Great Falls School
Health and Wellness
Jump Rope for Heart
The Gorham Elementary Schools, Great Falls, Village and Narragansett raised an astounding total of $12,556 during their recent Jump Rope for Heart Program! The program gave students an opportunity to learn about the importance of heart health and the act of compassion by contributing to a great cause.
   Half of the money raised will be used to support "Learning Beyond the Classroom," the campaign that gives our students access to guest speakers, field experiences, and other outside of school resources. This year, the money is targeted toward activities that emphasis wellness and heart health. Many of these activities will take place during our annual Field Days. The elementary schools will come together by grade level at the Field House on the USM Gorham campus during the first week of June for Field Days. Among the many activities planned for students are sessions of Bokwa dance, Karate and an obstacle course that students navigate through.
  5/13/2015: The Gorham Elementary Schools present a check to the American Heart Association for $6,278.00. Pictured from left to right are Michael Fortier, PE teacher at Narragansett; Becky Fortier, assistant principal at Great Falls; Gary Urey, Heart Association local representative; Frank DeFrancesco, PE teacher at Great Falls and Gary Speed, PE teacher at Village School.
Great Falls Heart Heros
Dear Parents,
The Gorham School District is committed to providing a healthy eating environment for all its students. WeÃd like to communicate a change in our procedures. Beginning with this letter, we ask that parents do not send in any food for celebrations, such as birthdays and holidays to be shared in classrooms. This does not include the daily snacks that you send in for your own child, however we encourage you to provide healthy options.
We want our school to be a safe and comfortable environment for all students; and we have done this for a numbers of reasons, which reflect our value of respect for all:
- To minimize disruption to the teaching day.
- To support healthier nutrition choices as stated in the K-5 Maine Physical Education and Health State Standards.
- To minimize non-nutritious foods being brought into school, allowing individual parents the opportunity to control how much and which foods their children eat during the school day.
- To increase the sensitivity of our community to the needs of our students who have health issues that affect their food intake. As stated in our Gorham School Allergy Policy, our schools are committed to providing a safe environment for students who have an allergy history.
We understand that food is part of our culture and a means to celebrate special occasions of all kind. This change does not mean that our children will not have fun, class parties, or celebrations. Instead of food, students can participate in a variety of creative activities during holiday celebrations. Nonfood tokens such as stickers or pencils can be used to celebrate birthdays while promoting a healthier school environment.
We are asking for your support and help by keeping food items out of our school unless we request them for curriculum-based activities. We realize that this may require some adjustment to past practices, but we must adhere to the Gorham Wellness and Allergy Policies for the safety and wellness of all students.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Polly Brann, Narragansett Principal
Brian Porter, Village Principal
Jane Esty, Great Falls Principal
K-5 Guideline for implementing the Gorham School District Wellness and Allergy Policies:
Only pre-approved curriculum-based foods will be allowed in the classroom and will be offered in cooperation with individual student allergy and health-care plans.
(References the Student Allergy Policy - File Code JLCE)
1. Wellness Policy Code: JL
Eating Environment
“The Gorham School District will provide a healthy eating environment for all its students.â€
Food Safety/Food Security
“All other foods brought or produced outside of the GSNP must also meet food safety guidelines and policies on food allergies.â€
2. Allergy Policy Code: JLCE
“The Gorham School Committee is committed to providing a safe environment for students who have an allergy history.â€
Great Falls Yoga Video:
Click on the link below to watch, learn and play!
Our school is participating in 5-2-1-0 Goes to School, which is a healthy lifestyle program. We will remind students of the importance of eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily. We anticipate lots of parties and celebrations this month which provide a unique opportunity to help make healthy eating fun and for children to practice wise food choices. We would love to see healthy celebration treats sent to school, like:
- Fruit and Cheese Kabobs -- Put grapes, melons, cheese cubes, and beries onto a wooden kabob stick.
- Make Your Own Trail Mix -- Bags of granola and dried fruit.
- Fruit Smoothies -- Blenderized frozen fruit and yogurt.
- Yogurt Parfaits -- Layer granola, fruit, and yogurt in plastic cups. Send in a tray covered with plastic wrap.
- Vegetable or Fruit Platters with Low Fat Dip.
Thank you for your help in promoting a healthy school environment and healthy kids!
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