Greencastle Community School Corporation School Wellness Policy School Board adopted: 3/2006 Coordinated School Health Committee reviewed: 4/2014 GCSC School Board approved: 5/2014 Greencastle Community School Corporation recognizes that children need access to healthful foods and opportunities to be physically active in order to grow, learn and thrive. In order to provide the optimal environment to promote children’s health and well-being and ability to learn, it is the policy of the Greencastle Community School Corporation that: The school corporation will engage students, parents, teachers, food service professionals, health professionals, and other interested community members in developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing corporation wide nutrition and physical activity policies. All students in grades K-12 will have opportunities, support and encouragement to be physically active on a regular basis. Foods and beverages sold or served at school will meet the nutrition recommendations of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 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. To the maximum extent practicable, all schools will participate in the available federal school meal programs. Schools will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity and will establish links between health education and school meal programs, and with related community services.

TO ACHIEVE THESE POLICY GOALS: I.

School Health Councils

The school corporation and the individual schools within the corporation will create, strengthen or work within existing school health councils to develop, implement, monitor, review, and as necessary, revise school nutrition and physical activity policies. The councils will also serve as resources to school sites for implementing those policies. (A school health council consists of a group of individuals representing the school and the community, and should include parents, students, school food personnel, school administrators, school board members teachers, health professionals, and members of the community.)

II. Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages Sold and Served on Campus School Meals Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will: Be appealing and attractive to children. Be served in clean and pleasant settings. 1

Meet at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state and federal statutes and regulations. Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables. Serve only low-fat unflavored and fat-free flavored milk and nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives. Ensure that half of the served grains are whole grain. Breakfast To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn: Schools will, to the extent possible, operate the School breakfast Program Schools will, to the extent possible, arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation, including “grab-and go” or “breakfast-in-a-bag” or other creative programs. Schools will notify parents and students of the availability of the School breakfast Program Schools will encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take-home materials or other means. Summer Meal Program A summer meal program is offered for students 18 years of age and younger. Breakfast and lunch meals will be served at Ridpath Primary and lunch at Greencastle High School, during summer vacation. Free and Reduced-price meals Schools will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. Meal Times and Scheduling Schools will provide students with adequate time to eat meals, at least 10 minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch, from the time the student is seated. Lunch periods will be scheduled as near the middle of the day as possible. Activities such as tutoring, club or organizational meetings will not be scheduled during mealtimes unless students may eat during the activities. Elementary schools will schedule lunch periods to follow recess periods whenever practical. Students will have access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before meals and snacks. Hand washing /sanitizing will be encouraged. Qualification of School Food Service Staff Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the school meal programs. All nutrition professionals will have opportunities for continuing professional development. Staff development will include appropriate certification and /or training programs for child nutrition directors, school nutrition managers, and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility. Managers must be active members of the school Nutrition Association. Sharing of Foods and Beverages Schools will discourage students from sharing their food or beverages with one another during meal or snack time, given concerns about allergies and other restriction on some children’s diets.

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Foods and Beverages Sold individually (i.e., outside of reimbursable school meals) Elementary Schools The school food service program will approve and provide all food and beverage sales to students in elementary schools. Food should be served as balanced meals. If available, foods served individually should be limited to low-fat and non-fat milk, fruits, and non-fried vegetables. Middle Schools and High Schools All foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs (including those sold through a la carte lines, vending machines student stores or fund-raising activities) during the school day or through programs for students after the school day, will meet the following nutrition and portion size standards: Beverages Allowed: water or seltzer water without added caloric sweeteners; fruit and vegetable juices and fruit-based drinks that contain at least 100% fruit juice and do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; fat-free fluid milk or a nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages Not allowed: soft drinks containing caloric sweeteners; sports drinks; iced teas; fruit based drinks that contain less than 100% real fruit juice or that contain added caloric sweeteners; beverages containing caffeine, excluding low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk (which contains trivial amounts of caffeine) Foods A food item sold individually: (better choice items) Will have no more than 30% of its calories from fat (excluding nuts, seeds, peanut butter and other nut butter) and <10% of its calories from saturated and 0% trans-fat combined Will have no more than 35% of its weight from added sugars Will meet the portion limits (established by Senate Bill 111) if the food item contains more than 210 calories ½ of grains must be whole grain-rich (USDA 2011) Na content restrictions- (USDA Dietary Changes 2011) Breakfast: Grades K-5 < 540mg, Grades 6-8 < 600mg, Grades 9-12 < 640mg Lunch: Grade K-5 < 1,230mg, Grades 6-8 < 1,360mg, Grades 9-12 < 1,420mg Breakfast fruit serving-1 cup is to be offered; students MUST take 1/2cup to qualify as a reimbursable meal. Serving sizes: o In the case of potato chips, crackers, popcorn cereal, trail mixes, nuts, seed, dried fruit, and jerky, 1.75 ounces o In the case of cookies and cereal bars, 2 ounces o In the case of bakery items, including pastries, muffins and donuts, 3 ounces o In the case of frozen desserts, 3 fluid ounces o In the case of non-frozen yogurt, 8 ounces o In the case of entrée items and side dish items, including French fries and onion rings, the food item available for sale may not exceed the portion of the same entrée item or side dish item that is served as part of the school lunch program or school breakfast program. 3

