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SPS offers free summer breakfasts
Published Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Suffolk Public Schools will be participating in the federal summer food service program this year, which provides free breakfast to students from June 30 to July 30.
“It’s an excellent program,” said Brian Williams, supervisor of Food and Nutrition Services for the school system. “It’s a pretty good turnout. Most of the summer school students take advantage of it.”
According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, children who do not have breakfast are less able to distinguish among similar images, have slower memory recall and have more errors in their work.
Additionally, the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition reported that children who eat a complete breakfast (as opposed to skipping breakfast or having just a partial breakfast) make fewer mistakes and work faster specifically in math and number-checking tests.
Students enrolled in summer classes will particularly benefit from the summer breakfast program, but breakfasts are also available for any child in need of a meal.
“The program at our open sites is open to anyone, any student,” Williams said. “That’s what is unique and good about this program.”
While the opportunity is there, Williams said that it is rare for children who are not taking summer school classes to take part in the program. Since there are additional programs offered in the city through Suffolk Parks and Recreation and other non-profit organizations, many children elect to take advantage of those programs that also offer free lunches, he said.
Williams said he could not estimate how many children who are not summer school students take advantage of the program, because the system “wouldn’t know.”
“We’re just feeding them,” Williams said. “They all eat free, and we feed them.”
The program runs Monday through Thursday – schools are closed on Friday. Breakfast will be served at Kilby Shores and Mack Benn Jr. elementary schools from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and at King’s Fork Middle School from 8 to 8:30 a.m.
For more information, call 925-5789.
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Comments
Posted by suffolk3 (anonymous) on June 24, 2009 at 2:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How much are we paying for this program? What is the cost per meal? The reason they have opened this up for anyone is because the more kids they serve, the more money they can request next year.
Posted by mcdb (anonymous) on June 24, 2009 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's amazing how much money we have to feed the masses but not pay the teachers. While teaching, I have offered my students a special breakfast for a job well done- even though I have food in my classroom- food I paid for- my students are still MADE by the admin. to go through the lines and get their free meals. Most walked through the line, picked up their tray full of food and threw the food in the trash, came back to class and ate their meal I prepared. Gotta get those numbers, like Suffolk3 says!!
Posted by hb55170 (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 8:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It's amazing how teachers find any reason to complain about the pay they do or don't receive. Hello? You knew when you went to school for teaching and took your job how much you were going to make and yet you still complain. Stabbing at any and all programs that have nothing to do with your job.
Then, on top of that, you bribe your students with food as a reward...then wonder why they don't eat in the cafeteria?
Please share with us what you are feeding them! Why are you paying for food out of your own pocket and then complaining? There is no reason for you to do this and I for one am very upset to hear you say this is how you are teaching.
I suppose you took an entire semester in College earning your degree on how to properly do this? If not, then get back to what you are paid to do and let the Administration handle the other aspects of the child's day.
Posted by mcdb (anonymous) on June 25, 2009 at 9:08 p.m. (Suggest removal)
WOW HB- Where to start? I guess at the top.
You're absolutely right- I did go into the teaching profession knowing that I was never going to make the big bucks- but I LOVE my kids and I LOVE to teach them and make every lesson fun, exciting, and memorable. You're out of the loop if you think that encouraging kids to meet a goal with the promise of an exciting reward will not work. Schools across the district (and probably the country) use pizza/ice cream parties to encourage their students. These are not every day events- that's why they are so special- that's why it's aggravating when you do go out of your way and out of your smaller wallet to provide a special moment for your kids and it's rained on by some silliness about meeting numbers in the lunch room.
Let’s see – you want a menu. I fixed my kids breakfast before- real homecooking. Eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits, juices, chocolate milk as a reward for a job well done on SOL testing. I’ve made pizza’s – to teach a math lesson. Even used M&Ms to teach sorting and reinforce colors and graphing. And yes…these tricks were taught in college. Make a lesson meaningful and it will stick! Show a child you appreciate their effort and they will continue to try harder.
I didn't say I wondered why the kids weren't eating the cafeteria food- I said I found it ridiculous that they were told they had to go get the food. This is food that I say 98% of my class did not pay for- and yet they HAD to go get it- eat it or not. My kids chose NOT.
Sorry you were so offended at teachers stepping out of the textbook and making school fun for the kids. Paperwork is SO much more effective :P
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