Boisdale Consolidated School (BCS) has observed fantastic benefits to joining Vic Kids Eat Well – an exciting state-wide movement to boost tasty and nutritious food and drink options to help kids learn, play and be active.
Belinda Marshall, BCS’ principal, said the school formed a canteen subcommittee with a focus on providing good, wholesome, affordable food and promoting healthy options to students. They were joined by Canteen Manager Brooke Daly, who was on board with the idea, and together they improved the school’s canteen under the Vic Kids Eat Well initiative’s simple steps.
“Boisdale Consolidated School adopted Vic Kids Eat Well as our school community wanted a refreshed canteen that supported the health and wellbeing of our students. Staff and families wanted our students to enjoy nourishing canteen options,” Ms Marshall said.
“Our canteen subcommittee has led the project from the start and I’m really proud of the way our school has transformed our food environment to now include items like veggie-loaded rice paper rolls. The feedback from students and staff has been fantastic.”
As a former physical education and health teacher, Ms Marshall has seen first-hand how healthier eating can benefit the kids’ learning in the classroom.
“If we have foods that are high in nutrition and a lower glycaemic index, it’s sustained energy,” she said.
“So it’s going to help them last longer at afternoon sessions, which can be times where students lack a bit of energy if they’re relying on that sugar high, or high sugary drinks.”
The feedback from parents has been very positive, and the school has even designed their own burger, the Boisdale Consolidated School Burger.
The BCS Burger consists of a beef patty with other healthy ingredients, such as lettuce, tomato, cheese and beetroot.
“It’s quite tasty actually,” Ms Marshall said.
“It’s got vitamins and minerals, and lots of colour.”
Parent and canteen subcommittee member Elspeth Lukjanov gave full compliments to Ms Daly, the canteen manager.
“A lot of our menu items are made by Brooke at the canteen. Sausage rolls and burger patties, both with hidden veg. And banana bread and fruit crumble are made with leftover fruit, to name a few,” Ms Lukjanov said.
“We really are blessed to have found Brooke Daly. She fully embraced the Vic Kids Eat Well program and understood what the subcommittee wanted to achieve. The Vic Kids Eat Well team have been invaluable during our journey, offering advice and encouragement and even assigning our canteen a Health Promoter.”
BCS Grade 2 student Maddie White, aged 8, described Ms Daly as “the best cook”.
“My favourite is fruit crumble for recess and a sausage roll for lunch. Because the food is healthy, mum lets us get lunch orders more often,” Maddie said.
“Healthy food is so yummy.”
Maddie’s mum, Jenna White, was just as pleased with the program.
“As a parent I could not ask for anything more from a school canteen. I am very conscious of what I feed my children at home, healthy eating is a high priority for me as a parent,” Ms White said.
“I am thrilled that the school can offer a wide variety of healthy options for our students. Because of this I have no concerns letting my children choose for themselves from the menu, knowing that there is no junk food on offer.”
Grade 5 student Nate Barrett, aged 11 said his favourite thing about the menu is how colourful and fresh the food is.
“I like toasted banana bread and popcorn, and for lunch I usually order a chicken wrap, but everything on the menu is good,” Nate said.
BCS Business Manager Robyn Ryan is a big fan of the chicken burger.
“I love that it’s real chicken breast crumbed by Brooke in our canteen. There’s lots of variety,” she said.
“It’s great because I don’t have to bring food from home because I know there are plenty of healthy options available at school.”
Being surrounded by beef, dairy and veggie farms, BCS students have a natural understanding of where food comes from. The canteen subcommittee aims to reinforce the idea that healthy food is exciting and tastes amazing.
The canteen now only serves what parents want their kids to eat. This includes fresh fruits and vegetables, salads and meats, baked goods made from scratch, hidden vegetable pastries, rice paper rolls and home cooked weekly specials that send wonderful aromas around the school.
Taps and water bubblers are freely available and sugary drinks are off the menu.
Dimity Gannon, Head of Healthy Places at Cancer Council Victoria, said Vic Kids Eat Well supports community organisations, like schools and sports clubs, to make bite-size changes to fuel kids with nutritious and tasty foods and drinks.
“I extend my congratulations to the entire Boisdale Consolidated School community for joining the Vic Kids Eat Well movement and providing kids with the healthy start they deserve,” Ms Gannon said.
As part of the students’ learning, the school also runs a kitchen garden program, which allows the opportunity to make their own lunches.
Schools, sports clubs and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) can join Vic Kids Eat Well for free. They’ll receive personalised support from a health promoter to make healthy and delicious swaps and will be able to celebrate wins along the way with vouchers and rewards.
Vic Kids Eat Well is supported by the state government and delivered by Cancer Council Victoria’s Achievement Program, in partnership with Nutrition Australia’s Healthy Eating Advisory Service.
Learn more or join for free at vickidseatwell@cancervic.org.au or 1300 185 725.
