Sierra Cascade
Regional Award Winner
Regional Award Winner
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Grand Oaks Elementary submitted the following three essays for consideration of the Governor's Challenge Competition Grand Prize: Essay 1 - Commitment to Promoting Healthy Eating on Campus Grand Oaks School is committed to providing students the opportunity to experience the benefits of healthy eating, physical activity, and goal setting so they can progress towards their potential for learning, health and fulfilling lives, now and into the future. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that, “The human body was designed to walk forty miles a day and hunt saber-toothed tigers”. We agree and have adopted the slogan “From sedentary to extraordinary, from active to enduring” for Grand Oaks School. This slogan is what we communicate and demonstrate to our students, parents, staff, board members and community. Words however, are not enough. For results and improvements in the lives of students, we believe it takes action, passion and unwavering persistence towards common goals. Thus, we have taken the following steps to improve our schools nutrition and physical activity environment: • Implemented a fresh vegetable and fruit bar for ALL school lunches. • Implemented nutrient standard menu planning to better communicate nutrition information. • Implemented two entrée choices in order to encourage greater lunch participation. • Have improved campus-wide food choices to meet all nutritional requirements of legislation and our Wellness policy. • Matt Diskin, who developed the “Kinetic Classroom”, works with Grand Oaks students to encourage them in physical activity habits. • Patty Mancuso R.D, R.N, works with Grand Oaks Students to provide nutrition education. • Director of Nutrition Services, Fred Schafer, has built a culture of excellence for fitness and nutrition. We have stellar leadership and a winning attitude. Grand Oaks School free and reduced lunch rate is over 75%. Many of our students have never experienced what this fitness lab will be able to enrich their lives with. Thus, we look forward to using the lab to help our students learn better, live longer, dream bigger and grow stronger. Essay 2 - Support of Students’ Physical Activity and Fitness Grand Oaks Elementary School is committed to teaching to the whole child. In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on teaching academic standards. This can result in less time for essential subjects like Physical Education. Our school has adopted a philosophy to teach smarter, without eliminating crucial areas for student growth, like physical education. We continuously search for strategies and elements that have helped our school put a greater focus on physical education. Mr. Diskin, our grant funded P.E. coordinator, provides our teachers with excellent strategies to implement physical education classes. Mr. Diskin trains our fifth graders for the State Physical Education Test. Our fifth graders have out performed the previous fifth grade scores three years in a row. Another of his duties includes a physical challenge activity during lunch recess. Our district continues to fund his position, though the grant has ended. Our school has taken additional steps to ensure our students are receiving adequate opportunities for physical activities: • We employ a physical education paraprofessional. • We eliminated 15 minutes of morning recess, replacing it with 30 minutes of daily physical education. • We purchased equipment for all grade levels so that students would be less idle during the lunch recess. • Students are taught a variety of physical activities game during the first six weeks of the school year—providing a foundation for choosing activities. Our school implemented a mileage club. Students walk or jog laps, receiving shoelace charms. The charms represent numbers of completed miles. Student’s names are placed on a recognition bulletin board resembling a large oval track. As a symbol of unity, a U.S. map hangs in our cafeteria, illustrating the number of miles students have traveled ‘collectively’ spreading the message of health and fitness. Essay 3- Need For a New Fitness Center Grand Oaks Schools dream of a new fitness lab, would enrich our children to learn better, live longer, dream bigger and grow stronger. G is for GRAND OAKS SCHOOL, the Eagles soar high. O is for our OUTSTANDING school, and let me tell you why. V is for VICTORY, we hope to succeed. E is for EXCELLENCE, our students take the lead. R is for READY, we will strive for the best. N is for NEWSWORTHY, we won’t settle for less. O is for OBVIOUS; Grand Oaks deserves to win the test. R is for RIGOUROUS, we are ready to show. S is for STRENGTH, just watch us grow. C is for CHALLENGE, we have been put to the test. H is for HOPEFUL, we will be chosen as the best. A is for ATHLETICS, this fitness lab we desperately need. L is for LISTENING, to our healthy plead. L is for LIVING LIFE, as fit and healthy as can be. E is for ENERGY, we all will soon feel. N is for NECESSITY, “So Let’s Make a Deal”. G is for GRATITUDE, our hearts will be full. E is for EVERLASTING habits, through our lives we will pull. |
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