SLUSD
Employee Wellness Newsletter
November 2019
Click on the image above for a printable version.
SPOTLIGHT ON SITE: Jefferson Jaguars

Jefferson Elementary School staff members were recently treated to a homemade, hot, and healthy lunch by the San Leandro Unified School District. This event will be replicated throughout the school year at each school site and for each district department as part of our efforts to show appreciation for the award-winning work you do. Stay tuned to messages from your principals or directors about when the daily lunch bag stays at home and the scrumptious smells will be coming from your staff room!
World Kindness Day TODAY!
Celebrate with ideas HERE .
2nd Annual SLUSD Healthy Halloween Challenge Winners
Congratulations to Sean Cavanaugh at Wilson Elementary and Denise Widgren at Garfield Elementary for their winning entries in our annual October challenge. Both will receive a $50 Safeway gift certificate to continue their healthy classroom snack efforts. We will never look at watermelon the same again!
Financial Wellness: Unused Sick Days Add Service Credit

If you need another reason to stay healthy and well, consider the fact that, for CalSTRS and CalPERS employees, unused sick time can be converted to years of service upon your retirement! Calculations differ for both groups, but the bottom line is being sick can cost you in more ways than you think.

CalPERS employees can get more information about service credit HERE .
CalSTRS employees can get more information about service credit HERE .
Share Your Wellness Strategies

With the thousands of years of wisdom accumulated within our circle of SLUSD employees, best practices assuredly abound for health and wellness.

Take a minute to drop some knowledge and advice into our SLUSD Wellness Wisdom Inventory and be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate from Amazon . Entries are due by Friday, November1 5 at 3pm. The winner will be announced in the December Employee Wellness Newsletter. 
The Power of Pets

Did you know that human-animal interactions may offer a variety of health benefits? Stress reduction, increased activity, and lowered blood pressure are among the many positive effects our pets can have on our overall wellbeing.

Coco & Max Patel recommend further reading HERE . As our inaugural SLUSD Pets of the Month, they would like to extend an invitation to all SLUSD employees to send photos and bios of of SLUSD furry friends to [email protected] to be featured in future newsletter editions. Pets chosen to be featured will receive valuable prizes guaranteed to make tails or fins wiggle with glee!
Take Charge of Your Weight this Holiday Season!

Many Americans gain about 1 pound each year during the holidays. While that might not sound like much, it's hard to lose that weight. And over time it adds up.

Beat the odds with tips that can help you keep off the extra pounds this year. Read more HERE .

Source: Kaiser Permanente
Corn-on-the-Cob Pudding

Calories have been cut on this sumptuous Southern specialty.

Ingredients
  • 3 ears fresh sweet corn or 1½ cups frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 12 ounces country-style Italian bread, cut into 1-inch pieces (6 cups)
  • 2-3 fresh jalapeño chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped (see Tip)
  • 2 cups fat-free milk
  • 1 cup egg substitute
Instructions
  1. If using fresh corn, cut corn from cobs; set aside. Lightly coat a 2-quart square baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the corn. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; cool slightly. 
  2. Toss together bread, chile peppers, and the corn mixture in a large bowl. Combine milk and egg substitute in a medium bowl; add to the bread mixture. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil and chill for 2 to 24 hours. 
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until lightly browned and set in center. Let stand on a wire rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Balsamic Dijon Roasted Root Vegetables

An easy and healthy side dish bursting with tangy balsamic flavor and loaded with sweet potatoes, carrots and onions.

Ingredients
  • 2 c. sweet potatoes cubed into 1" pieces
  • 2 c. baby carrots
  • 1 large red onion chopped
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 400°.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, balsamic, honey, dijon and salt. Toss with the chopped vegetables and arrange on a baking sheet.
  • Bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes. Serve immediately.

4-6 Servings
San Leandro Unified School District | [email protected] | www.slusd.us