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Every month our Oregon Healthy Schools team will share events & resources that support school health and well-being statewide. Please feel free to use any articles and resources in your own outreach and communication efforts in your school or district!
Questions or feedback? Please reach out to us here. We also encourage you to stop by during our new weekly office hours on Wednesdays from 1:30 - 2:00 PM. We would love to connect!
Pack your Bags for National School Lunch Week (NSLW) October 13-17, 2025
It’s less than a month away from National School Lunch Week!
This year’s fun and creative campaign theme: Taste the World: Your School Lunch Passport, highlights the rich diversity of cultural foods and engages students to explore international flavors in the school lunch program.
National School Lunch Week is a great opportunity to spread the message to parents, the community local media and elected officials about the importance of a healthy school lunch to a student’s success both in and out of the classroom and to showcase the delicious and appealing foods on school lunch trays across the state.
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) has an extensive NSLW resource library that includes marketing resources, an activity guide and logos and artwork. Materials are available in English and Spanish, and most are available at no charge to SNA members and non-members.
If you have a National School Lunch celebration planned, please let your assigned specialist know so that ODE can share and showcase your work!
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From school garden work parties to special cafeteria offerings, there are so many ways to celebrate Farm to School Month in Oregon!
Visit the Oregon Farm to School Network website to get inspired for how you can participate in Farm to School Month.
Consider registering for the Crunch at Once event on October 23! The Oregon Farm to School Network is facilitating the statewide event in which Oregon students from across the state crunch into an Oregon-grown fruit or vegetable at the same time! Learn more about the Crunch and register on their website.
School-Supported Agriculture: Alice Waters Reimagines Farm to School
When Alice Waters speaks about food, she’s not just talking about what’s on the plate—she’s talking about culture, community, and the future of our children. Best known as the founder of the legendary Chez Panisse restaurant, Waters has spent decades proving that how we grow, prepare, and share food can transform lives. Now, she’s taking that philosophy beyond the kitchen and into the classroom with a bold vision: School-Supported Agriculture. It’s more than a meal program—it’s a movement to connect students directly with local farms, nourish bodies and minds, and plant the seeds of ecological literacy in every school garden.
You can listen to the episode here.
Available on approximately 30 platforms! Simply search for “Farm to School Podcast.”
For show notes, podcast transcripts and contact information please visit the OSU Farm to School Podcast website.
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(Safe Routes to School)
On November 14, communities across the country will join together for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.
This special day honors Ruby Bridges, a living icon of courage, and emphasizes the values of kindness, anti-racism, and standing up against bullying. The Safe Routes Partnership is pleased to provide mini-grants to communities to host Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day celebrations for the second year in a row.
“Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is a chance for students and communities to honor Ruby’s bravery while also committing to create spaces of kindness and inclusion,” says Kori Johnson, Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day Project Manager at the Safe Routes Partnership. “We are so inspired by the creativity communities bring to these celebrations.”
To support your school or community, Safe Routes to School has created resources including an event planning guide, themed playlists, banners, a StoryWalk® guide, and much much more. Whether you try one activity or host a full community-wide event, every step makes a difference.
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is for everyone. If you are planning to host a celebration, please register your event with the Ruby Bridges Foundation. Registered communities will be eligible to win a virtual visit from Ruby herself.
Let us walk together, learn together, and honor Ruby’s legacy by creating communities where every child feels safe, supported, and celebrated.
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Oregon School Nurse Orientation
Monday, October 20th I Medford, Oregon
The Oregon School Nurse Orientation is a free workshop recommended for RNs practicing in the school setting. SNO offers an overview of the school nurse role in Oregon, including general duties, applicable regulations, and useful resources.
Behind the Banner: Leadership Lessons from America's Healthiest Schools
Wednesday, October 22, 2025, 10:00 am PDT
Join Healthier Generation to hear from America’s Healthiest Schools leaders as they share about the partnerships they built, the mentors who guided them, and how they turned vision into action.
Register now to attend live and receive the recording.
Free Educator Professional Development based on Student & Teacher Well-being (Music Workshop)
Oregon-based nonprofit Music Workshop—known for its free music education curriculum—is now offering professional development focused on student and teacher well-being. Thanks to a generous sponsorship from the Chiles Foundation, through December 2025, teachers can access the Music for Well-Being course series free of charge (one course at a time, using coupon code CHILES).
These self-paced, online courses offer research-backed, trauma-informed strategies to empower educators at all levels to use music as a tool for healing, connection, and engagement, helping to reduce absenteeism while aligning with Oregon’s broader well-being initiatives for schools and educators.
Whether or not you teach music, this PD is designed for all educators looking to improve teacher and student well-being.
FEATURED ARTICLE:
From Screen Time to Green Time
The 74
Research shows a correlation between time spent outside and students’ emotional regulation, problem solving skills, and academic engagement and testing, so although “technology isn’t going away” and “much of it is really important for learning,” said Page Nichols, the chief innovation officer at the Maine Department of Education, time outdoors “really speaks for itself and how it’s supporting a student holistically. READ MORE
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
National School Lunch Program Equipment Grant
Opened on Tuesday September 2, 2025
USDA has allocated Oregon $90,501. ODE will use 5% for administrative costs.
If your organization is interested in applying, the Request for Application (RFA) and attachments can be accessed at Oregon Buys: (Contact a staff member within your organization who has access to Oregon Buys to complete the RFA and accompanying attachments.)
This is a competitive award grant for Local Educational Agencies (LEA) and schools to purchase equipment, with a value greater than $1,000 but less than $50,000.
The purpose is to purchase equipment that will:
- Serve healthier meals;
- Improve food safety;
- Support the establishment, maintenance, or expansion of School Breakfast Program.
Important Details
- Each Smartsheet application packet submission is for one (1) piece of equipment.
- Sponsors may submit up to 3 application packets using 1 Smartsheet application packet per submission.
- Check Oregon Buys for the RFA Attachment C – Smartsheet Checklist as you work through the Smartsheet application packet to ensure your submission is complete.
Due Dates
- Answers for the written questions submitted to ODE Procurement will be posted on Oregon Buys by Friday, September 19, 2025.
Complete Smartsheet application packets are due by 3 p.m., Thursday, October 30, 2025.
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Spotlight: Thank you to Our School Bus Drivers!
Did you know: National School Bus Safety Week is the third week of every October! The goal of this week is to address the importance of school bus safety. More than 550,000 Oregon children are transported to and from school on big yellow buses! Despite the number of miles school buses travel, accidents are infrequent. School buses are considered to be the safest motor vehicles on the road.
This week is the perfect opportunity to thank your local school bus driver for their incredibly important work in ensuring that students get to school safely. Thank you, Oregon School Bus Drivers!
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