Assembly Christian School

Assembly Christian School

Assembly Christian School

4219 E. Admiral Doyle Dr.

New Iberia, La. 70560

Wellness Policy

Overview:

To help combat childhood obesity, Congress passed a law requiring each local educational agency participating in USDA's school meals programs to establish a local wellness policy by the beginning of School Year 2006-2007.

Thus, the Assembly Christian School District is committed to providing a school environment that will promote and protect children's health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity.

Assembly Christian School will:

• Qualified child nutrition professionals will provide students with access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet the health and nutrition needs of students; will accommodate the religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the student body in meal planning; and will provide clean, safe, and pleasant settings and adequate time for students to eat.

• Provide nonfat, reduced fat, low-fat, plain and/or flavored milk, and reduced fat and/or low-fat real cheese.

• Provide healthy food preparation techniques for lean meat, poultry, and fish.

• A cafeteria environment conducive to a positive dining experience, with socializing among students and between students and adults; with supervision of eating areas by adults who model proper conduct and voice level; and with adults who model healthy habits by eating with the students.

• Offer a school lunch program with menus that meet the meal patterns and nutrition standards established by the USDA and the LA. Dept. of Education, Office of School and Community Support.

• Provide school breakfast programs that meet the meal patterns and nutrition standards established by the US. Dept. of Agriculture and La. Dept. of Education, Office of School and Community Support.

• Encourage school staff and families to participate in school meal programs.

• Operate all Child lunch and breakfast programs with school foodservice staff who are qualified according to current professional standards (Policies of Operation,Bulletin 1196 & Federal Register).

• Establish food safety as a key component of all school food operations and ensure that the food service permit is current for the Food Service school site.

To be in compliance with USDA, DASH, CDC, and Louisiana Dept. of Education, Assembly

Christian School will adopt the following Wellness Policies.

Component 1

A. Students will learn about the nutrition Pyramid advocated by the USDA.

Methodology will include but not be limited to participation in projects such as making posters for display in the school.

B. USDA provided charts will be displayed in the serving area of the cafeteria.

C. Nutrition will be included in the Health sections of elementary and secondary course work.

D. Materials provided by the USDA and State Dept. of Education will be made available to parents.

Component 2

A. Students in elementary grades will have recesses twice each week, totaling 60 minutes each day. Students will not have recess taken away for disciplinary reasons.

B. Students in elementary grades will have Physical Education once or twice each week, which will include but not be limited to structured activities and sports designed to increase interest and proficiency in athletics. All students will participate in these classes.

C. Assembly Christian School is an active member of the ACEL, and also competes in an elementary and junior high sports association located in Acadiana region of the state.

D. Due to the location of the school on a highway, commuting by students by bicycle or walking would be dangerous without the community providing bike and walk paths.

E. The Physical Education programs will:

- emphasize knowledge and skills that promote a lifetime of physical activity.

- base standards on what students should know and be able to do.

- keep students active for most of the class time.

- provide different physical activity choices throughout the year.

- meet the needs of all students, especially those who are not athletically gifted.

- feature cooperative, as well as competitive, games.

- develop students' self-confidence and discourage practices that humiliate students.

- actively teach cooperation, fair play, and responsible participation in physical activity and is an enjoyable experience for students.

- promote and implement quality physical education programs that emphasize and promote participation in lifelong physical activities and reaching a health enhancing level of physical fitness among all students.

- ensure students in grades K-6 participate in planned, organized, moderate to vigorous physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes each school week.

- strive toward having qualified, certified physical education teachers guide physical activity instruction in all elementary grades as well as in middle and high school physical education classes.

- provide adequate equipment in place for students to be active for a minimum of 30 minutes each school day.

- provide age-appropriate equipment and facilities for implementing quality physical education programs.

Component 3

A.Ms. Audrey Hebert, a certified cafeteria manager, will supervise and ensure that all meals will be in compliance with the guidelines of CFR Part 210 and 220.

B. Foods sold in the cafeteria by the school will be in compliance with Section 204 of the

Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization of June 2004.

C. Vending machines will have among the offerings healthy, nutritious foods, including but not limited to nuts, baked chips, and low fat/low sugar crackers. Serving sizes will be established by buying "single serving size" bags

D. Food and beverages sold at the school as part of fundraisers will have among the offerings healthy, nutritious foods, including but not limited to lightly salted popcorn, dill pickles, sunflower seeds, and peanuts. Serving sizes will be established by buying "single serving size" bag.

E. When parties are held to celebrate traditional holidays, the foods will consist of traditional food offerings. Non-traditional foods and sweets, etc., will not be emphasized at these parties.

F. After school care will have among the offerings healthy, nutritious foods, including but not limited to nuts, baked chips, and low fat/low sugar crackers. Serving sizes will be established by buying "single serving size" bags.

G. Recommended fundraisers and vending/concessions appendixes will be discussed among staff to determine how best to incorporate the recommendations during the school year.

Component 4

A. The school cafeteria is an attractive, well-lit large room which was remodeled in 2004.

B. Students will be served Breakfast from 8:00a.m. - 8:30a.m.

Lunch will be served from 10:30a.m. - 12:15 p.m. each school day.

C. The wait time for the students will be held to a reasonable amount of time, usually around 5 minutes.

D. Students will not have recess taken away for disciplinary reasons.

E. The leadership of the school cafeteria, Ms. Audrey Hebert, regularly attends School Food Managers Conferences at school expense.

F. Elementary students have recess in the morning and afternoon, insuring multiple opportunities for physical activity.

Last Updated September 2014