Calendar 2008=9 - The School District of Philadelphia

MarchTO YOUR GOOD HEALTHThe School District of Philadelphia became a nationalpacesetter in August 2006, when it adopted the nation’smost comprehensive school wellness policy. Among otherthings, this policy banned sodas and sugar-laden drinksfrom District schools.School Breakfasts, Lunches and SnacksFor the first time, beginning on September 4, 2008, theDistrict’s Division of Food Services will begin serving freebreakfast to all students, grades K through 12. This newlyexpanded feature is just one part of the District’s ongoingservice of breakfast and lunch on school days.Many School District students are eligible for free or reduced-pricelunches. Parents/guardians may apply online atwww.compass.state.pa.us. Or, you may obtain a HouseholdMeal Benefit Application from your child’s school. FoodServices will once again provide free after-school snacksand dinners, and breakfast and lunch on Saturdays, forstudents who require additional academic instruction timebeyond the regular school day.Nutrition EducationThe School District’s Nutrition Education Program offersK-12 classroom lessons on topics including: the importanceof breakfast; healthy snacks; and 5-a-day fruits and vegetables.One of the program’s most visible outreach endeavorsis Chew This!, an original television series produced bythe District’s cable television station, PSTV Philadelphia 52.In each series program, students visit a city restaurantwhose cuisine reflects the diversity of Philadelphia. Theylearn about dishes and beverages with which they may notbe familiar, and have a chance to taste these healthy menuitems. To view the PSTV schedule to learn when the nextepisode of Chew This! will air, please visit www.philasd.org/offices/pstv and click on PSTV Top Programs.BOOK OF THE MONTH for MarchElementary (K-2): My Life with the Wave byCatherine Cowan.A boy befriends a wave and brings it home,where they romp together until the onset ofwinter storms turns it bleak and angry. Thewave is returned to the sea in frozen form,and the boy dreams of a new predicament.Acrylic and oil illustrations complement thestory.Elementary (3-5): Pony Express by StevenKroll.A lively, fast-paced text and soft-colored oilpainting illustrations bring the excitement ofthe Pony Express to the reader. Although thisform of mail express lasted only 18 months, itwas an important step in establishing postalservice to the West. A map of the PonyExpress route, historical photographs, author’snotes, a bibliography, and an index areincluded. The book can be used forenrichment for the history curriculum.Middle School (6-8): Ella Enchanted by GailCarson Levine.This fairy tale adaptation presents Ella(Cinderella) with a very unusual problem. Agift from one of her godmothers wasobedience, and now Ella’s life is miserablebecause she must follow every command,even if it is contrary to her wishes. When ayoung prince appears, Ella hopes that he canhelp her break the spell that holds her.High School (9-12): Sonnets by WilliamShakespeare.This definitive collection contains 154sonnets, an introduction, guidance to imagery,language of each sonnet, classroom activitiesand an index of first lines. The date of origin is1597.18Trinh Pahn, South Philadelphia High School, 2003