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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2018)
4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 6, 2018 editor@dailyastorian.com KARI BORGEN Publisher JIM VAN NOSTRAND Editor Founded in 1873 JEREMY FELDMAN Circulation Manager DEBRA BLOOM Business Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN Production Manager CARL EARL Systems Manager OUR VIEW FDA promises to rewrite ‘added sugars’ labels I t’s good to watch out for too much sugar, but cranberries need a boost The Food and Drug Administration is taking another look at proposed nutritional labeling rules after a hue and cry from cranberry, honey and maple syrup producers. This reexamination is a good thing, too. At issue is a proposal that would require certain foods to include the wording “added sugars” on their labels. Beginning in 2020, pure honey and maple syrup nutrition labels must have the word “added” in front of “sugar.” Producers and trade groups complained that customers will naturally think another sweetener is added to the natu- ral sugars in honey and maple syrup. That had us scratching our heads, too. Pure honey and maple syrup are sugar — fructose and glucose; and sucrose respectively — and have none added to enhance their sweetness. In the typically tortured English employed by bureaucrats, “added sugar” in this case was meant to imply that adding these products to other food- stuffs or consuming them on their own Sugar is added to cranberry products to make the tart berry equivalent to naturally sweet berries. will add sugar to your diet. According to the FDA, unlike a piece of fruit or other naturally sweet food, honey and maple syrup are not “nutrient rich” foods. The FDA at first tried to “clarify” the rule by suggesting footnotes on labels stating that the “added sugars” are natural. Washington state beekeeper Tim Hiatt, a honey producer, called the label- ing requirement, even qualified by a footnote, “crazy.” “It shouldn’t say ‘added sugars’ at all,” he said. “The only ingredient in honey is honey. “The whole industry is up in arms about this,” Hiatt said. “We’re strug- gling in the industry to protect the image of honey.” Cranberry producers have a differ- ent beef. Cranberries are not sweet. Without added sugar, cranberry juice — whether straight or in combination with adult beverages — would be pretty tart. For cranberry juice the FDA sug- gested this footnote: “Sugar added to improve the palatability of natu- rally tart cranberries. The 2015-20120 Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that there is room for limited amounts of Added Sugars in the diet, especially from nutrient dense food like naturally tart cranberries.” Although they’re willing to go along with that, cranberry producers say the footnote suggests cranberries with sugar added have more sugar than naturally sweet fruits and berries. So, the FDA is going to take another look at how a label might provide valu- able nutritional information without leading consumers to false impressions about honey, maple syrup and cranberry juice. Good writing is rewriting, even in footnotes. GUEST COLUMN Mission Control launches in Seaside S chools are tasked with teaching reading, writing and arithmetic, but it’s hard for kids to get the lessons when they are upset and misbehaving. That’s why Seaside School District launched an innovative approach to behavioral health in the 2017-18 school year. Mission Control is a calming room where kids can focus on self-regulating their emotions and behavior. The payoff is better-be- haved, happier kids, princi- pals say. Prior to this year, “There was a real lack of SUSAN social-emotional education CODY that kids need to know in order to function,” said Rachel Whisler, a behavior support specialist at Seaside Heights Elementary School. “Behavior is a way of communicating that affects friendships, learning and success in a lot of ways” she said. Kids may wonder: “Why am I out of control?” “Why do I say things like that to my friends?” “Why am I so impulsive?” Beginning in kindergarten, students are taught about brain function and how to iden- tify and control their emotions and behavior, using The Zones of Regulation. After learning how their brain works, they are better-equipped to regulate themselves through calm breathing or holding something in their hand or saying they need some space and taking a walk. “Those are opportunities kids never had before entering on this journey as a school district,” Whisler said. Building a calming space Seaside principals and other educators visited Butternut Creek Elementary School’s Wellness Room in the Hillsboro School District and were sold on the idea