Elem school -sack lunches in classroom from now on!

our schools also provide breakfast to the few needy kids in our district that are bused in. I wonder how something like this would impact children who eat both breakfast and lunch at school?
 
No lunch break?? Do you get plan periods?

When I taught we did not get lunch breaks. You ate with your class and we had two 15 minute recess where you had a break provided it was not your duty day. We also got planning time when the students went to computer and library which ended up being a total of about 90 minutes a week.
 
I don't see any major problems with this:confused3

I see no issue at all with the only cold lunches being provided aspect of it. Hot lunches at schools are nearly always very unhealthy and no one NEEDS a hot lunch to make it through the day. With the sack lunches available to purchase there is still a way to provide free or reduced lunch to those who need it and still food around for kids who forget their lunch, etc.

I don't think kids will be socially stinted from eating in their own classrooms. They still get 30 minutes out on the playground with all of the other kids.

They will probably end up with More time to eat and to play as much less time will be spent getting everyone down to the cafeteria, through the lunch lines, etc.

Overall I think it is a great idea of how to relatively painlessly boost the budget.

I agree with you except for one thing. The food that will be spilled in the classroom. I volunteer sometimes in the cafeteria. I always see at least one roach. This will be a problem in the classrooms now. I think if they don't want to serve a hot lunch then fine, it is crap anyway, but at least let them eat in the cafeteria to avoid some of the bugs in the classroom.

Also, our lunch isn't designed for socialization. If the kids get to loud they make them have a quiet lunch and they always sit with their class.
 
Eating in the classroom is really common in my city. It's what I did all the way through elementary school, what my son did all the way through elementary school, and of the 20+ years I've been teaching, I've only been in programs where kids eat in the classroom for 3 years. We do have hot lunch brought in, but it comes in on trays, and you either get one or you don't. We get sack lunches on hot days or field trip days, that sounds like yours (a "savory treat" for us would be carrots with ranch dip, or a little bag of trail mix, or once in a blue moon potato chips), but other days they get the trays. I don't think the trays are healthier or yummier than the sack lunches.

Socially, lunch in the classroom is great. It's so much quieter the kids can hear each other and actually have conversations. I've never heard of an elementary lunch room where the kids mix up classes so they're sitting with the same people.

The cleanliness is somewhat of an issue, although we don't have fully carpeted classrooms. But other than maybe the preschoolers, kids can learn to be neat if you work on it. It's not a huge issue.

As far as the Kindergartener who is excited about "eating like the big kids", he will be because this is what the big kids are doing.

I think it's not that big a deal.
 

I guess it'a alot different in Canada. Here we have always eaten lunch in the classrooms (they are NOT carpeted) and the classrooms are always clean. Only high schools here have cafaterias. There are certain days that you can pre-order a hot lunch but it's brought in from an outside source, not cooked in the school. Schools in my area have two "nutrition breaks". They get 20 min to eat mid-morning followed by a 20 min recess and then another 20 min to eat at 1:00pm followed by a 30 min recess. I think it's a fantastic idea:thumbsup2
 
Socially, lunch in the classroom is great. It's so much quieter the kids can hear each other and actually have conversations. I've never heard of an elementary lunch room where the kids mix up classes so they're sitting with the same people.
.

I agree. I think that it has to be calmer and a more sane lunch. My kids are shuttled like cattle in the lunch room. Sit, eat, and moooove. :laughing: I have heard of lunch "issues" at other schools locally. One has instituted "silent lunch". Then, a very restricted play ground time. Nothing like sending your kids to a school that feels like prison. I would take classroom lunch anytime over this.
 
I don't know, I kind of think this is a good idea. It really cuts cost since they don't have to pay cafeteria workers, clean up people, lunch aides etc. I think hot lunches are very unhealthy in most school districts anyway (just watch Jamie Olivers food revolution!)

I don't think its a big deal to eat in the class room. I would prefer the cafeteria for my kiddos since it is a change of scenery and seems more social since they can see all the other kids, but not the end of the world. Its a sign of the times, cuts are being made everythere. They can mingle with the other kids at recess.
 
/
This.

Sometimes, I think folks lose track of what schools are for. Beyond that, remember who is to blame for schools having to come up with creative ways to cut costs: The voters on the town who refuse to fund schools enough to cover all these costs adequately.

It becomes one more room to clean. If it remains unused, it can be effectively shut down, and the custodial overtime can be cut a bit.



Something that our society would no longer consider acceptable for a variety of reasons.

While parents might have volunteered to be monitors, I suspect they'd have balked at the idea of being obligated to clean the lunch room each day.

Actually, it would be more efficient to clean one cafeteria-set up to handle food spills then it would be to clean however many classrooms with food spills. Yes, the classrooms get cleaned already but they don't have to clean up spilled milk, food, etc. off carpet.
 
I agree with you except for one thing. The food that will be spilled in the classroom. I volunteer sometimes in the cafeteria. I always see at least one roach. This will be a problem in the classrooms now. I think if they don't want to serve a hot lunch then fine, it is crap anyway, but at least let them eat in the cafeteria to avoid some of the bugs in the classroom.

