Wellness committee

District Wellness Plan

District Wellness Committee Purpose : The Wellness Committee promotes and maintains a healthy and positive workplace for all WSD employees and students. This committee must cover these topics including:

• Adhere to the district wide nutrition and physical fitness policy and procedures
• Supports WSD staff with wellness resources (i.e. stress management, mental health, physical health, etc) and supports available through various agencies (examples include the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Educational Service District, Kaiser, the School Employees’ Benefits Board, etc) with the goal of creating a Staff MTSS multi-tiered system of support for holistic wellness.

Wellness Team Members:

• Sheri Cranford, HR Specialist
• Cindie Persons, Human Resources Manager
• Hannah Hartman, Elementary School Principal
• Betty Gabel, Teaching and Learning Department Assistant, Washougal School Foundation Representative
• Shelese McConnell, Executive Director of Business Services
• Tammy Windham, Resource Paraeducator
• Jami Halverson, Lead Cook
• Kendal Harris, Director of Dining Services
• TBD, District Nurse
• TBD, Parent & Community Representative
• TBD, Business & Community Representative

Work collaboratively and in small groups to accomplish committee goals.
Communicate the work and opportunities provided by the Wellness Committee.
Provide a sounding board for staff and students to share ideas for future wellness opportunities.

2026-27 Wellness Plan & Goals:

• Promote a positive workplace climate that includes a focus on diversity and inclusion.
• Sharing resources to employees for continued physical and mental wellbeing, including a quarterly newsletter.
• Host Wellness events for staff.
• Support ongoing efforts to develop goals that promote physical fitness and activities to advance student and staff wellness per board policy.

Guiding Policies and Procedures:

• 6700 & 6700P Nutrition 
• 6701 Recess and Physical Activity
• 6702 Wellness
• 5515 Workforce Secondary Traumatic Stress

2024-25 Wellness Successes:

1. Successfully transitioned former ‘staff rooms’ to designated ‘safe or wellness’ spaces for staff to relax, decompress and build relationships with other staff. All schools and the district office spaces have been transformed. The Maintenance and Transportation Departments also had work done to transition their spaces.
2. New Wellness spaces provide an avenue to promote, express and/or provide colleague gratitude.
3. District-wide wellness activities included: Steps Challenge and STRIDE for Education.
4. Newsletters and other health/wellness information was sent out in a variety of ways to district employees.

2023-24 Wellness Successes:

1. A fully operational (award winning) scratch-made school food program with quality, healthy, fresh foods which include: Locally or regionally sourced foods, sustainability efforts such as composting and recycling and provides student engagement.
2. Providing activities/events annually that engage the community and/or create continuity between schools in order to assist students and staff in practicing lifelong healthy habits such as Staff Wellness Fair, STRIDE, district or building specific socials, morning yoga and other exercise-related activities.
3. Partnered with Kaiser to being the development of multi-tiered systems of support for staff wellness.
4. Staff wellness spaces completed at Gause Elementary School (total of 2 so far, including Hathaway Elementary School).

Community Engagement

• Pure Wellness, Ripple, Kaiser, SEBB, Smart Health, etc.
• SEBB – SmartHealth
• Washougal School District Foundation
• WA Health Care Authority

Interested in partnering or being involved with the district in this work, contact Sheri Cranford at [email protected].