I recently attended and exhibited at the 28th Annual California Kindergarten Conference in Santa Clara, CA. There were exciting workshops throughout the weekend and exhibits especially designed for the early primary grades.  The theme of the conference was - Celebrating Creativity in Early Childhood Education.  They accomplished this beautifully with student artwork displayed throughout the conference hall and a special evening reception highlighting the Young Children's Art Exhibit.
 
Kindergarten teachers were very pleased to see Dairy Council of California in attendance and showcasing our Kindergarten nutrition education curriculum - Building a healthy me! Our booth display highlighted the components of our six-lesson, standards-aligned nutrition education program and activities such as creating Peter and Patsy Pyramid and The Old Lady who Swallowed a Cheeseburger. Both of these activities foster creativity and teach students the foundations of a healthy diet. Students color MyPyramid learning the colors associated with each food group. Kindergarten students are introduced to the importance of physical activity, what a healthy breakfast is and learning how to create a combination meal.
 
Teachers commented on how much they appreciated the availability of the free program and how much their students and parents enjoyed it. They also appreciated the parent newsletter available in English and Spanish included in the program kit.
 
In the Educators section of this website, you can learn more about how to receive the Kindergarten program and/or participate in a 30 minute online teacher training that provides success tips for teaching nutrition in a kindergarten classroom.
 
Nicolina Mulcahy
Territory Manager

One guest said, “This is the best school wellness meeting I have ever attended!” An elegant lunch and meeting hosted by the Dairy Council of California was held in December at Pacifica Del Mar for school staff specializing in school wellness. Dairy Council Territory Managers, Tracy Conkey and Heather Troska coordinated the event to support and maintain momentum for school wellness. They invited student wellness advocates and leaders throughout each of their school districts to share resources and best practices. Tracy’s vision for the event was to break down the silos she sees in school districts and give those with the same mission to improve student health an opportunity to share successes, failures, tips and resources. Here is a short interview I had with Tracy about the event:

NM: Who attended this great event?
TC: We were so pleased with the turnout.  Eight different school districts were represented: San Diego Unified, Chula Vista, Escondido, Bonsall, Valley Center, San Marcos, Vista and Oceanside.  Guests included: Deirdre Kleske from California Project Lean; Heather Reed from California Department of Education; food service directors and supervisors, child nutrition consultants, district nurses, principals, nutrition educators, P.E. and classroom teachers. 

NM: What was your favorite part of the event?
TC: I loved it all. I really enjoyed seeing everyone sharing their resources with such enthusiasm. We asked participants to bring at least one resource to share with the group. I enjoyed learning about promising practices, sample school wellness policies, parent resources and student participation tips. Herbie Smith and Amy from Vista Unified School District shared the success they have had with “Wellness Weeks.” I especially enjoyed learning how school districts use the Dairy Council of California materials in creative ways that benefits students.

NM: I have to ask will there be another event like this one?
TC: Yes! In fact, I am thinking of hosting a similar gathering this spring for school districts in Orange County and other nearby districts that would like to attend.

NM: I just have one more question! What is your favorite program or lesson from Dairy Council’s nutrition education curriculum?
TC: Uhhhh…I can’t just choose one! My two favorites are “The Old Lady that Swallowed the Cheeseburger” from our Kindergarten, Building a healthy me program and “Lunch at the Mall” from our middle school, Exercise Your Options program.

For more information on how your regional Dairy Council Territory Manager can help support wellness at your school, please contact us by phone, 877.324.7901, email or comment on this blog.

This year, California Foundation for Ag in the Classroom held their statewide conference in Rohnert Park, California, on October 23-24th.  This was my first year attending the conference, which I found to be very informative and useful. Kicking off Friday’s activities was keynote speaker David Pegos, CDFA Assistant Secretary of Public Outreach. He shared the importance of ag literacy in his keynote address, along with providing an overview of agricultural production throughout the state. 

Many interactive workshops were offered to attendees; I chose to attend the Milk Matters! workshop, which highlighted Ag in the Classroom’s newest curriculum. During this hands-on workshop, participants performed activities that related to the many different dimensions of the dairy industry. Mandi Bottoms, Curriculum Coordinator for California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, did an excellent job facilitating this workshop. Here are some of the useful resources that were provided: 

Dairy Feeds
Ultimate Efficient Recycler
Milk Matters! Discovering Dairy

After workshops were completed, participants were given the opportunity to tour local farms and businesses such as wineries, dairies, a compost operation, organic vegetable growers, flower growers and a restaurant.

I feel fortunate to have been able to participate in such an important educational event. I left with a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing California’s educators and farmers. This dialogue between educators and farmers will encourage future opportunities for working together to better the health of California through classroom education.

Nicolina Mulcahy

Territory Manager

 

October 15, 2009 was Walk-to-School Day. Mariposa Elementary students in Mariposa, CA, celebrated their 4th Annual Walk-to-School Day event coordinated by one of my co-workers at Dairy Council—Alyssa McClelland, Territory Manager for Fresno County. Since several elementary school teachers in the North Bay area asked me for ideas regarding Walk-to-School Day, I interviewed Alyssa in order to share her experience in planning and running a fun, healthy and successful Walk-to-School Day event.    

NM: What are some of the basic components needed to run a successful Walk-to-School Day event? How did you do it?

AM: Building both community and school support is very important to ensure a successful event. For the Mariposa event, we met at a local grocery store's parking lot and the children walked together from the parking lot to school. The grocery store generously supplied the walkers apples and water bottles. For our event, we also enlisted the help of the the California Highway Patrol in Mariposa County to provide an escort while the students “walk to school.” In Mariposa there are no sidewalks or paths for the students to follow on their way to school, so this provided a safe way for students to get to school. 

NM: Is there a nutrition-education component to the event that day or celebrated that week? 

AM: Yes! In fact, all the teachers at Mariposa Elementary use Dairy Council of California's nutrition-education curriculum and love it. The school offered an extended breakfast that morning and I also decided to give a smoothie party as an incentive for the top two classes that participated in the Walk-to-School Day event. The students really enjoyed that!

NM: What is the feedback you have heard from teachers and parents about the event?

AM: They loved it! They thought it was a great way to build awareness about overall health. This year our County Hospital was at the event, providing information to all those participating.  

NM: Last question—what is your favorite nutrition lesson from our curriculum?

AM: My favorite lesson is “Lunch at the Mall," from our middle school program, Exercise Your Options.

NM: Thank you, Alyssa. What you have done for the students at Mariposa Elementary is wonderful and something they will always remember, I’m sure. 

For more information on how your regional Dairy Council Territory Manager can help support wellness at your school, please contact us by phone, 877.324.7901, email or comment on this blog. Happy walking!

Nicolina Mulcahy

Territory Manager