G.H. Robertson's Kitchen

G.H. Robertson's Kitchen

As soon as you walk into GHR it’s hard not to smell the aroma of cookies baking or lunches being prepared.  The staff in GHR's kitchen is comprised of four outstanding people that serve the students each and every day.  Whether it be breakfast or lunch, the students' meals are always waiting for them.  Thank you for your dedication!

Staff Members

Robin Carlson, Cook/Manager

Mary Church

Nikki Kandolin

Candice Showalter

Phone: 742-4528                                                                    

Hours:  6:45-1:00 daily

Email:  kitchenGHR@CoventryCT.org

 

 

November's School Lunch Menu

 

Lunch at GHR costs $1.75*.   

Lunches are planned to meet 1/3 of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for students in grades 3 - 5.  This means lunch’s average: 654 calories and 1/3 or more of the RDA for protein, iron, calcium, and Vitamins A & C.  Average total fat is 30% or less and average saturated fat is under 10%.

 

Lunch menus are sent home with the students on or before the first day of the month.  Menus are also published in the local newspapers and on the Internet.  Three menu choices are offered daily, one of which is always a yogurt plate.                          

A la carte items available daily:

Milk (served free with school lunch)                      45¢*

Fresh fruit (served free with school lunch)             50¢*

Snacks, sherbet or ice cream                                   75¢*

              Bottled water                                                            50¢*

                                          100% juices, 4oz                                                      25¢*

 

Breakfast costs $1.00* and includes: milk, fruit, fruit juice, and a baked item or cereal.  Breakfast is served every day.  At $1.00*, a bowl of cereal, a bagel or a freshly baked cinnamon roll, plus milk and juice is a great buy and an even better way to start the morning.

 

Students who are approved for free or reduced price lunch (.40¢) are automatically eligible for free or reduced price (20¢) breakfast.

 

*All prices subject to change.

 

Questions????

If you have any questions about your child’s account balance please call the GHR kitchen at 742- 4528.  The best time to call is between 7-10:30 am.  For concerns or questions about the lunch or breakfast programs, please feel free to call the kitchen or the School Food Service Office at 742-4535.

 

Parents are welcome to drop in and have lunch with their child.  Adult lunch costs $2.75*.  Please call ahead so we may add your lunch to the daily count.  (742-4528)  

 

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING YOU.

 

MONEY MATTERS

All the Coventry Schools have computer cash registers.  Each child is assigned a pin number when they enter the Coventry school system.  All parents are encouraged to put money on their children’s accounts so that students do not have to bring money to school whenever they wish to buy lunch (or snack or breakfast or milk). 

 

Students at GHR get their lunches and go to one of two cash registers.  There they enter their pin number on the pin pad.  Their name and account balance appears on the cashiers screen.  The cashier says “hello” to the child by name and the cost of the meal (or snack or milk) is deducted from the balance in the account.  Please note: We reserve the right to restrict sales to students who do not have enough money to pay for their purchases.

 

All parents are encouraged to start the year by putting $50.00 on their child’s account.  As an incentive at GHR, we give your child:

5 FREE snack coupons for every $50.00 prepayment you make. These coupons are good anytime over the school year and anytime you add money to your child’s account he or she will again receive:

5 FREE snack coupons for every $50.00 prepayment.

 

FREE OR REDUCED PRICE MEALS

Parents are encouraged to apply for free or reduced price meals if they meet the eligibility guidelines.  Please note: This program is strictly confidential.   Your child uses his or her pin number just like everyone else and the computer knows how much (if anything) to deduct from your child’s account.

