École Belmont follows a balanced school day timetable.
Horaire 2023-2024.pdf
This approach:
- promotes longer sustained blocks of teaching and learning
- meets the nutritional needs of students in a more balanced way
- provides more time for quality physical activity and play
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 fifteen minute mid-morning/mid-afternoon recess and noon hour lunch.
The link between good nutrition and learning is well known. Children concentrate better and their ability to learn is improved when they eat food from the four food groups outlined in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating. The Balanced School Day timetable allows for students’ nutritional needs to be met. For children who miss breakfast, or only want a small amount of breakfast, the foods eaten during the first break provide the key nutrients for an active day. As well, when children eat a nutritious meal in their second break they are not as hungry when they arrive home from school.
THERE ARE ACADEMIC, NUTRITIONAL AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY BENEFITS!
- Decrease in transition time leading to more time for teaching and learning (less interruptions).
- Longer learning blocks for literacy, science, art, etc.
- Approach maximizes teacher-student contact time
- Time to program reading, writing and oral activities in a more flexible way!
| | - Children need more frequent food breaks.
- Two opportunities for children to eat more nutritious food.
- Children who eat nutritionally can concentrate better and more effectively!
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- Two opportunities of 25-30 minutes a day of uninterrupted play.
- Quality exercise time energizes students, helps them to concentrate on school work and promotes a healthy lifestyle!
- Extended period of play, rather than spending the time dressing and undressing for recess, especially during winter months
- Opportunities for clubs, musical groups and intramural sports during longer breaks
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(Given that Kindergarten is a half-day program they are not included in this schedule.)
Please click on the following links to get ideas/tips that promote healthy nutritional planning:
Simple Solutions to Balanced School Day Nutrition Breaks 2016.pdf
Kid’s Lunches… 2016.pdf
Balanced School Day Basics 2016.pdf
Healthy Food – Healthy Brain 2016.pdf
