Posts Tagged ‘Schools’

Everything You Wanted to Know about School Food in Greenville County

Have you ever wondered what your kids are eating for lunch? Local mom Kristina Hernandez interviewed Joe Urban, director of Food and Nutrition Services of Greenville County Schools. She asked him all the questions about school food that you might have wondered about but never asked. Here are the answers!

Food. Our kids eat it every day at school during the school year. They grab those lunch trays and peruse the options, talk to the nice lunch lady, and ultimately choose what they want to nourish their bodies and get through the rest of the day.

But where does that food come from and who decides what to make?

Last year at The Children’s Museum of the Upstate’s Countdown to Kindergarten event, I met Joe Urban. Joe and his team were manning the new Greenville County Food Services (GCFS) food truck, a somewhat revolutionary concept that brings much-needed food into under served areas of the county.

I ended up having a great conversation with him and started following his Instagram account (@schoolfoodrocks), which seriously made me want to get in line with my kid at school every day to try their lunch options. They post all kind of yummy options – roasted vegetables, fish tacos, and braised brisket – stuff that I’d love to learn to cook in my own kitchen. This was no ordinary school lunch food. My interest was piqued so I reached out to Joe to learn more.

As the school year heats up, Joe and his team are working hard to deliver tasty and healthy options to 76,000 kids in 101 school and special centers. They have 750 employees who serve breakfast, lunch and after school snacks and are the largest food service program in the state, and 44th in the entire nation.

Joe is the Director for the Food and Nutrition Services department of Greenville County Schools, which means he oversees the food service operations for all Greenville County Schools locations. He was kind enough to answer our questions about food service at Greenville County schools.

My conversation with Joe Urban

Kidding Around Greenville: How does the Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition Services decide what to serve every day at GC schools?

Joe Urban: We have developed a three-week repeating cycle menu for all grade levels. Elementary students have four different menu choices every day for lunch, and Middle and High students have seven to nine different choices every day. All schools offer a scratch-made Soup and Salad Bar three times each week and up to six different varieties of fresh fruit selections daily. The cycle menu will be modified twice during the school year to account for new recipes and seasonal ingredients.

KAG: How do you come up with new recipes?

JU: We pay close attention to trends in the foodservice industry and develop recipes based on what is hot right now in the fast casual and higher education (college) segments of the industry.

Today’s students are very food savvy and demand higher quality ingredients. Students love international foods, especially Asian, Italian, and Mexican and they also like to customize their meals. We listen closely to what they say and develop our menus accordingly.

Good examples of this include our Build Your Own Taco Bar, the Build Your Own Mashed Potato Bar, the Build Your Own Mac-N-Cheese Bar, our student-created Penne Pasta Pie, our new Meatball Sub, and our new Build Your Own Grain Bowls featuring Korean BBQ and Mahi Mahi with a large variety of topping choices including Kimchi and Pickled Red Onions.

High quality seafood including Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon, Mahi Mahi, Alaskan Pollock, Catfish and others will be served a minimum of once per week in Elementary schools and twice per week in Middle and High schools this year. New concepts including a Build Your Own Chicken & Waffle Bar, a scratch-made Soup & Sandwich Bar, a Build Your Own Burger Bar and others are currently in development and will be tested with students during this upcoming school year.

KAG: Where do you source your ingredients?

JU: We work with a number of local vendors and source as many products as possible locally. Through our produce vendor, we have developed strong relationships with local farmers who plant fields specifically based on the needs of Greenville County Schools.

We have also entered into a new partnership with a local cattle farmer in Brasstown, NC to source all the ground beef we will be using in our scratch-made meals. These cattle are humanely raised, fed a strict vegetarian diet, are always on grass, and are never treated with antibiotics. Fresh, no antibiotic ever beef in school meals is a huge commitment on our part to ensure our students only receive the highest quality food possible.

KAG: Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition Services is the largest in the state. How do you manage serving good food on a daily basis to thousands of kids a day?

JU: It takes a huge team of highly trained and dedicated foodservice employees to meet our quality standards on a daily basis. We are very fortunate to have buy in from our employees on our mission to reinvent school food. We believe that we are positioned correctly at this time in our careers to push the perceived boundaries of school food service and provide our students with the greatest dining experiences possible.

KAG: Can you tell me a bit about your food truck? It’s pretty new, right?

JU: We purchased the food truck one year ago to help us increase the number of meals we can provide to needy students during the summer months. We operate more than 50 school and community feeding sites in the summer months as part of the USDA funded Summer Food Service Program.

We realized quickly that although we had these sites scattered throughout the county, there were many pockets of our community that needed our services but were not able to make it to one of our sites due to transportation issues. The food truck is the perfect answer to that issue: we simply take the food right to the kids that need it the most.

During the school year, it gets used as surprise pop up events at high schools to sample new menu items during lunch, sample fresh fruit to elementary students, and support various school functions.

KAG: Can parents volunteer to help Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition Services come up with recipes/test food – or is there something parents can do to help your mission?

JU: We welcome any suggestions and parents are always welcome to come sample items with us during their student’s lunch period.

KAG: Your Instagram page looks delicious. How do you decide which schools get to try out those meals?

JU: The vast majority of the food shown on all of our social media platforms are served at all schools. When we test out new items the schools are chosen by random so we can test the items out with different students as often as possible.

You can follow Greenville County Food Services on Facebook at Greenville County Schools Food and Nutrition Services, on Twitter at SchoolFoodRocks, and on Instagram at @SchoolFoodRocks.

Will you look at school lunches in a new light this school year?

