A lot has changed since the last school year
. The biggest change for us was deciding to take our daughter out of the public school system and put her in a brand-spanking-new dual language charter school. The school is small; 132 students and 6 classrooms, two per grade (K, 1st and 2nd).I love the concept of a small school that allows for lots of parent involvement with the added bonus of learning 2 languages. And that's exactly why we are attending ¡HoLa! | Hoboken Dual Language Charter School.
The school has an almost radical approach towards health and nutrition. For one they chose Revolution Foods as their food service provider. While popular on the west coast, Rev Foods is trying to break into the market on the east coast and so is fairly 'new' in the area. With school lunches coming in at $3.45 per meal compared to the $2.75 (Hoboken public schools) it can get pricey. But as we've already seen, cheap food comes with a price far more devastating on our kids and the environment. Rev Foods began delivering October 1st and is going strong. So far I like what I see on the menu- more beans and more vegetarian options. I will start recording the meals next week. The school is also encouraging healthy snacks not only for everyday, but also for birthday parties and other celebrations. I like the concept of less cupcakes and more fruit! However, I think a healthy balance between the 2 is necessary: how about banana, blueberry chocolate cupcakes?
The most exciting thing for me (and the kids I think), is that even before the school opened its doors, they had built 3 above-ground planters or grow boxes (one for each grade). The kindergartners planted lettuce and oregano. My child came home with such excitement at the prospect of growing and eating what they had just planted. And so, a school garden finally grows in Hoboken!
We also donated our worm factory to the school. We decided it was time for them to move out of our small urban home and into a large more open and welcoming environment. While I love the concept of the worm factory, it does come with some drawbacks; mainly the 100's of fruit flies! At least they now have a home that not only inspires learning but also provides nutrient-rich compost for our schools' garden. Sadly I do not miss them.
The winter is almost upon us and so until spring arrives and the bulbs flower, the garden will remain mostly barren. Spring will bring with it new life and new adventures and I am looking forward to it already!
Peta, if it helps you feel better, Hoboken school lunches are now $3!
ReplyDeleteJessica, if the meals are now $3, do you see an improvement in anyway, aside from the changes they made since I had started blogging about them?
ReplyDeleteY'know, I'm not able to get there at lunchtime to see what's on the tray, so I can't say for sure. The menu descriptions seem much like what you had last year. And they seem to serve the kids chocolate milk by default, which really bugs me.
ReplyDeleteI also heard from other parents (K-12, not pre-K), that they sell snacks in the cafeteria at lunch, mostly cookies, chips, gatorade.
ReplyDeleteLynn
Lynn, if it bothers you, think about inquiring with the district about the Wellness Committee, which apparently had its first meeting today. That would be your best bet in trying to change what type of snacks are sold.
ReplyDeleteMost schools MUST sell snacks like cookies, chips and sugary beverages because they need the income from those large scale companies.
ReplyDeletetake away the snacks and take away the funding. im not happy about the snacks either, but how else do we get money into schools?!
i am a school nutrition associate and develop education programs but unfortunately, our funding is being cut mid year this year by USDA to give more money to our food assistance area instead of education.
so basically the USDA is giving more food (processed, meat, grains) and taking away education on healthier food choices.
tell me how that makes sense?!
anyway, really glad I found your blog and I will be back!