530 - Wellness Policy

 

PACT Charter School

Original Creation Date: December 8, 2008
Last Approved By: PACT Charter School Board of Directors
Last Approved Date: February 3, 2023
Year Reviewed: 2022-2023


 

PURPOSE

PACT Charter School is committed to supporting a healthy school environment by promoting a positive learning environment, healthy eating, and regular physical activity. Our school believes that providing a healthy environment where children learn and participate in positive lifestyle practices optimizes student potential for academic performance and contributes positively to their self-esteem.

GENERAL STATEMENT OF POLICY

By working toward the following goals, PACT Charter School supports health wellness and improved educational outcomes of PACT Charter School students.

  1. Food and beverages sold or served at PACT Charter School will meet the nutrition recommendations of the USDA guidelines.
  2. Students will have access to a variety of affordable, nutritious, and appealing foods that meet their health and nutrition needs of the students.
  3. PACT Charter School will participate in federal and state school meal programs.
  4. PACT Charter School will provide nutrition education and physical education to foster lifelong habits of healthy eating and physical activity.
  5. All students will have opportunities, support, and encouragement to be physically active regularly.
  6. PACT Charter School will maintain a Wellness Committee, promoting healthy living to staff and students. The Wellness Committee is open to parents, teachers, staff, and students from PACT Charter School.
  7. The Wellness Committee shall continue developing, implementing, monitoring, reviewing, and recommending revisions regarding the Wellness Policy. The Wellness Committee will also serve as a resource to the school to implement the policy.

NUTRITION AND ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES

Food Environment:

  1. The students will be encouraged to start each day with a healthy breakfast because children who come to school hungry find it difficult to stay alert, concentrate, and learn. A healthy breakfast program is available for students. School lunch periods should be scheduled during the middle of the school day if it is possible.
  2. Students should have enough time to eat meals at school during their scheduled mealtime. Students should be allowed approximately ten minutes for breakfast and twenty minutes for lunch from the time they are seated.
  3. The dining areas at school should be clean and inviting to the students.
  4. Enough seating will be provided for all students.
  5. Hand-washing facilities will be available for students, and they will be encouraged to wash their hands before meals. Hand sanitizer may also be available to students.
  6. This school will try to avoid holding/hosting tutoring sessions, club/organizational meetings, or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during the activity.
  7. Milk (for purchase) and water will be made available to all students during meal times.
  8. PACT will actively encourage and support healthy eating by students and engage in a nutrition program that:
  • Is offered as part of a comprehensive program designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote and protect their health.
  • Encourages all students to make age-appropriate, healthy selections of food and beverages. This includes those items sold outside of the school meal program such as concession stands, the school store, and fundraising events.

Food Service Operations:

  1. PACT Charter School will develop a coordinated and comprehensive outreach, promotion, and pricing plan to ensure maximum participation in the school meal program and will make sure that all eligible children who qualify receive free and reduced-price meals.
  2. PACT Charter School will ensure that all students eligible for free and reduced-price meals and milk are not specified or easily identified by others.
  3. PACT Charter School will employ a food service director that is appropriately qualified, certified, or have the credentials (according to professional standards) to administer the school food service program and satisfy reporting requirements.
  4. All personnel participating in child/student nutrition will have adequate pre-service training and strive to participate in ongoing professional development.
  5. PACT Charter School will involve families and community organizations in developing programs to provide school meal options that are culturally sensitive and meet special dietary needs.
  6. PACT Charter School will plan menus that meet the nutrition standards recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and ensure that the school meal program meets all requirements set forth under U.S.D.A. CFR Part 210 and Part 220.
  7. Food and Beverages Served/ Sold During the School Day

Food and beverages offered will be nutrient-dense, including whole grain products, fiber-rich fruits, and vegetables.

Note: According to the American Dietetic Association and others, nutrient-dense foods are those foods that are rich in essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber and/ or protein) when compared to their calorie count.

  1. Food and beverages offered and served will include a variety of healthy choices that are of excellent quality, appealing to the students and served at the proper temperature.
  2. Food and beverages offered will minimize the use of trans fats, sodium, and sugar content.
  3. Portion sizes will be age-appropriate for elementary, middle school and high school students respectively.
  4. Nutrition information for products offered in snack bars, a la carte, vending or the school stores should be available.
  5. If food is provided for the classroom celebration, it must be commercially prepared. Healthy food choices are encouraged.
  6. It is a goal that when fundraisers involve selling food, they should promote positive health habits.
  7. “Animals in the Schools” (see school-wide policy on the school website)

COMMUNITY COLLABORATION

  1. Communications with parents
  2. PACT Charter School recognizes that parents and guardians have a primary and fundamental role in promoting and protecting their children’s health and well-being. PACT Charter School recognizes that health status and behaviors are influenced not only by the attitudes and practices of an individual but also by personal relationships, as well as community and societal factors.
  3. PACT Charter School will disseminate health information to parents/guardians through the PACT Pilot E-Newsletter, handouts, and the school website. Parents are encouraged to be involved in communication and decision-making through the Wellness Committee. Outreach to parents/guardians shall emphasize the relationship between student health and academic performance.
  4. PACT Charter School will provide information about physical education and other school-based physical activity opportunities before, during and after the school day and will support parents’ efforts to provide their children with opportunities to be physically active outside of school.
  5. PACT Charter School encourages parents, teachers, school administrators, students, food service professionals, and community members to serve as role models in practicing healthy eating and being physically active, both in school and at home.
  6. Product Marketing in Schools

