So why is that different than any kid who complains about their meal?
Why should it matter whether at home or in school, whether paid for by the parent or taxpayer?
High School Lunches and Sports questions
- Thread starter mrs.melton08
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Why should it matter whether at home or in school, whether paid for by the parent or taxpayer?
Um because I paid for my kids' meals. If I couldn't and my child went hungry and someone offered a decent meal, I would be grateful and so should my child.
The irony at my 5 year old's school is that yes, the portions are tiny, but they're what a 5 year old can eat in the 20 minutes they get for lunch. (That 20 minutes includes going through the hot lunch line.) It's no wonder they need a snack at 2 in school and DS wants another snack when he gets off the bus at 3:15.
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Lauri I love ya, but thee portions you quote are a myth. The regulation menu is on page 9 here: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/legislation/FinalRulePresentation2-2012.pdf
In actuality these are minimums and in my experience the typical school lunch consists of plenty of food. Do I agree with it's content? Nope. But it contains plenty of calories that the majority of US children are accustomed to eating.
Any one of our school lunch worker moms can confirm.
- #45
Thread Owner
He wanted to be a senior in a conventional school and it was a fight I didn't think was worth it. Our relationship, like any teen/parent relationship was starting to suffer in some way from him wanting that experience I wouldn't allow. He actually was with his dad for a minute because we were at odds and he wanted to try it. It obviously didn't last, but we are really comfortable with the school and honestly if I HAD to send my DDs to a conventional school it would be this one. I think it is hard for a kid to come out of the mentality (and laziness) of being schooled in mass in class at as late of an age as we started when they are as social and as much of a lazy/smart kid as my son. I loved the time we did homeschool and he finally got to the point that he did too. If for some reason things don't work out there we have both agreed I will just finish up at home. (I am enjoying the break before the real work with the DDs start too, but don't tell him)
Amen! It is such a blessing when you are wondering if you will be able to drink all your free milk in your freezer.
I think it is wonderful MrsMelton that you and your dh made the decision to respect your DS' desire and the maturity to allow him to go to the school since it was so important to him. I think as parents one of the hardest things to do is to be flexible.
I think the post above is sooo full of love and wanted to give you some applause for job wonderfully well done!!!
I think the post above is sooo full of love and wanted to give you some applause for job wonderfully well done!!!
The food in our HS district is really good. The free meals consist of the meal of the day. If the kids don't want the meal then they get a choice of a sandwich with lunchmeat, lettuce and cheese, hamburger, cheeseburger or a slice of pizza. They also get 2 sides. The sides are fruit, small fry or salad. They also get milk.
The problem is that most kids want to eat crap, not healthy meals. They will give you attitude because they can't get a large order of fries. Hello you don't need large fries.
Here is a sample menu for a week for our HS district. Whats wrong with this? This meal is the free meal for approved kids. The meals are not repeated for a month.
Monday
Chicken Stir-Fry
Steamed Rice
Baked Vegetable Egg Roll
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Tuesday
Southwest Salad
Tossed Mixed Greens
Grilled Chicken Strips
Roasted Corn, Onions, Red and
Green Peppers with
Spicy Ranch Dressing
Whole Grain Bar
Wednesday
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Red Grapes
Fresh Cucumber and
Tomato Salad
Thursday
Cottage Cheese Fruit Plate
Cottage Cheese with Cantaloupe
Wedges, Sliced Strawberries,
Red Grapes and Orange Slices
Whole Grain Bagel and
Cream Cheese
Friday
Triple Cheese Grilled on
Sour Dough Bread with
Sliced Tomatoes
Carrot Coins
Green Apple Wedges
Foods that are high in fiber, low in added sugar, fats and sodium and served in appropriate portion sizes.
The problem is that most kids want to eat crap, not healthy meals. They will give you attitude because they can't get a large order of fries. Hello you don't need large fries.
Here is a sample menu for a week for our HS district. Whats wrong with this? This meal is the free meal for approved kids. The meals are not repeated for a month.
