| Under the belief that healthy children is a | | | | achieve - now and in the future. |
| community-wide concern, each of the Orlando | | | | |