Preparing healthy school meals, promoting good nutrition habits, and offering a friendly greeting are all in a day’s work for the school nutrition employees in Garden County Schools. The School Nutrition Association celebrates this professional commitment with School Nutrition Employee Week, May 7-11, 2012. The week is an opportunity for parents, students, school staff and communities to thank those who provide healthy meals to 32 million of America’s students each school day.

School nutrition employees must balance many roles and follow numerous federal, state and local regulations to ensure safe and healthy meals are available in schools. They are trained sanitation and food safety experts and must manage financially self-sufficient programs despite limited funds to prepare and serve each meal. School nutrition professionals also provide nutrition education to students and use their creativity to make the cafeteria a fun and welcoming place.

This year, school nutrition employees take on a new responsibility. In January, the federal government finalized new nutrition standards for school meals, requiring schools to serve more fruits and vegetables (including weekly servings of legumes, dark green and orange vegetables), switch to whole grains and limit the sodium and calories in each meal.

Schools meals must meet these new requirements starting in the 2012-2013 school year, but school nutrition professionals have already been working toward these goals by mixing up the menu, offering a wider variety of fresh produce and getting students excited about trying new, healthier meals in the cafeteria.

The importance and nutritional value of school meals are well documented. For many children, school meals are the most important and nutrient-rich meals of their day. 

Teachers in Garden County Schools and in communities across the nation will be in the spotlight on National Teacher Day this Tuesday, May 8^th!

Few other professionals touch as many people as teachers do. National Teacher Day is a good time to learn about the contributions educators make to our community every day. We recognize teachers are role models. We all have to work together to make our schools even better. That means everyone in the community. Parents, business owners, retirees, other workers, local government, and yes students. Public schools are at the heart of any community. When there are problems, we address them. When there are kudos, we share them.

Community involvement brings learning to life. This is an opportunity for all of us to reach out to each other. Better than an apple or a thank you card, a community’s active support of the work we mutually do to teach and care for the community’s students would be ample reward for all educators!

-Dr. Paula Sissel,

Superintendent/Elementary Principal