In
This Issue
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• HSC News: Jean Saunders on Wisconsin Public Radio Dec. 28
• Program Updates: Green Clean Schools, Parents United for Healthy Schools, School Nurse Training Sessions
• News & Notes: National studies and reports
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HSC News |
HSC on Wisconsin Public Radio
Jean Saunders, HSC's director of school wellness, is scheduled to appear on Wisconsin Public Radio Thursday, Dec. 28, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Jean will be the solo guest during an hour-long discussion about school food and federal nutrition guidelines. Listeners can call in with questions.
Not in WPR's radio range? Tune in online! Just go to the Wisconsin Public Radio website: www.wpr.org and click the listen online button near the top.
Jean was also quoted recently in a Medill News Service story about major food companies promoting healthy foods.
HSC Welcomes New Board Members
HSC is delighted to announce the appointment of seven new board members:
Aruna Dhingra, Senior Manager of Technology and Security Risk Services, Ernst & Young LLP
Sally Cummins, RD, Vice President of Food & Nutrition, Edelman Worldwide
Lynda DeLaforgue, Co-Director of Citizen Action, Illinois
Reven Fellars, Artist
Malik Nevels, JD, Executive Director of Illinois African-American Coalition for Prevention
Phyllis Pelt, MS, RN, School Nurse Certification Director for UIC Department of Public Health
John J. Prizant, Founder, Sweet Pea Purveyors
James W. Reed Jr., JD, Director of Government Relations, Illinois Education Association
Robert Rogers, MBA, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, School Health Corporation
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Program Updates |
Green Clean Schools
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Rochelle Davis, HSC executive director, and Steve Ashkin, author of HSC's Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools, thank Judy Marks (center), board member of the National School Plant Managers Association, for being a founding participating organization of the 2006 Green Team. |
To help schools implement green cleaning programs, HSC will distribute 65,000 copies of The Quick and Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools to school administrators, teachers, school nurse and parents. Since October we have distributed 31,500 copies with requests coming in from as far away as Singapore and Melbourne. Order your free copy »
As part of this effort, a number of national education organizations are working with HSC to distribute the Guide to their members. HSC hosted a Green Team Leadership Luncheon on Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C., to recognize their efforts.
Participating organizations include: American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, Association of School Business Officials International, Chicago Department of Environment, National Parent Teacher Association, National Association of State Boards of Education, National School Plant Management Association, Parents for Public Schools.
Parents United for Healthy Schools
The school wellness policies recently implemented by Chicago Public Schools call for the establishment of school health councils. These councils, which can consist of parents, principals, students, staff and community members, are charged with implementing the districts' wellness policies.
To provide principals with information about these school wellness councils, HSC is hosting a breakfast meeting for principals in February. Contact Guillermo Gomez to learn more or to participate.
School Nurse Leadership Project
As the only health professional employed in a school, school nurses have an important voice in promoting health. In 2007, HSC is conducting workshops for school nurses on implementing school wellness policies. The first part of a three-part workshop is scheduled for Jan. 18 in Joliet and Jan. 25 in Springfield.
Want to stay informed about related school health issues and upcoming HSC programs? Sign up here.
A special thanks to EcoLab for providing 100 free Glitterbug hand-washing kits that HSC distributed to school nurses across Illinois.
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News
& Notes |
Raw Deal: School Beverage Contracts Less Lucrative Than They Seem
The Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Public Health Advocacy Institute published a multi-state analysis of school systems' contracts with beverage companies and found that most school beverage deals aren't very lucrative, raising an average of only $18 per student per year. Press release | Full report (PDF)
School Breakfast Scorecard 2006
Participation in the School Breakfast Program continued its steady increase, with a record 7.7 million low-income children receiving free and reduced-price breakfasts on an average day during the 2005-2006 school year. The Food Research and Action Center's School Breakfast Scorecard 2006 finds accelerating growth in school breakfast participation by low-income children – up by 622,000 children (8.7 percent) over the past two school years. Press release | Full report (PDF)
AAP Takes Stand on Marketing to Children and Adolescents
In the first revision in 11 years of its position on marketing to children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued a comprehensive and strongly worded indictment of the advertising industry in the United States and its efforts to establish "brand name preference" in children as young as preschool. Press release | Policy statement
Building Minds, Minding Buildings
Poor building conditions are a serious threat to the health and academic performance of students, according to a new report by the American Federation of Teachers. Achievement is significantly lower in schools with poor conditions, studies show. Press release | Full report (PDF)
Gary Students Want More and Better Foods for Lunch
Chicago Public Radio
Students at a high school in Gary, Indiana conducted their own unscientific study about the school's lunch menu. The conclusion: They want better food. Read more
For more local and national stories about environmental health, school nutrition and exercise, visit HSC's online news section. |
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