School Lunch at APS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in 5th grade and has started BEGGING me to pack her lunch. She said the food quality has gotten so vile that she can't even stand to see it anymore. She is not a picky eater at all, so when I talked to some other parents, they told me their kids have been feeling the same way.

My kid told me she was given a chicken sandwich that was still frozen solid on the inside a few days ago. When she alerted the lunch woman, she apparently shrugged, threw it in the trash, and told my daughter to pick out a Sunbutter and Jelly sandwich then.

Sunbutter and jelly? What’s wrong with PB&J?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in 5th grade and has started BEGGING me to pack her lunch. She said the food quality has gotten so vile that she can't even stand to see it anymore. She is not a picky eater at all, so when I talked to some other parents, they told me their kids have been feeling the same way.

My kid told me she was given a chicken sandwich that was still frozen solid on the inside a few days ago. When she alerted the lunch woman, she apparently shrugged, threw it in the trash, and told my daughter to pick out a Sunbutter and Jelly sandwich then.

Sunbutter and jelly? What’s wrong with PB&J?

[Anonymous]

The options are really disappointing. I don’t know what it would take to change the menu but that would be so great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They do offer a salad every day. A salad bar would be great but might be tough time-wise and sanity-wise.

Is this because lunch time is so short? My kids are too young for APS but my eldest will be starting kindergarten in two years. A salad bar sounds great. Not sure if it works for younger elementary school kids but sounds like it would be nice for middle schoolers

Yup. Too short.

FCPS mom here. How long is lunch at APS? Ours is 30 minutes and that includes the time to wait in line for food ad well as the time to get to the cafeteria!

About 20 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The food sounds pretty bad but my son loves it. I just gave birth a few weeks ago and we're still in triage mode, so we've been letting DA buy his lunch every day. One less thing to have to do in the evenings. He loves it, but it's pretty much a rotation of pizza, hot dogs, nuggets and burgers. DS is not a picky eater and I'd love for the cafeteria to serve healthier options. But at least he is happy to eat the cafeteria food every day!

Newsflash: there are already healthier options available on a daily basis.

[Anonymous]

I thought FCPS food was the most disgusting looking stuff. Then I moved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The food sounds pretty bad but my son loves it. I just gave birth a few weeks ago and we're still in triage mode, so we've been letting DA buy his lunch every day. One less thing to have to do in the evenings. He loves it, but it's pretty much a rotation of pizza, hot dogs, nuggets and burgers. DS is not a picky eater and I'd love for the cafeteria to serve healthier options. But at least he is happy to eat the cafeteria food every day!

Newsflash: there are already healthier options available on a daily basis.

Yeah, my kids being home lunch but sometimes ask to buy school lunch on pizza day. At our school it's not even served every week. And when I look at the options, I have noticed some fairly healthy options that, to be honest, my kids won't eat (Caesar salad). Granted it's not kale salad with pomegranate dressing, but it's better than the sloppy joes and tator tots that I remember from my childhood. I can't remember seeing nuggets on the menu, but I don't check that frequently. If you want your kid eating quinoa or handmade sushi every day, pack them a lunch.

[Anonymous]

I just did a K tour at our local school. It's 20min inside to eat, then 25min recess outside to play.

Because of crowding they eat lunch in shifts, and the Kers are super early (like 10:50?) with no chance of a snack until dismissal. I'm a bit worried about how DS will get through the afternoon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is in 5th grade and has started BEGGING me to pack her lunch. She said the food quality has gotten so vile that she can't even stand to see it anymore. She is not a picky eater at all, so when I talked to some other parents, they told me their kids have been feeling the same way.

My kid told me she was given a chicken sandwich that was still frozen solid on the inside a few days ago. When she alerted the lunch woman, she apparently shrugged, threw it in the trash, and told my daughter to pick out a Sunbutter and Jelly sandwich then.

Sunbutter and jelly? What’s wrong with PB&J?

I guess admin doesn’t want the extra serving of anaphylactic shock.
Just a guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just did a K tour at our local school. It's 20min inside to eat, then 25min recess outside to play.

Because of crowding they eat lunch in shifts, and the Kers are super early (like 10:50?) with no chance of a snack until dismissal. I'm a bit worried about how DS will get through the afternoon.

In my experience, teachers provided a snack break in the classroom in K-2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just did a K tour at our local school. It's 20min inside to eat, then 25min recess outside to play.

Because of crowding they eat lunch in shifts, and the Kers are super early (like 10:50?) with no chance of a snack until dismissal. I'm a bit worried about how DS will get through the afternoon.

As well you should be.

[Anonymous]

Pack lunch. This is not hard to figure out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just did a K tour at our local school. It's 20min inside to eat, then 25min recess outside to play.

Because of crowding they eat lunch in shifts, and the Kers are super early (like 10:50?) with no chance of a snack until dismissal. I'm a bit worried about how DS will get through the afternoon.

In my experience, teachers provided a snack break in the classroom in K-2

Thanks, but I asked about this and was explicitly told by the principal that she did not allow any eating in the classrooms and there was no break. Unless the teachers are doing it on the DL?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just did a K tour at our local school. It's 20min inside to eat, then 25min recess outside to play.

Because of crowding they eat lunch in shifts, and the Kers are super early (like 10:50?) with no chance of a snack until dismissal. I'm a bit worried about how DS will get through the afternoon.

In my experience, teachers provided a snack break in the classroom in K-2

Thanks, but I asked about this and was explicitly told by the principal that she did not allow any eating in the classrooms and there was no break. Unless the teachers are doing it on the DL?

It’s school dependent. My 5th grader has a snack timrbecayse their lunch is the last one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pack lunch. This is not hard to figure out.

Why should we have to? Why can’t the cafeteria serve decent food and give them a decent amount of time to eat?