o A beverage item available for sale at school or on school grounds may not exceed 20 ounces. *Parents do have the option of notifying the food service department if they wish to “tag” their student’s account with a “no extras” label, to stop extra expenditures on account. Fundraising Activities Schools will encourage fundraising activities that do not involve foods, or that will meet the Corporation nutrition and portion size standards. Activities that promote physical activity will also be encouraged. Food Food served during the school day or in a GCSC after-school care or enrichment program will make a positive contribution to a child’s diet and health, with an emphasis on serving fruits and vegetables as the primary snack food and water as the primary beverage. The USDA restricts the use of soda or carbonated beverages during school hours. GCSC likewise, restricts the use of soda and carbonated beverages during school hours. Schools will disseminate a healthy Nutrition/Snack List to teachers, after-school program personnel, and parents. Parents and staff members are strongly encouraged to provide snacks that adhere to the suggested healthy Nutrition/Snack List. The GCSC Wellness Policy and approved Nutrition/Snack List are available on the GCSC website (www.greencastle.k12.in.us, under the Parent tab). Any or all food items brought into school by parents/guardians or other volunteers, specifically for student celebrations/classroom snacks, should be store bought, prepackaged, and/or prewrapped items with a label and ingredient list so students with food allergies are protected. No homemade snacks or foods may be brought into school for distribution or consumption by students. (*NOTE: This does not pertain to individual student lunches/snacks brought to school for personal consumption.) Rewards Policy Nutrition/Snack List. Strong consideration should be given to non-food items as part of any teacher-to-student incentive program. Candy use as a reward will be strongly discouraged. If food items are used, all efforts should be made to adhere to the Wellness Celebrations During the School Day Schools shall limit celebrations that involve food during instructional time to no more than two (2) per school year. All food items should be store bought, pre-packaged, and/or pre-wrapped for food safety and allergies. Please consult the suggested healthy Nutrition/Snack List for food suggestions. Birthday Celebrations No food items will be allowed in the classroom/building in celebration of a student’s birthday. GCSC encourages and supports the use of nonfood birthday activities in the classroom during the school day.

III. Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion and Food Marketing Nutrition Education and Promotion Greencastle Community School Corporation provides a comprehensive learning environment for developing and practicing lifelong wellness behaviors. GCSC schools will provide sound nutritional education and engage in nutritional promotion, including: Activities, such as contest, promotions, taste-testing farm visits, and school gardens Promote fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, healthy food preparation methods and health-enhancing nutrition practices; Is offered at each grade level as 4

