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Health & Wellness

Parkside Elementary: Falcons Rise Up Friday School of the Week

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps
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Parkside Elementary has been selected as a Rise Up Friday School of the Week.

Parkside Elementary School was recently selected as the Rise Up Friday School of the Week for showcasing Falcons spirit. Freddie Falcon and the Atlanta Falcons Cheerleaders used wellness promoting activities to reward students who have arrived to school on time everyday this year.

The school was selected for Falcons School of the Week by submitting photos online displaying Falcons spirit.  The Parkside students provided photos that included images of the Parkside can-a-thon, which resulted in  931 pounds of food donations for the local homeless community and student drawings of the “Dirty Bird” displayed at the school.

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Atlanta Falcons cheerleaders teach Parkside students how to cheer on the Falcons.

“Parkside was rising up to attend school everyday on time; rising up to feed the hungry; rising up to fight obesity; and we’re rising up throughout the school and associating all of that with the Falcons,” said Armelia Braddy, Parkside cheerleading coach. “The rise up concept has created this positive enthusiasm with the students, and we’re going to continue throughout the year.”

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Students engage in wellness activities with Freddie Falcon

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South Atlanta Health and Medical Sciences’ Annual Emory Pipeline Pinning Ceremony

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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South Atlanta Health and Medical Sciences held its annual Emory Pipeline Pinning Ceremony to celebrate students and mentors participating in the Emory Pipeline program. Emory Pipeline is a mentorship program that offers sophomore students an opportunity to be paired with a mentor from Emory University for the remaining three years of high school.

Screen Shot 2013-11-08 at 4.06.45 PMSixteen students have been accepted to the program this year, and will be visiting Emory on a weekly basis to participate in a number of different lessons and activities.  The students will learn about sexual health their sophomore year, neurology and mental health their junior year, and public and community health their senior year.  This is an incredible opportunity for the students to develop long-term mentoring relationships with college students pursuing careers in health sciences.  Pipeline’s mentorship focuses on enhancing students’ college readiness, academic planning, career awareness, leadership and academic skills.

Last year’s graduating class of Pipeliners was offered $2.5M in scholarships and included two Gates Scholars. This fall, the students are attending colleges such as Spelman, Morehouse, University of Georgia, Agnes Scott, Clark Atlanta, and Emory University.

Screen Shot 2013-11-08 at 4.04.16 PM“Emory Pipeline has helped me figure out what I want to do in the medical field and build a long standing relationship with my mentor,” says Danyelle Davis, student at South Atlanta. “It has also helped me become more outgoing and organized at school.”

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Mary Lin Elementary’s Home Run-a-Thon 2013

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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On September 13th, Mary Lin Elementary School kicked-off their Home Run-a-Thon, a PTA-sponsored fundraising initiative. Home Run-a-Thon directly benefits Mary Lin Elementary by raising money for academic and school improvements.

Screen Shot 2013-09-20 at 10.10.35 AMA pep rally held prior to the event, energized the students to run in support of their school and during the Home Run-a-Thon, students celebrated fitness by running around a baseball diamond with their friends, and received free gifts.

The goal was to raise $35,000 towards the school, but parents, friends and community members “stepped up to the plate,” resulting in a record-breaking total of $55,000 in donations!

“It truly ‘took a village’ to pull this off; each and every student, parent, teacher, administrator and local business who gave time and/or money contributed to the strength of the effort,” says Julie Noble, parent and Co-chair of Home Run-a-Thon 2013.

“Ultimately, the appeal of everyone working together to create an event where we keep 100% of the funds, resulted in a record-breaking total of funds raised, which will be used for facilities and curricular improvement, faculty development and classroom supplies.”

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Mary Lin’s Home-Run-a-Thon was a great success as the entire school and surrounding community was involved.

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Business and organizational donors for Home Run-a-Thon included: Fox Brothers BBQ, King of Pops, Trader Joes, Atlanta Braves, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Intown Business Center, The High Museum, Metro Framing and Gallery, Folk Art Restaurant, The Georgia Aquarium, Cherry Bomb, Barking Hound Village Lofts, Blackberry Smoke, Imagine It! Children’s Museum, The Wrecking Bar Brew Pub, Metro Fresh, Earthshattering Music.

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Southeast Atlanta Community Designs Playground for All Ages at Dobbs Elementary

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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On September 6th, Atlanta Public Schools, the South Metro Scholastic Fund, Humana Foundation, and KaBoom! kicked off their design plans for a new one-of-a-kind community garden at Dobbs Elementary School.

Dobbs_Evt-007The customized playground will be funded primarily by the Humana Foundation and will be created with personal drawings and other input from local community members – from children to seniors – collected during this special design day.

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The children who attend J.W. Dobbs Elementary School have not had a playground to enjoy for more than 10 years. The community will rally together to design a new community garden to encourage a healthy diet – as well as more traditional, kid-friendly equipment to create a truly multi-generational space. The project will create a gathering area to inspire family picnics and get-togethers for years to come.

The project is one of more than 50 playgrounds being built by Humana, the Humana Foundation, and KaBOOM! across the U.S. over four years. The Humana Foundation is proud to help create a lasting neighborhood legacy that promotes healthy play and well-being.

APS is thankful for all of the partners sponsoring this project and is excited for the actual building day of the playground on November 9, 2013.

