Healthy Living
A Comprehensive Program for Life Long Health
Welcome to Healthy Living
Welcome to Healthy Living!
Parents/guardians are encouraged to support their students in the Healthy Living program by being part of the daily conversation and supportive the student’s goal of leaning lifelong healthy living lifestyle choices. Our stellar students strive to be cared for, nurtured, encouraged and respected as they grow and develop.
Communication - Open Door Policy
Parents/Guardians are welcome to participate as volunteers and are welcome to ask questions at any time. Please see the Parent/Guardian Communication Board for volunteer forms, submit your questions, and feel free to email me at Kellyann.Pelayo@gmail.com, leave a message at 714-38-5786 or stop by the classroom between 3pm – 3:30pm to chat in person. I will return email and voice messages within 24 hours. I have and open door policy and look forward to getting to know you and your stellar student.
What is Healthy Living?
Healthy Living is a educational based program that will be utilized in the classroom and school setting to enhance your students overall health education, current and future well being. Healthy Living is a comprehensive program that will teach students healthy lifestyle choices. Students will learn to set healthy realistic goals and make healthy decisions related to lifelong health and wellness, mental health, nutrition, sex education, safety, and disease prevention.
Healthy living will greatly enhance the K-8 students opportunity to be exposed to healthy concepts related to emotional, social and physical development. K-8 students are rapidly growing and absorbing information related to their personal culture, social culture, media, and overall environment. Healthy Living will form a foundation of positive, healthy, realistic and informative information for students to go to in order to make sense of this rapidly changing time in their life.
Monthly Topics
September: Lifelong Health and Wellness
- What does healthy living mean to you?
- Dramatization, role play and exploration.
October: Growth and Development
- Growth is inevitable!
- Informative videos and whole class discussion regarding growth and development
- Keep a look out for parent/guardian consent form in your homework folder
November: Nutrition
- Guest Speaker: nutrition/meal preparation expert!
- Hands on leaning with fruits and veggies
- Keep a look out for parent/guardian consent form and allergy notice in your homework folder
December/January: Emotional/Mental Health
- How do you feel? How does your friend feel? Dark clouds or sunshine?1?! It is up to you!
- Role play, cooperative learning groups, exploration and creative visual arts.
February: Physical Health and Exercise
- Let’s get moving! The basics of life – exercise and stretching.
- School wide walk-a-thon and group activities and sports
March: Sex Education
- Our bodies and their function
- Videos, group discussions, graphic organizers and reflective journals
- Keep a look out for parent/guardian consent form in your homework folder.
April: Safety and Disease Prevention
- Universal health, disease prevention, personal hygiene and community awareness
- Discussion, role play, science & health exploration
May/June: Community Health
- How healthy are we? Let's sum it up!
- The individual – mind, body and spirit and the community – mind, body and spirit.
Diverse Learners
All students can learn, all students learn in different ways, all students have strengths and weaknesses and it is my job to encourage the learning process for all students. A variety of activities will be used throughout this year to encourage participation, development of critical thinking skills, and problem solving and increase depth of knowledge.
This means, the activities will complement the type of learner and will engage each student depending on their style of learning. There are four types of learning styles: feelers, thinkers, sensors and intuitors (Anspaugh, 2010).
- The feeler tends validate events and perceptions based on emotions and may be more aware of their own feelings, the feelings of others, and may be sympathetic to others (Anspaugh, 2010).
- The thinker may categorize life events into a rational context, they mmay not show as much emotion and may make impersonal decisions (Anspaugh, 2010).
- Sensors may be detailed oriented, may have a particular way of doing things, work in at a steady pace and may process events but not categorize them (Anspaugh, 2010).
- Intuitors may like to problem solve, reach conclusions easily and quickly, work with high energy or in bursts and are usually patient in intricate situations (Anspaugh, 2010).
Given diversity of learning styles and ability the Healthy Living program will provide amble opportunity for each type of learner to be engaged and actively involved in learning about the lifelong healthy living lifestyle.
Monthly Health Check
Healthy Living will include monthly health checks to measure height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) for each student. This health check serves two purposes: one to gather information regarding the average weight and height and BMI for students within the district and two to provide height, weight and BMI to parents and students.
This information will be held private and available for the student and parent/guardian to review during quarterly parent – teacher conferences or upon request. During the school year we will be taking monthly measurements and use the National standards for comparison. Monthly measurements will be taken on the first Monday of each month and documented on the attached Healthy Living Form.
The Centers for Disease Control has very helpful information regarding the necessity and purpose of gathering BMI for students in school. This brings awareness to the necessity of choosing healthy food and exercise for our students and promotes the overall achievement of learning to live a healthy lifestyle as part of our Healthy Living program.
Resources
Centers for Disease Control. (2016). Healthy Schools. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/BMI/BMI_measurement_schools.htm
Body mass index measurement in schools. (2007, December). Journal of School of Health, 77(10). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/BMI/BMI_measurement_schools.htm
Centers for Disease Control. (2016). Body Mass Index Measurement in Schools. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/bmi/pdf/bmi_execsumm.pdf
Healthy Living Form
Family Nutrition Plan
Let's do this together! Healthy lifestyle choices will not only benefit our stellar student, it will benefit the entire family. Join us in using the Healthy Families Diet and Nutrition Program which includes excellent easy healthy menu options, shopping tips, and supportive tips for choosing a healthy lifestyle.
Click here for shopping tips and healthy menu options featuring Jamie Oliver’s Family Food and 15 Minute Meals!
Healthy Families Diet and Nutrition Program emphasizes the importance and health benefits of eating whole foods, natural foods, that are healthy, low in sugar, and beneficial for the whole family.
Please contact me at Kellyann.Pelayo@gmail.com with any questions.
References
Anspaugh, D. J., & Ezell, G. (2010). Teaching today's health (9th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Benjamin Cummings.
Centers for Disease Control. (2016). Healthy Schools. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/BMI/BMI_measurement_schools.htm
Jamie Oliver. (n.d.). Family Food. Retrieved from http://www.jamieoliver.com/family-food/