At Pope John Paul II Catholic School, we are concerned about the health, fitness, and well-being of all our students, staff, and parents. We offer numerous ways to address these needs, such as:
All students regularly participate in Physical Education classes during the week. Classes are geared for age-appropriate activities. At varying times throughout the year, physical fitness programs may be offered for staff and parents. All activities are guided and supervised by the Physical Education coach.
PJPII participates in the Federal Food Lunch Program. This program provides free or reduced lunches for students whose families meet certain income guidelines. Certain standards for nutrition set by the program must be met for PJPII to participate. This includes reducing the amount of fat and sugar in the foods served. An extensive review and periodic checks are conducted by the Federal Food Program to ensure PJPII follows and meets all standards. The Wellness Policy is part of this standard.
The School Advisory and Development Council (SADC) has adopted a wellness policy that can be viewed by clickinghere or by coming to the school office during office hours and requesting to view the policy.
PJPII established a wellness committee comprised on individuals from some of the following areas: food service, School Advisory and Development Cuncil members, faculty, administration, teachers, parents, the Athletic Association, the physical education teacher, physicians, dentists and/or other health professionals. The committee designs and enforces all wellness policies for Pope John Paul II Catholic School.
Students are encouraged to bring healthy snacks to school. Sales of candy have been eliminated from the regular school day. Fundraisers using candy have been greatly reduced or eliminated altogether where possible.
Students are not permitted to bring sodas for lunch.
What is a Healthy Snack?
In order to participate in the National School Lunch Program, we must follow guidelines set forth by the government and the local Health Department. Students who bring snacks to school should bring healthy snacks, as listed below, while also taking into consideration rules established by their classroom teacher(s). Parents, we encourage following these guidelines when supplying snacks for your child/children, and the classroom, for parties and such.
Examples of Healthy Snacks Include:
• Low-fat or non-fat yogurt, mini-yogurt cups
• Yogurt in a tube or drinkable yogurt, such as Danimals and Gogurt
• Fresh, cut up fruit such as apple slices, bananas, melon, grapes
• Fruit cups
• String cheese, the low fat variety
• Graham crackers
• Popsicles made from 100% fruit juice, such as Breyers or Dole “no sugar added” fruit bars
• Baked tortilla chips
• Low-fat or air-popped popcorn
• Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars
• Nature Valley Chewy Trail Mix Bars
• Quaker Granola Bars
Foods to Avoid Include:
• Fruit rollups
• Farley Fruit Snacks
• Sunkist Fruit Gems
• Starburst Fruit Chews
• Jolly Rancher Fruit Chews
• Amazin Fruit Gummy Bears
Although many schools have eliminated recess from the school day, we feel it is an important break for our students. In addition to Physical Education, all students in Grades EC3 through 8th have at least one recess period.
A new program for middle schoolers established in 2006. PJPII was awarded the 2007 Catholic Schools of Tomorrow Award from Today's Catholic Teacher magazine for this innovative program. PJPII was one of 12 schools in the nation recognized for their unique programs. A copy of the article may be obtained from the school office. Body, Mind, and Spirit was also featured in the Citrus County Chronicle newspaper in 2007.
PJPII's intra-mural Athletics program consists of numerous sports, including cheerleading. The sports offerings have been expanded over the past few years to include flag football and tennis. For more information on the different sports and the program, click here.
Citrus County sponsors an annual program to raise awareness of the need for fitness for individuals. This program tracks participation in fitness activities on a weekly basis for teams or participants. Teams can be formed by families, organizations, friends, etc. The results are published in the local paper weekly. Prizes are awarded to the highest scoring team(s) at the end of the program period.
PJPII entered a team in this program in the past and expects to continue.
