South Limburg's 100th Healthy School is in Kerkrade
More and more schools in Kerkrade and the South Limburg region are a Healthy School. Monday, August 28, OBS De Schatkist unveiled the 100th Healthy School vignette in South Limburg. The Schatkist received the vignette for the well-being component. This proves that this school has a structural focus on the well-being of students and staff. BS Steltloper also received a vignette for the theme of nutrition. De Blokkenberg recently extended the vignette for the theme of well-being.
Six Healthy Schools in Kerkrade
In Kerkrade, six primary and secondary schools are now a Healthy School. In addition to De Schatkist, Steltloper also recently received the Healthy School vignette for the nutrition theme. In addition, De Blokkenberg renewed the well-being theme certificate. With this, the school remains a Healthy School. Jo Schlangen, Education Alderman of the municipality of Kerkrade, and Sacha Verjans, Healthy School Advisor of GGD Zuid Limburg, visited these three schools to congratulate them. "As a municipality, we invest in healthy youth. We want children to have a good foundation for a healthy future. We are therefore pleased that these schools in Kerkrade are committed to the lifestyle of their students," said Jo Schlangen.
Getting Started
All schools in Kerkrade can make use of the support provided by the GGD. Sacha Verjans: "As Healthy School Advisor, I support schools in implementing the Healthy School Approach. We first Map what is already happening and then look at what steps can be taken to eventually make a healthy lifestyle a matter of course at school. The advice is to start small: every small step taken already brings about a positive change."
The Healthy School Approach
The Healthy School Approach helps schools in primary, secondary, special and intermediate vocational education to pay continuous attention to a healthy lifestyle at school. Step by step the school works on one or more themes, including nutrition, physical activity and well-being. In this way a school can obtain the Healthy School logo. With this quality mark the school shows that a healthy lifestyle is central. A vignette is valid for three years, after which the method and policy must be described again.
Healthy Elementary School of the Future
The Healthy Elementary School of the Future goes one step further than the Healthy School. A Healthy Elementary School of the Future is an elementary school where children not only learn, but also learn to live healthily. Children are offered a daily rhythm with sufficient teaching time, sports, exercise, play and attention to healthy eating. Elementary schools De Schatkist and Steltloper have been a Healthy Elementary School of the Future since spring 2022.