Three Bridges School
School Lunch Edition - Welcome to the Tiger Cafe
Letter from the Principal - Mrs. Higgins
Welcome to our fourth volume of the TBS S’more! This month’s focus is on our cafeteria.
Please read/scroll on to see our cafeteria at work and the display of choices of lunches and snacks.
During technology class, the students participated in an anonymous survey about the food offered for sale in the cafeteria. Approximately 300 students took the survey. Continue reading for a summary!
42.6% of students buy lunch at least three times a week.
14.5% never buy school lunch.
79% of the students who buy, choose the hot lunch. Other choices include the bagel bag, muffin meal, and cereal bag. If a child buys a bag lunch, included is the title item, string cheese, a yogurt, carrots, a fresh fruit and dried cranberries.
The two most popular lunches offered are any type of pizza and any breakfast foods that have syrup! When the students have pizza the type of pizza they prefer is that delivered to our cafeteria from a local pizzeria. 57% of students would like a topping such as pepperoni on the pizza.
The least favorite hot lunch item is macaroni and cheese. (Yes, I am shocked!)
The students were asked if they had ideas for other types of cereal offered. Currently, the school cafeteria serves Lucky Charms. A serving of Lucky Charms has 13.3 grams of sugar which still falls in the healthy school lunch requirement. Students were asked to name other cereals they would like offered. Suggestions included Fruit Loops, Coco Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Cookie Crisp.
80% of students are happy with the snack offerings at the school. They also suggested that we add Rice Crispy Treats, funnel cake, Oreos, and salt and vinegar potato chips!
74% of the students are happy with the beverage choices (low fat/skim milk and low-fat chocolate milk). Fewer than half would like strawberry milk added to the menu.
The students shared ideas for new hot lunch items they would like to see such as Chinese food, chicken noodle soup (we have tomato), quesadillas, hibachi, lasagna, eggs and toast, and lobster!
61% of students are happy with the fresh fruits and veggies offered. They also suggested that they would like to have the choice of eating watermelon, pineapple, edamame, assorted berries, and they really want MORE PICKLES!
If you have questions regarding the nutrition guidelines, you can visit Maschios website http://maschiofood.com/nutrition-standards/ or call 973-598-0005.
As a Result of the Student Survey
Lunch Room Entrees
Hot Lunch
Chicken Nuggets
Stadium Pretzel Dogs with Smile Fries
Muffin Meal
Bagel Meal
Cereal Meal
Fruits and Vegetables
A Variety of Fruits and Vegetables are Offered with all Lunches
Assorted fresh fruit and Jello!
Apple Juice and An Assortment of Fresh Vegetables
Sliced Oranges, Bananas and Apples
Condiments and Utensils are Available for Students
Snack Options
Second and Third Graders Have the Option of Buying Snack
Assortment of Ice Cream
Assortment of Chips
Fresh Cookies and Pretzels
Healthy Snacks and Nutrition Suggestions from the School Nurse
Choosing the right food to give us energy to do the things we want to do, helps us grow and help keep us from getting sick. All of this can be achieved while the students sit down to relax and enjoy the company of their friends at lunch.
Packing lunches and snacks from home can be challenging. We all know that not all kids enjoy their fruits and veggies, but by including the children in making the healthy snack choices helps them to feel like they have some control over what they eat. This may help decrease the amount of food that gets wasted and thrown away without being touched.
Choosing fruits and vegetables not only make your plate (lunchbox) more colorful, but they are also packed with vitamins and fiber that our bodies need to stay healthy. Fruits are naturally sweet so many kids learn to love them.
Choose grains/breads that are whole grain (crackers, rice cakes, tortilla chips, pretzels) as opposed to refined or white grains. Lunches also need to be balanced out with proteins (meats) and dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt).
The bulk of any meal should be balanced with fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. Foods primarily made of simple sugars and fats (cookies, ice cream, chips) should NOT be part of a student’s daily lunch. Those kinds of food should be reserved for special occasions as there is very little nutritional value associated with them.
The key to being healthy is maintaining a healthy lifestyle which includes a healthy diet and exercise. Teaching children healthy eating habits will help to prevent serious health complications later later in life.