Exciting changes are coming to the canteen this year….
New Canteen Committee
Late in 2022 the Governing Council convened a new canteen committee. The committee consists of members of the Governing Council, interested parents, school staff and the Canteen Manger (Sue). The objective of this committee is to provide support to the Canteen Manager and (among other things) ensure there is a good supply of reasonably priced, healthy food in line with the Right Bite Healthy Food and Drink Supply Strategy.
Right Bite Healthy Food and Drink Supply Strategy
The Strategy has been developed by the Government of South Australia to enable school communities to improve the health and wellbeing of all young South Australians. The strategy is based on the Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. The Strategy classifies food and drink using a traffic light system according to their nutritional value;
- GREEN food items are the best choices, they include nutritious foods such as vegetables, legumes, fruit, wholegrains, lean meats, eggs, plant-based alternatives, milk etc
- AMBER food items are those that have had some fat, sugar or salt added to them and water and fibre removed during processing i.e. processed meats etc. These should be reduced where possible or served alongside Green food options.
- RED food items are not essential for a healthy diet and should not be provided in schools (accept on occasions) these include items like lollies and chocolate bars.
For more information about the Rite Bite Strategy refer to the link below;
Why are we looking to change?
Our school canteen offers an essential service to the school community. The Canteen Committee aims to ensure we are regularly implementing fit for purpose improvements to the service so that we can provide a range of healthy affordable options to not only ease the load on busy parents but provide piece of mind that when students order from the canteen they receive the nutrition needed to grow and learn. In order to deliver on this objective, a range of enhancements to the canteen will need to be implemented over time.
What we are doing to change?
- Undertake a full review of the canteen service
- Iterative changes to the menu, ensuring a range of reasonably priced healthy items are available
- Increased engagement with the school community through regular news posts
- Incorporating fresh produce grown in the school garden in the menu on a regular basis
- More homemade items and special food days
- Fundraising to improve canteen facilities
How will we approach this change?
The Canteen Committee are in the early stages of a review of the canteen service, the review will be tackled in phases with changes made along the way. Phase 1of the review is all about gathering opinions from the school community to inform an action plan and develop a canteen policy.
What do we need from you?
Volunteering
To make this happen we need your support, patience and understanding. Change takes time, especially with the limited resources available to us (funding, facilities, volunteers etc).
Volunteering in the canteen is one of the best ways to show your support, even if you can only fit it in once a year. We know you are busy, but many hands make light work and it’s a great way to meet other parents in the school community and the kids get a real buzz out of it!
If you are able to help out this term, please indicate your availability via the attached form here, or by contacting the front office.
We are always interested in partnering with local suppliers, if you know a business that might be interested, please get in touch.
Parent Canteen Survey
We are keen to hear from school parents via a short survey, being an opportunity for you to provide constructive feedback on the canteen and voice any ideas or suggestions. We would appreciate you taking 5 minutes to complete the survey.
Canteen Menu
Please view the updated Canteen Menu 2023 or further below.
A bit about pricing
We don’t seek to make excessive profit in the canteen, but we need to at least break even to remain viable. The canteen has returned losses over the past few years.
You would have noticed rolling price increases over the past few months on a number of menu items, these are as a result of significant price rises from suppliers. The review of the canteen menu will look to remove items that are no longer financially viable to provide and replace them with healthy more affordable options.
Should you have any questions or feedback please reach out to us.
Regards,
Sue Letheby – Canteen Manager
Kelly Howlett – Canteen Committee Convenor
On behalf of the Canteen Committee
