Wellness Policy
2023-2024 BRES Wellness Year in Review
Bennett Ranch Elementary loves to ensure that we are doing our best to encourage our students and staff to be healthy. For the 2023-2024 school year we have implemented many things into our Health and Wellness program. This Fall we welcomed Landsharks Running Club into our school. The students had a great time going to practices, building camaraderie , and feeling the sense of accomplishments at the competitions. A second round of Landsharks has continued this Spring and we hope to continue it in the 2024-2025 school year. If you have a child that loves to run or just simply has lots of energy, Landsharks may be a great fit for them!
We also know that with living in Colorado comes unpredictable weather and freezing temperatures which causes us to stay inside for recess. To help keep our minds engaged, we have purchased and put together Indoor Recess Carts. These carts contain a variety of age appropriate games and activities for students to choose from when they cannot go outside. We have found they have been helpful in building concepts like taking turns and working together. Grades 3-5 are thoroughly engaged in the games, while grades K-2 love something simple like coloring.
To help encourage our staff to stay healthy, we started with ensuring they were able to stay hydrated. Getting the daily amount of water as a teacher can be difficult some days therefore, we provided each staff member with a water bottle with motivational statements that helped encourage them to drink more water. We also know the winter months can be hard to get in exercise so staff had the opportunity to participate in the Falcon Zones Biggest Loser Competition. We were able to provide incentives to those winners that competed throughout the zone.
Our Health and Wellness committee has many things yet to accomplish and we look forward to implementing them in the 2024-2025 school year.
Wellness Policy Overview
District 49's wellness policy and supporting guidelines focus on improving the health of students. Anyone interested in serving on the districtwide wellness advisory council should email wellness@d49.org for additional information.
A sample of the Curriculum Food Request Form is available here.
Nutrition for classroom parties, celebrations, rewards & fundraisers:
- All food items must be store-bought with the nutrition information showing that the product is 100 calories or less, 0 grams of trans fat.
- No candy or sodas are allowed.
- Birthday celebrations with treats must follow the Wellness Policy Guidelines.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables are excluded from calorie and sugar limits.
- Food prepared in a private home may not be served at school to students because knowledge of ingredients, sanitation, preparation, and temperature of food in storage or transit is not available, nor can quality and sanitation standards be controlled.
- Fundraiser guidelines may also be found in the Wellness Policy Guidelines.
Healthy Snack Ideas Under 100 Calories |
Non-Food Celebration Ideas |
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Cascadian Farm Kid-Sized Oatmeal Raisin Bar |
Smencils (smell good pencils) |
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Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Goldfish 100 Calorie Pack |
Glow Sticks |
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Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Sea Salt Popcorn |
Stickers |
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6” Banana decorated with Sharpie and/or stickers |
Books |
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Stretch Island Fruit Leather |
Chapstick |
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Applesauce on the Go |
Post-its in fun shapes |
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Fruit cups in 100% juice |
Playdough |
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Brothers All Natural Fruit Crisps |
Stress balls |
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Minute Maid Kids + Minis 100% Juice Box |
Seeds for planting |
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Trader Joe’s Apple + Banana Fruit Bar |
Lead a Dance Break |
Our commitment to physical activity:
- Physical education is provided in elementary, middle, and high school.
- Strenuous physical activity is not used (e.g. running laps, pushups) as punishment.
- Generally, students should not be required to “sit out” any part of recess as punishment unless there is a safety concern.
- Elementary school students will have a minimum of 30-minutes daily of physical activity. Recess for 1⁄2 day Kindergarten will be determined at those individual buildings.
- Physical activity can include recess, physical education classes, fitness breaks, active classroom activities, exercise programs, or active field trips.
Hunger Free Hotline
Call the hotline at 855-855-4626, statewide, toll-free. Help is just a phone call away for families, seniors, and other individuals who are in need of food assistance anywhere in Colorado. Hunger Free Colorado (HFC) Hotline is a statewide, bilingual toll-free number that connects Coloradans to needed food and nutrition resources. It is a free “one-stop” resource that offers geographically-based referrals to both public and private food assistance programs across the state.