Also, our lunch isn't designed for socialization. If the kids get to loud they make them have a quiet lunch and they always sit with their class.

Every elementary classroom my kids were in in the states allowed a mid morning snack for the kids and water bottles--so you already had food in there every single day (plus lots of food at parties). I don't see the big difference.:confused3

I am really wondering about all of you who have kids in classes full of messy enough peopel for food spillage to be a major concern:confused3:rotfl: I can see it getting knocked off of hot lunch trays as kids carry them in a crowded cafeteria--but from sack lunches in a classroom? I guess my kids just got lucky and did not end up with the spill prone classmates.

DD went to a school for one year where every child had the choice between eating in the cafeteria or eating in the classroom. Being someone who does not handle crowds and noisy well she LOVED it and ate in the classroom every day. I think the stats were that about 65%-70% of the kids opted to eat in the room on a daily basis.
 
Every elementary classroom my kids were in in the states allowed a mid morning snack for the kids and water bottles--so you already had food in there every single day (plus lots of food at parties). I don't see the big difference.:confused3

I am really wondering about all of you who have kids in classes full of messy enough peopel for food spillage to be a major concern:confused3:rotfl: I can see it getting knocked off of hot lunch trays as kids carry them in a crowded cafeteria--but from sack lunches in a classroom? I guess my kids just got lucky and did not end up with the spill prone classmates.

DD went to a school for one year where every child had the choice between eating in the cafeteria or eating in the classroom. Being someone who does not handle crowds and noisy well she LOVED it and ate in the classroom every day. I think the stats were that about 65%-70% of the kids opted to eat in the room on a daily basis.

That's true-I guess I am still thinking about hot lunch, lunch trays, etc. It's hard to "spill" a sandwich.
 
I don't see any problem with it. The kid's in our school already eat breakfast in the classroom, and the younger grades have snack time in there too.
The only truly sad part is that more people will be out of jobs.
 
I don't see any major problems with this:confused3

I see no issue at all with the only cold lunches being provided aspect of it. Hot lunches at schools are nearly always very unhealthy and no one NEEDS a hot lunch to make it through the day. With the sack lunches available to purchase there is still a way to provide free or reduced lunch to those who need it and still food around for kids who forget their lunch, etc.

I don't think kids will be socially stinted from eating in their own classrooms. They still get 30 minutes out on the playground with all of the other kids.

They will probably end up with More time to eat and to play as much less time will be spent getting everyone down to the cafeteria, through the lunch lines, etc.

Overall I think it is a great idea of how to relatively painlessly boost the budget.

I think it is a creative way to cut costs without impacting the actual educational programs. I don't understand why they can't all still eat in the cafeteria but even so, I would rather see cuts like this vs cutting academic programs. I can also see teachers getting creative with this for the kids-picnics on the floor with other classrooms, etc.

Every elementary classroom my kids were in in the states allowed a mid morning snack for the kids and water bottles--so you already had food in there every single day (plus lots of food at parties). I don't see the big difference.:confused3

I am really wondering about all of you who have kids in classes full of messy enough peopel for food spillage to be a major concern:confused3:rotfl: I can see it getting knocked off of hot lunch trays as kids carry them in a crowded cafeteria--but from sack lunches in a classroom? I guess my kids just got lucky and did not end up with the spill prone classmates.

DD went to a school for one year where every child had the choice between eating in the cafeteria or eating in the classroom. Being someone who does not handle crowds and noisy well she LOVED it and ate in the classroom every day. I think the stats were that about 65%-70% of the kids opted to eat in the room on a daily basis.

:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

I think it's a great idea!
 
How grim.

Sounds like my Dickensian Catholic school from many decades ago.
 
I am surprised there hasn't been more posts from people that think this is a terrible idea. While the school food may not be the healthiest, at least it offers some variety. The only sandwich my son eats is a cheese sandwich and even then he usually just ends up eating the slice of cheese.:rotfl: Kids like variety, and eating in the classroom is a bit much to me. Getting out of the classroom for lunch and recess helps children get a break from the school day so that they can be refreshed and ready to jump back into their learning in the afternoon. I am thankful that our school district hasn't made this type of cut. We'd probably have to move if it got to the point of OP's situation. I feel sad for all of these children.

As a PP mentioned, I wonder what this will do for those who are at a discounted breakfast/lunch option. Some children may only get a complete "hot" meal at school due to poverty issues. It's sad that they may not have that anymore.:sad1:
 
I'm a 3rd grade teacher and don't have any problem with this.

Getting ready for lunch, lining up for lunch, walking to lunch, etc. takes up some of our time during the day that could be either given to recess, specials, or more academic learning time.

I personally wouldn't have a problem sitting in the room with them while they ate since I was getting a break while they went off to recess. I can guarantee that many teachers wouldn't be as content with this as I am... :laughing:

I'm not too concerned about the mess either-- drinks and food are still spilled during snack time. Our school is blessed to have a wonderful custodian stuff who actually clean each room nightly!! In addition, I have plenty of cleaning supplies in my room and clean up as best as I can after a spill.

