Student eating arrangements

Following widespread concern among teachers and some parents, and following consultation with surrounding schools, revised student eating processes have been introduced this year.

Students will eat their play lunch/snack in class between 10.50 and 11.00am.

Students will eat their lunch in class between 1.25 and 1.40pm.

Fruit break will be taken either at 10.00am or 12.30pm, depending on the class timetable and teacher discretion.  Water bottles may be kept on student's tables and accessed at any time.  {This is in accordance with our Brain Gym program.}

No food is to be taken outside the classroom at all.

This trial will run for Term One and be reviewed at the end of March.

There are 3 main reasons behind the introduction of this arrangement:

1.  We have a number of students with severe allergies, anaphylaxis, in the school, some of whom have a life threatening and severe allergy to all nut products.  Just touching a wrapper, contaminated tap or other item is sufficient.

http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/PDF/Victorian%20Anaphylaxis%20Guidlines%20DE&T.pdf    http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/whatis.html

2.  Teachers are now able to monitor children with eating disorders and ensure that children do actually eat their lunch and not throw their food away.  Parents can now see what their children do eat in a day, and can possibly reduce the amount of food in a lunch box.

3.  Despite years of attempting multiple different strategies, food scraps and litter in the schoolgrounds has continued to be a major issue, encouraging pigeons and mice, both of which we have suffered in great numbers in the past.

The grounds are now clean, rubbish in bins has reduced by more than half, and our garbage and refuse costs are reduced.

Teachers are also reporting that most students have no difficulty eating their food within the times allowed.  Teachers are of course considering the ages of the children in their classes, and have flexibility to allow additional time if children require this. 

http://www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org/resources/eating_at_school.pdf