St. Joseph University School

Wellness Policies on Physical Activity and Nutrition

St. Joseph University School is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect children’s health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity. Therefore, it is the policy of St. Joseph School that:

To the maximum extent practicable, our school will participate in available federal school meal programs (including the School breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program.

The school will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity, and will establish linkages between health education and school meal programs, and with related community services.

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;

· Meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state, and federal statues and regulations;

· Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;

· Serve only low-fat (1%) and fat-free milk and nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives (to be defined by USDA); and

· Ensure that all are whole grain.

Free Meals for 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.

Sharing of Foods and Beverages: students are not allowed to share their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children’s diets.

Physical Activity Opportunities and Physical Education

Daily Physical Education (PE) Pre-K-8. All students in grades Pre-K-8 including students with disabilities, special health-care needs, and in alternative educational settings, will receive daily physical education. All physical education will be taught by a certified physical education teacher. Student involvement in other activities involving physical activity (e.g. interscholastic or intramural sports) will not be substituted for meeting the physical education requirement. Students will spend at least 50 percent of physical education class time participating in moderate to vigorous physical activity.