Q & A
Question:
What is Wellness?
Answer:
Wellness is a state of
well-being that requires the development of skills needed to address one’s own
nutritional needs, personal safety, physical well-being and emotional health
through proper diet, exercise, and choices.
Wellness encompasses a positive outlook; emotional, spiritual and
intellectual balance; and healthful physical activities.
As displayed on the home
page, wellness in the Quincy Public Schools is an integrated framework
consisting of eight parts that deliver coordinated and consistent wellness
messages to students, staff and families in our schools and community.
Question:
What is the difference between a
Wellness Program and Physical
Education?
Answer:
Physical Education is only
one part of an effective Wellness Program.
A wellness program should include nutrition education, safety education,
and emotional health education as well as physical education, and should point
all of the students and staff it serves toward healthy lifestyle choices.
Question:
What are the wellness requirements of
the Quincy Public Schools?
Answer:
1. To establish a system-level Wellness Team
whose membership is detailed by the system’s Wellness Policy, and who meet on a
defined consistent basis, to implement a sequential wellness program throughout
our school system.
2. To establish wellness links on the
3. To provide guidance for all school-level
wellness teams.
4. To offer programs that promote our staff’s own
wellness.
5. To work closely with the Quincy Public Schools
Food Services Department to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and
regulations.
6. To enforce the prohibition of foods of
minimal nutritional value (i.e. no candy, soda, or gum can be available to students
on campus during the school day).
Question:
What are the wellness requirements of
our individual building wellness teams?
Answer:
1. To establish a building wellness team whose
membership complies with the system’s wellness policy and who meet on a
defined/consistent basis.
2. To appoint a wellness team leader (i.e. the
principal and his/her designee).
3. To recognize, sponsor, and/or support
programs or activities that promote wellness in their school.
Question:
What are some wellness suggestions to
building wellness teams?
Answer:
1. That school teams meet at least twice per
year.
2. That they sponsor at least two activities or
programs per year that promote wellness.
3. That school teams set at least one S.M.A.R.T.
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timed) goal per year that speaks
to a wellness activity or program.
4. That school teams oversee the maintenance of
a wellness bulletin board in their respective school cafeterias.
Question:
Who should be invited to participate in
the individual school wellness teams?
Answer:
This team can include the
principal (or designee), physical education teacher, nurse, academic teacher/s,
guidance counselor and food service manager.
This team will be responsible to guide its school's progress toward all
aspects of wellness through communication with parents, staff, and students.
Question:
Are
there limits on a building team’s power to restrict (or promote!)
wellness-related activity or prohibitions?
Answer:
Yes. For example, no building (or system!) policy
can violate the constitutional rights of choice due to students or staff
members (e.g. no team could stop a child/teacher from bringing a soda to school
for lunch). In addition, no team can
restrict the main course school meal menu as defined by our Food Services
Department and state and federal regulations and guidelines.
Question:
Can school teams implement restrictions
(e.g. prohibit non-nutritional food) beyond those defined by the wellness policy?
Answer:
Yes,
and those restrictions may vary from school to school. Before deciding on a restriction, a school
level wellness team should bring that restriction to the system level wellness
team for discussion in order to ensure support.
Question:
What is the
best approach when making wellness decisions in a building that will affect
students, staff and families?
Answer:
When making a wellness
decision in your building that will affect students, staff, and families, the
system level Wellness Task Team suggests the following:
1.
Identify your
building wellness needs.
2. Educate your school community (Students, parents, and
teachers) on these areas of concern.
3. Conduct a meeting to receive feedback from your school community on these areas of
concern.
4. Make a
building wellness team decision that
is a decision that has the input of all members of your individual school
community.
Question:
Will
the system level wellness team support restrictions made by school teams beyond
those defined by the wellness policy?
Answer:
Yes.
Before deciding on a restriction, a school level wellness team should bring
that restriction to the system level wellness team for discussion, in order to
ensure that support.
Question:
What
kind of activities and/or programs might a school-level wellness team sponsor?
Answers:
1. Publish a
“Health Tip of the Week”
2. Organize a
“Walking Club”
3. Publish a
“Healthy Recipe” booklet
4. Organize
“Early Bird” physical activities
5. Sponsor
“Open Gym” for staff
6. Health Fairs
Question:
How
best can parents support the wellness of his/her child?
Answer:
First,
parents can model wellness. They can
“walk the wellness talk!”
Second, parents can talk about what wellness is and what it
isn’t.
Third, parents can ask questions about their child’s
lifestyle choices.
Fourth, parents can get involved with and support their
school’s wellness
initiatives.
Last, parents can let their voices be heard. Their input, opinions and ideas will make a
difference!
Question:
Where
can I go for more information on state laws and/or Quincy
Public Schools practices as they apply to
wellness?
Answer:
Consult
your system or building level wellness team representative; or go to the QPS
website www.quincypublicschools.com