MEMORANDUM
Memo No. 14-049
To:
Trustees
Student Trustees
From:
Jennifer Adams, Director of Education/Secretary of the Board
Pino Buffone, Superintendent of Curriculum
Date:
28 March 2014
RE:
Update on Initiatives related to Healthy Living and Physical Activity
__________________________________________________________________
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide an update regarding initiatives related to
healthy living and physical activity taking place across the system, including: grant
opportunities from the Ministry of Education, district-endorsed activities/programs, and
externally-initiated research projects.
Grant Opportunities from the Ministry of Education:
In an effort to further support efforts by schools to offer programming and activities that
promote physical activity, healthy living and student well-being, in January 2014, the
Safe School and Student Well-Being branch of the Ministry of Education invited
schools, districts and community organizations to submit applications for two grant
opportunities:

Physical Activity in Secondary Schools Grant:
The Physical Activity in Secondary School Grant goal is to increase the level of
student participation in physical activity outside of the instructional time. Applicants
needed to clearly demonstrate a plan for innovative, strategic and sustainable
initiatives that engages students and their community in increased participation in
physical activity. Twelve secondary schools across our District submitted
applications for this one time funding of up to $20,000 per project ($10,000 per year
for two years). Three OCDSB schools were selected to receive this grant.
School Name
Glebe C.I.
Project Title
Get Active Glebe
Funding Allocation
$20,000
South Carleton H.S.
Changing the Culture
of Physical Activity in
an Innovative and Strategic
Plan
$20,000
A.Y. Jackson SS
Operation Fitness for All
$20,000
Get Active Glebe
According to a school-wide survey conducted in February of 2014, only 40% of
Glebe students considered themselves very active. Time was listed as the biggest
barrier to being active on a consistent basis. The team at Glebe wishes to capitalize
on under-utilized school facilities and willing community agencies keen to build
sustainable partnerships to increase the level of participation in physical activity.
This funding will allow the school to enhance its facilities and to purchase new
equipment so that, along with community partners, they can offer a high quality, fully
sustainable activities program.
Changing the Culture of Physical Activity in an Innovative and Strategic Plan
A major challenge identified with the decrease in physical activity at South Carleton
HS is the reduction of students electing to take a Health and Physical Activity course
beyond the compulsory grade 9 course. Existing intramural-led activities tend to
attract those already physically active. By establishing a student-lead Athletic and
Wellness Council, the school hopes to increase the participation rate of students in
a refurbished Fitness and Wellness Centre.
Operation Fitness for All
Trying to engage the non-athletic students in physical activities at A.Y. Jackson SS
has been identified as a major hurdle. It is a reality that many students do not
engage with physical activity beyond the compulsory grade 9 Health and Physical
Activity course. By inviting students into a fitness room with updated cardio and
resistance equipment that is safe and fully functional, the school is convinced that it
will improve the overall health and well-being of its student body. The opportunities
to engage all students and be non-competitive in nature (no try-outs or skills
required). Senior students from the Exercise Science class will be closely involved
with the planning and delivery of activities. Opportunities for students to receive
fitness instructor certifications will be available at no cost in exchange for
participation in physical activity.

