School Wellness
“Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies”
At Legacy Christian School we value student health and wellness. We recognize that good nutrition and regular physical activity affect the health and well-being of all youth. We strive to provide an environment that is conducive to learning and that allows students to succeed. This policy outlines LCA’s approach to ensuring environments and opportunities for all students to practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors throughout the school day.
Program Components
A. Nutrition & Healthy Eating
• Healthy Snacks Policy: Encourage fruits, veggies, whole grains for classroom snacks.
• Cafeteria Improvements: Work with food services to introduce more nutritious options.
• Implement Nutrition Education Curriculum: Monthly classes for students.
• Smart Snacks in School Nutrition: No food or beverages are sold to students; therefore, no marketing/advertising needs to be addressed
B. Physical Activity
• Daily Movement Breaks: 5–10 min brain/body breaks during long classroom sessions.
• Promote Before/After School Activities: Dance, walking clubs, intramurals.
• Implement Physical Education Expansion Curriculum: Incorporate diverse and inclusive activities.
C. Mental Health & Wellness
• Mindfulness & SEL: Curriculum on mindfulness, stress reduction, and emotional literacy.
• Calm Corners in classrooms: Soft seating, stress balls, mindfulness tools.
• Access to Counselors: Strengthen mental health support and referral systems.
• Teacher Training: Professional development on trauma-informed practices.
D. Family & Community Engagement
• Wellness Fairs: Annual health and wellness night with local health professionals.
• Family Fitness Events: Fun runs, field days, or wellness challenges.
• Volunteer Program: Parents help with events, or lead fitness clubs.
Wellness Committee Roles & Responsibilities
The Wellness Committee consists of committed school and community stakeholders including parents, students, representatives of the school food authority, teachers of physical education, health professionals, the school board school and school administrators and any other community members interested in development, implementation, and annual review of the local wellness policy.
The Wellness Committee will meet at least once a year. The Wellness Committee will establish goals for and oversee development, implementation, periodic review, and update of LCA’s Wellness Policy.
The principal will convene the Wellness Committee and facilitate development and updates to the wellness policy and ensure compliance.
• School Officials: Executive Director, Governing Board and Administration
• Wellness Committee: Principal, PE teacher, counselor, parent reps, 2 students.
• Program Coordinator: Oversees implementation, reporting, and communication.
• Teachers: Integrate wellness into daily routine, encourage participation.
• Counselor/Psychologist: Lead mental health programming.
• Parents/Volunteers: Help with events and ongoing activities.
Guidelines for All Food and Beverage available during the school day
LCA shall operate and provide food service in accordance with USDA’s National School Lunch Program NSLP standards.
• All reimbursable meals will meet nutrition standards mandated by USDA, as well as any additional state nutrition standards that go beyond USDA requirements.
• All reimbursable meals should consider children with special dietary needs and food-related allergies
• Reimbursable meals will include a variety of nutrient-dense foods, including whole grains and fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, while accommodating special dietary needs and ethnic and cultural food preferences.
• To the maximum extent possible, LCA will participate in available federal school meal programs, including the SBP, NSLP, ASSP, AMP, and SFSP.
• Free, potable water will be made available to all youth during each meal service.
• Each student shall be allowed a minimum of ten minutes for breakfast and 20 minutes for lunch after the student receives the meal.
• Food and beverages shall not be offered as a reward and/or used as a means of punishment or disciplinary action for any student during the school day.
• Food and beverages provided but not sold to students available during the school day (e.g., in classroom parties, classroom snacks brought by parents, or other foods given as incentives) must meet School Meal Nutrition Standards and Smart Snacks in School Nutritional Standards.
Evaluation & Reporting
• Triennial Assessment: Conducted by LEA every three years is available on our school website.
This assessment determines:
o Compliance with the wellness policy
o How to wellness policy compares to model wellness policies
o Progress made in attaining the goals of the wellness policy
• Pre- and post-program surveys (students, staff, parents).
• Monitor attendance and participation in activities.
• Health outcomes: BMI trends (if tracked), behavioral referrals.
• Feedback loops: Monthly review by wellness committee.