APS 5th Graders Create Healthy Recipes, Compete For Prizes

                                                                                                                                                                                 
NEWS RELEASE #20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2014

APS 5^th Graders Create Healthy Recipes, Compete For Prizes 

Working collaboratively with the 5th Gear Kids Team, ZisBoomBah.com is challenging 6,500 5th graders in two Colorado school districts to create their very own recipe from healthy whole foods. 5th Gear Kids is a collaborative effort between the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora Public Schools, and Cherry Creek School District.

“The Healthy Recipe Challenge was created to help 5^th Gear Kids gain the knowledge on how to create a recipe, experiment with whole food and find out what healthy recipes they like to eat, and build a sense of pride around healthy living. The goal of the challenge is to get kids to take an active role in making healthy eating fun, affordable and delicious for themselves and their families.  Recipes with photos and/or videos will be posted on ZisBoomBah.com http://www.zisboombah.com/recipes,” said Karen Laszlo, Founder of ZisBoomBah.com.

5^th Gear kids and their parents or guardians are invited to create and submit an original recipe made from scratch and using real whole foods. The panel of judges from ZisBoomBah.com http://ZisBoomBah.com and 5th Gear Kids https://5thgearkids.org/ will select winning recipes based on the nutritional value of the recipe; perceived taste; creativity and originality; use of ingredients that are in-season in Colorado; affordability; and the story behind the recipe. 

Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 recipes chosen by the judges, as well as a prize for “Kids Choice” at the 5th Gear spring celebration March 14, 2014. 5th Gear students who do not compete in the contest can still be engaged with healthy eating and can vote for their peer’s recipes. This contest is in support of the 5th Gear Kids mission to engage and empower 5th graders to make healthy decisions regarding food and physical activity through understanding energy balance. “We are really excited to see what our kids create. When kids make healthy food choices at home, their whole family wins,” said Lisa Alexander, Community Partnership Coordinator for 5th Gear Kids.

The ZisBoomBah approach is a departure from everything that has been tried and failed, and the first approach that puts children at the center of the solution. ZisBoomBah ’s website – “where it’s OK to play with your food” – arms children (and parents) with the truth about the food they eat every day and empowers them to create their own wholesome meals with an easy, free online tool called “Pick Chow!” By playing “Pick Chow!” children learn to make responsible food choices early on – a skill that will serve them throughout their life.

About ZisBoomBah

ZisBoomBah.com is the award-winning online game where kids are the hero of healthy living and where parents get credible tools and information to raise a healthy family. ZisBoomBah.com offers family wellness programs to companies, communities, schools and doctors which includes online adventures, weaving real-life activities into the fun elements of gaming, making healthy choices a part of a kids’ daily routine. The programs are designed by ZisBoomBah.com’s team of nutritionists, fitness experts, psychologists, teachers and game writers with the purpose of stimulating kids to make better choices. Parents motivated to make a change will find everything they need at ZisBoomBah.com with credible tools, games, information and adventures! ZisBoomBah.com is the Award Winning #1 Online Nutritional Tool for Kids by Let’s Move & USDA | 5-Star Rating by Common Source Media |  As seen on WebMD & Rachel Ray’s Yum-o! 

About 5th Gear Kids
Developed through collaborative efforts between the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Aurora Public Schools, and the Cherry Creek School District, 5th Gear Kids is an innovative health and wellness program with the goal of educating 5th grade students about energy balance—the relation between food intake and physical activity. Through education, practical experience, and a rewards system, 5th Gear Kids’ main objective is to prevent excessive weight gain in 5th graders and give them the skills they need to maintain a healthy weight throughout their lives. Children encounter a multitude of food and physical activity choices every day. 5th Gear Kids enables students to better understand the consequences of these choices and to become ambassadors for health at school, at home, and out in the community. 

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303-326-2755 for more information

APS Board of Education Executive Session

NEWS RELEASE #19
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2014

WHAT: APS Board of Education Executive Session
WHEN: November 10, 2014 at 5:15 p.m.
WHERE: Conference Room A, APS Educational Services Center 4, 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO  80011

APS Board of Education Executive Session

On Monday, November 10, 2014, the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education is expected to recess into executive session under the authority of C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b), to receive legal advice.

The executive session will be held from 5:15-7:00 p.m. in Conference Room A at Educational Services Center 4, 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO  80011.

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APS Board of Education Executive Session

NEWS RELEASE #18
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2014

WHAT: APS Board of Education Executive Session
WHEN: November 11, 2014 at 5:15 p.m.
WHERE: Conference Room A, APS Educational Services Center 4, 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO  80011

APS Board of Education Executive Session

On Tuesday, November 11, 2014, the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education is expected to recess into executive session under the authority of C.R.S. 24-6-402(4)(b), to receive legal advice.

The executive session will be held from 5:15-6:00 p.m. in conference room A at Educational Services Center 4, 1085 Peoria Street, Aurora, CO  80011.

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APS Students Honor Veterans and Salute America

NEWS RELEASE #17
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2014

WHAT: Veterans Day Ceremony
WHEN: November 11, 2014 at 11 a.m. 
WHERE: Aurora Quest K-8, 17315 E 2nd Ave., Aurora, CO 80011

APS Students Honor Veterans and Salute America

Aurora Public Schools students are honoring veterans and participating in “Saluting America” activities next week. The Veterans Day ceremony at Aurora Quest K-8 will feature an honor guard from Buckley Air Force Base, the Pledge of Allegiance and music.

The ceremony will start promptly at 11:11 a.m. and last for 11 minutes. Students will be wearing red, white or blue according to their grade level. The assembly will also include a performance by the Quest A Band playing the Star Spangled Banner. The Buckley AFB honor guard will lower flags to half-staff while a trumpeter plays Taps.  At the end of the song, flags are raised back to the top, and students file silently back into the school.

“The ceremony itself is very moving,” said Trish Guerrero, an Aurora Quest parent and organizer. “The goal is to give everyone, the kids especially, an opportunity to realize how special our military is and how blessed they are to be Americans.” 

Other schools will also be hosting assemblies and breakfasts to honor those who have and currently serve our country. APS students and staff are participating in the Saluting America program, which includes writing special thank you cards to veterans. Each “Tribute Card” contains a patriotic image and quote from a noted American. The cards are distributed to kindergarten through high school students and staff members who write personal “thank you” messages in them. Students and staff then personally deliver cards to veterans and active military service members.

About Saluting America:
The Saluting America School Program empowers teachers to promote patriotism and raise youth awareness of sacrifices made by our nation's active duty military personnel and our veterans. Using educational tools and suggested projects, educators customize classroom activities that teach young people about sacrifices made to protect our country's freedom. Through selected activities and classroom programs, young Americans learn about patriotism, citizenship, and our history.

Tools developed by Saluting America allow each student to engage in the acknowledgement and appreciation of those who serve. Saluting America provides teachers with components needed to implement the program. The program is supported by foundation grants, corporate sponsorships and volunteer efforts.

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Interested media may contact APS News Media Specialist
Patti Moon at 303-326-2755 for more information