of creating a similar room at Gearhart Elementary and Seaside Heights. Then the work began. Finding space required relocating computer and performance spaces, ordering supplies and setting up Mission Control. Rooms at each school feature strings of mini-lights, calming stations with sand, theraputty, manipulative items, larger motor challenges and enclosed spaces like a tepee. In addition to the Mission Control room, regular classrooms have new flexible seating, including yoga balls, standing tables and cush- ions, so students can learn where they were most comfortable. “Children do well when they have the skills,” said Gearhart Principal Juli Wozniak. “We all want to do well.” The goal is to pro- vide kids with skills they need. Identifying emotions begins with looking at facial expressions. Kindergartners and Head Start teachers use the Pocket Full of Feelings curriculum to teach kids about feelings. “When we first started, if you asked a 7-year-old what they were feeling, they would say: ‘sad’ ‘mad’ or nothing,” Whisler said. “Now they can say, ‘I’m disappointed,’ ‘jeal- ous,’ ‘betrayed.’” Kids learn that all feelings are OK, she said. What matters is what they do with them and how they act. They can identify their feel- ings and not let emotions run the show. Susan Cody/For The Daily Astorian Gearhart Elementary School Principal Juli Wozniak speaks about Mission Control to the State Advisory Council for Special Education. choose one station and stay there for their allotted time. From leaving the classroom to returning to class is 15 minutes. Mission Control remains silent. Kids do not talk or interact with each other. When it is time to check out, the monitor makes sure the kids can follow instructions, such as “touch your nose” or “wave your arms.” Then they quietly exit. Now, the goal is to extend The Zones of Regulation to parents, pediatricians and families. “We want to improve on creating a com- mon language between school and home,” McAndrews says. DEFINITIONS • Blue Zone: slow, tired, sick, bored • Green Zone: “good to go,” happy, calm, focused • Yellow Zone: “slow down, use caution” frustrated, overwhelmed, silly, wiggly, excit- ed, worried, anxious • Red Zone: “stop,” extreme emotions, un- controlled anger, aggression, terror, elation Trauma-informed approach For two years Seaside educators have studied trauma-informed practices that take into account adverse childhood experiences. It involves treating people with compassion and understanding around traumas they may have experienced. “We are building a web of support through- out the school that can help students when they are not able to cope by themselves,” Whisler said. All staff members and students are trained and familiarized with Mission Control. It is open to everyone and is not used for punish- ment or reward. It is a place where students can self-regulate their behavior. For the first couple months of the school year, children stayed in their regular classrooms. Most classrooms have a Peace Corner that students can access to self-regulate, said Seaside Heights Principal John McAndrews. It is part of the classroom but is a place where the student can use sensory items or cushions to feel more comfortable. “This allows students to not feel so iso- lated,” McAndrews said. “They are free to rejoin whenever they want to come back to class.” Measuring success A sand station and Sponge Bob pillow welcome students at Gearhart Elementa- ry School’s Mission Control room. Mission Control Room Teachers and counselors recommend children for Mission Control. Kids may also request a travel agent or navigator to take them to Mission Control. Students check in one at a time to Mission Control. They need to follow directions, There has been a significant drop in office referrals for behavioral problems since imple- mentation of Mission Control, both principals say. Teachers report students are self-regulat- ing better in the classrooms. McAndrews said absenteeism is lower and many students are reaching year-end bench- mark goals mid-year. “This is a game changer,” said Seaside School District Superintendent Sheila Roley. “Both principals are absolute rock stars,” she said of Wozniak and McAndrews. “We have a great leadership team. (Special Services Director) Jeremy Catt is a visionary.” Whisler said the school district can give the tools of reading, writing and math, and also what to do when those things frustrate students. “Instead of blowing out or shutting down or stopping listening, kids have tools to keep going, which builds resiliency,” she said. Sue Cody is communications lead for The Way to Wellville Clatsop County. She is a for- mer deputy managing editor of The Daily Astorian.
