School Healthy Foods and Drinks Policy Reminder for all TK-8 students--please read as soon as possible

Dear Monte Vista Families and Community,

I noticed that this same time last school year, I had sent out a healthy foods and drinks reminder to our school community. It seems to be that time of year where students are trending on trying to bring increasingly more unhealthy snacks, foods, and drinks to the school. It continues to be a concern for our staff and many families as we strive to follow district and school guidelines around healthy eating and drinking. A few years back we became a Blue Zones School partner like some other schools in MPUSD and across the state and country. Recently, they have been in a transition phase to the Live Well Project since they were recognized for their achievements on a Monterey County level. We find that when we follow these guidelines well and consistently across grade levels, our students are able to focus better, have more stamina, and it promotes a less distracting learning atmosphere (sometimes similar impact as cell phones, which we also have policies to address).

In our efforts to still follow MPUSD Wellness policy (or click HERE) and our Blue Zones school principles, I am providing the following guidance around what kinds of foods and drinks are allowed at school (see infographic below). Keep in mind that our school lunches and breakfasts follow these guidelines consistently too, and they are free! 



In regards to the above image, our site needs help with some of the most highly brought items (which we have to usually then spend unnecessary staff time to navigate), such as high sugary treats, high fructose syrup drinks, sodas, suckers or lollipops, Starbucks drinks and other energy drinks, family size bags of high sodium chips, other candies, gum, and more. 

Below is some guidance around BIrthday Treats and celebrations for students at the school site that the teachers and I try to send out every year. Our parents that have been with us for a while usually keep this in mind, so this is for our newer parents and also to those parents who may have forgotten. It is no fun for a teacher to tell a parent that a class set of cupcakes cannot be given out. 

"We know and treat birthdays very special here at Monte Vista. We also cannot make them an ongoing opportunity for our students to eat unhealthy sweets during the school day or unnecessary extra meals beyond what the cafeteria provides or what students bring from home. There are some fun healthier ideas in the attached document (or click HERE) as well as fruit, veggie, and healthy snack bags too. Feel free to even do school supply gift baggies...kids love, love, love fun erasers, pencils, and even putty or tactile items. However, please know in general, there is no requirement to send anything to school on your child's birthday. We are happy just to celebrate them as a special one-of-a-kind human being. To assist you in this effort, please visit the link HERE (and see the image below which is an excerpt from it) for ideas for healthy alternatives that still provide the fun and celebration that our students love to have on birthdays."



If you have any questions around the above image, links, and information, and further guidance below, don't hesitate to respectfully reach out and ask any clarifying questions. Thank you for supporting our healthy blue jay community environment.