Riverhead Central School District Wellness Program “Wisdom is to the mind what health is to the body.” ~Francois De La Rochefourcauld Nancy Carney Superintendent of Schools William Groth, C.A.A. Director of Physical Education, Heath and Athletics

NYS Assembly Education Committee As stated in The Council of School Superintendents NYS Assembly Education Committee, NYS schools do more than ‘teach gym’. We are providing a wellness program that merges health and physical education with activities at each elementary level. Developmentally appropriate activities involve fitness, nutrition, life skills & physical education.

Obesity Crisis Obesity is one of the most pressing health concerns for our children. – Nationwide, more than 1/3 of children & teens (approx 25 million) are overweight or obese. Physical inactivity is a leading contributor to the epidemic. Whitehouse nationwide campaign to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity. Schools can play a key role in reversing the child obesity epidemic in New York. – NYS Dept of Health estimates that 1 in 4 (approx 1.1 million) young people, is obese. – For children ages 6 to 11, the rate has quadrupled. The International Journal of Pediatric Obesity reported that if trends continue, by 2010 nearly half of North and South American children will be overweight. Obesity crisis is fueling a health care cost disaster with billions in medical costs attributed to obesity putting a tremendous strain on local and national budgets.

National Concern: Obesity

NYS Learning Standards Requires school districts complete wellness and physical education curriculum ensuring students: Standard 1- Personal Health and Fitness – Have the necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health. Standard 2-A Safe and Healthy Environment – Acquire the knowledge and ability necessary to create and maintain a safe and healthy environment, and Standard 3-Resource Management – Understand and be able to manage their personal and community resources

Program Initiatives W.O.W. [ Waves of Wellness] – Combat childhood obesity through physical movement – Promote healthy lifestyles through fun activities, song, dance and games – Inspires children to make healthy choices about physical activity and nutrition – Help to reverse the childhood obesity crisis by 2014 – Improve students knowledge, listening skills & attention span Brain Education -- Combines the best of Mind, Body & Spirit -- Physical Education, Health and Wellness -- Cross-curricular integration beginning with math & science

Program Initiatives Nutrition Nuggets : Provide Wellness information – Teach kids about healthy eating – Build family fitness and nutrition Presidential and National Physical Fitness Testing. Wave-to-Wave Program – Promotes the value of teamwork, positive involvement and responsibility. – Cross-age mentoring has a pro-active outcome and it works. – Heart links Project: A Wellness Partnership – Riverhead & Stony Brook University

Brain Education = Balance Spirit BodyMind

Brain Education

Interrelated Disciplines Students Learn from Health, Wellness & Physical Education Nutrition and Diet Disease Prevention Mental and Emotional Health Community Resources Safety Personal Living Skills Parenting Physical Fitness Motor/Movement Skill development

Benefits of Wellness Research clearly shows that physical education and wellness improve academic performance. Active kids are healthier, happier and likely to be better learners than their sedentary peers. It helps develop both their bodies and minds, which helps people throughout life, especially in difficult situations. It improves their concentration and cognitive functioning. A physically educated person is one who has mastered the necessary movement skills to participate confidently in many different forms of physical activity, values physical fitness, and understands that both are intimately related to health and well- being.

This H.S. class provides a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum for students that will focus on developing skills and knowledge related to personal training programs. These skills will be used for the purpose of designing and implementing comprehensive long term personal fitness programs as well as an immediate impact. Various motivation techniques, fitness assessments, and goal setting strategies will be introduced and utilized in a practical setting. Personal Fitness & Wellness…

R.H.S. Wellness… Students will gain a basic understanding of human anatomy and physiology, exercise physiology, biomechanics, and nutrition. Valuable information will be obtained to improve the well-being of oneself and others. Students who have an interest in pursuing a career in physical education, health, physical therapy or personal training are encouraged to take this class.

References The following are articles and websites that were used to gather information for this presentation: - NYSPHSAA Central Committee Meeting 8/08www.emsc.nysed.gov –The Council of School Superintendants & NYS Assembly Education Committee 1/08www.nyscoss.org Office of the State Comptroller-Preventing and Reducing Childhood Obesity in NY 10/08 USA Today 3/06 Active Living Research-Active Education, Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance –NYSUT: Put some muscle into enforcing phys ed requirementswww.nysut.org -Overall Benefits of Physical Activity on Healthwww.health.gov/