- Author: Angelica Perez
Mrs. Roxie Schallberg quickly acknowledged that implementing the Lowe's garden grant required more than just a vision. After Madison Elementary received the grant money, there were steps to take with the district, school and maintenance staff to make this vision come to life.
To begin the garden project, Angelica Perez, UC CalFresh coordinator, supported Mrs. Roxie Schallberger in applying for the grant. Once the grant was awarded she was able to guide her in scheduling a meeting to help her in the initial steps to begin the grant implementation. In the meeting was Madison Principal Mercedes Ochoa, and Curtis Manganaan, Director of Maintenance and Operations for the district. They both played a key role in helping to identify barriers and solutions and how to bring together a new garden at the school site. As the meeting ended, all the information and next steps where identified and the garden vision was soon becoming a reality.
The garden beds were recommended to be built by Ripperdan Community Day School in Madera, CA. Students in Mr. Scanlan's wood shop class were tasked with building the wooden garden beds and benches for Madison. Maintenance staff are also much appreciated for the design of the garden location, leveling the ground, fencing off the area and in making the garden area nice and easy to use. Finally, the “We Believe in Healthy Living" Madison Mavericks garden sign came in after the beds and benches were in place. The garden is now ready to be fully used. Although the original plan for the Madison garden took a turn in the beginning planning changes, the new location and design was even better than the original plan.
The We Believe in Healthy Living Garden at Madison Elementary was a big team effort that created impactful connections with Mrs. Schallberger, Madison Staff, UC CalFresh Nutrition Education Program, Lowe's, Ripperdan Community Day School and the school district and maintenance staff. All of these collaborations and contributions make the Madison Mavericks We Believe in Healthy Living garden project even more special. The school looks forward to its official garden opening day next year and will plan to have lessons in the garden for all grade levels that wish to participate. Below are some pictures detailng the progress of the garden.
- Author: Angelica Perez
- Editor: Emily Harris
UC CalFresh had a special visitor stop by to see what impact our nutrition program is having in Madera Unified School District. Ms. Nava's 2nd grade class at La Vina Elementary School learned all about “Varying Your Protein Food Choices" along with Congressman Jim Costa. This lesson focused on choosing a healthy balance of plant and lean animal protein foods every day. The students put their knowledge to the test during a group activity, where they helped each other sort out what foods come from plant sources and what foods come from animal sources.
Costa even participated in mixing together the Mango and Black Bean Salad recipe with Nutrition Program Coordinator, Angelica Perez. He began calling himself, “Mr. Mixer” during the recipe activity, which the students loved! A couple of students even asked for seconds from Mr. Mixer!
Students also joined in on an indoor physical activity called "Animal Charades" with Nutrition Educator, Austin Cantrell. They had fun acting out different animals without making a sound. Overall, the students enjoyed the experience and learned what Costa's role is as a congressman, and how he represents our Central Valley communities in Washington, D.C.
Pictured above, Principal Navarro, Ms. Nava and Congressman Jim Costa at La Vina Elementary in Madera, CA.
- Author: Angelica Perez
It's National Nutrition Month! This year's theme is, “Putting Your Best Fork Forward” to show us how every bite you take counts.
This month is also a reminder of what was highlighted in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: change takes time, so beginning with a small change to reach a healthier, long lasting habit is important. Here are some key messages provided by eatright.org to take into consideration this National Nutrition Month:
- Create an eating style that includes a variety of your favorite, healthful foods.
- Practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients.
- How much we eat is as important as what we eat. Eat and drink the right amount for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do.
- Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
- Manage your weight or lower your health risks by consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.
How do you plan to take charge of your health this month? Hopefully this month motivates you to make a small change or to continue making changes you are already working on. Nutrition is not one size fits all, and we hope you find your perfect fit to a healthier lifestyle.
For more information on National Nutrition Month, visit eatright.org and get inspired!
- Author: Nora Lopez
- Editor: Emily Harris
Nutrition Corners are a creative way to provide indirect nutrition education. A great place to start is with resources you have on hand, like extra calendars, the Choose MyPlate website and UC CalFresh curriculum. The Nutrition Corner pictured above is a promotion of the Plant Parts lesson I've taught in my enrolled UC CalFresh teachers' classes. I hope this draws the attention of teachers not yet participating in the program and encourages them to sign up. I also placed a recipe, produce tips and a Nutrition Activity Reporting Form to extend my lesson with my enrolled teachers and remind them of upcoming paperwork.
New Year, New Goals is a great campaign to kick off the new year with healthy goals. I used MyPlate Super Tracker information, a healthy recipe, tips to make and maintain changes, and a suggestion box to create my New Year's Nutrition Corner. Take advantage of ChooseMyPlate.gov when curating content for your nutrition topics.
The Nutrition Corner above is all about MyPlate for kids. Have students help you place the food groups in their correct spot, then place pictures of their meal on the MyPlate. This Nutrition Corner is a visual way to help kids associate foods with their food groups and illustrate what a healthy plate looks like.
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What topic would you like to see on a Nutrition Corner near you?
- Author: Tacu Vang
Before the school year ended, Mrs. Rollf showed off her Nutrition Corner that she had created with her students. She had her students create their own MyPlate and they added their favorite food from each of the food groups. She also had students put the correct food into the five food groups and the sometimes food group. It was a pleasure teaching her students about MyPlate and healthy eating. Keep up the awesome work Mrs. Rollf!
