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Every day children show up to school tired and hungry. I'm not talking about homeless or abused children. But kids from loving homes near the
whose parents don't understand the impact of nutrition and a good night's sleep on a student's ability to focus and learn. Good nutrition is a necessity of life. A healthy diet enables the body to work more efficiently, improves mental health, and makes learning possible. A person who does not eat well tends to be more sedentary, depressed, and uninterested in learning. San Antonio Schools are not only providing their students with good, healthy meals, but also offer various opportunities and tips for students and parents to learn more about healthy eating.
Thousands of students enrolled in San Antonio Schools depend on free breakfast and lunch at school as their main source of nutrition. In the summer months, San Antonio Schools students can continue to enjoy these meals at no charge. As part of the Texas Department of Agriculture's "Seamless Summer Nutrition Program", San Antonio Schools campuses that are hosting summer school programs will offer anyone 18 years old and younger one breakfast and one lunch through Aug. 9, free of charge, regardless of ability to pay.
The "Seamless Summer Nutrition Program" is required by law in San Antonio Schools where large numbers of students receive free meals during the school year, such as those who attend San Antonio Schools. Participants are eligible regardless of whether they are enrolled in a summer program and no application is required.
How many children would have better focus if they ate a healthy breakfast, and stopped living on a sugar high? The mission of the San Antonio Schools Food and Child Nutrition Services is to enhance the learning and health of children by nourishing their bodies and minds through healthy, nutritious meals that meet or exceed the Federal requirements set forth by the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. It's about time that districts recognize that holistic health impacts learning.
The San Antonio Schools nutrition department partners with the USDA in offering these tips for healthy eating:
1. Make half your grains whole
2. Vary your veggies
3. Focus on fruits
4. Get your calcium-rich foods
5. Go lean with protein
6. Change your oil
7. Don't sugarcoat it
Tips offered for San Antonio Schools students who want to get active:
1 Set a good example: Be active and get your family to join you.
2 Take the President's Challenge: As a family, track your activities at
www.presidentschallenge.org.
3 Establish a routine: Adults need at least 30 minutes of activity most days of the
week; and children should exercise 60 minutes everyday or most days.
4 Have an activity party, such as skating or bowling.
5 Set up a home gym; use canned foods for weights and the steps as a stairmaster.
6 Move it! Instead of sitting through TV commercials, get up and move.
7 Give activity gifts
San Antonio Schools are working hard to give their students good nutrition when they are on campus and good education about nutrition, healthy eating habits and exercise tips for when they are off campus. Go San Antonio!
Parents with children attending San Antonio Schools are becoming very familiar with charter schools. The city of San Antonio is so large that it contains 16 separate public school districts. Among these the San Antonio Independent Schools District (SAISD) is investing heavily in charter schools. 12 of this San Antonio Schools' district buildings currently house internal charter schools.
And internal charter schools differ from a traditional charter school model because they depend on local parents and school board members rather than the state. These San Antonio Schools require 80% approval of parents and staff to form an internal charter, whereas a traditional model must get approval from the State Board of Education. Both are funded with taxpayer dollars. The twelve San Antonio Schools have been awarded $4.7 million in federal grants to date.
The monies available for San Antonio Schools to start charter programs is what enables the administrators to provide specialized art, music or science instruction. The most notable aspect of the San Antonio Schools' charters is their successes so far. Many charter schools in both Texas and around the country have been forced to close their doors due to inability to provide proper curriculum, adequate financial records, or proof of academic success.
However, the three charters among the San Antonio Schools have a record of success behind them. Hawthorne Academy, with a focus on social studies, boasts “recognized” status from the state, and a higher percentage of students passing the TAKS than its neighboring San Antonio Schools. An arts charter school, Austin Academy, shows similar results, and attributes it to the fact that the arts are used to enhance the academic learning of its San Antonio Schools' students.
While many of the San Antonio Schools are too new to be evaluated, the SAISD obviously feels confident that they are successful, because they will convert six more to internal charters this fall. In addition to this innovative model, San Antonio Schools are integrating specific skill sets into the curriculum. The Riverside Park Academy became a technology charter in 2004, a bow to changing times. San Antonio Schools are expected to provide the charter with funding to give students podcasting equipment, and teachers interactive 3-D imaging whiteboards.
Part of the success behind these San Antonio Schools' charter programs is that they address the minority and lower income population that makes up much of San Antonio. For educators of San Antonio Schools, the ability to provide a focus on the arts or on science amid the high stakes testing environment can be refreshing. Teachers at the San Antonio Schools' charter programs see their successes as proof that education requires exposure to many elements, not just a targeted focused on the ones to appear on a state test.