Mission Statement:

Through excellence in academic instruction and character development, Circle City Preparatory Charter School ensures all K-8 scholars are ambitious, powerful learners and responsible, positive leaders on the path to college and a life of opportunity.

Nutritional Guidelines for All Foods and Beverages

• Promote fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low fat & fat free dairy healthy food to scholars and staff.
• Incorporate nutrition education in classroom instruction in subjects such as Math and Science.
• Nutrition Education will involve sharing information with families and the broader community to positively impact scholars and the health of the community.
• Introduce scholars to new fruits and vegetables.

Nutritional Guidelines for Non-Sold Foods and Beverages

• Comply with the current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the National Student Lunch Program guidelines.
• Provide and allow foods and beverages that support proper nutrition, promote healthy choices, and comply with federal nutrition standards. This includes food made available in Circle City Prep during the school day for such events as school fundraisers, birthdays, and classroom celebrations.
• Circle City Prep has opted to prohibit vending machines in the school.

Food Based Fundraisers and Smart Snacks

• No fundraisers selling food items will be allowed in any school during the school day.
• As Circle City Prep is a CEP school, no food will be sold to scholars at any time during the school day (to include breakfast, lunch, snack, vending machines, concession stands, and fundraisers).

Food and Beverage Marketing

• Circle City Prep is committed to providing a school environment that ensures an opportunity for all scholars to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the school day while minimizing advertising and marketing distractions.
• Any foods and beverages marketed or promoted to scholars at school during the school day will meet or exceed the USDA nutrition standards.
• Foods of minimal nutritional value, including brands and illustrations, will not be advertised or marketed in educational materials.

Nutrition Education Goals

• To educate, encourage and support healthy eating to scholars of all ages.
• To provide child-friendly USDA information to scholars educating them on portion control and serving sizes of food.
• Provide families with nutritional information (recipes, physical activities, family game ideas).

Nutrition Promotion

• Circle City Prep will continue to find new ways to enhance our breakfast, lunch, and snack process.
• Ensure 100% of foods and beverages promoted to scholars meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards.

Physical Education Goals

• Circle City Prep will create a school environment that is conducive to being physically active.
• Provide opportunities for scholars to maintain physical fitness for at least 30 minutes per day.
• To meet or exceed the state standards of physical activity for all grade levels.

Other School-Related Activities

• Encourage classroom teachers to provide short activity breaks between lessons or classes.
• All school-sponsored wellness events will include physical activity and healthy eating opportunities when appropriate.  

Evaluation

• Through implementation and enforcement of this policy, Circle City Prep will create an environment that supports opportunities for physical activity and healthy eating behaviors. To ensure continuing progress, we will evaluate implementation efforts and their impact on scholars and staff at least every three years. 
• The Manager of Operations is responsible for ensuring compliance with this policy and its administrative regulations. He or she is responsible for retaining all documentation of compliance with this policy and its regulations, including but not limited to the school’s three-year assessment and evaluation report and this wellness policy and plan. 
• The Manager of Operations will also be responsible for public notification of the three-year assessment and evaluation report, including any updates to this policy made as a result of the corporation’s three-year assessment and evaluation.
• As Circle City Prep is a brand-new charter school in the 2017-2018 school year, we have yet to evaluate the local wellness policy. This evaluation will be completed within the three-year period stated above.

Person Responsible

• The Manager of Operations will be responsible for monitoring the local wellness policy.

Committee Members Include

• Courtney Eckerle, Circle City Prep, Director of Operations
• Megan Murphy, Circle City Prep, Founder and Head of School
• ___________, Circle City Prep, Founding Physical Education Teacher and Operations Fellow
• Kim, Ceres/Taher Food Group, Food Service Personnel
• Parent
• Scholar

APPENDIX A: GUIDELINES FROM THE IDOE AND USDA

STANDARDS FOR USDA CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS AND SCHOOL MEALS

School Meal Content

• Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:
  • Be appealing and appetizing to children;
  • Meet, at a minimum, the nutrition requirements established by the USDA for federally funded programs; Contain 0 percent trans fats; Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables; 
  • 100 percent of the grains offered are whole grain-rich.
• All cooked foods will be baked or steamed. Proper procurement procedures and preparation methods will be used to decrease excess fat, calorie and sodium levels in food.
• Schools are encouraged to purchase or obtain fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers when practical.
• Students will have the opportunity to provide input on local, cultural and ethnic favorites. 
• The food services department shall provide periodic food promotions that will allow for taste testing of new healthier foods being introduced on the menu.
• Special dietary needs of students will be considered when planning meals, according to the document Accommodating Children with Special Dietary Needs in the School Nutrition Programs.
• The food services department will share and publicize information about the nutritional content of meals with students and parents/guardians. The information will be available in a variety of forms that can include handouts, the school website, articles, school newsletters, presentations that focus on nutrition and healthy lifestyles, and through any other appropriate means available to reach families.

