Mission and Vision

CITY Center for Collaborative Learning designs, implements, and advances exemplary practices in teaching and learning that transform the lives of young people and their educators. We offer professional development and community engagement experiences for educators and education advocates, including school visits and workshops.

We are experts. Our organization is led by educators with decades of experience in classroom teaching, school leadership, educational innovation, and professional development. Our areas of expertise include project-based learning, advisory programs, the powerful ‘critical friendship’ model for professional learning communities, social-emotional learning, community partnerships, student demonstrations of learning, creating positive school culture, and more. At our three schools, rigorous learning takes place in the field as well as in our buildings.

We are innovators – and practitioners. CITY Center for Collaborative Learning leads three small secondary schools that are implementing innovative practices on a daily basis. Our next level of impact is collaborating with schools and teachers in Southern Arizona and beyond to share what we do and to help build capacity so that we can all do our best work for all students.

CITY Center for Collaborative Learning District Wellness Policy (for Paulo Freire Freedom School – Downtown
Paulo Freire Freedom School – University
and City High School)

CITY Center for Collaborative Learning’s (CITY CCL) mission is to strive to be a community of learners in which all members use their minds well and care about one another. We engage with challenging academics and the unique resources of our city and region in order to become active citizens and responsible stewards of our world. Students need to be healthy in order to achieve this mission.

We have a responsibility to promote life-long healthy habits. CITY CCL can influence these habits through direct education and role modeling, offering nutritional lunches and by encouraging and requiring physical fitness. In addition to offering optional afterschool physical activities. We also recognize the importance of working with families who clearly have the most important role in their students’ health and academic successes.

In order to achieve a healthier CITY CCL community, this policy establishes the creation of a Health and Wellness Committee. The committee will meet at least once a quarter and will consist of:

• ●  School Counselor(s)

• ●  School Food Authority

• ●  Fitness/Health teacher(s)

• ●  Parents

• ●  Students

• ●  Interested faculty members

  With a district-wide commitment to education, nutrition and physical activity, the committee will evaluate and monitor the impact that CITY CCL is having on improving the health and wellness of its entire community of schools.

  Education

  The goal of education extends beyond our students and the walls of each school within CITY CCL. The goal is to improve students’ behaviors by creating an environment that is conducive to good health. This will be achieved by the following:

1. A)  Providehealtheducationincontentrelevantclasses(biology,culinaryarts,etc.).

2. B)  Assess the needs of and provide professional development to staff in multiple health-oriented topics (childhood obesity research, childhood fitness research, drug awareness training, etc.).

3. C)  Empower student groups/clubs/classes to educate their peers and families about ‘healthy choices’ and promote foods consistent with the MyPyramid food guidance system.

4. D)  Encourage all faculty & staff to role model healthy eating.

5. E)  Plan a Health & Wellness Day.

6. F)  Identify ways to educate families on a variety of health related topics (nutrition, physical

   activities, drug/alcohol awareness, etc.).

7. G)  Provide nutritional labels of items offered in vending machines and the school store upon request.

Nutrition

The goal of nutrition ensures that food available to students/staff while on each of the CITY CCL schools’ campuses is nutritious and beneficial to their overall health. This will be achieved by the following:

1. A)  OperatesaNationalSchoolLunchProgram(NSLP),inconjunctionwithacaterer,providing students affordable meals that meet or exceed the nutritional goals established by USDA and Arizona state statutes.

2. B)  Ensure all vending machines and school store products are in compliance with NSLP requirements and Arizona state statutes.

Physical Activity

The goal of physical activity is to teach and promote the importance of life-long exercise and to create a whole school environment that is conducive to physical activity. This will be achieved by the following:

1. A)  Provideopportunitiesforstudentstodevelopnewknowledgeandskillsforspecificactivities through fitness course offerings.

2. B)  Encourage all faculty & staff to role model physical activity.

3. C)  Promote awareness of the benefits of walking during all field trips that require walking.

4. D)  Compare current State fitness requirements with each school’s fitness course offerings to ensure

   alignment.

5. E)  Work with local community organizations to provide additional extra-curricular fitness and team

   sport opportunities to students.

Evaluation and Monitoring

In order to appropriately evaluate the school’s performance of these goals, the CITY CCL Health & Wellness committee will complete the following:

• ●  Monitor the implementation of this policy.

• ●  Evaluate the effectiveness of these goals and policies at least once a year.

• ●  Report directly to the Principal and give updates to staff, school board and school community.

• ●  Engage family members, students, staff and faculty, Governing Board and the public in the

  regular review of this school policy.

  Updated July 2024