Balanced School Day

The Balanced School Day schedule divides the school day into three 90 - 100 minute blocks of instructional time. Two longer nutrition and activity breaks are provided in the morning and afternoon instead of the traditional mid-morning/mid-afternoon recess and noon hour lunch. This schedule creates equally balanced teaching/learning blocks in the school day. The two nutrition/activity breaks of approximately 1 hour allow time for eating and activity in both the morning and afternoon. Nutrition breaks provide 15-20 minutes for eating and 25-30 minutes for activity. Since kindergarten is a half-day program, they are not included in this schedule.

There are academic, nutritional and physical activity benefits!!

ACADEMIC	NUTRITION	PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
More instructional time with fewer interruptions. Longer learning blocks for literacy, science, art, etc. Time to program reading, writing and oral activities in a more flexible way!	Children need more frequent food breaks. There will be two opportunities for children to eat more nutritious food. Children who eat nutritionally can concentrate better and more effectively!	Two opportunities of 30 minutes a day of uninterrupted play. Quality exercise time energizes students, helps them to concentrate on school work and promotes a healthy lifestyle! Introduction of physical education initiative, including clubs/activities/intramurals divided between the breaks.

Nutrition/Health Plan

We believe good nutrition is vital to the mental and physical health of each student and his/her potential for learning. Good nutrition along with daily physical activity is vital to healthy development and to long term health. We also believe that the school along with parent/guardians and the community are partners who can instill positive attitudes toward nutrition and lifelong healthy eating habits. We are committed to using the Manitoba School Nutrition Handbook and our Manitoba Health Curriculum as references for the actions we take to promote our beliefs.

Additional Points:

Our school will strive to reduce food packaging waste.
Parents will be encouraged to send reusable cutlery from home with lunches/snacks.
We will continue to promote active living choices throughout the school year.
Children with food allergies will be supported by ensuring a Safe Eating Zone is designated for them.
No child will go hungry at our school. Food programs will be available to provide supplementary nutrition.