Newsletter: March 2007

GEI Nutrition in the Schools Newsletter #7

March 2007

The Nutrition in the Schools Network Newsletter provides information on events, activities, and resources that help us to educate and advocate for healthy, nutritional food and beverages in schools.

Table of Contents

1. Upcoming Speakers
2. Update - Healthy Food Fair Planning Guide
3. Update - NISN Speakers Bureau
4. Green Earth Fair, May 6 - Spread the Word
5. Heads Up: Two Angry Moms Movie Coming
6. Past e-Newsletters Available on NISN Website
7. News and Internet Resources

1. UPCOMING SPEAKERS

April 18 – Nutrition in the Schools Speaker Forum

Guest Speaker: Deepa Handu, Assistant Professor of Nutrition, Benedictine University. Deepa is involved with the Organic School Project in the Chicago Public Schools and has experience working in Michigan and Illinois schools on nutrition-related issues.

May 16 – Nutrition in the Schools Speaker Forum

Guest Speaker: Victoria Rosenfeld, registered and licensed dietician. Victoria received the Illinois Dietetic Association Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year in 2004, is active on the Wellness Committee of Indian Prairie School District 204, and writes a column on nutrition for the Gombert Elementary School newsletter.

TIME and LOCATION: 7:30 pm, at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, 815 S. Washington, Naperville, just south of Edwards Hospital.  Enter at the light for the hospital; at the stop sign, turn left into the Church parking lot; park around the back (side farthest from Washington); enter door #3; we’ll be in the second room on the left.

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2. UPDATE - HEALTHY FOOD FAIR PLANNING GUIDE

Learn to Eat, Eat to Learn: a Guide to Planning and Coordinating a Healthy Food Fair at Your School is now available! The cost for the printed guide, which includes a CD-ROM version, is $35.00.  The cost for the CD-ROM-only version is $25.00.

So far, we have sold over 10 guides, locally and as far away as Pittsburgh and Los Angeles! Some of the schools are adding healthy food games, displays and resources to a Wellness or Earth day Fair. Others are using the information provided to enhance classroom or grade-level events. The games, displays, and resources can be incorporated into any size event, whether there is one or a few tables.

Elaine Johnson, columnist for the Downers Grove Sun, wrote a wonderful column about our healthy food fair guide. Thank you, Elaine!

We have a flyer that advertises the Guide. Please print it out and distribute at your next Wellness Committee or PTA meeting. To obtain a copy of the guide, please email Michelle Hickey-Fouts at call 630-305-0504.

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3. UPDATE - NISN SPEAKERS BUREAU

Do you need a speaker to talk about healthy eating?  To parents, students, teachers?  Now, you can find a speaker right for your event through the NISN Speakers Bureau.

We have a flyer that advertises the Speakers Bureau. Please print it out and distribute at your next Wellness Committee or PTA meeting. If you want more information, or if you would like to become a speaker, please email Sharon Brauer or call 630-435-1533.  Our Speaker Request Form is available on our website.

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4. GREEN EARTH FAIR, MAY 6 - SPREAD THE WORD

Sunday, May 6, will be the 4th annual Green Earth Fair. The event runs from 1pm to 5pm and is free of charge and open to the public.

The Green Earth Fair is an afternoon for the public to see the farm, learn about nutrition and sustainability, and hear about ways to use earth-friendly practices in our gardens, yards, and homes. There will be exhibits and demonstrations as well as tours of the organic farm and activities for the kids. Organic vegetable seedlings and native prairie plants will be available for purchase. Last year over 1,000 people attended.

At 3:15pm, we will give a presentation on Nutrition in the Schools. The Green Earth Fair website includes a list of presentations and times.

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5. HEADS UP - TWO ANGRY MOMS MOVIE COMING

In Georgetown, Connecticut, two moms - one a holistic health counselor and the second an award-winning documentary filmmaker - have joined to produce a movie about the importance of healthy eating in schools and about efforts across the country to make this happen.

The latest information from Two Angry Moms is that the movie will be available in the Fall of 2007.

The plan is to make a full-length version and a then a shorter version, which could be used for house meetings, parent-teacher events, or other types of small-group forums. As we learn more about the film and its availability, we will let you know.

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6. PAST E-NEWSLETTERS AVAILABLE ON NISN WEBSITE

Links are on the left side of the page, under "Newsletters" (scroll up to see).

If you joined this email distribution list recently, or wanted to check back at a previous e-newsletter ("I knew I read something about this in a previous newsletter, but don't have it anymore!") - you can go to the NISN website and find them listed on the left side of the page.

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7. NEWS AND INTERNET RESOURCES

Consortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago Children (CLOCC)
Check out the resources on the CLOCC website. They have some great resource materials, which includes both presentations and flyers.

School Fundraising Can Be Healthy and Profitable, Says CSPI
The Center for Science and the Public Interest (CSPI) has a new report that describes many practical options for healthy fundraisers available to schools. They provide names and contact information for more than 60 fundraising companies with which schools can conduct healthy fundraisers.

Chef Ann Cooper's Weekly Alerts
Sign up for a weekly email with news reports and information about efforts and programs around the country that are improving the nutritional quality of food in schools. Chef Ann Cooper is director of nutrition services for the Berkeley Unified School District, improving meals at 16 public schools with a population of over 9,000 students.

Linking Food, Culture, Health, and the Environment
Nutrition and healthy eating is about much more than just what we cook and serve. The Center for Ecoliteracy promotes a holistic look at food. Now, discover how an integrated curriculum and enriched school environment link student learning and well-being and enhance student understanding about the natural world.

Farm-to-School Programs
Gary Cuneen's "Fresh From the Farm" program is featured in a just-published report by the Farm to School Program at Occidental College. The report, titled "Going Local: Paths to Success for Farm to School Programs," is available for free on their website. Gary, executive director at Seven Generations Ahead, spoke at our January NISN meeting.

National Nutrition Month (March) by the American Dietetic Association (ADA)
National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the ADA. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

If you do not want to receive the GEI Nutrition in the Schools Newsletters or Action Alerts, please send an email to Marc Swetlitz at swetlitzm@wideopenwest.com.

Individuals interested in joining our email list can do so by completing a short form on our website.

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