Commit to Be Fit Newsletter

September 2024/Issue No. 290

Our ABL kids are hard at work becoming BrainStars! Students exhibit BrainStar behavior by following the 4 golden rules of ABL class that teach the importance of listening and learning to become even better students. These kids love showing off their hard earned stickers. :)

Our Action Based Learning Lab is kicking off with some movement literacy learning! Pictured is Mrs. Jenkin's 2nd grade class playing a fun Find & Rhyme game. Rhyming flash cards were hidden across the room for students to find and work together to match the words that rhymed and place into the correct hula hoop.

This month, students at both the elementary and high school got to sample a scratch-made condiment, "Panther Sauce" in our cafeterias! At the elementary school, students sampled the sauce and tallied their vote using our sticker board. It's safe to say the sauce was LOVED and will return back on the school menu soon.

On September 19, our Farm-to-School Associate, Mallory Grady paid a visit to the RCES cafeteria serving some yummy "Cowboy Caviar". The recipe featured the Harvest of the Month, bell peppers, along with some other nutritious ingredients for the kids to enjoy! You can check out the recipe in our featured recipe section!

Mark your calendars for the third annual Headwaters Harvest Festival, which will take place on October 5, 2024 at Rappahannock County Elementary School from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. This year, Headwaters is thrilled to announce its collaboration with Rappahannock County Public Schools to showcase student projects. Stay in the loop and follow Headwaters' Facebook and Instagram pages to receive festival updates.

The Commit to Be Fit team is excited to be a vendor at the festival this year with some fun games for those of all ages to join in on. We can't wait to see you there!

The POP (Power of Produce) Bucks program continues this year with lots of fresh produce! Funded through a grant by the generosity of the PATH Foundation, all students at RCPS have the opportunity to receive a FREE farmer's market bag full of fresh proteins, grains and vegetables, along with two, $5 tokens given at pick up for students to shop around with at the market. Sign-up is required for each market. For more information or to sign your child up, click HERE.

Beginning this school year, our newsletter will be operating on a monthly format. Be sure keep look out for emails from us at the end of each month to get a recap of our recent happenings, tips, announcements and more!

These dreary rainy days can make it challenging to stay motivated. It doesn’t take long for the blues to really set in. But, only if we let them. Find indoor activities that bring you joy. It doesn’t necessarily have to be rigorous exercise. Relaxing activities such as reading or watching your favorite show can help improve your mood tremendously. Of course get a little exercise if you can. Yoga, a home workout with some good music can do wonders to boost those endorphins. Do something that will give you a sense of accomplishment such as organizing a space or catching up on day to day projects you may have neglected. Don’t forget to brighten the environment by opening up curtains during the day, turning on a warm light, or adding some greenery to your space. Staying connected with friends and loved ones through calls and messages can also help to keep your spirits up. If nothing else, treat these rainy days as an opportunity for rest and reflection. Better yet, there’s no harm in just going outside. It’s only water!

With the fall air and sweater weather coming around the corner, be mindful of your Vitamin D intake. Our bodies make vitamin D from exposure to the sun and many of us do not get much exposure when these fall and winter months roll around. Include foods like salmon, eggs, and oranges into your diet to help your body get an adequate amount of vitamins. Vitamin D is crucial for bone health and strengthening of your immune system so it’s important you’re getting enough of it, especially during the coming months of cold and flu season!

As we have now officially turned the corner on summer and have entered into fall, it’s time to think about colder weather foods. One of the most important fall food resources we rely on is dried beans. Nothing like cooking a pot of stew or soup on the stove to fill our house with warmth and the smells of great flavor. Stews and winter soups pair amazingly with a thick slice of sourdough bread. Dried beans are rich in micronutrients like potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc. They’re also a great protein source for vegetarians. Dried beans also are economical and have an extended shelf life. Their only requirement is some forethought to soak them overnight. Pick a dried bean like Cannelloni, Great Northern, or Black beans and then find a well reviewed recipe online and give them a shot. Once you have, you will wonder where they’ve “bean” all your life.

Our Harvest of the Month for September is bell peppers! Our farm to school associate, Mallory Grady, featured this "Cowboy Caviar" at the Elementary School. Give the recipe a try!

Our Culinary Liaison, Brian Volmrich, created a Panther Sauce for all our students this month. Lot's of little ones were begging for the recipe to bring home to their parents!

Fall weather calls for comfort meals! Try this deliciously warm soup on one of those crisp autumn evenings.

C2BF has a massive database of brain breaks and movement-based learning activities available to all RCPS teachers that cater to PreK-12th grade levels. These teacher resources can be found HERE on our website. As always, the C2BF team is more than happy to come into your classroom and lead these activities, while giving you an opportunity to a quick break. Email c2bf@rappahannockschools.us to schedule a time with the team!