School Meal Participation

• To the extent possible, schools will provide the USDA School Breakfast Program to all students.
• To the extent possible, schools will utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation, including serving breakfast in the classroom, serving “grab-and-go” breakfasts and arranging transportation schedules to allow for earlier arrival times.
• Schools will inform families of the availability and location of Summer Food Service Program meals, in accordance with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Schools in which more than 50 percent of students are eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals will sponsor the Summer Food Service Program when feasible. 
• Schools will provide the After School Meal Program, when it becomes available, in accordance with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.

Mealtimes and Scheduling

• Adequate time will be provided to students to eat lunch (at least 20 minutes after being served) and breakfast (at least 10 minutes after being served). 
• Elementary schools will schedule recess before lunch.
• School meals will be served in clean and pleasant settings.
• Students will have convenient access to hand-washing and sanitizing stations. 
• Potable (drinking) water must be readily available at all mealtimes.
• Appropriate supervision will be provided in the cafeteria and rules for safe behavior shall be consistently enforced.

Professional Development 

• Professional development and training will be provided at least annually to food service managers and staff on proper food handling techniques and healthy cooking practices.

APPENDIX B: GUIDELINES FROM THE IDOE AND USDA

NUTRITION STANDARDS FOR COMPETITIVE AND OTHER FOOD AND BEVERAGES

Approved Nutrition Standards, based on the nutrition standards of the Institute of Medicine (2007)

• K-12 à la carte, school vending machines and other foods outside of school meals shall be limited to:
• No more than 30 percent of total calories from fat,
• Less than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fats,
• 0 percent trans fats,
• No more than 35 percent of calories from total sugars,
• No more than 200 milligrams of sodium per portion as packaged,
• No more than 200 calories per package, and
• 100 percent of the grains offered are whole grain-rich.

K-12 à la carte, school vending machines and other beverages outside of school meals shall be limited to:

• Water without flavoring, additives, or carbonation,
• Low-fat and nonfat milk (in 8- to 12-ounce portions),
• 100% fruit juice in 4-ounce portions as packaged for elementary/middle school and 8 ounces (2 portions) for high school, and
• All beverages other than water, white milk or juice shall be no larger than 12 ounces.

Availability

• A vending machine at an elementary school that dispenses food or beverage items may not be accessible to students.
• Vending machines in middle and high schools:
• Will not be available during mealtimes.
• Will contain items that meet the approved nutrition standards.
• Vending machines for school staff will not be accessible to students.
• Food and beverages will not be sold in school stores.
• Students and staff will have free, potable (drinking) water for consumption available in water fountains throughout the school building.

Concession Stands

• The concession items sold at school-sponsored events to participants, fans and visitors shall include at least 50 percent healthy beverages and foods, according to the approved nutrition standards. 

Classroom Celebrations

• Classroom celebrations will focus on activities (e.g., giving free time, extra recess, music and reading time) rather than on food.
• Classroom celebrations that include food will be limited to one per month. Food items must comply with federal nutrition standards. 
• Schools shall inform parents/guardians of the classroom celebration guidelines.

Food as a Reward or Punishment

• Teachers and staff will not use food as a reward. For example, the use of sugar-sweetened beverages or candy as a classroom reward at any school is not appropriate. 
• School staff will not withhold food or drink at mealtimes as punishment.

Fundraisers

• Fundraising activities will support healthy eating and wellness. Schools will promote the sale of non-food items for school-sponsored fundraising. For a food or beverage item to be sold as a fundraiser, it must meet the approved nutrition standards. Fundraisers subject to this rule are those sold during the school day on school grounds. School day is defined as from midnight the night before to 30 minutes after the end of school.

Non-sold food and beverages:

• Non-sold food and beverages will comply with federal nutrition standards.

Marketing

• Signage or similar media on school campus during the school day may only advertise food and/or beverages provided and sold by the school that meet the competitive foods standards for foods sold in schools (i.e. Smart Snacks).