Norfolk Forms Nutrition Task Force

A group called the Norfolk Nutrition Task Force was formed in January. The volunteer group consists of parents, school administrators and the food service director for the K-6 school district. The leader of the group, Jane Sylvestre, is a registered dietician. According to Sylvestre, the group’s mission is to educate and encourage families to improve their quality of life by choosing healthy foods and leading an active lifestyle while considering our impact on the environment. “I hope to help improve the health of families by teaching the value of an active lifestyle and the importance of good nutrition. For children, we hope to improve both meals brought in from home and those served in the cafeteria,” said Syl­vestre. Some of the goals and activities of the task force over the next year are the following:

Publish the monthly Norfolk Nibbles news­letter; Gather information regarding school lunch menu, eating and exercise habits through sur­veys; Identify and implement short and long-term improvements to the lunch menu; Develop and execute educational programs for children in grades K-6;

Host a series of food tastings for school chil­dren in the cafeteria; Host a Family Fun Day promoting nutrition and exercise; Develop and execute educational community programs;

Implement a recycling program;

Implement a farm to school model.

“As a school administrator and member of the Nutrition Task Force, I wholeheartedly sup­port the efforts of this group in their endeavor to improve the health of children and their fami­lies. My staff and I look forward to working with the Task Force to plan and implement innovative nutrition, exercise and recycling programs,” said Linda Balfour, principal, H. Olive Day school.

The Task Force will be holding its first com­munity program on Thursday, March 25. A pre­sentation will be made on the topic of childhood nutrition in the HOD library from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Stay tuned for more details about this event.

The first of four surveys on nutrition and ex­ercise will be implemented on March 24. Parents should stay tuned to their Connect-Ed emails for information on completing these surveys.

Also, the Task Force, in conjunction with Whole Foods, will be running a recycling/nutri­tion program for 2nd graders on April 29.

For more information or to join the Nutri­tion Task Force, please contact Jane Sylvestre at janesylvest@yahoo.com.