District Wellness

Purpose

Our District has developed a Wellness Policy that is focused on improving the health of students and staff with the input from students, parents, teachers, food services staff, school nurses, community members and district administration. The purpose of the wellness committee is to promote student and staff health, reduce obesity and to facilitate lifelong healthy habits. If you would be interested in contributing to updates and revisions to the policy ADF, please contact Ashley Jones at [email protected].

District Wellness Committee

The District Wellness Committee is composed of two teams to maximize opportunity for feedback from our workforce and the community. The School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) meets one time per quarter and is comprised of staff and community members. The Wellness Ambassadors meet one time per month and is comprised of representatives from every school in the district. The responsibility of the Wellness Team members is to collaborate and provide input to the Wellness Program Coordinators to ensure compliance to the policy. 

Measures of Success

The District has developed several internal assessment measures and checklists and uses the nationally recognized School Health Index (SHI) as a way to monitor progress towards our established wellness goals. These assessments will be reviewed and shared annually with the Board of Education to determine if policy or procedure revisions are necessary. Any recommendation for changes will be based on the analysis of the compliance indicators or recommendations from the USDA.

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's BAM! Body and Mind
https://www.cdc.gov/bam/index.html
BAM! Body and Mind will tell you everything you need to know about all of the stuff that matters. Whether it's nutrition, physical activity, stress, safety, or diseases, they've got you covered! We designed this specifically for you-kids 9-12 years old-and even have some awesome games and quizzes to test your skills!

Healthy Children
https://www.healthychildren.org/English/Pages/default.aspx
A resource hub for any stage of life, from baby to young adult. You can learn about child development, healthy living resources, safety and prevention, family life, and health issues that can occur in children.

Stop Bullying
https://www.stopbullying.gov/
StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyberbullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying.

Love ls Respect
https://www.loveisrespect.org/healthy-relationships/
Highly-trained advocates offer support, information and advocacy to young people who have questions or concerns about their dating relationships. We also provide information and support to concerned friends and family members, teachers, counselors, service providers and members of law enforcement. Free and confidential phone, live chat and texting services are available 24/7/365. Chat at www.loveisrespect.org. Text LOVEIS to 22522*. Call 1-866-331-9474.

National Parent Helpline
http://www.nationalparenthelpline.org/
Call the National Parent Helpline® to get emotional support from a trained Advocate and become empowered and a stronger parent.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network
https://www.nctsn.org/
A resource for the public, professionals, and others who care about children and are concerned about child traumatic stress.

Mental Health America's Back to School Toolkit
http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/back-school
MHA's Back to School Toolkit - developed each year and released in mid-August in anticipation of the start of the new school year - provides free resources, tools, tips, and information on early identification.

Encourage Hope & Help
https://encouragehopeandhelp.com/
Encourage Hope and Help is a suicide prevention website for youth (ages 10-24), parents, educators, LGBTQ, attempt survivors, loss survivors, veterans, and community members in the Kansas City area.

Eat Right
https://www.eatright.org/food
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Eat Right website offers information about nutrition basics, smart shopping tips, budget friendly recipes, eating as a family, and many more.

Center for Science in the Public Interest
https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy
CSPI offers science-based advice about how to eat a balanced diet. Not only do they offer information about what to eat and what to avoid, but they also share information about ingredients of concern, foodborne illness, and even chemical cuisine.

Choose My Plate
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/
MyPlate is a reminder to find your healthy eating style and build it throughout your lifetime. MyPlate uses an easy visual representation of how to portion your meals to make ensure you are getting enough of each food group when you are preparing your plate. This website also offers online tools like recipes, portion control tips, and a MyPlate plan.

Eat Right
https://www.eatright.org/fitness
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' Eat Right website may look like a nutrition focused website, but it also offers great resources about physical activity as well. Under the "Fitness" section, you can learn the benefits of physical activity, family activities, foods to eat before and after workouts, and proper hydration.

Choose My Plate
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/physical-activity-basics
MyPlate also offers physical activity information on their website. You can learn about what physical activity is, why it is important, and tips for increasing physical activity for everyone in your family. In the "Online Tools" section, MyPlate offers a Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator, preschooler growth charts, and a body weight planner.

Safe Kids
https://www.safekids.org/
A resource hub with information on ways to keep children safe from unintentional injuries, like medication safety, sleep safety, road safety, and much more.

Missouri Poison Center
https://missouripoisoncenter.org/education/kids/
The Kids Zone section provides activity sheets, look-alike quizzes, and games that educate children on chemicals and poisons that they could come in contact with when a parent isn't around.

Department of Homeland Security's On Guard Online
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0038-onguardonline
Offers free online security tips and resources. They discuss computer security, public wi-fi networks, common online scams, and how to protect children when they are playing online video games.

Stop. Think. Connect.
https://www.stopthinkconnect.org/tips-advice/general-tips-and-advice
Stop. Think. Connect., is a campaign from the Department of Homeland Security that targets youth to talk about how to be safe online. They also their campaign on different social media outlets, so youth can share their message of safety.

Above the Influence
https://abovetheinfluence.com/drugs/alcohol/
Good and factual information on alcohol and drugs. On the right side of this page, parents are able to look up facts about many different drugs including, but not limited to, marijuana, heroin, opioids, etc.

Stop Medicine Abuse
https://stopmedicineabuse.org/
Stop Medicine Abuse is a prevention campaign working to alert parents and members of the community about the problem of teen abuse of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines containing dextromethorphan (DXM).

Partnership for Drug-Free Kids
https://drugfree.org/
At the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, they are committed to helping families struggling with their son's or daughter's substance use. They empower families with information, support and guidance to get the help their loved one needs and deserves.

Truth
https://www.thetruth.com/the-facts
An anti-smoking campaign that uses facts to educate youth about the effects of using tobacco products. They are also taking a stand on the opioid epidemic by trying to educate the youth about the harmful effects of abusing opioids.

Office of Adolescent Health
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Adolescent Health
The Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of adolescents. This website provides resources on many different health topics that are relevant to adolescent health, including nutrition, drug and alcohol use, money, online safety, and many more.