Lakewood Cheder School
Lakewood, NJ 08701
School Wellness & Nutrition Policy
Our school recognizes that child and adolescent obesity has reached epidemic levels in the United States and that poor diet combined with the lack of physical activity negatively impacts on students’ health, and their ability and motivation to learn. The Board is committed to:
Providing students with healthy and nutritious foods;
Encouraging the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, low fat milk and whole grains;
Supporting healthy eating through nutrition education;
Encouraging students to select and consume all components of the school meal; and.
Providing students with the opportunity to engage in daily physical activity.
The policies outlined within this document are intended to create a school environment that protects and promotes the health of our students. This policy applies to all schools in the district. Our commitments to providing nutrition education and regular physical activity, as well as access to nutritious foods for all students, are described here.
I. Nutrition Education and Promotion:
Nutrition Edication and Promotion:
Students will receive consistent nutrition messages throughout schools, classrooms, cafeterias, and school media:
- Teachers will integrate nutrition education into core curricula;
- Nutrition promotion will include participatory activities such as contests, and promotions;
- Nutrition education will promote fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products, low-fat dairy products, healthy food preparation methods, and accurate portion sizes;
- Students will have opportunities to taste foods that are low in saturated and trans fats, sodium and added sugar;
- Staff will only use approved nutrition curriculum in the classroom. Curriculum developed by corporate interests is prohibited;
- Nutrition education will be provided to families via handouts, newsletters, presentations, and workshops. The school menu will be sent home monthly;
- Staff is strongly encouraged to model healthful eating habits, and discouraged from eating in front of children/sharing food with children during regular class time
Specifically, the nutrition curriculum will encompass:
- Promotion of adequate nutrient intake and healthy eating practices;
- Skill development, such as reading labels to evaluate the nutrient quality of foods, meal planning, analysis of health information;
- Nutrition themes including, but not limited to USDA’s MY Plate, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, adequate nutrient intake (such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats), body image and food safety.
II. Nutrition Standards for All Food and Beverages Sold or Served on School Grounds
We are committed to providing a school environment that ensures opportunities for all students to practice healthy eating habits. We strive to teach students how to make informed choices about nutrition, health and physical activities. It is the intent of the LEA to promote healthy foods and beverages, therefore any food or beverages sold, served or promoted to students on school grounds during school hours will meet USDA smart Snacks in school nutrition standards.
A. USDA School Meals:
School meals will include a variety of healthy choices while accommodating special dietary needs and ethnic and cultural food preferences. All schools shall participate in the USDA school breakfast and school lunch.
In addition:
- All reimbursable meals will meet nutrition standards mandated by the USDA, as well as any additional state nutrition standards that go beyond USDA requirements;
- The school meal programs will be administered by a team that will include a dietician, business manager and qualified chef. If the district does not employ staff with all three areas of expertise, extra consulting services will be used. All cafeteria staff will be provided training on USDA meal plans/reimbursable meals so they can properly advise students as to the meal components they may/must take, as well as cooking techniques, recipe implementation, sanitation, and food safety;
- All menus will be reviewed by a dietician when possible. When this is not feasible, sample USDA menus or USDA software for menu review may be used;
- Students will be provided at least 10 minutes to eat breakfast and 20 minutes to eat lunch after being seated;
- Meals will be served in a clean and pleasant setting and under appropriate supervision. Rules for safe behavior will be consistently enforced;
- Lunch will follow recess period, when feasible, and will be scheduled between 11a.m. and 1p.m.;
- Tutoring, club, or organizational meetings will not be scheduled during meal time, unless students may eat during such activities;
- Students will have access to hand washing/hand sanitizing facilities before meals and snacks and cafeteria staff will remind students to make use of them;
- Information on the nutritional content and ingredients of meals will be found in the Nutrient Analysis Report. The Report also informs parents of allergic children if the recipe contains ingredients their child may be allergic to. Parents and students will be informed that information is available and information shall be kept up-to-date;
- Participation in school meal programs will be promoted. Parents will be notified of the availability of the no cost breakfast and lunch programs. Schools will use nontraditional breakfast service to increase participation, such as breakfast served in the classroom;
B. Competitive Foods and Beverages
Our schools do not sell foods or beverages outside of the reimbursable school meals. But we are aware of the regulations that need to be in place if competitive foods would be sold.