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Burgess-Peterson Academy Named 2013 Partner Up! for Public Health

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps
Screen Shot 2013-07-12 at 4.51.38 PMBurgess-Peterson Academy is featured in the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) website as a 2013 Partner Up! for Public Health Heroes award recipient. The award selected Burgess-Peterson Academy as one of the five 2013 Partner Up! for Public Health Heroes, for making an important contribution to the health of their communities.
The article highlights the school’s wellness program, and the positive impact it has on the students and community members.
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Coan Middle’s Health & Fitness Day

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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My Giving Point conducted a full day of service learning at Coan Middle School. The social cause was health and fitness; their goal was to create awareness and improve student health. The students spent an entire morning exercising, learning yoga, healthy habits and more. Grounded Yoga instructors provided yoga lessons for students in the media center, and the students learned about the water crisis in Africa by carrying gallons of water for a short distance.  They also learned how important it is to work as a team with a representative from United Brothers and Sisters of America (UBSA).

IMG_0023[16]The students were challenged with several assignments over the summer:

1) Move 60 minutes per day by taking a walk in their neighborhood

2) Replace one snack a day with a fruit

3) Conduct research into what social change they support.

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Student Wellness Ambassadors Leadership Academy

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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On Saturday, March 16, 2013, students representing 14 Atlanta Public Schools attended the 4th Annual Student Wellness Ambassadors (SWA) Leadership Academy.  This event was held in conjunction with the Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully (C.H.O.I.C.E.S) Children’s Expo at the Adamsville Recreation Center. Focusing on the theme, “Fitness for the fun of it,” students participated in activities promoting healthy living by visiting vendor nutrition exhibits, racing in team relays, and dancing to the infamous “Let’s Move!” slide.

Featured speakers included Councilman C. T. Martin and Dr. Patricia Harris, Director of Fulton County Health Department, who shared the importance of developing healthy habits early on. Students from Mays and Therrell earned community service volunteer hours for assisting during the event. Students from Parkside, Coretta Scott King and Mays were featured as speakers on the program.

The APS Schools represented were:

Parkside, Garden Hills, Cont. Colony, Miles, Fickett, Cascade, Heritage, Hutchinson, Thomasville Heights, Scott, Peyton Forest, Young, Coretta Scott King, Bunche

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Whitefoord is Strong4Life!

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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Strong4Life, a children’s healthcare of Atlanta movement, hosted a pep rally at Whitefoord Elementary on February 15th. The gymnasium was full of energy and excitement as the host and DJ encouraged students to be strong for life by following the 4 Healthy Habits.

The 4 Healthy Habits include:

1. Drinking Water
2. Eating fruits and vegetables
3. Limiting your screen time
4. Being Active

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“It’s easy and yummy to be strong for life,” said the Strong4Life host. The pep rally was interactive as a competition was held between three volunteers to see who can fill up their plates with fruits and vegetables the fastest. A wooden scale was used to measure the balance between screen time and activity time. Strong4Life gave away challenge packs, waterbottles, and T-shirts to every student at Whitefoord. They also ended the pep rally by teaching the students the “Gangnam Style” dance routine.

“I learned to be strong for life, and it was really fun,” says Anquandra Burley, 4th grader at Whitefoord. “I am really looking forward to them coming back next year.”

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The Teddy Bear Hospital Examines Toomer Elementary

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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On February 8th, the kindergarteners at Toomer Elementary School brought their teddy bears to be treated at the Teddy Bear Hospital.  A group of 15 Emory medical students posed as doctors and examined the teddy bears that the children brought in as patients. The doctors assessed the teddy bears by taking x-rays, checking their blood pressure, heart rate, and more. The children participated in the check-up by examining their eyes, giving them shots, and listening for their heartbeat. They were fully engaged in the activity and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“The idea is to allow the children to experience the medical interaction through the eyes of their teddy bear,” says Chris Lewis, Director of Emory’s Teddy Bear Hospital. “It’s all about getting the children excited about health in a setting where they feel comfortable.”

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As the kindergarten classes rotated through the examination room, they received an interactive lecture on health. The lesson covered topics including public health, safety issues, healthy foods, the importance of exercise, and more. They were also introduced to a skeleton and learned about bones and other parts of the body.

“Initially, the kids were actually quite scared of the skeleton,” says Vineet Tiruvadi, an Emory medical student. “Once they warmed up to the skeleton, they loved it, and the skeleton even got a few hugs at the end of the day. It was great to see the children get over their initial fear of the skeleton, just like their initial fear of a doctor.”

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National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month

by talkupaps
written by talkupaps

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This February, communities across the nation will celebrate National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month. School-based health centers (SBHCs) are redefining health for kids and teens by providing access to mental health services and oral health care, working to prevent obesity, and addressing other issues that affect young people’s lives.

dntalkp1[9]There is an ongoing need to invest in health care for our nation’s young people. Here in Atlanta, Georgia we already have a resource that is providing access to quality health care for our students – the Whitefoord Community Program’s school-based health centers (SBHC) at Whitefoord Elementary and Maynard Jackson High school. But without sustainable funding we could lose access to this vital resource. We at the Whitefoord Community Program urge the President and Congress to look to SBHCs as they work to improve health care outcomes for kids and teens.

drjada2[11]The Whitefoord Community Program’s SBHC’s are two of 1,800 SBHCs across the nation that are providing access to quality, coordinated health care for 1.8 million students. SBHCs are on the front lines tackling the issues that affect young people’s lives, like bullying, drug abuse, violence, and other problem behaviors.

The Whitefoord SBHCs have redefined health for kids and teens here in Atlanta, Georgia by providing quality and affordable primary health care services including dental care, sports physicals and much more. And although we are located at the 2 schools the services are available to students throughout APS.

“So, what can you do to celebrate SBHC month?”

  • Parents– Make an appointment!
  • Students–Tell your friends about us!
  • Principals, Teachers, Coaches– Refer your students to us!
  • School Nurses– Ask Nurses Gardner, Kelly or Dudley about us!
  • Community leaders– Partner with us!
  • Civic leaders–Advocate for us!
  • Everyone- come visit us for an Open House Reception on February 27, 2013!
  • For questions or an appointment call 404-588-0101 or 404-373-5350.

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