St. Finian’s National School aims to help all those in our school community: children, staff and parents to develop positive attitudes towards healthy eating and to learn how healthy eating may contribute to our health. It is our policy that healthy eating be encouraged by pursuing both education for pupils and guidance for parents. We approach this policy with the understanding that ultimately children’s appetites and tastes differ and it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that his/her child eats healthily ay all times.
Research suggests that attention and concentration levels improve with the consumption of nutritious food.
In the course of our SESE Programme the children will be exploring:
- Food Groups
- The Consequences of a poor diet
- The Food Pyramid
The following is a list of suggested foods for a healthy, balanced school lunch.
Group 1: Bread/Cereal/Pasta (Carbohydrate)
Sandwiches/ Rolls, Pasta Salad
Pitta bread Pockets, Crackers
Nan Bread, Crisp Bread
Group 2 : Fruit/Vegetables
Any Fruit or Vegetable items
Fruit/Vegetables
Salad in a box
(For infants please peel and cut oranges into half segments.)
Group 3 : Dairy
Cheese Strings
Yoghurt pot (with a spoon)
Small packets of cheese
Milk to drink
Group 4 : Meat (Protein)
Meat in Sandwiches
Cold meats or Tuna
Group 5 : Treats (Fats/Oils/Sweets)
Small fun size bar
Small packet/Half packet of sweets
Small cake/bun
Cereal Bar
Unsalted Popcorn
Children will be awarded stars for the lunch, which will contribute to their star chart. A three star lunch will consist of a sandwich/roll, apiece of fruit/vegetable and a drink of milk, water or unsweetened fruit juice.
Friday is a treat day and children may bring one item from Group 5
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 your child’s lunchbox. We would greatly appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
With this in mind children will be asked to do the following:
- All uneaten food, silver paper, wrappings, containers and cartons are to be taken home in lunchboxes.
- Only fruit peel is to be put into the school’s compost containers.
- For safety reasons, cans and glass are not permitted.
N.B: Parents/Guardians of any child with a medical condition, which requires a special diet should contact the school.