Monday
Chicken Stir-Fry
Steamed Rice
Baked Vegetable Egg Roll
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Tuesday
Southwest Salad
Tossed Mixed Greens
Grilled Chicken Strips
Roasted Corn, Onions, Red and
Green Peppers with
Spicy Ranch Dressing
Whole Grain Bar
Wednesday
Chicken Caesar Wrap
Red Grapes
Fresh Cucumber and
Tomato Salad
Thursday
Cottage Cheese Fruit Plate
Cottage Cheese with Cantaloupe
Wedges, Sliced Strawberries,
Red Grapes and Orange Slices
Whole Grain Bagel and
Cream Cheese
Friday
Triple Cheese Grilled on
Sour Dough Bread with
Sliced Tomatoes
Carrot Coins
Green Apple Wedges
Foods that are high in fiber, low in added sugar, fats and sodium and served in appropriate portion sizes.
- #49
Thread Owner
I think school lunches have come a along way from the hot and cold pack of my day...lol. There seems to be a lot more choices now. But again like any kid, I think that they will still complain and the ones complaining are usually NOT the ones who have nothing else to eat.
The ones with nothing else to eat are often the ones who barely can get the free lunch because their families dont automatically qualify based on some participation in a govt program and they dont have foodstamps at home. the ones with nothing else to eat sadly have learned to just eat and be quiet for fear that their food insecurity will be cause to separate them from their families.
Like Barb and hsmom said, we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams with the stockpiles we have in our homes (but still go out and get take out because there is nothing good to eat)
The ones with nothing else to eat are often the ones who barely can get the free lunch because their families dont automatically qualify based on some participation in a govt program and they dont have foodstamps at home. the ones with nothing else to eat sadly have learned to just eat and be quiet for fear that their food insecurity will be cause to separate them from their families.
Like Barb and hsmom said, we are blessed beyond our wildest dreams with the stockpiles we have in our homes (but still go out and get take out because there is nothing good to eat)
When my oldest was still in public school he didn't always like what I sent in his lunch so he would throw it away and ask other kids for their lunch or go 'in debt' with his hot lunch account... The school nurse called me to ask if we had enough food in the house or if we needed to apply for free/reduced lunch.... I just laughed and told her to stop by anytime to see if we had enough food in the house.
Oh geez, LG, I had to do the same thing with new DD7. She "has been known" to tell teachers and the nurse that her parents don't feed her. So that was part of my introductory email, "...and you're welcome to come over any time to inspect our fridge, pantries & food storage closet." When I told DD7 not to even try pulling that at this school she just looked at me & said, "Wow, you really do know everything, don't you?" **** skippy, sweet pea. 
wewsrw, can you post the weekly school lunch menu for us? That looks really good & I think we can all just model that & call it a day with the menu planning. :lol:
wewsrw, can you post the weekly school lunch menu for us? That looks really good & I think we can all just model that & call it a day with the menu planning. :lol:
Just check the D230 website under food service. They have 4 weeks posted now. https://district.d230.org/FoodService/default.aspx
wewsrw, can you post the weekly school lunch menu for us? That looks really good & I think we can all just model that & call it a day with the menu planning. :lol:[/QUOTE]
wewsrw, can you post the weekly school lunch menu for us? That looks really good & I think we can all just model that & call it a day with the menu planning. :lol:[/QUOTE]
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I had dreams about this conversation, and what struck me was that this
is what tens of thousands of children have for supper every night, even children of people who post here, and nobody seems to think it's not enough food. Not even the McDonald's people. 4 chicken nuggets, 1/2 cup of vegetable (the fries), 1/2 cup of fruit (the apples) and 8oz of milk (which by choice can be chocolate).
I don't personally know one parent in my circle (well besides me but even in a pinch I would make allowances) who thinks a Chicken McNugget happy meal isn't "enough food" for dinner for a typical preschool or elementary school age child. The new guidelines were in part based upon the McDonalds happy meal model because so many children are accustomed to eating them, and so many parents consider them to be an appropriate meal.
Sorry, that just nagged at me last night.