Healthy Eating in Secondary Schools Grant:
The Healthy Eating in Secondary School Grant goal is to help transform the food
culture in secondary schools and to develop sustainable partnerships. Applicants
needed to clearly demonstrate a plan for innovative, strategic and sustainable
initiatives that engages students and their community in changing the food culture in
their school. Four secondary schools across our District submitted applications for
this one-time funding of up to $50,000 per project. One OCDSB site was selected to
receive this grant.
School Name
Norman Johnston
Alternate Program
Project Title
Norman Johnston is
Nuts for Nutrition
Funding Awarded
$50,000
Norman Johnston is Nuts for Nutrition
In a recent student survey, only 33% of students reported having eaten breakfast
and 22% reported having brought something to eat at lunch. Students are
complaining of hunger and often do not readily have access to nutritious food, which
leads them to make unhealthy eating choices. This funding will be used for many
different projects, all working together to make Norman Johnston a hub of healthy
eating in the community and the school district. Student ambassadors will be trained
in leadership, nutrition, and cooking so that they have the confidence to engage
others. Woodworking students will plan and build an accessible garden to be
planted and tended by seniors from Blackburn Lodge alongside students. Students
will use the produce grown to make and serve affordable meals in a new foods
room. All food prepared will be healthy, as a partner dietitian will provide education
and guidance to the students establishing the menus.
District-endorsed Activities/Programs:
The following activities/programs have been endorsed by the district, at the elementary
and secondary levels.
School Travel Planning Project – Elementary
A joint initiative between the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) and
Green Communities Canada, the School Travel Planning Project aims to gain a better
understanding of the barriers that impede active travel to schools, as well as the
creation and implementation of a comprehensive travel plan for each school that
addresses the identified barriers. This initiative was initially implemented in the 20092010 school year in the district and has involved 13 elementary schools since that time.
Due to the nature of the work involved (i.e., collection of baseline and follow-up surveys
with parents/guardians and children), details of this project are vetted through the
Ottawa-Carleton Research Advisory Committee (OCRAC) to ensure that processes in
place for the conduct of research by external parties are followed. The travel plan is to
be developed by a team of relevant stakeholders from within the school and the
community. This project intends to build the capacity for a safer physical environment
both on the school site and in the immediate vicinity of the school.
Longest Day of Play - Elementary
In partnership with the Ottawa Senators Foundation and the Education Foundation of
Ottawa, a fundraising initiative that promotes physical activity among elementary
students has been established for the spring of 2014. For 24 consecutive days,
beginning on 28 May 2014 and ending on the “Longest Day of Play” on 20 June 2014,
students will be encouraged and supported by their teachers, administrators and
families to track 60 minutes of Daily Physical Activity (DPA) each day. At the end of the
24 days, the students will have completed a cumulative 24 hours of exercise – an
achievement to be collectively celebrated on the symbolic “Longest Day of Play” on
20 June 2014. For the duration of the campaign, students will collect pledges from
families, friends and neighbours to support their commitment to achieve their 24 hours
total of exercise. The funds raised by the students will be shared between the Ottawa
Senators Foundation and the Education Foundation of Ottawa, and will be used in part
to support the Sens@School! Program, as well as athletic, arts and extra-curricular
activities for students across the District who would not otherwise be able to afford
these activities.
Igniting the Spark - Secondary
Igniting the Spark is a program that pairs physical activity with learning in all subjects.
The initiative provides opportunities for students to engage in fitness activities that help
them to achieve optimum heart rates to support and maximize their learning. After a
fitness class, students transition to an academic class. Over the last four years, a total
of eight schools in the District have participated in Igniting the Spark. In addition,
approximately seven other secondary schools in the District have expressed interest in
learning more about the program, as have a number of schools in other districts.
The program has been implemented using several models. Some secondary schools
have de-semestered one instructional period where the first half of the period (35
minutes), the students engaged in fitness initiatives and, in the second half of the
period, the students attended an academic class. The immediate transition from a
fitness class to an academic class helped place the students into their optimal learning
zone. The benefit of team-teaching also helps to address both positive
accomplishments and issues if they arose. Other secondary schools ran the program in
one semester with a fitness class preceding an academic class. Some other schools
have incorporated fitness 'bursts' into classroom activities. Pairing fitness with
academics helped to improve learning readiness in the students and increased their
confidence in their learning and in themselves. The schools that participated in the
program commented that it was a huge success in regard to the following: increased
student achievement, student engagement, learning readiness, fitness and wellness,
confidence and self-esteem and positive behaviour in classes. The program greatly
helped to support desired learning outcomes and establish clear goals for students to
