It's been nearly two weeks since my last post. It's been a busy but good start to the new school year. Thanks to all the staff members, parents, and students for making this year the best ever. There's been a lot going on. One thing I've heard a lot about has been school lunches. As I mentioned previously, there has been a change to the National School Lunch program. This is not something that is only happening in New Hampton, but is happening in schools across the nation. In the past, we didn't pay much attention to things like sodium content, what kind of vegetables we offered, fat content, and how many calories students consumed. We now have to watch all of these things and more. The biggest change that most have probably noticed is the size of the main entree. High school students are limited to approximately 2 ounces of meat and/or meat alternative per day, or a total of 10 to 12 ounces per week. students in grades K-8 need to have at least one ounce of meat/meat alternative each day or a total of 8 to 10 ounces a week. As someone who has eaten and continues to eat school lunch, we used to get much more then that. (I can think of some school lunches where I walked away stuffed--chili day with a huge cinnamon roll comes to mind). Also, we are now placing more emphasis on fruits and vegetables including serving dark green and orange vegetables several times a week.
In the past, we saw the entree as the item to fill us up. With the new standards, more reliance is placed on fruits and vegetables to help our children and ourselves eat healthier. We are continuing to look at and experiment with a variety of fruits and vegetables to see what our students like best. What can you do to help? Please talk with your child about trying everything that is available for lunch. Some of these things may be new to your child, but rest assured it is a healthier choice. I want to thank those parents who have contacted our food director or myself about this issue. Working together is how we find ways to solve these issues when they arise.
On a different note, on September 6th I will be hosting my first community meeting. It will be at 7 p.m. at the middle school auditorium. I plan to hold several of these meetings during the coming months. The purpose of these meetings is to allow me to gather input on the district and where we should go in the future. In addition, I will be sharing a variety of information on the current status of the district. Please invite a friend and plan on coming that night. It doesn't matter if you have children in school or not, everyone has an interest in the future of the school.
If you ever have any concerns or questions about your child's class, school, or the district. Please contact your child's teacher, school, or myself so we can work together to find the answer or a resolution to your concern. Thanks for stopping by.
