Post submitted by Whole Child Blogger Joshua Sanchez.
To improve students’ well-being, a Canadian school suggested splitting recess and lunch into two parts in “Transforming the School Day: One School’s Journey,” a session at this weekend’s ASCD Annual Conference.
Inspired by the Whole Child Initiative, Seven Oaks Division Elementary School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, employs the balanced school-day model, which divides 100-minute teaching blocks with two extended, 50-minute nutrition and activity breaks.
In an attempt to boost nutritional standards for students, Seven Oaks also requires students to bring their own lunches from home. Subsequently, they’ve closed the school’s cafeteria, providing only one hot lunch a month and an odd meal in case a student forgets the lunch.
“We ask parents to follow the Canadian food chart,” presenter Jane Nicholls said. “Students either split one lunch or bring two. That way they don’t have to go hungry if they didn’t eat breakfast, and [it] prevents hunger later in the day.”
The balanced school-day model keeps traditional recess but adds a supervised activity, such as gym, long walks, or dancing.
The panel played video testimonials throughout the presentations of school faculty, parents, and students both praising and opposing the balanced school-day model.
One student said that he didn’t like the extended break because it meant less recess, while another girl aimlessly looked into the camera asking what a balanced schedule actually was. However, the panel praised the system, explaining that teachers said it made the days feel shorter and their workload lighter, which was also the majority opinion held by students of the school.
“We are still working to improve the program,” Nicholls said. “We are always looking for ways to better serve our school and children.”