work towards overall curriculum and wellness expectations.
In addition to the improvement of student academic achievement, the initiative also
helped to: establish a healthy connection for students to the school, improve
attendance and student engagement, and establish a partnership among subject
teachers, special education teachers, guidance and the administration in schools. The
program supports students to take positive steps towards their overall physical and
mental wellness and health. An OCDSB network is planned in mid-April for interested
schools to learn more about the initiative.
Externally Initiated Research Projects:
At present, there are 20 externally initiated research projects that have been approved
by the Ottawa-Carleton Research Advisory Committee for implementation in OCDSB
schools during the 2013-2014 school year, including the following projects that have a
physical activity and/or healthy living focus:
Project Title & Institution
Project Description
Health Behaviour in School-aged
Children (HBSC) Study: 2013-2014
Queen’s
University/World
Health
Organization/Public Health Agency of
Canada
School Travel Planning (STP) Project
Green Communities Canada
Update to the 2009-2010 study that aims
to gain insight into attitudes, behaviours,
and lifestyles of youth; and, to examine
relationships between contextual factors
and health behaviours.
Implemented in 2009-2010 in OCDSB
schools, this project aims to gain a better
understanding of the barriers that
impede active travel to school; and, the
creation and implementation of a
comprehensive travel plan for each
school that addresses the identified
barriers.
# OCDSB
Schools
Targeted
23
elementary
2 new
elementary
(11 others
since
2009-2010)
Project Title & Institution
continued
Project Description
Status of Daily Physical Activity (DPA) The third of a series of studies that
in Ontario Elementary Schools
seeks to assess implementation of DPA
Public Health Ontario
at the provincial level (i.e., the first two
focused on initial policy development
and implementation, and role and
experiences of public health units,
respectively.
Vanity: Novel Digital Media Tools to Examines the efficacy of online games in
Promote Tanning Bed Avoidance and teaching youth about the risks of indoor
Prevent Melanoma
tanning.
University of Ottawa
# OCDSB
Schools
Targeted
3
elementary,
2
secondary
secondary
The remaining 16 projects can be categorized into the following areas of study:
curriculum implementation/teaching and learning (8); mental health/social development
(7); and school climate (1).
During the 2012-2013 school year, the Ottawa-Carleton Research Advisory Committee
approved 24 of 55 research projects for implementation in elementary and/or secondary
schools within the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and the Ottawa Catholic
School Board. The following table provides an overview of the projects that had a focus
on physical activity and healthy living:
Project Title & Institution
Project Description
Canadian Assessment of Physical
Literacy
CHEO
Teachers Perception of the School
Nutrition Environment in Ottawa: A
Social Ecological Approach
University of Ottawa
Development of an assessment tool to
measure physical literacy amongst
students.
To gain insight into teachers perceptions
of current practices in the school
environment that could have an
influence on a child’s eating behavior in
response to the obesity epidemic.
To examine appropriateness and
effectiveness of current SHAPES
feedback report that is used to share
information back to schools with respect
to the SHAPES survey conducted biannually in Ontario schools.
Conducted every two years in Ontario
schools, this survey monitors substance
use, mental health indicators, physical
health indicators, and risk behaviours
among students in grades 7-12 over
time. Findings from Ottawa students are
used by Ottawa Public Health to inform
public health programs and services for
Ottawa schools.
Developing a more effective schoollevel feedback report based on the
needs
of
school
stakeholders:
Improving the SHAPES knowledge
and exchange tool
University of Waterloo
The 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use
and Health Survey (OSDUHS)
Centre for Addiction and Mental
Health
# OCDSB
Schools
Targeted
elementary
(any)
3
elementary
1
secondary
5
elementary,
8
secondary
Due to the labour disruption, some of these projects may be continuing with their data
collection in OCDSB schools during the 2013-2014 school year.
In undertaking research in OCDSB schools as an external agency/partner, a final report
summarizing the research findings is expected, although somewhat difficult to obtain at
times. Over the past two years, the following final reports have been received that
include reference to physical activity and healthy living:

Freeman, J.G., King, M., Pickett, W., Craig, W. et al. (2011). The Health of
Canada’s Young People: A Mental Health Focus. Public Health Agency of Canada:
Ottawa, ON.

Adamo, K., Goldfield, G., & Colapinto, C. (2011). Evaluation of the “Freggie Fridays”
Program’ in Ottawa Schools. In Annual Report 2011: Healthy Active Living and
Obesity Research (HALO) Group (pp. 30-31). Children’s Hospital of Eastern
Ontario: Ottawa, ON.

Green Communities Canada (2011). The City of Ottawa 2010-2011 School Travel
Planning (STP) Intervention Results. Unpublished manuscript.

The Champlain Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Network. (June 2012).
Champlain Declaration Healthy Schools 2020: Ottawa-Carleton District School
Board: School Board Survey Results. Unpublished manuscript.

Boak, A. Hamilton, H.A., Adlaf, E.M., & Mann, R.E. (2013). Drug Use Among
Ontario Students, 1977-2013: Detailed OSDUHS Findings (CAMH Research
Document Series No. 36). Toronto, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact Pino Buffone,
Superintendent of Curriculum, at 613-596-8211 ext. 8573.
cc:
Director’s Executive Council
Monica Ceschia, Manager, Board Services
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