Survey Participation Winners Announced!
12/15/2017
Congratulations to VIDA Middle School and Alamosa Park Elementary! These two schools are the winners of our fall 2017 survey participation contest, having the highest percentage of responses as measured by school enrollment. On the...
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Central Kitchen Tour Recap
12/12/2017
The process, place and people involved in feeding over 20,000 meals to Vista Unified students every day may well be one of the district’s best-kept secrets. That’s not by design, however, and so in an...
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Welcome Sage Mountain Farm!
12/05/2017
When Phil Nobel moved from City Heights to a farm in Hemet back in 2004, he never expected he’d actually become a farmer professionally. “I worked for the property damage department of an insurance company,”...
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Green Thumbs Abound At Vista Unified School Gardens
11/27/2017
School gardens are a growing trend across the country, and San Diego County is a leader in that effort. Vista Unified alone has 14 gardens across its schools, and two of those recently celebrated robust...
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SDSU Women’s Basketball Team Visits VUSD Schools
11/03/2017
On October 11th and October 17th, members of the San Diego State University Women's Basketball team made visits to VIDA and Olive Elementary, respectively. Aztec players spoke with students about the importance of good nutritional...
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#CA Thursdays At Hannalei! 10-12-17
10/13/2017
Thursday, October 12, 2017: Today we got to visit Hannalei Elementary to celebrate #CaliforniaThursdays, and we had a blast! First off we visited three classrooms, and have to send our biggest thanks to Mr. Gorgueiro,...
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Olive Elementary Produce: Classroom To Table
10/11/2017
UPDATE: October 12, 2017 The team at Olive sent in a picture of the produce that they grew in class and served at lunch today. Students were able to grow 1.07 lbs. of fresh greens...
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How Much Fruit Should I Eat?
10/03/2017
It's tough to think of a snack that's healthier than fresh fruit. And because fruits have so many different flavors, from sweet to tart, there's bound to be a fruit that's the perfect fit for...
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Farmers Markets At All VUSD Elementary Schools!
09/26/2017
Farmers Markets are coming to every elementary school in Vista Unified during the 2017-18 school year! The past several years have seen schools in a rotation to host the event every three years, cycling through...
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Slow Down With The Sodium!
09/26/2017
Most of us get more sodium than we need. While adding salt to your food is a source of sodium, it may not be the main reason that your sodium intake is high. Packaged and...
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Make Small Changes: Dinner
09/19/2017
As we wrap up our series on making small changes for big differences, we've saved dinner, the most common family meal, to cover in this week's installment. Thanks to the people at ChooseMyPlate for the...
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Make Small Changes: Snacks
09/12/2017
Snack time! We all love having those small snacks during the day to keep us fueled up. And snacks can go in any direction. Thanks to our friends at ChooseMyPlate, we're offering you some inspiration...
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Make Small Changes: Lunch
09/05/2017
Lunch is a perfect time to think about making a shift to healthier eating habits. Moving just a few items around can mean the difference between loads of saturated fats and added sugars, and a...
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Make Small Changes: Beverages
08/29/2017
The fine people at ChooseMyPlate have developed a series of tips that show how small changes can mean big things for a healthier lifestyle. And these changes can happen throughout the day, from breakfast, lunch...
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Daily Calorie Checklist
08/25/2017
Do you have a daily checklist or plan to track the type and amount of calories you consume? If not, our good friends at ChooseMyPlate have devised a number of interactive resources to track your...
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Make Small Changes: Breakfast
08/22/2017
Small changes add up to big differences. Our friends at ChooseMyPlate have developed a series of short (:45) videos and some recipes and tips on how to make shifts to healthier choices for every meal...
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Choose My Plate Tips And Resources
08/18/2017
We enjoy sharing great tips and resources from our friends at ChooseMyPlate. MyPlate is a reminder to find your healthy eating style and build it throughout your lifetime. Everything you eat and drink matters. The...
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10 Tips On Being An Active Family
07/27/2017
It's no secret that an active lifestyle is a significant part of maintaining healthiness. In fact, adults need 2½ hours a week of physical activity, and children need 60 minutes a day. That may sound...
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Recipes To Stay Cool This Summer
07/11/2017
Our good friends at the USDA have just shared some delicious recipes for the summer months (or anytime, really). From a fresh veggie wrap to a mango smoothie and a southwestern tofu scramble, these dishes...
