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Health and Wellness
Initiatives 2025
Mary Ellen Reed,MBA,BSN,RN,NCSN
Director of Health and Wellness
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Health Services
MAC Mini Grant
Farm-to School Overview
Kendall Foundation
MA FRESH
Healthy Meals Incentive
Concluding Remarks
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Overview
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NAUSET SCHOOL DISTRICT
SCHOOL NURSING TEAM
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Eddy Elementary | Melissa Miller |
Stony Brook Elementary | Colleen Lawless |
Orleans Elementary | Jessica White |
Eastham Elementary | Karen LaBranche |
Wellfleet Elementary | Claudia Cope Crosen |
Nauset Middle School | Bonnie Hartung |
Nauset High School Regional Part-time Nurses | Meagan Santos Amy Cianfaglione.6 FTE & Allison Kelly .6 FTE |
District
Director:
Mary Ellen Reed
38,457
12,768
93.7%
Case Management Contacts
Return to Class Rate
Clinical Visits
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21%
24%
55%
Injury
Emotional/ Behavioral Health
Illness
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“A HEALTHY MIND IS A LEARNING MIND”
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Comprehensive School Health Grant
10 year grant
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Farm To School Overview
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MA Farm to School Institute- Fall 2025
Sustainability through Connection: Learn why student and family engagement is the foundation of a lasting school-wide program.
Relationship Building: Strategies for cultivating meaningful partnerships with families and local community members.
Expanding Networks: How to identify and grow community partnerships to reach your program goals.
Actionable Insights: Specific ideas and "next steps" for immediate community involvement.
Equity & Inclusion: Tips for building inclusive practices to ensure your program’s impact is equitable and far-reaching.
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Cultivating Relationships: Promotion and Community-wide Engagement
Healthy Meals Incentive (HMI) Grant
Established by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service and Action for Healthy Kids, offers competitive grants of up to $150,000 to small and rural school food authorities to improve meal nutrition, modernize kitchen infrastructure, and support staff training.
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HMI at Nauset
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FTS at Nauset
Accomplishments
Upcoming/Goals
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Healthy Meals Incentive Grant
HMI Funded Projects
Hydroponic Units
Cooking Camp/Club Staffing and Materials
Contractual Registered Dietician
Professional Development
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NPSD Hydroponics
Hydroponic units are in each of the seven schools across the district, often mamanged by volunteers, and most student’s first exposure to FTS programming.
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Jackie Opitz
Sustainable CAPE
FTS Consultation
Local Procurement
Connections
Nutrition Education
Registered Dietitian
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MA Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health (FRESH)
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MA Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health (FRESH)
The MA FRESH Grant is a statewide DESE-administered program that supports K–12 schools and licensed early education and care centers in starting or expanding local food purchasing and food-based education initiatives.
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Nauset FTS Grants
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“Gardens and children need the same
things - patience, love, and someone who will never give up on them.”
-Nicolette Sowder-
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MA FRESH at Nauset
MA Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health
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“Gardens and children need the same
things - patience, love, and someone who will never give up on them.”
-Nicolette Sowder-
Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom (MAC) Mini-Grant
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MA Community Biodiversity Grant
The Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom (MAC) Mini-Grant provides funding to schools and youth programs for hands-on agricultural education projects that build agricultural awareness and learning across the Commonwealth.
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MAC at Nauset
Mass Agriculture in the Classroom
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Kendall Foundation
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The Henry P. Kendall Foundation supports systemic change in New England’s food system by funding regional networks and farm-to-institution efforts that increase local food production and consumption toward a more resilient, healthy, and sustainable food economy.
Kendall Foundation at Nauset
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MA Sea to School Conference - Spring 2026
Presenting on the opportunities Farm to School (FTS) funding has enabled Nauset to accomplish, such as procuring local fish for school lunches.
Mary Ellen Reed presenting on local seafood in NPSD school lunches
Suzy Remillard presenting Earthkeepers and Changemakers curriculum for 7th and 8th graders, including how we bring Traditional Indigenous Ecological Knowledge into teaching about the local environment and earth stewardship.
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Tentative/Upcoming Grants
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Cape & Islands United Way (CIUW) Micogrant
Recently Awarded.
The goals of the program are to engage residents of all ages in projects that address local concerns to improve the community landscape, and to bring attention to the value and reward of volunteerism
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Cape & Islands United Way (CIUW) Micogrant
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Currently: Stop & Shop Community Bag
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MA Community Biodiversity Grant
The Massachusetts Community Biodiversity Grant supports local, on-the-ground projects that advance the state’s Biodiversity Goals by protecting, restoring, sustaining, and connecting ecosystems to support public health, food security, and long-term environmental resilience.
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MA Community Biodiversity Grant
(reapplying Summer ‘26)
Department of Fish and Game
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Wellfleet Oyster Alliance Community Grant
The WOA Community Grant supports local projects that protect coastal ecosystems, sustain marine livelihoods, and advance environmental education and research in the Wellfleet region.
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WOA Community Grant (pending)
Wellfleet Oyster Alliance
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Closing Remarks
What is achievable with consistent reliable funding to NPSD Farm to School Programming…
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FTS Curriculum
Can be incorporated in in-classroom learning
School Gardens
School gardens promote easy access to on campus “field trips”
Field Trips
Trips to local farms promote knowledge of local communities
Beyond the Classroom
Outside classroom clubs and activities
Local Procurement
Utilizing the cafeteria as an additional classroom
Concluding Remarks
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"Feeding the body fuels the mind... every healthy meal fuels learning, focus, and a brighter future."
Alberto Carvalho
THANKS for being here!
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Does anyone have any questions?
Mary Ellen Reed - Director of Health and Wellness
Phone: (508) 255-8800 ext. 7031
Email: reedm@nausetschools.org
TBD Farm to School Coordinator