:lol:
is what tens of thousands of children have for supper every night, even children of people who post here, and nobody seems to think it's not enough food. Not even the McDonald's people. 4 chicken nuggets, 1/2 cup of vegetable (the fries), 1/2 cup of fruit (the apples) and 8oz of milk (which by choice can be chocolate).
I don't personally know one parent in my circle (well besides me but even in a pinch I would make allowances) who thinks a Chicken McNugget happy meal isn't "enough food" for dinner for a typical preschool or elementary school age child. The new guidelines were in part based upon the McDonalds happy meal model because so many children are accustomed to eating them, and so many parents consider them to be an appropriate meal.
Sorry, that just nagged at me last night.
:lol:
Haven't bought a Happy Meal in years, but isn't it either/or on the fries/apples, not both?
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It depends on the restaurant. Most have added apples, shrunk the fries, and deleted the cookie (used to get a cookie).
My point remains - tens of thousands of parents cheerfully feed that food combination to their children as "supper," so I don't get the gripe that it's not enough food for the typical elementary school lunch.
My dad's son ate a Happy Meal every night (yes EVERY) that my dad was out of town (he travels for work) for 5-6 years. And when my dad was home, he would eat chicken nuggets and fries nuked in the microwave. It was a family "thing" that "G" didn't eat anything but chicken nuggets. I'm sure he's not the only child like this in the world.
And yes, my stepmom has PLENTY to say about how disappointing school lunch is (yet can't be bothered to make him lunch). Baby doesn't eat hot lunch because he doesn't like the food, but if he HAD to, he WOULD and there really is plenty of choice and portions are fine.
Back in my days of HS "poor" lunch was a totally different lunch than everyone else got. It was a cold sandwich in a bag with chips, cookie, apple. Usually bologna. Everyone knew who was on "free" lunch.
My point remains - tens of thousands of parents cheerfully feed that food combination to their children as "supper," so I don't get the gripe that it's not enough food for the typical elementary school lunch.
My dad's son ate a Happy Meal every night (yes EVERY) that my dad was out of town (he travels for work) for 5-6 years. And when my dad was home, he would eat chicken nuggets and fries nuked in the microwave. It was a family "thing" that "G" didn't eat anything but chicken nuggets. I'm sure he's not the only child like this in the world.
And yes, my stepmom has PLENTY to say about how disappointing school lunch is (yet can't be bothered to make him lunch). Baby doesn't eat hot lunch because he doesn't like the food, but if he HAD to, he WOULD and there really is plenty of choice and portions are fine.
Back in my days of HS "poor" lunch was a totally different lunch than everyone else got. It was a cold sandwich in a bag with chips, cookie, apple. Usually bologna. Everyone knew who was on "free" lunch.
H
hsmomof6
Guest
I don't think my kids have ever had the McNugget Happy meal, but they have on occasion had the cheeseburger one and it has been enough. The McNugget one with the new shrunk fries does look tiny. My 5 year old dd actually eats a lot - like a boy. She is very tall though. That said, I don't ever remember thinking that school lunches were not enough food. Granted, it's been a long time. I was a junior high school public school teacher 15+ years ago and I used to do lunch duty for extra $.
something must have changed this year with free lunches as the school I work at now has a fruit station where the kids are to take a piece of fruit too along with the rest of their lunch--yeah ummm for the first month the fruit was found smashed in the hallways
I worked one year in a kindergarten class about 6 years ago-the free lunches at that time ( same lunch people paid for as well..) did not look appetizing similar to what Kathy said, --but no chops--a bland sandwich, fruit or juice, milk and a side--cant even remember the sides--sometimes It was Graham crackers
M
mickey134870
Guest
Back when I was in school the lunch ladies actually cooked our meals in the school. The aroma's filled the school and the food was good. We actually ate lunch at lunch time. I think the issue is not the amount of food but the quality that is served nowdays. In our school system the lunch hour begins at 10:15 and the last one ends at 1:30. Either to early or to late IMO. My boys don't like to eat the lunch served there. They have always taken their own lunch. They are not picky eaters, they just like their food to taste good. Outside food vendors bring the food in.
