Fern Persons Elementary School
OLIVET COMMUNITY SCHOOLS
EATON County
4425 W. Butterfield Highway
Olivet, Michigan 49076-9705
Enrollment: 451
Public School
Success Story Contact:
Karla Love
Food Service Supervisor
Phone: 269-749-4281
Email: lovek@olivetschools.org
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Success Story Information:
Reach:
Duration: 4 to 6 months
Costs: - Materials/supplies
- $100 or less
Factors for Success: - Coordinated School Health Team
- Administrative support
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SCHOOL BREAKFAST
SUCCESS STORY
Fern Persons Elementary worked this year to create a welcoming breakfast environment to build the habit of eating a nutritious sit-down breakfast in the company of other children. The Olivet Community Schools staff believes that serving breakfast is more than feeding children before school; it is a teaching opportunity with an outcome that builds young children's social skills and prepares them for the academic work in the classroom. We feel the sit down environment is a new experience for many of our students who previously ate breakfast quickly in the car on the way to school, ate breakfast in front of the television, or did not eat at all in the morning.
Along with the fruit and milk serving, we provided the students with hot protein based, high-fiber entrees and/or reduced-sugar, whole grain cereal. We added a paraprofessional aide to monitor the cafeteria to help with responsible socialization. The entire elementary grades taste tested several new products to add to the menu rotation during National School Breakfast week in March and some were added to the menu cycle because of popularity. Breakfast participation has increased five percent this year from the previous year. We continue to promote breakfast at school on the elementary web site, on the monthly menus, and through the school newsletter.
Excellence is not a singular act but a habit: we are what we repeatedly do. This is especially true in the development of young children. We feel our breakfast program is an important step in creating the habit of eating a nutritious breakfast in a social setting and a habit they will carry with them to adulthood.
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Other Relevant School Information
Our Coordinated School Health Team/Committee has the following active members: School Administration (Principal, Assistant Principal, Superintendent);Nutrition Services (Food Service Director or Manager);Physical Education (PE teacher);Classroom teacher (not PE or Health);Family Involvement (Parent/Guardian);Student (on the team for middle/high school; input for elementary school)
Our Team/Committee met 4 or more times during the past 12 months.
Assessments* Completed: Healthy School Action Tools (HSAT)*;Changing the Scene (CTS) Healthy School Environment Improvement Checklist from U.S. Department of Agriculture, Team Nutrition;Other, please describe:;Michigan Health Model
This School Success Story was submitted on 5/8/2009
*Since 2004, The Healthy School Action Tool Assessment is Michigan’s preferred assessment tool that is a combination of the School Health Index and Changing the Scene.
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The Michigan Healthy School Success Story website is brought to you by the American Cancer Society, Michigan Action for Healthy Kids,
Michigan Department of Community Health, Michigan State University Extension, and United Dairy Industry of Michigan
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