Health & Wellness

• Coordinate and facilitate meetings with The Burlington County Child Study Team when students are in need of evaluations and/or educational services that are provided through a Service Plan.
• Coordinate and facilitate in conjunction with the Divisional Team school accommodation plans (i.e. 504 Accommodation Plan, Medical Plan or Concussion Care Plan).
• Conduct preliminary review of records and/or observations, along with parent and teacher consultation when there are concerns with a student’s academic performance and/or social-emotional well-being.
• Interpret outside evaluations, create accommodations, and work with faculty on best practice in implementation of support.
• Work closely with each divisional team to support classroom teachers in best practices to optimize student learning.
• Conduct classroom observations to help teachers and students implement classroom interventions, such as strategies for classroom management, positive student behavior, and time management.
• Establish and maintain relationships with professionals in the community, including mental health professionals and educational consultants.
• Make referrals to mental health professionals/facilities in the community for outside therapy and evaluation.
• Serve as a resource for committees and departments such as Admissions and Health and Wellness.
• Provide consultation to parents and teachers regarding child development, mental health issues and psycho-social development.

COUNSELING – STUDENT SUPPORT

• Individual Counseling (MS/US) is provided on an as-needed basis as referred by student, parent or teacher to assist with educational, behavioral or social-emotional concerns.
• Coordinate with outside of school supports (LS/MS/US) (i.e. therapists) and families to support student needs.
• Consult (LS/MS/US) with teachers and administrators in meeting learning, social-emotional and behavioral needs.  Assist teachers with individualized strategies for supporting children in the classroom.
• Assist (LS/MS/US) the Coordinator of Educational and Psychological Services for response and follow-up with student educational and/or health issues.

Key – Lower School (LS), Middle School (MS), and Upper School (US)

Social-Emotional Programs

• Peer Leadership – A mentor program between seniors and freshmen to assist the underclassman with the transition to the Upper School.  
• Drug and Alcohol Prevention Education – Sessions provided to sophomores and seniors each fall. This educational program is presented by Brenda Conlan, a prevention specialist, who has worked with hundreds of schools around the world.
• Peer Mentors – A mentor program that coordinates cross divisional relationships between Upper School students and Middle School students. The Peer Mentors learn how to facilitate a social-emotional lesson and foster relationships with middle school students.

Educational Programs

• Career Day (US) – Juniors and Seniors have the opportunity to hear from members of the MFS community, parents and alumni about a typical day in the workforce and how to achieve their career goals.
• TOPS (LS) – Time management, Organization, Planning equals Success program.
• College Alumni Panel (US) – Seniors meet with college-age alumni to discuss the transition from MFS to a college or university setting and ask any questions about the years to come.

Parent Programs

• Speaker and Documentary Series – Each year MFS hosts a series of guest speakers and/or documentary viewings for parents to learn and discuss various topics. Recent opportunities have included:
• • Michele Borba: Psychology expert and author of UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World
  • Angst: Raising Awareness Around Anxiety: A screening of the documentary, followed by an informative panel discussion led by Dr. Jerry Bubrick.
  • Mykee Fowlin: Mykee’s programs combine both his professional acting talents and his psychological training. His mission is to create an atmosphere of worldwide inclusion, not just tolerance, towards all people. He has worked extensively with all age groups in the United States and in other countries. His work has included peer mediation, diversity trainings, gender equity workshops, and violence prevention seminars.
  • Debbie Roffman: Educator and Adolescent Sexuality Expert
  • Dr. Howard Stevenson: University of Pennsylvania Professor, who spoke on teaching children about race
  • Max Stossel: Youth & Education Advisor for the Center for Humane Technology, an organization of former tech insiders dedicated to realigning technology with humanity’s best interests. Max is an award-winning filmmaker, poet, and speaker, and was named by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year.

The Health curriculum is designed to educate students in Grades 5 through 12 about a broad range of issues that are age appropriate and pertinent to their current health interests and needs. Information presented and discussed enables students to make informed decisions relative to their health, lifestyle, and ultimately to the quality of their life. A holistic approach to health, viewing the influences and substantial relationships among the physical, mental, and social components of health and their impact on the student’s overall level of well-being, is a primary focus.

