Matoaka’s Pinterest Recipe Sharing Board
. Visit the Matoaka Healthy Lifestyles Pinterest Site for fun and healthy recipes ideas geared towards school children, healthy lunches, snacks and school/classroom celebrations such as holiday parties and birthdays. Healthy Classroom Party Ideas by Occasion 100th Day of School Birthday Christmas Easter Educational Food End of School Year/Summer Halloween St Patrick’s Day Thanksgiving/Harvest Valentine’s [...]
News From The School Garden
The school garden is growing! A renovation is underway to add more raised beds and space. This addition will allow more classes to have hands on time in the school garden. More Garden News In March the five kindergarten classes came out to the garden and planted pea seeds. They will be harvesting [...]
Healthy End of the School Year Party Ideas
The Last Day of School is Almost Here There is a lot to look forward to at the end of the school year; Field day, class parties, fun activities, and summer! But it is also the time of year when kids can sometimes get overloaded on sugary treats. The good news is, it is easy [...]
Fun with Fruits and Vegetables
Classroom fruit and vegetable parties do not have to be boring! Try these fun animal themes and have a - Animal Party - zoo, circus, safari, puppy party, farm themes and more It’s A Bugs Life Party – bees, caterpillars, butterflies, spiders, etc Sea Animals Party – Finding Nemo, fish, beach, boats, bubbles, and many more [...]
Healthy Classroom Snack Initiative
Dear Parents, To keep in line with the school wide initiative to have a healthier environment for our students, we are asking that parents only send in healthy foods for daily snacks. Foods don’t just fill the stomach; they also help to fuel the brain to think. The key is we need the right [...]
Chef Chris’ Acorn Squash Chips and Dip
Chris Long, Executive Chef for Second St. Restaurant shared these delicious recipes with all students during our November 2012 Healthy Lifestyles Week Chef Demonstrations, sponsored by the MES PTA Healthy Lifestyles Committee, Second St Restaurant and Kelrae Farm. They were a big hit with the kids! Why not try them at home! Acorn Squash Chips [...]
Healthy Lifestyles Week Nov 5-10th
Chef Demos and More! Matoaka and the PTA celebrated Healthy Lifestyles Week November 5th-10th with a variety of fun events and activities. We take healthy lifestyles very seriously at Matoaka – so seriously in fact that an entire week in November is dedicated to promoting and encouraging health and wellness. Many fun and exciting events [...]
Matoaka’s Healthy Lifestyles in Gazette
Healthy eating takes root at Matoaka Matoaka’s Healthy Lifestyle and Local Produce Program, headed up by Matoaka parents Michelle Alexander and Tryna Fitzpatrick, was recently featured in the Virginia Gazette . Read the article online “Healthy Eating Takes Root At Matoaka” by Susan Robertson published Nov 3, 2012. The following is an excerpt: – [...]
Cardinals On The Move Run Draws Over 200!
In celebration of Healthy Lifestyles Week, Matoaka PE Teacher Mrs Bucklin, along with the Matoaka Wellness Council sponsored a 5k and 1 mile family fun run or walk on Saturday November 10, 2012 at 9am on the “Cardinal Way” nature trail. More than 200 families participated – 180 for the one mile fun run and [...]
Peppers & Potatoes Featured on Local Produce Day
Our first Local Produce Day of the 2012-2013 school year was held on September 26th and featured gorgeous red, yellow and green peppers from Kelrae Farm. Served raw with a dipping sauce, they certainly caught the eye of everyone who entered the lunch line. The children reported that they loved seeing all the bright [...]
Healthy Halloween Parties for your Classroom
Between the Tricks-or-Treats and the parties, Halloween can be a time of candy overload for kids. With that in mind, we thought it would be a good time to share some healthy alternatives to cupcakes and candy that are still fun and easy to make. You can find some of our favorites on our [...]
Matoaka’s Healthy Recipe Idea Guide
. Matoaka Elementary School’s Wellness Council and the Matoaka Healthy Lifestyles Committee are working together to create a quick and simple recipe resource focusing on healthy home-packed lunches, snacks, classroom celebration ideas and more. These recipes have been submitted by our Matoaka K-5th grade students and their families! Do you have a favorite healthy recipe [...]
Jamie Oliver Site Features Matoaka
Williamsburg, VA School Promotes Healthy Lifestyles Story by The Food Revolution Team PTA sponsored Healthy Lifestyles Program successfully grows a great idea into a model program Williamsburg Virginia is known for many things; the Colonial Williamsburg historic area, Thomas Jefferson’s alma mater the College of William & Mary, and Busch Gardens The Old Country. [...]
USDA Recognizes Matoaka
Partnering for Healthier Schools: PTA Leads the Way on Healthy Food in Virginia School by Sally Jacober-Brown, Public Affairs Specialist Mid-Atlantic Region Matoaka Elementary School isn’t the biggest school, or the oldest. But it does have a Parent Teacher Association that takes student health very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that one committee is completely devoted to helping [...]
Matoaka’s Healthy Lifestyle Committee Interviewed
The Matoaka Elementary School Healthy Lifestyle program was recently featured on the School Bites blog, a resource for parents and others interested in improving child nutrition and school lunch. Written by Stacy Whitman, the article features a Q&A with Matoaka’s Healthy Lifestyle committee chairs Michelle Alexander and Tryna Fitzpatrick. Stacy is a freelance writer [...]
Healthy Lifestyle Golden Apple Awards
In honor of Healthy Lifestyles Week last November, the PTA and Healthy Lifestyles committee kicked off a new award: THE GOLDEN APPLE. This award will be given throughout the year to teachers, staff and parents at Matoaka who are “caught” helping kids make healthy choices. Congratulations to the following individuals/teams for winning a GOLDEN APPLE for [...]
Summer Garden Program
Looking for something to do together as a family this Summer? Why not be a part of the Summer Garden Program at Matoaka! Each week this Summer a Matoaka family will have the opportunity to take care of the school garden. W/JCC Master Gardeners will be available to help, so no gardening experience is necessary. We [...]
School Lunch Featured Fresh Asparagus
Matoaka’s Healthy Lifestyle Committee partnered with Kelrae Farms this year to offer fresh, locally grown vegetables during selected school lunches. The program, which is part of a Local Produce Initiative started by the School Health Initiative Program (SHIP), and supported by the Matoaka PTA, parent volunteers, and the Matoaka cafeteria staff, has featured fresh kale, [...]
Thank You Kelrae Farm
The Matoaka community owes a big THANK YOU to Kelrae Farm for their recent donation of 44 pepper plants and 34 tomato plants to our school garden! We really appreciate your support of our school garden. The children are sure to enjoy them! Beginning with the 2011 – 2012 school year, Matoaka’s Healthy Lifestyles committee [...]
Healthy Lifestyles Seeking Nominations
Seeking Nominations for the Golden Apple Award The Healthy Lifestyles Committee needs your help! We would like to award another round of Golden Apple Awards in May, but we need nominations. Do you know of a MES teacher, staff member, or parent that has supported healthy lifestyles this year in some way? Examples include: encouraging/providing healthy [...]
