Ecole Chalmers Elementary Promotes Healthy Lunch Guidelines

Contact:
Ecole Chalmers Elementary School, School District #37 (Delta)
Name: Matt Carruthers, Principal
Telephone: 604-594-5437
E-mail: mcarruthers@deltasd.bc.ca

Process:
After reaching consensus with the staff, and consulting with the Parent Group, and informing the students, all parents were advised by newsletter that the school had adopted Healthy Lunch Guidelines.

The message from the Oct 1 2009 newsletter is in the box below:

HEALTHY LUNCH GUIDELINES

We want to remind parents and students of the Healthy Lunch Guidelines that have been in effect at Chalmers since last year. In an effort to reinforce the healthy living practices that we teach at Chalmers, the following lunch guidelines were created by our staff:

1. NO POP: If a child brings pop to school, he or she will have it confiscated and returned at the end of the day.

2. FAST FOOD: We would like to see Fast food deliveries eliminated or reduced to once a week. Our preference is to have children taken out of the school for fast food if that is the meal of choice.

3. TREATS: We ask that parents provide only one “treat” per day that is balanced by other healthy options.

Ingredients for a healthy lunch: a sandwich, canned or fresh fruit, Veggies like baby carrots or celery, skim or low-fat milk in a single serving container or low-fat yogurt and something fun, like a granola bar or low-fat pudding.

A healthy sandwich: whole-grain bread, bagel or tortilla, lean meat, tuna, low-fat cheese or peanut butter.

For more ideas click on the link below: http://www.healthychild.com/healthy-school-lunches/healthy-school-lunch-ideas-for-kids/

People involved:
Principal
Teachers and other school staff
Students
Parents

Key changes/results:
Children do not bring pop for lunch. Fewer fast food meals are delivered to the school office before lunch. Other parents feel less pressure from students to provide fast food for lunch.

Challenges:
If a child brings an inappropriate item to school, he/she is quietly taken aside.  An explanation is given and alternates suggested.  Where possible, teachers remind parents of the Healthy Lunch Guidelines.

Keys to success:

1. Consensus among staff.
2. Support from Parent Group.
3. Knowledge for students, so they know what foods are healthy.

• Fruit and Veggie and Milk programs have been very helpful in the promotion of healthy eating.
• Chalmers has benefited from the Actions Schools / Healthy Living programs.
• In 2008 – 2009, Chalmers participated in the School Milk Program.