JUNIOR SCHOOL INFORMATION HANDBOOK

Crunch and Sip - Morning Tea and Lunch

Crunch and Sip

Healthy food and water are an essential requirement for wellbeing, and meal times are important social and educational experiences. All students in the Junior School from Pre-Primary to Year 6 are required to pack daily a separate container of raw vegetables or fruit and a drink bottle of water to consume during their class’s Crunch and Sip break each day. The College supports this Cancer Council of Western Australia health initiative to promote eating enough vegetables and fruit for healthy development and as part of our academic and wellbeing program across the College. Our students are encouraged to have regular breaks to drink water throughout the day to aid their academic focus and concentration. 

 

Morning Tea

Students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten are required to pack a container of fruit, dried fruit, cheese, carrot or other raw vegetables and their water bottle. Pre-Primary – Year 6 students bring a packed morning tea and their water bottle.

 

Lunch

All children are required to bring a packed lunch to school each day. For Pre-Primary – Year 6 students, a lunch menu is available from the Canteen, should families wish to make use of this facility. Children from Year 3 upwards are permitted to buy extra items from the Canteen at lunchtime. In the interests of good physical health and dental care, please do not provide sweet biscuits, lollies or chocolate.

 

Children are supervised by teachers when they are eating, and teachers are on duty during recess and lunchtime each day.

 

All children are required to have a drink bottle of water to be kept in the classroom with them, so they have access to water at all times. Please make sure your child’s name is written on the drink bottle.

 

In line with our Waste Wise Policy, children are requested to bring food in recyclable containers with a minimum of wrapping to reduce litter; Bento style boxes are best.

Crunch and Sip Ideas

Here are some suggested ideas to pack for Crunch and Sip:

  • A handful of grapes.
  • Chopped apple (held together with an elastic band to avoid it going brown).
  • Orange wedges.
  • Kiwifruit peeled and chopped.
  • A few strawberries with the tops removed.
  • Watermelon chunks, rockmelon balls or honeydew melon wedges.
  • Blueberries.
  • Chopped pear with a squeeze of lemon juice over it.
  • Lady finger bananas.
  • Cucumber slices.
  • Cherry tomatoes.
  • Capsicum or zucchini strips.
  • Carrot or celery sticks.
  • Blanched broccoli or cauliflower.

As these have high sugar content, please do not include:

  • Dried fruit.
  • Yoghurt pouches.
  • Fruit leathers.
  • Muesli bars.
  • Fruit juice.
  • Canned fruit or fruit snack packs.

Lunchbox Ideas

Do not overfill your child’s lunchbox! We strongly support awareness of the environment and sustainability, so accordingly please send your child’s drinks in reusable drink bottles, not tetra packs, and place foods in reusable containers, not cling-wrapped or pre-packaged.

 

Include a variety of healthy food with plenty of fresh fruit, salad vegetables and bread or cracker biscuits, rice or noodles, and protein food such as meats, fish, dairy products, baked beans or boiled eggs.

 

Dairy foods, meat and eggs need to be kept cold. Put a frozen drink bottle in with the lunch box or use a cooler bag. It is not possible to place food in fridges or re-heat food at school.

 

Other Lunchbox Ideas

  • Slice of fruit loaf / raisin bread.
  • Pancake or pikelet (add mashed bananas to the mixture for a change).
  • Fruit, date, pumpkin or plain scone.
  • Small pita bread (spread thinly with cheese spread, grated carrot, sprouts and rolled up to serve).
  • Small handful of rice crackers or baked wheat pretzels.
  • Wholemeal crackers with a slice of low-fat cheese.
  • Rice cakes with a thin scrape of reduced-fat cream cheese and Vegemite
  • Cup of popcorn
  • Slice of low-fat cheese with a bundle of carrot and celery sticks.
  • Tub of low-fat fruit yoghurt (freeze the night before in warmer months)
  • Small handful of dried fruit (for over 5 year olds only).
  • Small container of assorted salads (eg Tabouli, pasta, rice).
  • Salad box with a hard-boiled egg, cherry tomatoes and a bread roll.
  • Snow peas, feta, pitted olives.
  • Homemade pizza.
  • Vegetarian quiche or frittata.
  • Noodles with chicken and snow peas.
  • Kibbeh falafel.
  • Rissoles, meatballs or kebabs.
  • Low-fat cheese cubes or sticks.
  • Steamed dim sims – still delicious cold.
  • Sushi rice roll with avocado, carrot and tuna.
  • Chicken drumstick.

For other lunch box ideas, please visit: 

DOE27571_HEALTHY FACTSHEETS.indd (education.wa.edu.au) 

Celebrations

Birthdays

Birthdays are very important, so class teachers will help celebrate each child’s birthday in an age appropriate and special way for all children in the class. Our focus is to ensure the celebration of each child’s birthday at school while removing the feeling of expectation for parents to bring in items to celebrate their child’s birthday. Please do not send in treats for your child’s birthday. Please note invitations are not to be handed out at school unless the whole class is invited. We ask for the same courtesy to be extended when Christmas cards are distributed.

 

Easter and Christmas Lollies/Chocolates

In keeping with our promotion of health and wellbeing, and of environmental responsibility by reducing litter, we discourage students from bringing lollies/chocolates/small gifts to share with their peers.

 

We thank you for your support in this matter.