School Wellness Council

Mission Statement:

The mission of the Manchester School District Wellness Council is to build a culture of health, well-being and the ability to learn by supporting the whole person: physically, emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually.

Vision Statement:

The School Wellness Council works collaboratively with community resources, parents and school staff to educate, encourage healthy choices and implement wellness initiatives.

Goals - 2020/2021 School Year

Assist in the successful promotion, launching and participation of physical activity and nutrition initiatives.

Implement meaningful partnerships in the Manchester community

Educate parents and guardians on the relationship between student health and academic performance and address the need for consistent health messages between the home and school environment

To promote the philosophy of healthy body weight

To increase the participation of exercise and physical health

To increase the awareness of mental and emotional health in our community

The School Wellness Council develops, implements, revises and evaluates the district's wellness policy. The United States Department of Agriculture requires that schools districts participating in the National School Lunch Program and National School Breakfast Program have a school wellness policy addressing the school environment. The United States Department of Agriculture also requires the district to have a wellness council that is open to the public and may include members such as health and physical education teachers, administration, nursing, students, parents, food services and community organizations. The Manchester School Wellness Council consists of from organizations such as the Manchester Health Department, Catholic Medical Center, UNH Cooperative Extension, Women's Infants and Children (WIC) and a state physical activity coordinator. Meetings are the scheduled monthly from 3:15 PM - 4:30 PM. Please contact Sue Sheehy at SueSheehy@aol.com or Michelle Graham at mgraham@manchesternh.org if you are interested in participating. The goal for 2020/2021 school year is to hold at least 2 remote meetings for members.

The council has implemented nutrition and physical activity promotions and initiatives including a four week nutrition and physical activity journal program, collaborative programs with local sports teams, health speakers for school staff and wellness council members, evaluation of school health curriculum, resources for health curriculum, physical activity pilots and Healthier US Schools Challenge award applications. The council works with teachers or other school staff as well as nursing, parents and community organizations to look at the whole child including physical, intellectual, mental and emotional health. Three goals for training for the 2019/2020 school year include cyberbullying/social media and mental health/stigma, and student trauma.

The council reports to the Superintendent of Schools. The superintendent will communicate information about the School Wellness Council to the school board as deemed necessary.

See attached minutes from School Wellness Council meetings and a wellness flyer for a list of meeting dates and speakers.