HEALTHY EATING POLICY

 

Rationale

St. Joseph’s Primary School for Children with Visual Impairment aims to promote a healthy eating policy. Research suggests that consuming appropriate food types and the frequency of their intake can contribute to a child’s attention and concentration levels, thus maximising the learning process.

Aims

The aims of this policy are to:

  • Promote nutritional awareness and balanced diet
  • Make provision for healthy eating during the school day
  • Support and encourage long-term healthy eating habits in children

A healthy diet is one that allows for a balance of different foods that sustain the wellbeing of the individual. Lunch is an important meal and it should provide one third of a child’s recommended daily allowance of nutrients. In St. Joseph’s Primary School for Children with Visual Impairment, we are implementing a healthy snack and lunch policy to encourage the children to have a suitably balanced diet.

Snack, Lunch and Water

The children eat twice during the school day. Parents are asked to send in a healthy snack for the child’s morning break. For lunch, a  healthy dinner option is provided each day. (See Menu below.) The lunch is prepared and cooked at the ChildVision kitchen under the Dublin City Council Hot Meals Scheme. Children are encouraged to bring in a bottle of water each day, unless otherwise advised for medical reasons. For most children, keeping hydrated is healthy and aids good concentration.

HEALTHY SNACK OPTIONS – Morning Break

Sandwiches

  • Brown or white bread
  • Pitta bread
  • Rolls

(Fill these with your child’s favourite healthy filling, such as ham, cheese, tuna, tomato, chicken, meat roll, lettuce, cheese spread, peanut butter, egg, banana.)

Fruit and vegetables- peeled and chopped

  • Apple – small orange – banana – kiwi – pear – plum
  • Grapes – strawberries – raisins
  • Tomatoes – pieces of carrot – pieces of cucumber.

Drinks

  • Water
  • Milk
  • Yoghurt drinks
  • Unsweetened fruit juice
  • Fruit smoothies

Other options

  • Cheese portions
  • Pasta salad
  • Yoghurt or fromage frais
  • Wholegrain/ Digestive biscuits (as a treat)

Remember:

Eat at least five portions of fruit & vegetables a day to help you to stay healthy.

What should not be in a healthy lunch?
• Crisps, salted nuts or popcorn
• Chocolate, sweets, lollipops or jellies
• Chewing gum
• Cake, biscuits, pastries or doughnuts
• Chocolate spread
• Fizzy drinks
• Flavoured milk

What drinks should not be sent in to school?
• Fizzy drinks
• Sugary drinks
• Hot drinks (danger of spillages)

Modifications and Exemptions

Where a child has a medically diagnosed allergy or food intolerance, agreed modifications to the Healthy Eating Guidelines can be made to the above.

In St. Joseph’s Primary School for Children with Visual Impairments we have lots of special celebrations. Therefore some exemptions from the Healthy Eating Guidelines will be allowed for.

  • First Holy Communion and Confirmation
  • Birthday parties
  • End of term parties
  • Sports Day
  • Students may receive treats for positive behaviour or special achievements. If this is likely to be frequent occurrence, parents will be consulted.

What happens when children bring in foods not allowed?

The children bring the food/ drink home in their lunch box.

 

WEEKLY LUNCH MENU:

Monday (and Tuesdays following Bank Holiday weekends)

  • Chicken burgers, beans and mash
  • Fruit / yoghurt

Tuesday

  • Shepherd’s Pie
  • Fruit / yoghurt

Wednesday

  • Ham, vegetables and mash
  • Fruit/ yoghurt

Thursday

  • Chicken curry and rice
  • Fruit/ yoghurt

Friday

  • Fish fingers, spaghetti hoops and croquettes
  • Ice-cream/ doughnut

(Water and Milk will be provided with the Lunch.)

 

Modifications and Exemptions

Where a child has a medically diagnosed allergy or food intolerance, agreed modifications to the above Healthy Eating Guidelines can be made.

In St. Joseph’s Primary School for Children with Visual Impairments we have lots of special celebrations. Therefore some exemptions from the Healthy Eating Guidelines will be allowed for.

  • First Holy Communion and Confirmation
  • Birthday parties
  • End of term parties
  • Sports Day
  • Students may receive treats for positive behaviour or special achievements. If this is likely to be frequent occurrence, parents will be consulted.

Implementation

  • Each child should bring in suitable quantity of food for snack time. The length of time for eating snack is generally about 10 minutes. A typical snack would include a sandwich and a yogurt or a piece of fruit.
  • As we are trying to reduce the amount of waste in the school, we would encourage parents to try and reduce the amount of packaging in their child’s lunch box.   We would greatly appreciate your co-operation with this matter.
  • Children will bring home any snack that they do not finish, as well as packaging.
  • Any child who brings prohibited food or drink into school will be asked to bring it home.
  • When a parent knows that a child will not  eat the healthy lunch provided on a particular day, they should send in a suitable alternative lunch.

Education

In some classes, the children will have opportunity to learn about the importance of healthy lifestyles through SPHE and SESE. An aspect of SPHE, for example, focuses on “promoting healthy by exploring the need for regular exercise, food and nutrition and the significance of healthy eating habits” (Primary School Curriculum, 1999). As part of SESE, there are sometimes Baking activities which provide opportunity for tasting and preparing new foods, encouraging children to broaden the range of healthy foods they eat. In other classes, the children will have opportunity to try different textures and types of healthy food through “Fun with Food” activities.

Specialised Feeding Requirements

N.B:  Parents/guardians of any child with a medical condition which requires a special diet or specialised feeding should ensure that the ChildVision Speech Language Therapist, the school and the class teacher are aware of this.

On a child’s enrolment at St. Joseph’s, and at the start of each subsequent year, where relevant, a parent will receive a form from the ChildVision Speech and Language Department where specialised feeding needs can be recorded. SLT will liaise with the ChildVision kitchen and the school to ensure that each child’s dietary and feeding needs are known and, where possible, provided for. Puréed food or low fat options are generally available.

Where assistance with specialised feeding is required, the school will consult with Child Vision Nursing. In some cases, parents may be asked to apply to the Board of Management to request specialised feeding assistance for their child by a trained SNA. For more information about this, please see our Illness and Medication Policy.

Timeframe for implementation: May 2015-ongoing