Healthy Eating Policy Launch
Healthy Eating Policy Launched in Knockconan NS
The teachers and pupils of Knockconan N.S have been very busy over the past few months raising awareness of the importance of healthy eating as part of the HSE Dublin NE Health Promoting schools initiative. Their activities culminated last week when their ‘Healthy Eating Policy’ was launched in the school. Parents, staff and pupils attended the event which incorporated a debate and the school’s annual science fair, all focused on food related themes. The Healthy Eating Policy was developed by the HSE Dublin North East Health Promotion Department in partnership with the Department of Education & Science and representatives of the school.
A Healthy Eating certificate was presented to the school’s Health Promotion Working Group who has been busy since September organizing activities to promote more healthy lifestyles. In order to ensure the Healthy Eating Policy was reflective of the whole school community and to oversee the development and implementation of the policy, the working group included the Principal, Teachers, School Health Promotion Officer, Community Dietician, pupils, staff, parents and volunteers. Intensive consultation was initiated involving the school community to elicit their views and inform the policy fully. After compiling and circulating the draft policy, the final Healthy Eating Policy was ratified by the Board of Management and distributed, publicised and implemented among the whole school community.
Guest speaker at the launch Ms Gwen Rice, Senior Dietician, HSE Dublin North East said “By developing a Healthy Eating Policy, it makes the healthy choice the easier choice for children, parents, teachers and staff – so as improve the overall health of children, staff and the wider community. The HSE Health Promotion Department has identified school children as one group to be given priority during the planning and delivery of programmes and initiatives for good health throughout life. This has resulted in a concentrated targeting of schools to promote healthy eating habits and a healthy body image among school-going children and young people as well as working in partnership with the Department of Education and Science and the school setting to achieve this.”
Ms Emer Brennan, Principal, Knockconan National School, speaking about the benefits the development of a Healthy Eating Policy has already had in their school said “Pupils have been very enthusiastic in getting involved in this initiative. Their commitment and momentum has kept the process sustained in the school. They have organized regular healthy lunchbox competitions, poster competitions and a breakfast survey. The children put a lot of work into the science fair, which this year focused on food related themes such as the digestive system, looking after your teeth, the skeleton, breakfasts, the food pyramid and the Stone Age diet. The motion for the debate today was that the EU should ban Cola. Senior pupils on both teams put in a lot of research in advance and argument from both teams was impressive.”
Knockconan NS staff, parents and pupils would like to thank all those who have supported this initiative in the school and particularly Gwen Rice, Monica Mc Crory and Patricia Feely for their input.
The ‘Healthy Eating Policy’ initiative is part of the roll out of the HSE ‘Health Promoting Primary Schools’ Programme. Currently 130 primary schools are involved in this programme in the Dublin North East region.
Further information on the Health promoting Schools Initiative is available from Health Promotion Department, HSE DNE. Contact Nuala Duffy 046 9076407
The teachers and pupils of Knockconan N.S have been very busy over the past few months raising awareness of the importance of healthy eating as part of the HSE Dublin NE Health Promoting schools initiative. Their activities culminated last week when their ‘Healthy Eating Policy’ was launched in the school. Parents, staff and pupils attended the event which incorporated a debate and the school’s annual science fair, all focused on food related themes. The Healthy Eating Policy was developed by the HSE Dublin North East Health Promotion Department in partnership with the Department of Education & Science and representatives of the school.
A Healthy Eating certificate was presented to the school’s Health Promotion Working Group who has been busy since September organizing activities to promote more healthy lifestyles. In order to ensure the Healthy Eating Policy was reflective of the whole school community and to oversee the development and implementation of the policy, the working group included the Principal, Teachers, School Health Promotion Officer, Community Dietician, pupils, staff, parents and volunteers. Intensive consultation was initiated involving the school community to elicit their views and inform the policy fully. After compiling and circulating the draft policy, the final Healthy Eating Policy was ratified by the Board of Management and distributed, publicised and implemented among the whole school community.
Guest speaker at the launch Ms Gwen Rice, Senior Dietician, HSE Dublin North East said “By developing a Healthy Eating Policy, it makes the healthy choice the easier choice for children, parents, teachers and staff – so as improve the overall health of children, staff and the wider community. The HSE Health Promotion Department has identified school children as one group to be given priority during the planning and delivery of programmes and initiatives for good health throughout life. This has resulted in a concentrated targeting of schools to promote healthy eating habits and a healthy body image among school-going children and young people as well as working in partnership with the Department of Education and Science and the school setting to achieve this.”
Ms Emer Brennan, Principal, Knockconan National School, speaking about the benefits the development of a Healthy Eating Policy has already had in their school said “Pupils have been very enthusiastic in getting involved in this initiative. Their commitment and momentum has kept the process sustained in the school. They have organized regular healthy lunchbox competitions, poster competitions and a breakfast survey. The children put a lot of work into the science fair, which this year focused on food related themes such as the digestive system, looking after your teeth, the skeleton, breakfasts, the food pyramid and the Stone Age diet. The motion for the debate today was that the EU should ban Cola. Senior pupils on both teams put in a lot of research in advance and argument from both teams was impressive.”
Knockconan NS staff, parents and pupils would like to thank all those who have supported this initiative in the school and particularly Gwen Rice, Monica Mc Crory and Patricia Feely for their input.
The ‘Healthy Eating Policy’ initiative is part of the roll out of the HSE ‘Health Promoting Primary Schools’ Programme. Currently 130 primary schools are involved in this programme in the Dublin North East region.
Further information on the Health promoting Schools Initiative is available from Health Promotion Department, HSE DNE. Contact Nuala Duffy 046 9076407