The Middle School program is part of a comprehensive, sequential health curriculum that continues through the Upper School. Topics are presented at intervals to accommodate a timely introduction to the material and an opportunity for subsequent review of the subject matter in future years. This format enables teachers to present a topic during the Middle School years in a manner that students appreciate, relate to, and understand, with the knowledge that the same major areas will be reviewed and studied in greater depth and detail in later years as part of the Health curricular format.

Specific topics at the various grade levels include the following:

• Grade 5: Hygiene, Body Systems, Puberty
• Grade 6: Tobacco and Alcohol Use and Misuse
• Grade 7: Character/Values, Peer Pressure, Body Image, and Relationships
• Grade 8: Nutrition, diseases
• Grade 9: Psychological Health and Drug Use, Misuse, and Abuse
• Grade 10: Drivers Education
• Grade 11: Pregnancy, STI’s, HIV/AIDS
• Grade 12: Stress, Nutrition, Sleep, Aging

The School Nurse’s Office is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day.

Medication at Moorestown Friends School must be delivered to school by the parent or guardian. It is picked up by the parent or guardian at the end of the school year or the end of the medication dispensing period. Students are only allowed to take medication at school when it is administered by the school nurse in the health office.

A Nurse accompanies all Middle School overnight trips to ensure safety and handle medications. If there is an Upper School overnight trip unaccompanied by medical personnel, a physician must sign a Self Medication Form.

Middle School and Upper School students who may require inhalers or EPI Pens may carry their emergency drugs with them if their physician completes the Self Medication Form. It is advisable to keep an extra inhaler or EPI Pen in the health office. Lower School students must keep inhalers in the health office, and will use their inhaler in the health office. EPI Pens are kept in the Lower School classrooms and are taken with students on field trips.

Current MFS families may read more about the Nurses’s Office on myMFS.

MFS Dining Services partner SAGE serves fresh, delicious, from-scratch food. Sage chefs design menus specifically for the MFS community. Chefs get to know food preferences and provide meals to please a variety of palates and meet a variety of dietary needs.

Exciting options include:

• • Authentic international cuisine.
  • Fun, food truck-inspired dishes.
  • Vegetarian and vegan options.
  • Build-your-own stations and display cooking.
  • Special selections for athletes.

The best ingredients are used to prepare selections:

• • House-roasted and nitrate-free deli meats.
  • Trans-fat free oils and MSG-free seasonings.
  • Antibiotic- and hormone free milk.
  • No Antibiotics Ever (NAE) chicken.
  • Cage-free, Certified Humane® eggs.
  • Sustainably sourced seafood (using guidelines from Marine Stewardship Council and Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch®).
  • House-made dressings.

Nutrition and Wellness

The SAGE Spotlight Program® guides guests to build nutrient-dense plates and develop positive habits. Guests look to the dots to make sure they’re getting balanced, Dietitian-recommended meals.

The Performance Spotlight™ program for athletes, developed by our Registered Dietitians and based on guidelines from the U.S. Olympic Committee, NCAA, and other sports associations, provides necessary nutrients and education for each performance phase ꟷ training, performance, and recovery. Your school’s teams can also enjoy our house-made sports drinks and bars.

Food Allergy Management

One in 12 students we serve has at least one diagnosed food allergy. SAGE’s approach to food allergies values both safety and inclusivity. Every ingredient, recipe, and menu is reviewed and tagged with the top 12 allergens. You and your student can use the online allergen filter and ingredient lists to plan ahead. Our Team Members follow strict food allergy protocols. You’re always welcome to visit the kitchen and ask about inventory and preparation methods.

Sustainability

Great food and sustainable practices go hand in hand. SAGE works to develop innovative solutions that have a positive impact on people and the planet, including sourcing from local farmers to increase the freshness and flavor of your food and reduce our carbon footprint.

SAGE is committed to:

• • Sourcing locally
  • Partnering with eco-friendly vendors who use sustainable, fair trade practices.
  • Purchasing ingredients that are humanely harvested.
  • Supporting on-campus gardens
  • Cooking in small batches,  producing less waste and fewer leftovers.
  • Purchasing organic products when possible.

Touch of SAGE™ Mobile App

SAGE’s free app gives you a direct connection to your dining program. You and your student can filter for specific eating profiles (vegetarian and vegan) and rate and comment on menu items to build a fabulous menu. Food-allergic community members can easily find safe meals by creating allergen profiles, and student athletes can find education and nutritional guidance for each performance phase.