Summary of Parent-Teacher Survey Results click here

NUTRITION IN SCHOOL MEALS: Comments

"My child enjoys school lunch & we really appreciate the vegetarian option. Would pay slightly more for more fresh, local produce. Pre-school snacks are adequate, I think. I find them a little "filler-ish" (pretzels, cheerios, graham crackers) but realize they must appeal to a wide variety of tastes."
"Preschool uses organic peanut butter and popcorn"
"More veggie options that do not involve fake meat would be my only request."
"I wished she cooked at my school!"
"During my lunchtime, there are 54 people in the room and if you're served last you have very little time to eat."
"Give families a list of foods to make/buy that are acceptable for snacks, i.e. lightly sweetened muffins instead of cupcakes, fruity in season, avoid foods with preservatives and lots of pesticides, etc. etc. School should buy local hormone-free milk, other dairy, meat & eggs. We don't like the lunch choices for our child. She does not like fried foods, prepared foods like tater tots, chicken nuggets etc. She also does not eat "veggie meats" - she'd rather eat beans than fake meat. We don't give her milk of meat with hormones, antibiotic-fed etc. She is also intimidated by the lunch counter. So we're fine with a home lunch."
"I would love to see more fresh produce and non-processed foods (i.e. tater tots & canned vegetables). Generally, I am satisfied with the variety and choices offered and I greatly appreciate your effort to improve lunch beyond this point. Thank you."
"Would like other non-breakfast choices on Fridays. Canned fruits and veggies inexpensive but undesirable. Grade 5/6 have lunch too late and if you're late to get in line, you get 10 min to eat."
"Would like to eliminate peanuts/pretzel, popcorn/cheerios snacks so there's at least one fruit or vegetable that day. More fresh fruits and vegetables if possible."
"Our child doesn't eat snacks."
"So far we've been pleased with the lunches."
"For week of Jan 30 - Feb 6 --I'm irritated to see that my son is essentially eating hamburger 3x this week - sloppy joes, cheeseburger, meat loaf - please more variety."
"Room parties are occasional, I don't think the school needs to exert control over these non-lunch moments - I would resent it, actually."
"I don't think kids should bring candy or soda."
"Not satisfied with having breakfast on Friday."
"Most lunches my kids won't eat."
"I would like to see more fresh fruits and veggies and less processed foods."
"Lunch doesn't seem long enough. My children report not having time to eat."
"Less processed/frozen prepared foods, more fresh fruits and veggies. Organic would be great, but I know it would probably be too expensive."
"I'd like to see a little more variety of entrees. Friday breakfasts are a nice offering."
"School lunch menu has changed since Jill came. Some children don't care for Breakfast at Lunch or the 2 fruit at a meal was hard at first but is allowed by the food programs. I feel having children go back for seconds and thirds is not healthy, allowing the children to over-eat. If the portions are the correct size for that age group, seconds should not be allowed -- water should be suggested or more time given so the children can slow down and their brain can register that they are full."
"For special occasions why not have decent baked goods, but sugary, sugary food doesn't help anyone (teachers, kids)."
"I would like to see more organics on the menu. I think room parties are special occasions and the diet should be more lenient."
"How about real cheese" Too much hamburger, sloppy joe, meat loaf things. Kids don't like the Breakfast thing for lunch. More rice please. YAY! Great baked beans! chop suey! ravioli! Tacos! quesadillas! pizza!"
"Too much emphasis on sweets as rewards. Vegetarian options are not very attractive and emphasize "pseudo meat"".
"They complain about canned fruit (and scrambled eggs!). Can't have a birthday without cake/muffins, etc. but some cupcakes are "healthier" than others. Muffins would be better."
"I am very thankful for the hard work Jill puts into offering a vegetarian option. Bless her. However, if offering a 2nd choice, making it not only vegetarian but dairy free also may accommodate even more kids. The meals should always have a nutrient dense vegetable. Canned peas/corn/carrots, etc. should be eliminated and replaced with fresh or frozen."
"Less mixed foods (hardboiled eggs are preferred by my child to deviled eggs). Indivdual fruit rather than mixed fruit salad. My son doesn't eat meat or tofu - anonmeat protein other than tofu. If spaghetti came alone with powdered cheese (parmesan) to put on, my son would eat it."
"Less canned vegetables - could frozen vegetables be substituted for canned vegetables?"
"There seems to be a huge amount of processed foods and semi-junk-like food int eh lunches I've observed, also lots of extra sugar."


?PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Comments

"[Student] gets a lot of outdoor playtime at home. I wish there was more recess time at school and/or more physical activity built into class time, e.g. more of the outdoor lab projects."
"Our family has often stayed to play outside after school."
"Correction: Preschool outdoor playtime (recess) is 30-45 min per day)"
"The soccer fields, ultimate fields and baseball fields need improvement. Playground = infant/toddler to 11/12 years. Fields = all ages"
"I wish there was more outdoor time and I realize school has a lot to accomplish in a day"
"We live out of town so we don't use school facilities. When weather prevents recess, you really notice a problem with having been cooped up. On days with one recess instead of two, you can tell they need more exercise."
"I am assuming that on a bad day, kindergarteners use gym for recreational activities instead of outdoor play (recess)."
"Recess should be longer. 20/25 minutes is not enough. Older kids need time without such big numbers of younger kids during recess."
"Only because I don't live here - I use my own community's school facilities."
"Longer recess, please, even if it means a longer school day."
"Boys need more physical activity than the school currently provides. More activity time will create higher quality time for learning during learning time.
"We [used school facilities] when the children were younger."
"I'd love to see kindergarten outside 2x/day, rain or shine."
"I have a hard time getting my son to go outside and play" - I think mainly it's because he has no one to play with, but we can't have friends over all the time."
"I think PE should be offered daily!"
"I would love to see more physical activity incorporated into their day - outside if possible. I think kids would perform better in the classroom if there was more moving and less sitting time."
"Playground needs more options - climbing structures, more swings."
"PE instruction cannot be underestimated! Realizing restrictions on time, I would support any additional PE time for my kids."
"Sitouts at recess or anytime should be avoided. Maybe make the kids run a lap, do jumping jacks, or some exercise instead of benching them."
"I recognize that adding more time takes away from something else. Only children living in a rural setting do not have playmates close by so do not have as many outdoor/group opportunities as they do at school."
"My kids haven't done team sports (outside of school) consistently, but they do bike, hike, run - more in the warmer months. They are healthy - skinny muscley - and I think the school does a great job of giving the kids structured and unstructured activity time. The USA is a little nutty about extremes of exercise and rich sweet fatty foods."
"Please please have more physical activity - it should be daily!"
"Please provide more daily exercise for students who do not do organized sports (due to time and parent constraints)"
"Physical activity should certainly be encouraged at school and at home as part of a wellness program."
"We should."
"Physical activity seems to be getting sacrificed to meet academic or other goals - a huge shame, as I think activity enables kids to sit still and do the rest of school more easily."

?NUTRITION EDUCATION: Comments

"Our family is very nutrition conscious and because we stress this at home, I don't feel a need for more of this at school. However, I would certainly support education and hands-on experience around food, gardening etc...."
"Last 2 years preschool has grown carrots, radishes and sunflowers."
"Not just gardening - composting waste too. Whole Foods has grants."
"Our child is learning a lot about food from home--home grown, home cooked sit down meals--and the example we as parents set. I am relieved she is not exposed to vending machines & Coke advertising at school."
"Gardening is great for not only science/math education but also: problem solving, arts/crafts, exercise and it excite kids about eating vegetables."
"I have a kindergartener at LES and I'm not sure he is aware of the 5 main food groups but he knows that it is important toe at a variety of foods to stay healthy. I think kids (especially younger ones) would enjoy more hands on experience about nutrition: food preparation, gardening, farm visits. I think that's a wonderful learning experience."
"I am currently involved in the courtyard garden and really enjoy it. I could come biweekly if necessary in the summer."
"Thanks for asking! Many elementary schools do not seem to care what families think about the food - I am proud of LES for their awareness around food choices - it impacts lifelong habits of kids."
"We believe that gardening is an important part of nutrition education, and it should be integrated into learning units."
"We hate to ask for more things to be added to the curriculum, but I wouldn't mind having my child promote good nutrition at home. By the way, should nutrition be different for kids w/ADHD than for less high-energy kids?"
"Going to a weekly farm-share pick up and gardening at home are invaluable in involving my kids in their diet."
"I think nutrition is mainly a family/home issue/responsibility"
"Do they learn a great deal more in middle school and high school? If not, then there probably should be more. We teach about nutrition at home."
"Please more teaching about why some foods are better than others - help support parents! I feel like a voice crying in the wilderness when I try to teach my children."
"Please teach them more about eating healthy choices, so that concerned parents are not the only ones who appear to care about this."
"I'd also help with the creation of the school wellness program. I don't believe the "food pyramid" is sufficient nutrition information for my children. The quantity of "nutrition education at school is enough because I teach it at home."
"I'd be interested in voluntering if a wellness committee is set up. Because of Lily's diabetes food is a big issue for our family. Thanks, Lisa Stratford."