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Summer Tips Infographic
06/19/2017
While we've got a full, multi-page guide for how to eat smart all summer long, sometimes all you have time for is a quick look. So here's a handy one page tip sheet with great...
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Summer Guide: Eat Smart To Play Hard
06/09/2017
Summer's here, and the time is right, for eating smart and playing hard! And our friends at the USDA have put together a fantastic parents' guide for keeping kids fueled up with healthy foods and...
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UPDATED: Winners Announced! Strawberry Superhero Poster Contest Finalists
05/26/2017
WE HAVE OUR WINNERS! When the votes were tallied on the afternoon of Sunday, May 28th at the Vista Strawberry Festival, Natalia of Vista Academy (of Visual and Performing Arts) was the first-prize winner in...
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Summer Meals Begin June 8th
05/25/2017
The 2017 Summer meals program is about to start serving at locations across the communities served by Vista Unified School District. The program, run by the USDA, ensures that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals...
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Lake Elementary Garden Club Grows
05/05/2017
Lake Elementary School's Garden Club has been growing by leaps and bounds, and recently celebrated a bountiful and varied harvest this spring. The club, currently comprised of 3rd - 5th graders, meets twice weekly after...
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Monte Vista Wins Colorful Tray Contest
05/02/2017
Students and staff at Monte Vista Elementary School recently celebrated their victory in a district-wide "Build A Colorful Tray" contest, with the entire school receiving free frozen treats. The contest, conducted in partnership with the...
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Beans: Veggies With Protein, or Protein-packed Veggies?
04/25/2017
No matter how you look at them, beans are a fantastic source of protein and vitamins that can fuel just about any meal. And thanks to our friends at the USDA, we've got a few...
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Slow The Sodium!
04/18/2017
We know that pre-packaged seasoning mixes can save some time, but they're generally loaded with sodium, and too much of that is no good for anyone. Fortunately, we've got some fantastic and easy-to-make seasoning mixes...
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UPDATED: Wellness Council Taskforce Holds Public Meeting April 11th
04/03/2017
Vista Unified School District is committed to providing school environments that promote and protect our children's health, well-being, and ability to learn by supporting healthy eating and physical activity. This year our district's Wellness Council...
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The Reviews Are In: Students Give Thumbs Up to WaveCrest Cafe
03/14/2017
Several weeks back we were interested in getting feedback from students about some menu items. And rather than a simple taste test with a conversation, we were lucky enough to partner with Kristina Dumbeck’s writing...
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Vista High Students Share Wellness Lessons at Bobier Elementary
03/10/2017
Students from Jody Ordoñez’s senior English class at Vista High School worked on a wide-ranging research project on a topic of their choice related to wellness. As the finished, they realized that they wanted to...
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March is National Nutrition Month
03/08/2017
March is National Nutrition Month. This month long celebration of healthy eating and education started as National Nutrition Week in 1973. Interest and excitement grew and National Nutrition Month® was inaugurated in 1980. In order to help...
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National School Breakfast Week: March 6-10, 2017
03/06/2017
It's National School Breakfast Week! The week of March 6-10, 2017 is the annual national celebration of school serving the most important meal of the day. We've written about how breakfast is linked to improved...
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School Gardens: Casita Center
03/01/2017
We love our Vista USD school gardens. They're magical places that add so much to students' learning experiences. We recently had a chance to visit Casita Center, one of Vista USD's magnet elementary schools, and...
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Small Changes. Big Differences: Breakfast
02/15/2017
Small changes at breakfast can make a big difference in the quest to eat healthier and stay powered for the day. Of course breakfast is the most important meal of the day, fueling up the...
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10 Tips For Building Healthy Meals
01/18/2017
We've got another fantastic list for you from our friends at Choose My Plate. This one is a list of ten easy tips to help you build healthy meals. You can follow the link to...
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Hydration Stations Coming To 10 Vista Schools
01/06/2017
Water bottles have become ubiquitous on school campuses the past few years, as students have learned the benefits of maintaining healthy levels of hydration. Filling those bottles, however, has been a cumbersome task for many,...
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Vista Farmers Market Highlights Harvest Of The Month Program
01/04/2017
We were thrilled to see, just before the winter break, that the Vista Farmers Market highlighted our Harvest Of The Month classroom program in their newsletter. We're happy to be able to support the market,...
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