|
"Sharyn Ratten took over the management of the school
canteen at th start of 2007. She is passionate about food
and cooking and has been contributing recipes and healthy
eating suggestions to the school newsletter since the start
of 2006. Sharyn had many, many ideas for improvement of the
canteen built on the previous changes implemented and combined
with her passion for fresh food and the joy of preparing and
eating good food. She has lived and breathed the canteen all
this year and in fact has a notebook by her bed to ensure
all the great ideas she has are not lost!
The first area she tackled was to put the focus squarely
on fresh and healthy food. The menu was redone, eliminating
many processed foods and adding freshly made pizzas, wraps,
salads, fresh fruit and freshly baked museli slices, muffins
and apricot balls for occasional treats. A group of parents
have weekly baking sessions in the canteen to keep up the
supply of baked treats and fresh food is purchased for salads
and wraps. At the start of the year Sharyn identified which
vegetables and herbs she wanted planted in the school vegetable
garden which has led to another avenue of fresh food. The
menu has proven to be extremely popular, the pizzas are an
outstanding hit with all children and the size of the queues
at recess and lunch attest to the success of the menu.
As well as improving the menu, Sharyn has focused on making
the working environment as efficient as possible with the
addition of a new oven, the removal of old benches and partitions
and the repositioning of appliances which has created a more
streamlined and aesthetic workspace. She has also ensured
that the presentation of the area is welcoming with displays
of flowers and fruit and the provision of freshly brewed coffee
for parent helpers. One of her goals has been to make both
the canteen interior and exterior as welcoming as possible
for both the parent volunteers and the students. Food is displayed
as attractively on the new benches, a rustic sign indicates
Snack Shack and an artistic blackboard has specials information
on it. Sharyn has plans for outdoor seating to complete the
environment.
I think the most exciting innovation that Sharyn and her
team have implemented is the emphasis on the creation of an
inviting and user friendly canteen for both the parent volunteers
and students through the provision of a menu with an emphasis
on fresh and whole foods and the environment which supports
the idea of enjoying healthy food together. So many of the
changes have been created through small teams of parents working
together and indeed, the atmosphere in the canteen is very
much that of a team approach. The environment that Sharyn
and her team have created is also in harmony with the school's
emphasis on a healthy lifestyle and community approach and
is very much appreciated by the school community."
- Georgina Daniel, Principal
|
