Local elementary school receives wellness grant

by Dan Groeschel Editor

Augusta Elementary School was awarded a Healthy Schools Grant of $22,500 from Security Health.

According to school administrators, the school applied for the grant to increase wellness programs for students and parents, as well as increasing the focus on wellness concepts during the school day.

“We have a very collaborative culture,” Nancy Forseth, a member of the Healthy Schools Team, said. “Our teachers are focused on doing what’s best for the kids.” She also said almost every staff member was involved in book studies during the summer.

The Healthy Schools Team is comprised of fi ve staff members at Augusta Elementary School. Each member of this collaborative team oversees a different aspect of the grant, from the writing to the implementation process.

“Small Choices, Big Changes”

The school’s theme for this year is “Small Choices, Big Changes.” The school said they chose this as the theme because it’s simple and easy for the kids to remember and it spreads the message that small things add up.

According to the team, teachers will begin implementing a curriculum more focused on wellness at the start of the second trimester. They said that the curriculum was easy to change because they aren’t overhauling the old one, they are simply “enhancing it.” Despite this, the faculty and students are both already using much of the verbiage that will be introduced as part of the new program.

Mindfulness

One aspect of the program is “mindfulness”, which is defi ned by Jon Kabat-Zinn as “awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.” The Healthy Schools Team brought in Ann Brand, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout and a teacher of community mindfulness courses, to help the staff better understand the concept.

“Children who are self-aware and able to self-regulate are ready to learn and able to grow and develop their full potential,” Brand said. “Mindfulness practices develop skills that set a foundation for learning now and in the future, thus benefi tting the whole community.”

Brand said many schools already use mindfulness practices, they just don’t realize it. Brand and the Augusta Elementary School staff brainstormed ways they can actively use these practices in their classroom.

Community Impact

With the grant money, Augusta Elementary School officials said the school was able to get several books, increase teacher development and offer new programs like Family University, healthcare navigation, a parent/community book study and school-based counseling.

“The school-based counseling will save the family time and money,” they said. “Now, the parents won’t have to take their kids out of school and drive to Eau Claire, or be forced to sacrifice quality time at home or participation in an after-school activity.”