Below are links to upcoming events and resources to help Iowa School Districts support their school wellness environments.
Upcoming Events:
Super Power Summit - 
Super Power Summit 2012
The Super Power Summit is a youth wellness initiative that empowers teams of middle school students to live an active lifestyle and to choose healthy food options, all while being advocates for school wellness. This fall, the Super Power Summit goes to the Capitol! We encourage middle schools to bring a team of students for an interactive day full of fun activities, empowering presentations, networking, and the opportunity to walk with the Lt. Governor around the Capitol as part of the Healthiest State Walk! REGISTRATION will open on Wednesday, August 29th at 3:30pm. For more information please contact Carrie Scheidel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or see the attached flyer.
Walking Works for Schools Webinar - Walking Works for Schools
Learn how to implement a walking program for your school that will energize the entire school community! The webinar will be held on Tuesday, September 11th from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. For more information please contact Carrie Scheidel at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or see the attached flyer.
Resources:
School Wellness Community Guide
- An integrated school, parent, and community approach can enhance the health and well-being of Iowa students. Iowa Team Nutrition and Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids have partnered to develop this guide to identify specific strategies and action that schools can take to increase community engagement in school wellness activities.
Walking Works for Schools Tool-kit:
- Use this resources to organize a walking club or walk-to-school program at your school that will energize the entire community!
- The HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) is a voluntary initiative established in 2004 to recognize those schools participating in the National School Lunch Program that have created healthier school environments through promotion of nutrition and physical activity.
- The Iowa Healthy Kids Act set physical activity requirements and nutritional content standards. The tool-kit offers tools and resources for schools as they work to implement the Iowa Healthy Kids Act and nutritional content standards.
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Product Navigator:
- The Alliance for a Healthier Generation website provides a tool in selecting competitive food choice options for school a la carte and vending machines.
The guidelines provided by the Alliance differ from Healthy Kids Act guidelines which are specific to Iowa schools. Please note some of the major differences.
HKA and Alliance for a Healthier Generation GuidelinesThe product navigator gives suggestions, however each item selected must go through the nutrient calculator associated with the Healthy Kids Act. One great policy from the Alliance, is that competitive school foods meet these guidelines during “the extended school day,” which includes traveling to and from school, and time before, during, or after activities, clubs or practices when students are still in the building. This could be a great addition to a wellness policy that goes beyond Healthy Kids Act “from first to last bell,” rules.
- Sample Wellness Policy was developed in partnership with Iowa Association of School Boards, Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids, and Iowa Department of Education.
New Local Wellness Policy Requirements
- The Healthy, Hunger‐Free Kids Act of 2010 expands the scope of wellness policies; brings in additional stakeholders in its development, implementation and review; and requires public updates on the content and implementation of the wellness policies (Section 204). The intent is to strengthen local school wellness policies so they become useful tools in evaluating, establishing and maintaining healthy school environments, and to provide transparency to the public on key areas that affect the nutrition environment in each school.
Local School Wellness Assessment
- Iowa State University in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Education has developed an online assessment tool to help school districts assess and monitor their schools' health environments. Use of this website can assist school districts to comply with the federally mandated Local Wellness Policy (LWP). School districts can use this website tool to:
• Assess the current status of the school health environment.
• Develop/revise/LWP goals.
• Monitor implementation of the LWP.
• Provide documentation of the LWP implementation /progress.
Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids:
- Action for Healthy Kids is an organization that is charged with addressing the crisis of childhood overweight and obesity. Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids partners represent education, healthy, nutrition, local school districts, and non-profit groups
- Resources to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables include: family newsletters, recipe cards, monthly lessons, bingo cards, scorecards, posters, physical activity posters, radio PSAs, newspaper ads/articles, fruit and vegetable fact sheets, and fruit and vegetable graphic files.
- National Dairy Council school program that encourages the availability and consumption of nutrient rich foods, along with at least 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
- Free, 10 weeks program for students to help them learn and apply healthy eating and physically active behaviors. The program runs from January through April. Resources and monetary incentives are available to schools who participate.
Local School Wellness Assessment
- Iowa State University Extension partnered with the Iowa Department of Education to help schools assess the health of their school environment. Schools can log in to the web site to complete a survey that will evaluate the nutrition and physical activity practices, policies, and procedures for individual buildings in each school district.
- The Healthiest State Initiative is a privately led public effort that will engage Iowans and their communities throughout the state. It will involve individuals, families, businesses, faith-based organizations, not-for-profits and the public sector in a broad-based community-focused effort.
- Iowans Fit for Life is a joint statewide initiative between the Iowa Department of Public Health and its partners that promotes increased opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating for Iowans of all ages
Bureau of Nutrition Programs and Health Services in conjunction with IPTV and Iowa Partners: Action for Healthy Kids provided information on policy development. A panel of school administrators and staff presented information in the live broadcast in two of the ICN sessions.
- School Wellness I: Introduction Local Wellness Introduction
- School Wellness II: Policy Process Local Wellness Policy Process
- School Wellness III: Goals that Work Local Wellness Goals that Work
- School Wellness IV: Implementation
School Wellness IV: Implementation