Finally, the sack lunches will be so much healthier although I'm sure some hot foods would be missed. A PP brings up a good point about eligible receiving free/reduced lunch and the lack of a hot meal. That's upsetting and the worst thing about this "change", IMO. It seems as if this school should HAVE to offer hot food for those who wish to purchase it/partake in the free-reduced lunch program.
 
Thats how it was when I was in elementary school. We ate lunch in the classrooms, and the lunch available for purchase sounded exactly like the one described. Then after lunch, if it was nice outside, we had 30 min of outside recess. If there was inclement weather, we went to the auditorium and they showed old movies, or our school chorus sang.... Grades 1-3 ate lunch first, then had recess, grade 4-6 had recess first, and then ate their lunch,

This is exactly how it was in my WONDERFUL CATHOLIC school (not all were grim...)growing up. We ate in the classrooms and then when out to play. We were fine and well adjusted. And lunch was even provided, we had to bring it from home.

My kids on occasion eat in the classrooms, they also have snacks, so food is present in the classrooms, in the younger grades they still sit by classroom so they only interact with the kids from the other classes in the recess yard, in the older grades they can sit with anyone from their grade.

As another poster said, we have parent volunteer lunch moms, although they do get a small stipend, $13 a day, and they monitor the kids and clean up after. They monitor the kids whether it is indoor or outdoor recess. It is very organized and there are at least two teachers assigned lunch duty as well, they rotate.
 
I think my girls school has lunch monitors but they also have other teachers/staff in the cafeteria such as vice principal, music, gym, art, Spanish etc on a rotating basis so I guess if they stopped serving hot lunch eating in the cafeteria wouldn't necessarily be affected. The teachers here tend to have their lunch break when the kids are in the cafeteria then go out to recess with them. We don't have recess monitors other than the classroom teachers. Teachers get a planning break when the kids go to specials.

We had 3 kindergarten classes last year when my youngest was in kindergarten. One class was a dual language class that stays together while th other two classes change each year. They all go to lunch/recess together. At one point they started giving the kids numbers for what table to sit at during lunch so that all 3 classes mixed together during lunch time to get to know the other students better. I think starting in 1st grade each grade has assigned tables but the kids can sit at any table. I think that part would be lost if eating in the classroom unless kids could pick any classroom for their grade to eat in. However I think the kids would very quickly adjust to eating in a classroom and having a longer recess.
 
I'm a 3rd grade teacher and don't have any problem with this.

Getting ready for lunch, lining up for lunch, walking to lunch, etc. takes up some of our time during the day that could be either given to recess, specials, or more academic learning time.

I personally wouldn't have a problem sitting in the room with them while they ate since I was getting a break while they went off to recess. I can guarantee that many teachers wouldn't be as content with this as I am... :laughing:

I'm not too concerned about the mess either-- drinks and food are still spilled during snack time. Our school is blessed to have a wonderful custodian stuff who actually clean each room nightly!! In addition, I have plenty of cleaning supplies in my room and clean up as best as I can after a spill.

Finally, the sack lunches will be so much healthier although I'm sure some hot foods would be missed. A PP brings up a good point about eligible receiving free/reduced lunch and the lack of a hot meal. That's upsetting and the worst thing about this "change", IMO. It seems as if this school should HAVE to offer hot food for those who wish to purchase it/partake in the free-reduced lunch program.

Or giving the kid's time to actually eat their lunch! I know when my kids buy they spend 1/2 their lunch time in line waiting to order so by the time they get to the table they have 10-15 minutes to eat. I know its possible to eat in that time, but it would be nice if they could take their time, socialize and not end up having to throw half their food out because they were rushed out.

Just curious, why does a school have to offer a "hot" meal for free/reduced lunch? If a cold sandwich lunch meets all the nutritional requirements, why isn't that good enough?
 
Honestly? That's how I grew up. Our grade schools and junior highs didn't have cafeterias, and in grade school we ate at our desks (jr. highs had lunch rooms). there weren't any sack lunches to buy, every kid had to bring a sack lunch from home. The only thing the school sold was milk. I never knew that other districts had cafeterias that sold hot lunches until I was an adult!
 
Or giving the kid's time to actually eat their lunch! I know when my kids buy they spend 1/2 their lunch time in line waiting to order so by the time they get to the table they have 10-15 minutes to eat. I know its possible to eat in that time, but it would be nice if they could take their time, socialize and not end up having to throw half their food out because they were rushed out.

Just curious, why does a school have to offer a "hot" meal for free/reduced lunch? If a cold sandwich lunch meets all the nutritional requirements, why isn't that good enough?

I agree with this. I realize schools have become a way to fix alot of society problems (free lunch and breakfast to feed children, school councilors, after school programs until parents get out of work etc.) But really the point of school is to educate the kids and if the money isn't there then that should be the only priority. I don't think we should mandate a school have some way to make hot lunches (at a high cost) just to ensure all kids get a hot meal each day!
 

PixFuture Display Ad Tag












Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE








New Posts







DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top