Health Fair At Belle Air School 11 October 2018 - 8-10 a.m.

Article Source: San Bruno Park School District CA

BELLE AIR SCHOOL COMMUNITY HEALTH FAIR - OCTOBER 11th - 8-10 A.M.

Last spring, San Mateo County School Boards Association honored San Bruno Park School District with its J. Russell Kent Award for advances in health and wellness the District has made through creative programming for students and parents offered through the Student Health Center.

The District's mission to "educate and empower all students to thrive academically, socially and emotionally and be contributing members of society" recognizes that student wellness goes hand in hand with good attendance as critical components to student learning and success. It is imperative for the District to be in tune with the mental and physical health of students, to support them living out the District's mission for them. According to a report by Get Healthy San Mateo, there is a direct link between poverty, low educational outcomes and the need for health and wellness initiatives.

In 2012, with grant funding from the Peninsula Health Care District, the San Bruno Park Student Health Center was established in a modular facility located on the campus of Belle Air Elementary School in the San Bruno Park School District. The Center has been especially important for families who encounter certain obstacles to fully utilizing County Health Services due to an inability to travel to the southern portion of SM County. In the years since 2012, Peninsula Health Care District has continued to award grant funding to maintain programs and services that have evolved through the Student Health Center and are especially responsive to the District's diverse ethnic and socioeconomic population of students and their families.

On October 11th, San Bruno Park School District’s Student Health Center, working collaboratively with Belle Air Elementary School, will host a Health Fair for the Belle Air community from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. at Belle Air school. The event is open to the community free of charge.

“We anticipate at least twenty agencies and resources dedicated to health, nutrition, wellness and other resources to be part of the Fair”, commented Marie Lukehart, who manages the Student Health Center. Healthy snacks and a raffle with prizes will also highlight the event.

Since its inception in 2012, the Student Health Center has touched the lives of thousands of students and hundreds of parents with programs such as:

• San Bruno Lions Club provides free vision screening for students;
• Healthier Kids Foundation is providing dental and hearing screening;
• In cooperation with San Mateo County Health System Health Coverage Unit, the Student Health Center is helping our uninsured families obtain comprehensive health coverage;
• San Bruno Library and our schools host Leah's Pantry to offer free Food Smart workshops to teach children and their parents how to develop cooking skills and acquire nutrition information that empowers them to eat fresh, whole foods and to live healthier lives. Through interactive activities and recipes, they learn about serving sizes, balanced meals, meal planning and grocery shopping in addition to kitchen safety and cooking skills;
• UC Cooperative partners with the Student Health Center to offer free workshops at schools for parents and caregivers about nutrition, physical activity and health lifestyles;
• American Heart Association, through the Student Health Center, has awarded grants that provided for "Kids Cook with Hem" at our intermediate school which gave graders hands-on experience in cooking classes teaching importance of balanced diet, and, at another of our schools, a grant for a "Teaching Garden" for students to learn about planting, nurturing and growing plants that provide value of good eating habits.
• Breathe California is currently engaged with our middle school students about dangers of smoking.
• "Health on a Shelf' — a section of 40 books on health in each of the seven school libraries, available to students, staff and parents, procured by the Student Health Center.

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Robert Riechel

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Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: Superintendent Kemp - San Bruno CA Park School District

Web Site: http://sbpsd.k12.ca.us/

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