            The 2007-2008 guidelines for reduced price meals are:

            Household Size     Annual         Monthly       Weekly

                        1                     18,889         1,575           364

                        2                     25,327         2,111           488

                        3                     31,765         2,648           611

                        4                     38,203         3,184           735

                        5                     44,641         3,721            859

                        6                     51,079         4,257            983

                        7                     57,517         4,794           1,107

                        8                     63,955         5,330           1,230

            each add'l                 +6,438         +537              +124

Applications are sent home with students on the first day of school and are available all year long in all school offices.   The application is also available online at http://www.coventrypublicschools.org/admin/services/FRPriceMealsApplication.pdf  with further information at:  http://www.coventrypublicschools.org/admin/services/FRPriceMealsLetter.pdf 

Parents may also call or drop by the School Food Service Office (at CNHS) at any time to request an application (742-4535).

 

School Meals

We serve education every day.

 

 

Links

For kids:

www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardkids    Songs, experiments, activity sheets, games

http://www.nichd.nih.gov/milk/kids/kidsteens.cfm   Mazes and games about calcium

 

 

For parents:

www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle   Menus, recipes, ideas

 

ANSWERS FOR PARENTS

 

1.         What is the school lunch program trying to accomplish?

The goal of the program is to provide high quality, nutritious meals to all students for the lowest possible cost.

 

2.         Who is in charge of the lunch program in my child's school?

The Cook-Manager at GHR is Robin Carlson.  The Director of School Food Services, Carol Brigham, supervises and coordinates the general operation of the program.  The Board of Education, represented by the Superintendent, makes the final decisions about the program.

 

3.         Who plans the school menus?

Menus are planned by the School Food Service Director with input from the Cook-Manager.  Students are welcome to suggest ideas and every effort is made to incorporate these ideas while remaining within the budget and USDA guidelines.

 

4.         Can schools serve any food they want?

Menus must meet federal school lunch requirements.  Meals are planned with the goal of providing students with one third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for key nutrients and calories.  The USDA provides the School Food Service with any changes in the guidelines and the staff is updated regularly to insure guidelines are met.

 

5.         How much does it cost the school to prepare a student lunch?

The average school lunch costs $2.75 to prepare and serve, including the value of donated commodities in the meal.

 

6.         How can lunch be sold to students for a price so much lower than the cost?

The school receives federal and state funds for every meal it serves.  This reimbursement, along with the value of the donated commodities used in the meal, makes up most of the difference between what the lunch costs to prepare and what the student pays. Snack sales help close the gap between income and expenses.

 

7.         Why should my child buy lunch at school rather than bring it from home?

The school lunches assure that your child is receiving a nutritionally balanced meal.  More variety is easier to achieve through school menus.  Also, school lunches are less expensive to buy than a lunch of equal nutritional value prepared and packed at home.

 

 8.        Is my child required to take every item offered for lunch?

No.  Students have the choice of declining one or two food items.  They also have the choice of accepting smaller portions of one or two items, provided they accept full portions of at least three items.  This helps solve the problem of students throwing away uneaten food while still giving students the opportunity to try new foods.

 

9.         Are there other advantages to my child's participating in the school lunch program?

Students learn good nutritious habits that provide a basis for better health throughout their lives.  School lunches contain a variety of foods and offer students exposure to new foods.  The well nourished student will generally have better attendance, be more attentive, and have more energy to cope with school day opportunities.

 

10.       Can I help in my child's school food service program?

Yes.  The School Food Service program welcomes parent and student involvement in the planning of school meals, as well as in nutrition education.  Parents are also needed occasionally as substitute workers in the kitchens.  Substitutes are paid by the hour.  Please call or drop by the School Food Service office at Capt. Nathan Hale School (742-4535) for more information.

 

 

Coventry Schools participate in the USDA's Team Nutrition Program and all Coventry School Food Service staff belongs to the School Nutrition Association of Connecticut (SNACT) an affiliate of the national School Nutrition Association (SNA).  These organizations provide extra leadership and training to the School Food Service Director and staff of every school, as well as subscriptions to the School Food Service and Nutrition Magazine, an extremely valuable monthly magazine for School Food Service Professionals.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about your school's nutrition program, please contact:

 

Carol Brigham, SNS

Director of School Food Services

742-4535    Fax 742-4570

 

 

Links

For kids:

www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardkids

 

For parents:

www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle