Kids Invite Wayzata School Board to Lunch

So incredibly proud of this group's kids for presenting at the December 9 school board meeting! They spoke about what they'd like changed in school lunch and invited the school board members to have lunch with them to experience what the kids experience each day.

Culinary Express Seeks Ideas!

Culinary Express would ❤️ to hear your ideas for Try It Tuesday and Around the World Wednesday! If they can fit it into their budget and regulations they will try to replicate it! In January the high school's Ecology of Foods class will be coming up with the Try It Tuesday dish and Around the World Wednesday will feature Swedish Meatballs and Lefse. What ideas do YOU have? We'll be happy to pass them along!

Ingredient Lists Changing

This is what the old Chicken Noodle Soup ingredient list looked like. It will be phased out of the elementary schools by next month! Tomorrow, Oakwood, Birchview, and Sunset Hill will get the new and improved soup with an ingredient list that looks like this:

This month, Oakwood, Birchview, and Sunset Hill will get the new and improved soup with an ingredient list that looks like this: Water, Chicken Base: Cooked Organic Chicken (Organic Roasted Chicken, Organic Chicken Stock, Organic Chicken Fat) Sea Salt, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Chicken Flavor, Organic Cornstarch, Salt, Organic Onion Powder, Organic Vegetable Flavorings, Organic Gum Arabic and Organic Turmeric. Celery, carrots, leeks, onions, salt, pepper, Whole grain pasta (water, whole wheat durum flour, enriched durum wheat flour [durum wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], enriched semolina [semolina wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid], oat fiber).

Recess at Sunset Hill

From a group member:

"My child is a 5th grader at Sunset Hill. The teacher shortens a student's recess by 5 minutes or more based on whether the student brings homework in on time. Why is this happening? Shouldn't the punishment be reflected in their grades instead of their recess time?"

This is a clear violation of Wayzata's wellness policy: "Schools will not withhold recess as a punishment."

Is this happening at other schools?

Lunch at Oakwood

Seanne Falconer for Wayzata School Board had lunch at Oakwood before Thanksgiving. This was her experience:

"11:08 - entered lunchroom with 1st graders. Came straight off the playground. Took off coats, hung on hooks in lunchroom.

11:09 - hand sanitizer

In line to get hot lunch (cheeseburger on wheat bun, potato wedges, salad, carrots, bananas and pineapple)

11:12 AM-Paid

11:13 - Beau and I sat down at a table and started to eat (after grabbing napkins and forks)

11:15 - all kids through the line

11:17 - announcement of one minute of quiet. Scramble for napkins and return to seats.

11:18 - One minute of silent chewing/and giggles.

(I thoroughly enjoyed my cheeseburger on a wheat bun, salad, skim milk, and cucumbers.)

11:25 - Done eating. Dumping trays. All kids at my table of 8 finished their lunches— and ALL had picked the cheeseburger hot lunch. I asked any w/ food on their trays if they were full- and they said yes.

11:29 - Kids lined up against the wall. Getting their stuff.

11:30- out of the lunchroom.

Oakwood lunch was awesome, organized, and the kids I ate with liked the food and ate their lunches."

Is this typical for Oakwood? If it is, should they be a model for the rest of the buildings? Were there hooks for every kid? Do other buildings have hooks?

December Elementary Lunch

The December Elementary Lunch Menu contained several surprises!

• New non-GMO Tofu Bites
• Persimmons
• Vegetable Potstickers
• Honey Sriracha Delicata Squash
• Some kitchens will have updated versions with no concerning ingredients while others are using up remaining ingredients and next month will have updated versions. These items are Lo Mein, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Turkey Gravy.

Happy to see Try It Tuesday and Around the World Wednesday!

On the other hand, unfortunately the number of elementary entrees without concerning ingredients dropped by 3 percentage points in December. But, we know 2 of the entrees (Chicken Noodle Soup and Turkey Gravy) are in transition, meaning some of the kitchens are ready with new, non-concerning ingredients while other kitchens are using up old ingredients. We also know the new culinary director is working on a new bread supplier, which would have a huge impact on the menu.