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Westside Elementary

Healthy Snacks

Dear Parents:

Welcome back to school! Making good choices for snacks can be very helpful in your child's education. Each day students will have a snack time and are welcome to bring a healthy snack from home. Below are trends in children's diets and health:

• The prevalence of obesity in children aged 6 to 19 tripled from 1980 to 2002. Overweight children and adolescents are more likely to become obese adults.
• Youth are now suffering from diseases previously known only among adults.
• Only two percent of school-aged children meet daily recommendations for all five food groups. Less than one in five eat the recommended number of servings of fruits or vegetables. Children with unhealthy eating patterns tend to maintain those unhealthy habits into adulthood.
• A 500 percent increase in soft drink consumption over the past 50 years has displaced the consumption of healthier beverages. Adolescents now drink twice as much soda as milk.
• Research indicates school-aged children average greater than 150 calories of low-nutrient, energy dense competitive foods per day and that the increase in body weight observed among U.S. children from 1988-2002 could have been prevented by an average reduction in energy intake of 110 to 165 calories per day.

Westside staff members are committed to reversing these alarming trends. In order to make this happen, we are following the guidelines for healthy snacks from the Cass Clay Healthy People Initiative (www.healthycc.org) and the Dakota Medical Foundation (www.dakmed.org). The attached snack list, compiled in June and July 2010 by Cass Clay Healthy People Initiative interns/volunteers Kristy Singlestad and Devany Schulz, is based on adapted Institute of Medicine Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools. This list is only a start. As we learn more about healthy food choices and new products, we will add to this list.

To assist you in choosing healthy snacks for your children, the PTA is purchasing coolers for each classroom. Many children love low fat cheese sticks, fresh fruits, and fresh vegetables. You will now be able to send these items to school and know that your child has a cool place to store them until milk break.

Birthdays are special days at Westside, and every birthday is celebrated by me, the principal, with a special birthday announcement, a card, and a pencil. This year we will also have a birthday celebration one afternoon a month with a special activity time for all the birthday children that month. We ask that family's reserve the cake, ice cream, and sweets for home birthday celebrations.

We know healthy kids learn better. Research clearly demonstrates that good nutrition is linked to better behavior and academic performance. To provide the best possible learning environment for children, schools must also provide environment that supports healthy behaviors. We are going to do our part to support healthy behaviors at Westside, and I am asking for your support. Together, we can make a difference in our children's health and education.

If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact me at (701) 356-2110, or email tjoyce@west-fargo.k12.nd.us

Sincerely,

Tabatha Joyce
Westside Principal

• Snack Foods