part of a sequential, comprehensive, standards- based program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health Is part of not only health education classes, but also integrated into other subject areas such as math, science, language arts, social sciences and elective subjects Includes enjoyable, developmentally-appropriate, culturally-relevant, participatory Links with school meal programs, other school foods, and nutrition-related community services; Teaches media literacy with an emphasis on food marketing Includes training for teachers and staff. Integrating Physical Activity into the Classroom Setting For students to achieve the nationally recommended amount of daily physical activity (i.e. at least 60 minutes per day) and for student to fully embrace regular physical activity as a life long habit, students need opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class. Schools will: Use classroom health education to complement physical education by reinforcing knowledge and skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle and to reduce time spent on sedentary activities such as watching television Incorporate opportunities for physical activity into other subject lessons Encourage teachers to provide short physical activity breaks between lessons or classes, as appropriate. Communication with Parents The School Corporation will support parents’ efforts to provide a healthy diet and daily physical activity for their children by offering educational material for parents through nutrition information, nutrition tips on the school website, and providing nutrient analysis of school menus. Ideas for packing healthy lunches and appropriate snacks will be made available. Food Marketing in Schools School based marketing will be consistent with nutrition education and health promotion. Staff Wellness The school corporation will plan and implement activities and policies that support personal efforts by staff to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Each school will establish and maintain a wellness committee as a subcommittee of the School Health Advisory Council to oversee staff health and wellness.

IV.

Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education

Physical Education Students will receive required physical education classes following Indiana Standards of Instruction. All physical education classes will be taught by a certified physical education teacher. Students will spend at least 50 percent of physical education class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Daily Recess All elementary students will receive daily physical activity consistent with the curriculum and programs developed which may include the use of recess. In the case of inclement weather, a shortened school day or unplanned circumstances, the school corporation may provide physical activity alternatives or elect not to provide physical activity.

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Physical Activity Opportunities Before and After School All schools will endeavor to offer extracurricular physical activity programs that meet the needs, interests, and abilities of all students. These may include physical activity clubs, intramural programs, and interscholastic sports programs.

Physical Activity and Punishment Teachers and other personnel are discouraged from using physical activity as a means of punishment and likewise, withholding physical activity as a means of punishment is discouraged. (The wellness policy is endeavoring to foster a lifelong appreciation of physical activity.) Safe Routes to School The school Corporation will partner with community organizations to assess and explore ways to make it safe and easy for students to walk and bike to school (ie. Walking School Bus Program). Use of School Facilities Outside of School Hours Following all established policies of facility usage, and when practical, GCSC school property will be made available to students, staff and community members before and after school hours. School policies concerning liability and safety will apply at all times.

V.

Monitoring and Policy Review

Monitoring The superintendent or designee will ensure compliance with established corporation wide nutrition and physical activity wellness policies. In each school, the principal or designee will ensure compliance with these policies in his/her school and will report on the schools’ compliance to the school superintendent or designee. School food service staff will ensure compliance with nutrition policies within school food service areas and will report on this matter to the superintendent (or at the school level report to the Principal.) The superintendent or designee will develop a summary report annually on a corporation-wide compliance with the nutrition and physical activity wellness policies, based on input from each school within the corporation. That report will be provided to the school board, the school health council and others as deemed appropriate. Policy Review Schools will conduct assessments of existing nutrition and physical activity environments to identify and prioritize needs. These assessments will be repeated annually to help revise policy compliance, assess progress and determine areas in need of improvement. The corporation will, as necessary, revise the wellness policies and develop work plans to facilitate their implementation.

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Nutrition/Snack List The Coordinated School Health Program (CSHP) concentrates on the health, nutrition and well-being of the PreK-12 student within GCSC. The following food guideline list is a suggestive tool for healthy snacks for our students. Foods: granola bars cereal bars trail mix bars power bars oatmeal bars small bagels small muffins animal crackers graham crackers Rice Krispie treats small bag of pretzels, Wheat Thins, Triscuits, Goldfish crackers, trail mix, cereal baked chips popcorn rice cakes cheese or peanut butter crackers cheese sticks Gogurt/yogurt raisins pudding cups gelatin cups carrot sticks with ranch apple bananas orange slices peaches plums Beverages: Milk- non-fat or low-fat (1%) Juice- fruit or vegetable that contains at least 100% juice Water Snack criteria: *3-5 grams of total fat or fewer per serving *30 grams of carbohydrates or fewer per serving- all candies are considered unhealthy No carbonated drinks are allowed to be sold or served to students during school hours. Portion sizes: Snacks-1.25oz., cereal bars-2oz., baked items-3oz., yogurt-8oz., beverages 12oz Last review completed: April 8, 2014 7