May School Wellness Newsletter

School Lunch Hero Day!

A day to recognize the outstanding work of school nutrition professionals. They work hard to ensure Iowa students have access to healthy school meals, even during school closures. Below is a poem written by Alisha Eggers, School Nutrition Director at Muscatine CSD.

Happy School Lunch Hero Day!

Lunch Lady Legends in this town
can turn the children’s frowns upside down
They pack and they pack and they pack
when one gets tired another one picks up the slack
It’s the kids they worry about and want to feed
feeding the kids is so important and it’s what they need.
Fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, milk, meat, and grains
makes a nutritious meal for their little brains
Fixing breakfast, fixing lunch
and fixing bags of blessings for the weekend rush
It all goes hand in hand to feed kids in this COVID 19 plan
For now, 6 feet apart we stand
until Lunch Lady Legends return to Lunch Lady Land

Go the Distance May!

This year, Live Healthy Iowa Kids has expanded participation in Go The Distance May to include families and households, with a goal of reaching 30,000 Iowans. This event will provide a fun, free opportunity for families and households to get moving together.

PLAN your 30-minute activity. Walking, running, fitness stations, obstacle course, outdoor scavenger hunt, or explore a trail!

REGISTER ONLINE to be part of the statewide event and be entered to win prize drawings!

SHARE your registered activity on social media, tagging Live Healthy Iowa and using #GoTheDistanceMay, or submit photos via info@livehealthyiowa.org.

Go The Distance is open the entire month, so choose the day and time that works best for you!

5-2-1-0 Success in Schools

Schools that attended the Healthy Choices Count last fall had the opportunity to apply for a $500 mini-grant. Schools were encouraged to align activities with the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count initiative. Check out the Healthiest State Initiative blog, to learn more about their strategies to make #healthychoicescount at school!

Mini-Grant Recipients

Andrew CSD, Dallas Center Grimes CSD, Garner-Hayfield-Ventura CSD, Grinnell-Newburg CSD, Independence CSD, Iowa Falls CSD, Mason City CSD, Osage CSD, Riceville CSD, Sacred Heart Catholic School, St. Cecilia Elementary School, Waukee CSD, and West Liberty CSD

Health and Physical Education Leadership Team

Iowa’s Health and Physical Education Leadership Team continues to meet and plan ways to support schools and teachers across the state in implementing high-quality, standards-based health and physical education. Team members shared that connecting with students can be a challenge online, but many are learning and building new skills right along with their students.

Teachers are trying a number of different methods to reach students including videos, scheduled online meetings, phone calls, and letters home. Many teachers are also focusing on social emotional connections and providing ways for students to be active and healthy at home and with their families.

Connect with Health and Physical Education teachers through the Iowa Department of Education’s new email groups. Contact Lyn Jenkins lyn.jenkins@iowa.gov to sign up.

Health & PE Professional Development

The Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (IAHPERD) offers a number of professional development opportunities for health and physical education teachers including a new Tech 101 webpage and a Fall 2020 virtual convention, IAHPERD-Con.

Presentation proposals for the August IAHPERD-Con are being accepted through June 1st. Apply here.

May is Physical Education and Sports Month

The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition is encouraging everyone to #MoveinMay in socially distant, responsible ways. SHAPE America is celebrating National Physical Education and Sports Week May 1-7!

Use #SHAPETeachOn to connect on social media with the work that teachers and coaches across the nation are doing to keep kids moving and learning life-changing skills to build healthy futures.

Home Learning Resources

Next Step Adventure has created Print-and-Go resources to support learning at home on the following topics:

Outdoors: Soil Detectives and Water All Around Us
Mindfulness & Movement: Balloon Breathing, Take Time for Me, and Journaling
Art: Mandala, Chalk Mountains, and Recycled Art
Social Justice: Service Project Planning and Persuasive Letter Lesson

School Grants for Healthy Kids

Action for Healthy Kids has grant opportunities available to provide schools the resources for students to eat better, stay physically active and be better prepared to learn. The deadline was April 3rd, but it has been extended to August 31, 2020.

Game On Grants

Physical activity or/and nutrition projects: up to $2,500

Parents for Healthy Kids Grants

Physical activity and nutrition projects that are led by parents: $1,000

Crunch into Cucumbers Campaign

This statewide effort promotes summer meals by celebrating local cucumbers as the coolest vegetable of the summer. Summer Meal Sites and community partners are invited to participate by purchasing food from local producers and promoting local food education.
To apply for funding ($200 mini-grants to purchase local foods), technical assistance, and promotional materials please complete the on-line application. Deadline: May 20

For questions, contact Chelsea Krist with ISU Extension and Outreach – Farm, Food and Enterprise Development, at cekrist@iastate.edu. This project is a partnership of ISU Extension, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa Department of Education, and FoodCorps Iowa

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter ad- dressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the com- plaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Ave SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
Fax: (202) 690-7442
Email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Iowa Nondiscrimination Statement

It is the policy of this CNP provider not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or religion in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code section 216.6, 216.7, and 216.9. If you have questions or grievances related to compliance with this policy by this CNP Provider, please contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E 14th St, Des Moines, IA 50319-1004; phone numbers 515-281-4121 or 800-457-4416; website: https://icrc.iowa.gov/.