Healthy Schools Year-End Story Template

Date: July 2013

School Name: Forest Park Elementary

School District: Nanaimo-Ladysmith – SD68

Contact Name: Jacquie Poulin

Contact Email/Phone Number:; 250-758-6892

Tell us about your Healthy Schools Team (i.e. who was on it? How many students? Other teachers? Partners?): Our team consisted of two other teachers, Tamara Kanachowski-Biggs and Ruth Irving, and educational assistant, Cyndi Goupil, the class or Grade 6 students, and myself, the school principal, Jacquie Poulin.

Share Your School Story! Tell us about what happened and how it went!

Our inquiry question stemmed from a great deal of anecdotal data as well as solid ‘behavioural data’ that indicated we had a group of students in Grade 6 who have struggled with positive and effective social interactions for a number of years. Through dialogue amongst the adults involved, we noted that even the ‘meal time’ at lunch could be quite chaotic, loud, and not necessarily friendly. We used this as a launch pad to create our question – “How will creating a more ‘family friendly’ environment over the eating time improved the attitudes about healthy eating and build positive interactions amongst students?”
From there, we just took off and went in many directions. We started by doing a survey with the students that looked at their family traditions around meal times, what were various expectations, what did it look like and sound like at home, what types of food was eaten, who prepared and who cleaned up, etc. These questions were dealt with in a very sensitive manner and there was a great deal of discussion that we all had our own ‘traditions’ and that none were right or wrong, this was a sharing time. We wanted to be sure that no child or family felt judged by these questions. The information was very interesting and enlightening. With all this information, we worked together to create a chart that would outline what our ‘meal time’ in school would look like and sound like. Some of the highlights were:
-Create an ‘environment’ at the desks that promoted eating – clear desks off completely, have placemats so the surface was cleaner for food
-Reminders to wash hands before eating
-Setting ‘lunch’ out on placemats before they went outside so that their ‘lunch’ was ready for them when they came back in
-Ensuring desks were organized in a manner that promoted conversation and dialogue without calling across the room
-Coming up with ‘discussion topics’ at the start of the process until everyone got the idea that a meal time could also be a positive social interaction time as well
These were just some of the highlights, we also had some of the more detailed ‘rules’ around how it needed look and sound.
We spent many weeks reviewing expectations, establishing routines, reflecting on our original ‘meal time plan’ and make adjustments as necessary. As the days and weeks progressed, students began to set the bar higher in regards to their own behaviour and expectations around the lunch eating time. In addition, a classroom assignment around healthy foods and advertising was also done. This not only expanded on their ‘eating routines’ but also had students reflecting on their choices of food and the various influences on how they made these choices. It was great to hear some of their ‘advertisements’ that they created as healthier alternatives.
Later into the year, we added a couple extra ‘events’. One teacher hosted a few ‘afternoon tea’ sessions where tea and goodies were brought in and a ‘formal tea’ was enjoyed. It was amazing to see how this group of students conducted themselves over tea. Their patience, calmness, and willingness to enjoy the experience was amazing. In addition, the other classroom teacher organized and hosted an ‘international luncheon’. Each student brought in a ‘dish from their heritage’, the classroom was re-organized to host the luncheon at a long table with table cloth, candles, and place settings. The best reflection on the progress made with this group of students came from a few parents who joined us to help with the luncheon and they indicated they had never seen a politer, more connected group of students over a meal – yippee!!
At the end of the year, we went back and asked the students their thoughts on the eating time, tea, luncheon, etc. – it was all overwhelmingly positive. Their desire to converse with each other in a positive manner while enjoying their lunch on a clean surface (placemat on their desk) had increased dramatically. A few even commented that they had suggested some changes at home

Reflections (what worked well, what would you do differently next year?)

Having the two classroom teachers and educational assistant being so willing to look at this approach was key. It was their willingness to promote positive interactions, clear desktops, placemats, hosting teas and luncheons that made all the difference. The students felt so valued and the eating time was seen as an important aspect of the day rather than just a rush. Having the funds to buy the placemats, support the class ‘teas’ and luncheon, etc. was hugely beneficial.
The ongoing challenge is the eating environment we have for our students. In our school, they eat at their desks where they have been working all morning and will continue to work at as soon as they are done eating. It took a great deal of time and energy to ensure desktops were cleared off, placemats handed out, and lunch time prepared. If there was a way to have an ‘eating space’ that was separate from their ‘academic space’ that would be ideal and I believe would even further enhance that social-emotional growth.

**Remember writing a story is just one way to share what you’ve done. If you have photos or videos, those are also great ways to share your healthy school story!