March 2019 E-Bits

For Administrators

Try out mountain biking! Eastern Ontario School Mountain Bike Challenge is happening Friday, May 17. This is a mountain bike event designed to get kids of all ages on bikes. It is perfect for a fun or first mountain biking experience. It is not about results or winning, it is about doing the challenge. The event has both individual events as well as an optional team event. For more information visit: https://eosmbc.weebly.com/ or see attached poster.

Canada’s New Food Guide has been released! The modernized Food Guide has replaced the previous guide’s “rainbow” with a healthy plate model that includes half vegetables and fruit, one-quarter whole grains and one-quarter “protein foods”. The meat and milk food groups of the previous guide are now combined as “protein foods”, along with nuts, seeds, tofu, legumes, eggs and fish. It emphasizes that healthy eating is more than just what you eat by focusing on how and how much to eat. Resources include a printable PDF version, recipes and history of food guidelines – all can be found at the consumer-friendly website: https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

For consultation on strategies for incorporating the new Food Guide into the curriculum and for print copies of the guide, contact your school’s Public Health Nurse.

For Families

How to decide to keep a sick child home. As a parent, you know your child best and when they don’t feel well all you want to do is comfort and support them until they feel better. Knowing when they are not 100% but are still healthy enough to learn and play and knowing when it is best to keep them home, is not always easy. Our new “When to Keep Your Child Home” https://healthunit.org/wp-content/uploads/When_To_Keep_Your_Child_Home.pdf resource will help parents make the best decision for them and their child. For specific information on childhood disease, also check out the Health Unit’s information on Childhood Diseases.

Homework Habits. Your children may see their nightly homework as an unfair use of their own time. However, this homework and study time is very important for developing the self-discipline and study skills they need for high school and beyond. Schedule time for homework each day sometime after getting home from school and before television or play time. An after school snack can give kids the brain fuel they need to get started.  Creating a homework area that has limited distractions may be key to helping your child stay on task – choose a quieter space that has a clear, open table to work on.

For more strategies, visit www.triplep-parenting.ca. To register for a local Triple P Parenting session, visit https://healthunit.org/clinics-classes/triple-p-parenting/, email [email protected] or call locally 1-800-660-5853.  Parenting matters!