Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness

Communication Tools for September

As part of Building Healthy Communities, your school receives Communication Tools monthly.  The newsletter articles for parents, daily morning announcements and weekly social media posts for Facebook and Twitter are designed to help reinforce the healthy changes your school is making. If your school would like to enhance your communication efforts, we have some additional, optional opportunities outlined in a separate document, Building Healthy Communities: Communications Resource Guide.

Newsletter article for parents:

Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness

Our school has been selected to participate in the Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness program for the 2016-2017 school year. We are excited to participate in this program that provides students, teachers and administrators with the tools and support needed to grow our efforts toward a healthy school environment. Why is this important in schools? There is a positive connection between health and academic achievement. 

Through Building Healthy Communities, our school will be working on Smarter Lunchroom and Active Recess. We invite you talk with your student about these new wellness initiatives in our school and explore ways to practice the healthy behaviors learned at school. We look forward to a happy, healthy new school year with you and your student!

The Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness program is a partnership that includes Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan Department of Education, Michigan Fitness Foundation, Michigan State University Extension, Michigan Team Nutrition, United Dairy Industry of Michigan and Action for Healthy Kids.

Morning announcements:

These short messages provide encouragement for students to choose healthy foods and be physically active. They support your Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness program and can be read by a student or any school staff member. If needed, the content can be adapted for high school students to be more age appropriate.

• September, week 1:
  • Monday Matters: Welcome back to [ANNOUNCEMENT READER FILL IN NAME OF SCHOOL]. We are proud to announce that our building has received the Building Healthy Communities: Step Up for School Wellness program. New resources will be coming to our school to help create a healthier school environment. Stay tuned for updates!
  • Try it Tuesday: Our school breakfast and lunch programs have lots of healthy choices. Today is a great day to try something new that you have never eaten before. One food that I did not like when I was younger, but now LOVE, is [ANNOUNCEMENT READER FILL IN].
  • Workout Wednesday: Hey everyone! It’s Workout Wednesday!! Stand up. Shake your body. Turn around. Reach for the sky! Be sure to include some type of physical activity in your day to help keep your body fit and your mind ready to learn.
  • Think about it Thursday: Have you ever wondered what types of physical activity your teachers or parents did when they were younger to stay fit? Ask one of them today and get ready to smile!
  • Fit Fact Friday: Did you know that lots of beverages have unhealthy added sugars? Before you drink something, read the label with an adult and look for the amount of sugars in that beverage under Total Carbohydrates.

• September, week 2:
  • Monday Matters: I made lots of healthy choices this past weekend, but my favorite was [ANNOUNCEMENT READER FILL IN]. Ask a friend today what they did over the weekend that was healthy.
  • Try it Tuesday: Have you ever tried jicama? Avocados? Star fruit? Crunchy peanut butter? Baked fish? Or quinoa? Think about all of the foods you have not tried and make a list of the top 10 foods you will try this year. The yummy possibilities are endless!
  • Workout Wednesday: Walk on the wild side and encourage your parents to park in the spot farthest away from where you need to go instead of parking in the spot closest to the door. Walking is a great way to get free physical activity whenever you want it!
  • Think about it Thursday: How many steps do you climb each day? Pick a day and count them!
  • Fit Fact Friday: Did you know that pineapples grow on the ground and not on a tree? Ask your teacher or parent to explore the internet with you and find a picture of a pineapple growing. It’s super cool!

• September, week 3:
  • Monday Matters: Attention teachers: It’s time to share your favorite vegetable! Please complete this sentence for your classroom: “My favorite vegetable is_____.”
  • Try it Tuesday: Vegetables come in many colors. At the store, find a veggie that you’ve never tasted and ask an adult to help you try something new!
  • Workout Wednesday: Recess is a great time to get in some physical activity while you are at school. Make up a new game that you can play with your friends this week.
  • Think about it Thursday: Have you ever listed every letter of the alphabet and come up with the name of a healthy food that starts with each letter? Try it!
  • Fit Fact Friday: Did you know that olives are actually a fruit? They belong to a group of fruit called “drupes” or stone fruits. They are high in vitamin E, iron and other powerful antioxidants that will help keep your heart healthy and protect against some diseases.

• September, week 4:

• Monday Matters: I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weekend. I sure did! One of the things I did to stay active this weekend was [ANNOUNCEMENT READER FILL IN].
• Try it Tuesday: Talk with your teacher or a parent about a food they have never tried. Ask them if they’ll try a taste of that food with you!
• Workout Wednesday: After school, try a new physical activity with a friend, brother, sister, parent or other adult. Let me know if you liked it!
• Think about it Thursday: How many cups of water did you drink yesterday Your body needs lots of water to stay healthy. You should drink at least eight cups of water every day. Water is one of the six essential nutrients our bodies need to stay alive and it has zero calories, fat or sugar. It is naturally perfect!
• Fit Fact Friday: Did you know that regular aerobic activity, the kind that gets your heart pumping and the sweat rolling, not only makes you feel good, it also helps with your memory and learning? It’s true! Make sure to get your heart pumping this weekend