School Wellness Weekly, 12.07.2012

Thousands of runners, including students, joined DOE Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott this past Saturday morning for The New York Road Runners’ (NYRR) Jingle Bell Jog.  The proceeds from the four-mile run in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, help support NYRR’s Youth Programs, serving more than 100,000 students in NYC public schools through programs such as Mighty Milers, Young Runners, and the Developmental Track and Field Series.  In addition to providing physical activity programming during and after school hours, the ongoing partnership with NYRR has helped to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity, while helping students learn valuable lessons about endurance, commitment, and enthusiasm for fitness in and out of school.

Opportunities and Recognition

·         Does Your School Need Support on a Health and Wellness Project? On behalf of the Partnership for Healthier New York City, The Fund for Public Health in New York (FPHNY) seeks proposals (click here) from organizations, including schools, to work with Borough Lead Organizations to advance the work of New York City’s Community Transformation Grant. The 30 mini-grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded in February and tasks associated with grant must be completed by 9/30/2013.  The RFP deadline is 12/17 at 3:00 p.m. For more information, contact Liz Nguyen.
·         Employment Opportunity as a Health Education Mentor: The DOE Office of School Wellness Programs (OSWP) needs a qualified educator to join our team.  This new Teacher Assigned position will support middle and high schools in delivering medically accurate, skills-based health instruction, as well as identify and share best comprehensive health education practices. To be eligible for this position, applicants must be current licensed, appointed, and tenured NYC DOE teachers.  Interested individuals may email here.
·         2012 Updated HIV/AIDS Curriculum Available: Check out the OSWP website to learn more about medical updates to this K-12 curriculum. New parent letters and brochures are also available, or request a hard copy of the curriculum. Also, teachers can register for professional development or request an “At Your School” training for 15 or more teachers—for either a refresher for those who have attended the 101 training prior to September 2012, or an HIV 101.

• Do Your Elementary School Teachers Move-to-Improve? If your school hasn’t signed up for this structured classroom fitness break program, the MTI team just gave you more reasons to be an MTI school. Not only do participating teachers receive a stipend for participating in the MTI workshop, as well as free equipment and materials, but schools that train more than 85% of teachers and schools committing to be MTI host sites can receive additional wellness related goods. Find out more from the fact sheet here, or register here.

·         DOT's Bike to School RFP: All middle and high schools are invited to apply to the Bike to School program, a three year commitment for schools interested in working closely with DOT to designate safe Bike to School routes, implement in-class curriculum and recommend street safety improvements. Click here to apply before the 12/12 deadline.

• Game On! The Ultimate Wellness Challenge grants: Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) announces $1,000 grants to support elementary schools, PTAs and SWCs with their wellness initiatives for 2013.  Applications are due 12/14.

Wellness in the News

• L.A. District's Student Stores Feed Appetite for Alternative Lunches (The LA Times, 11/19)
• Olympic Champion Teaches Kids Lessons For Life (Canarsie Courier, 11/22) 
• Obese kids more susceptible to food advertisements, brain scan study suggests (CBS News, 11/30)

·         Facebook and Twitter May Help Fight Obesity in Kids (ABC News, 12/7)

Additional Resources

·         Download a copy of Teens in NYC, a wallet-sized guide from NYCDOHMH about free or very low cost sexual health services and clinics that are teen friendly, also available from 311.
·         See the NASPE/AAHPERD draft document of proposed national K-12 PE standards available for comment here.
·         Check out the CDC’s strategy toolkit for involving parents in school health.
·         The CDC has announced changes to the 2012 School Health Index to include: sexual health as a new topic, updates to nutrition questions to reflect the Institute of Medicine’s Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools, and revised cross cutting questions to be more integrative.