All foods and beverages sold on school grounds to students outside of reimbursable school meals are considered “competitive foods.” Competitive foods include items sold a la carte in the cafeteria, from vending machines, school stores and for in-school fundraisers. All competitive foods must comply with the district’s nutrition standards, as well as all applicable state and federal standards. Foods served as part of the Before and Aftercare (child care) programs must also comply with the district’s nutrition standards unless they are reimbursable under USDA school meals program, in which case they must comply with all applicable USDA standards.
C. Additional Foods Available to Students
· Fundraising- We do not fundraise by selling food. However we are aware that if in-school fundraising involves food, items must meet the district’s nutrition standards for competitive foods and cannot be sold for immediate consumption. If out-of-school fundraising events involve food, items sold must meet the nutrition standards for a la carte items sold in the cafeteria OR the district’s nutrition standards for competitive foods.
- Fundraising activities that promote physical activity are encouraged.
- Fundraising activities will not promote branded products (for example, Domino’s Dough Raising Program, branded candy sales, etc.)
· Celebrations
- Celebrations that involve food will be limited to one per month.
- Parents will be made aware in advance of when a celebration with food is taking place.
- Non-food celebrations will be promoted and a list of ideas will be available to parents and teachers.
- Ideas for non-food celebrations: 1) A trip to a amusement park 2) Extra recess 3) Competition between classes.
· Access to Drinking Water
- Students and school staff members will have access to free, safe, fresh drinking water at all times throughout the school day. Water jugs or cups will be available in the cafeteria if water fountains are not present. Supervisory staff will facilitate access to water in the cafeteria. Students will be allowed to bring drinking water from home into the classroom.
- Water will be promoted as a substitute for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs)
- School staff will be encouraged to model drinking water consumption.
- Maintenance will be performed on all water fountains regularly to ensure that hygiene standards for drinking fountains, water jugs, hydration stations, water jets, and other methods for delivering drinking water are maintained.
IV. Physical Activity
· Physical Education
All K-8 students will receive daily outdoor physical recreation (25 minutes per day for elementary school) for the entire school year. They will also have Physical Education, content will include motor skills, concepts and strategies, physical fitness, responsible behavior and benefits of physical activity. Physical education programs will meet the needs of all students, including those who are not athletically gifted, and actively teach cooperation, fair play, and responsible participation. Students will be able to demonstrate competency through application of skills.
Student involvement in other activities, including those involving physical activity (e.g. interscholastic or intramural sports), will not be substituted for physical education.
- Physical education classes will count toward graduation and GPA;
- The school will provide adequate space/equipment and conform to all safety standards;
- The school prohibits the use of physical activity and withholding of physical education class and other forms of physical activity as punishment;
· Physical Activity
All students will have opportunities for physical activity beyond physical education class on a daily basis. Classroom health education will reinforce the knowledge and skills needed to maintain a physically active lifestyle. Students will be encouraged to reduce sedentary time, and will not be required to engage in sedentary activities for more than two hours without an opportunity to stretch and move around. Short (3-5 minute) “energy release” physical activity breaks will be provided between classes in elementary school.
Teachers will be expected to incorporate opportunities for physical activity in the classroom whenever possible and will be encouraged to serve as role models by being physically active alongside the students.
· Recess
All elementary school students will have at least 15 minutes a day of supervised recess before the lunch period, during which moderate to vigorous physical activity will be encouraged. Outdoor recess will only be withheld in the event of extreme weather, as defined by the district (this may vary regionally.
V. Evaluation and Enforcement
This wellness policy was developed by the District Wellness Committee, a group comprising individuals from the following groups: parents, teachers, students, school administration, food service director and staff, and Physical Education staff. The committee is active—meetings are held twice during the school year to review and revise, if needed, policy content and to design and evaluate implementation plans throughout district schools. A progress report is/will be prepared after each meeting for the Food Service Director evaluating the implementation of the policy and regulations and include recommended changes or revisions. The Committee shall also undertake additional tasks as consistent with the wellness policy guidelines issued by the USDA. All meetings will be open to the public.
The superintendent will identify a coordinator who will ensure that each school implements the policy and will collect, summarize and report on evaluation data to the committee. The following information will be included in an annual report: (1) the extent to which each school is in compliance with the wellness policy, (2) the progress made in attaining the goals of the policy; (3) any recommend changes to the policy; (4) a detailed action plan for the following school year to achieve annual goals and objectives; and (5) any additional information required by the USDA.
Date Implemented: May 23 2022
Meeting to evaluate the policy: May 23 2022
Date Reviewed:_12 11 19
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at: http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) Fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.