Health and Wellness of Staff and Students

Regulation

Promoting Physical Activity and Emotional Well-Being in School Communities 

1. The Principal will ensure the school program plan provides all students with quality Physical Education courses and Daily Physical Activity on days when Physical Education is not scheduled, in a manner that:
   • complies with the intent of the curriculum,
   • provides a minimum of 150 minutes/week of Physical Education broken into at least three time blocks,
   • plans and schedules are in place to enable Daily Physical Activity to be accessed by all students on days when Physical Education is not scheduled. 

2. Schools and community will promote the value of physical fitness, active lifestyle and emotional well-being by such things as:
   • encouraging all students to participate in a variety of team and/or individual athletic activities,
   • utilizing resources, information and support from parents, community and organizations such as Ever Active School, Active Playgrounds and Canadian Sport for Life.
   • Disseminating District provided information for parents about the importance and benefits of physical activity for their children both in and out of school, and about how out-of-school activities can be accessed. 

3. Principals will develop knowledge, expertise and leadership within the school staff to support quality Physical Education and activity through:
   • ensuring teachers charged with Physical Education instruction are knowledgeable about the content and intent of the provincial Physical Education curriculum,
   • providing access to in-service support for staff charged with planning and implementing Daily Physical Activity. 

4. Central Services will ensure that support is available for schools to enable the development of an environment that promotes physical fitness, emotional well-being and lifelong physical activity by:
   • ensuring District teachers have access to:
     1. in-servicing in Physical Education
     2. in-servicing in Daily Physical Activity
     3. staff development courses in Physical Education and/or Fitness Training from post-secondary institutions
     4. research and information from Alberta Mental Health
     5. information and activities that support daily physical activity
     6. timetabling and scheduling suggestions
   • providing prominent messaging about the benefits and enjoyment of active living and the role of active living for helping with stress management in school and throughout life,
   • providing information that promotes and enables physical fitness and emotional well-being for district staff. 

Promoting Nutrition Education and Healthy Eating in School Communities 

1. The Principal of each school must ensure that strategies are in place to foster the knowledge, skills and attitudes that promote healthy eating. In fulfilling this expectation schools will:
   • establish linkages between health education and foods available at the school,
   • promote nutrition education and positive food messages provided by the District,
   • schedule lunch breaks that provide time for eating and recreation,
   • limit the use of food items as rewards,
   • include foods from the choose most often and choose sometimes categories on special occasion days. 

2. Schools will promote healthy, reasonably priced food choices when food is sold or otherwise offered. In fulfilling this expectation, principals, in consultation with the school community, will plan to:
   • access expertise in the community through partnerships, programs, referrals, etc.,
   • offer healthy foods in meal combinations in all places,
   • offer foods that are in the choose most often and choose sometimes categories. 

3. All school communities will examine their nutrition practices and provide opportunities, support and encouragement for staff and students to eat healthy foods. In fulfilling this expectation staff may do things such as:
   • create their own health and wellness team that includes staff, parents and students,
   • choose healthy fundraising options,
   • create an environment where healthy foods are available, affordable and promoted as the best choice,
   • review options with food suppliers to maximize the nutritional value of the items,
   • define the frequency of special food days in yearly calendars and ensure that healthy food items are available on those days. 

4. Central Services will support nutrition education and healthy eating by any or all of the following:
   • linking with Capital Health on initiatives, updates, and resources regarding nutrition and healthy living,
   • coordinating information and in-services for district staff on food use in schools relating to cafeterias, stores and vending machines,
   • coordinating information and in-services for district staff on cross-curricular connections with health outcomes,
   • providing positive food messages,
   • disseminating research on nutrition education, and other information related to healthy eating,
   • participating in research projects and disseminating findings, such as promoting the best practices in healthy eating and obesity prevention gleaned from the research done with the School of Public Health, University of Alberta and our District,
   • seeking and maintaining partnerships that reduce hunger across the District by increasing access to food programs to be provided in a non-stigmatizing manner,
   • meeting regularly with District food suppliers. 

References