Lunch

 
 

FOOD: FUEL FOR SCHOOL

We can help your children to learn about nutrition at Walden, but we need your help. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and students who skip breakfast or who grab a doughnut are often tired and easily distracted by mid-morning.

As educators, we believe there is a strong relationship between nutrition and learning. Our nutrition lessons emphasize the connection between the variety of foods needed each day to provide essential nutrients and how these foods affect the human body in its ability to process information, exercise, and perform daily tasks.

The modern teaching tool is called “MyPlate,” designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the government’s primary food group symbol, consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. (This model replaces the “Pyramid.”)

If you need some suggestions for healthful breakfast and lunches, our library has books and cookbooks for you to borrow.

TRASH-LESS LUNCH

Our mission states that we all have stewardship for the world in which we live. We ask that your child’s lunch be packed in re-useable containers and thermoses. Such practices can save money and the environment! Please mark all of your child’s containers with his/her name in permanent marker.

SNACKS AND DRINKS DURING THE DAY

Each classroom at Walden has a different snack policy. Please ask your child’s teacher at the beginning of the year for snack expectations. Water is always available. Consider a re-useable water bottle for your child.

The following items may not be eaten at or brought to school:

  1. Chewing gum – absolutely no gum is allowed at school before, during, or after school hours. It distracts many children from paying attention in class, and it gets stuck on shoes, carpets, chairs, and tables.
  2. Sodas, candy, sweet drinks, sugary foods – should these items be in your child’s lunch, we will ask that it be returned to his/her lunch box and eaten at or on the way home.
  3. Canned fruits or puddings – they can be hard to open, often have sharp edges, and leave a mess if they’re not eaten entirely.
  4. “Cup of noodles” and similar foods requiring hot water or microwave access.
  5. Glass containers – it is too easy for a glass container to break during lunch time.