To the best of its ability, PACT Charter School will work to provide foods and beverages available to students that support the health and wellness curriculum, promote optimal health, and provide healthy and appealing food choices. PACT will only market food/beverages that meet Smart Snacks Standards. PACT will adhere to the following standards for the nutritional value of foods and beverages:

  1. Calories from saturated trans-fat - No more than 10%
  2. Calories from total fat - No more than 30%
  3. Total sugar – No more than 35% by weight
  4. Whole grain – 100%
  5. Total sodium – No more than 230 mg of sodium per serving for chips, cereals, crackers, oven-baked potatoes, and baked goods; no more than 480 per serving for pasta, meats, and soups and no more than 600 mg per serving for pizza, sandwiches, and main dishes as carefully as can be determined.
  6. Fruits and vegetables -- a choice of fruits and non-fried vegetables will be offered for sale at any location where foods are sold in school and on school grounds. Such items could include but are not limited to fresh fruits and vegetables; 100% fruit or vegetable juices; fruit-based drinks that are at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; cooked, dried or canned fruits in fruit juice; cooked, dried or canned vegetables that meet fat and sodium guidelines.
  7. Beverages – Encouraged: 100% fruit or vegetable juices; fruit-based drinks that are at least 50% fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners or artificial sweeteners; unflavored low-fat milk and water. Discouraged: drinks containing caloric or artificial sweeteners, sports drinks, caffeinated iced teas, fruit-based drinks that contain less than 50% real fruit juice or that contain additional caloric sweeteners, and beverages containing caffeine. 

OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL

PACT Charter School encourages the participation of all students in activities such as co-curricular activities, extra-curricular activities, and community and family activities that promote physical activity. Physical activity is supported through three seasons of competitive sports. Teams from junior high to varsity levels may be available for male and female students. All PACT Charter School coaches meet certification requirements. K-6 students participate in recess each day of the week (weather permitting).

CURRICULUM

  1. PACT Charter School will provide education that will encourage lifelong healthy eating habits and physical activity. PACT Charter School will work toward a relationship between physical education, health education, school lunch program, and community (when possible).
  2. Integrating Nutritional Education into the Classroom

PACT Charter School will provide nutrition education and engage in nutrition promotion by:

  1. Offering at each grade level basic nutritional knowledge and skills to encourage and promote health;
  2. Encouraging nutritional strategies into subjects including health and physical education, including math, science, language arts, social sciences, and other elective subjects.
  3. Promoting fruits and vegetables, whole grains products, low-fat dairy products, and healthy food preparation methods.
  4. Stressing the balance between caloric intake and energy expenditure (exercise).
  5. Keeping class parties to a minimum during the school year and offering healthy alternatives to highly-processed, sugar-filled foods/treats.
  6. Physical Education
  7. All students at PACT Charter School will be provided with physical education as determined by PACT Charter School guidelines.
  8. On average, students will spend at least 50% of physical education class participating in moderate physical activity.
  9. Integrating physical activity into the classroom setting
  10. To encourage lifelong physical activity, other opportunities for physical education must be offered beyond physical education classes.
  11. Classroom teachers are encouraged to develop and utilize opportunities during class to provide short; physical activity breaks during class.
  12. Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Health Education Units will reinforce physical education by working to support a physically active lifestyle.

  1. Rewards and Punishment
  2. Food items should not be used to reward positive behavior, according to the Minnesota Department of Education guidelines.
  3. Please refer to the PACT Discipline Policy regarding the withholding of physical activity as a discipline.

IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING OF WELLNESS POLICY

  1. The wellness policy, after approval, will be implemented throughout the school. The policy will be available on the school website and distributed to all staff.
  2. The Chief Executive Director will ensure the school complies with the policy and will oversee the work of the policy in the district.
  3. The Wellness Committee will meet annually in November to review the policy and make recommendations to the school board. The general public and all PACT stakeholders are welcome to participate in the Wellness Committee.
  4. The food service staff will ensure compliance within the food service areas regarding nutrition guidelines and procedures set forth by the state and will report to the administrator as appropriate.
  5. The school store and after-school concessions will also provide nutritional options for purchase. 
  6. The Wellness Policy will be communicated to stakeholders annually after the School Board approves it.

 

Contact Us

PACT Charter School | District Offices
7250 East Ramsey Parkway NW
Ramsey, MN 55303 

PACT Charter School | Elementary Campus
7250 East Ramsey Parkway NW
Ramsey, MN 55303 

PACT Charter School | Secondary Campus
7729 - 161st Avenue Northwest
Ramsey, MN 55303 

Main phone line: 763-712-4200
Fax: 763-712-4201

Absence: attendance@pactcharter.org

MAP & DIRECTIONS

School Hours

Elementary Campus
8:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. 

Secondary Campus
8:00 a.m. - 3:05 p.m. 

Office Hours

School Days
7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. 

Non-School Fridays
7:30 a.m. - Noon

School Breaks
Closed

Summer Hours
Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.

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