Meet Kristina, KAG Food Expert

Kristina Hernandez is a mom of two girls, freelance writer and photographer and New Jersey native who is thrilled to call the Upstate her new home. She loves cooking, trying new foods, and checking out all that Greenville has to offer.

A New Summer Program Helps Teens Discover Their Future Careers

Thank you to Aid Joy for sponsoring this content.

Getting your teen ready to leave the nest is a road with many twists and turns. No sooner do you get past orthodontia, learner permits, and Snapchat selfies, then college destinations, SAT scores, and “what am I going to do with my life?” come flying around the corner.

Whether your teenager is ready to spread their wings and fly, or still finding their sense of direction, one thing is true: connecting the dots between what they like to do now and what they can do as a career is a challenge.

The Benjamin Franklin Experience

Benjamin Franklin Experience (BFE) is a summer program that gives teenagers, ages 14-18, an introduction to 10 different career fields in science, technology, arts, engineering, journalism, medicine, music, law, and more. Each day the class is led by a different expert.

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For example, in one class, students work with an environmental biologist in two local streams—one pristine, and the other near a construction site. Teens will be taught how to analyze and compare the health of each stream by examining macro invertebrates under a microscope. In the next class, teens work with a composer who writes music for the NFL. They’ll spend the day creating a two-minute musical piece, composing it, playing the instruments, recording it, and mastering it.

Discovering Interests, and Creating an Impressive College Application

These meaningful career experiences are intended to help teens envision a path to a fulfilling life, and help them explore and define their interests.

Most colleges recommend experiential learning opportunities for teenage students before they enter college. And, most college applications ask for a list all schools and programs attended since ninth grade. They require a long a description of what was learned during those programs.

BFE instructors guide teens through a focused reflection exercise at the end of each day. These written entries are edited by professional writers, and compiled into a portfolio for students to keep.

These portfolios—in addition to becoming wonderful mementos—become an invaluable resource for college applications.

Reinforcing Positive Messages

BFE also provides a way to combat the pressures and messages teens get from peers, TV, and social media. Too often, kids get a sense of what they should be, or they are drawn by the glamour of what they see on social media.

In addition to meeting expert instructors in each BFE class, students are introduced to visiting-mentors. Visiting-Mentors attend select classes alongside students. They are high-performing professionals from a variety of fields, interested in sharing their career stories with students and participating in class experiences. Students may be paired with visiting-mentors based on interests expressed in their program application, which could include former Olympians, CEO’s, venture capitalists, restaurant owners, architects, and more.

When an impressive person has come to spend the day with you, to introduce you to a new world, and tell you that you too can pursue a career, it can have a very powerful affect.

The classes also provide students a look at the day-to-day realties of a profession. While being a professional musician can appear glamourous, the amount of work and dedication required to make a living is tremendous. While moms and dads can try to explain those realities to teens, the class makes it easy for students to connect the dots, and gain real understanding from the experience.

Summer Schedule and How to Apply

The camp is scheduled for four courses over the summer, and each course is two-weeks in length.

Course 1: Monday, June 5   — Friday, June 16
Course 2: Monday, June 19 — Friday, June 30
Course 3: Monday, July 10  — Friday, July 21
Course 4: Monday, July 24  — Friday, August 4

The cost of tuition is $2,370 per course, which covers all instruction, equipment, transportation to-and-from class headquarters and field trips, lunch, a certificate of learning, and all other necessary costs. Scholarships are available.

There are approximately 100 slots, and the application process is competitive, requiring both a nomination from a teacher, pastor, coach, counselor, or close adult—and an application from students.

The deadline for applications is March 31, 2017.

BFE is looking for kids with grit and enthusiasm—those who are ready to take a bite out of life. Benjamin Franklin had many careers over the course of his life. Teens today are more likely to move in and out of a variety of careers before they retire. BFE is a place to help them get started, find the profession that will bring happiness into their lives, and set them up for future success.

Learn more or apply online at www.FranklinExperience.org.

Have you ever heard of a program like this before?

What You as a Parent Need to Know About STEAM

Thank you to our sponsor Primrose School of Simpsonville at Five Forks for providing this article.

Lately, everyone seems to be talking about STEAM. This acronym—which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics—has become a hot topic in the world of education and in the business community. The practice of teaching by incorporating these concepts into multidisciplinary lessons is revolutionizing education approaches across the country, even for children in preschool. While young children may not be able to understand multiplication or how computers work, they can develop a strong foundation for future learning by exploring STEAM skills and concepts through play and discussion, and then applying those skills through more play.

What is STEAM?

Science encourages investigation and answering questions, often involving experimentation.

Technology refers to using simple tools like crayons and rulers, as well as more complex ones like microscopes and computers.

Engineering refers to recognizing problems and testing solutions to them.

Arts encourages creativity and allows children to illustrate concepts they are learning.

Mathematics deals with numbers, but also patterns, shapes, organizational skills and much more.

STEAM for young children

There are many reasons why STEAM subjects should be addressed in early learning settings. A key component of STEAM is process skills, such as making observations, hypothesizing and critical thinking. These skills help young children grasp math and science concepts early in life while building a base for more complex concepts for years to come.

Research has shown that even very young children are capable of mathematical reasoning and can understand more advanced math skills than previously thought. Young children are also able to ask questions and make predictions about the world around them. In short, children are fully capable of learning foundational STEAM concepts, and parents and teachers should help children develop these skills at an early age.

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STEAM learning can also take place outside of the classroom. For example, parents can encourage children to channel their inner engineer through a boat race activity. Have children use a variety of recyclables—cork, foil, tape, craft sticks, straw, an old swim noodle and paper for a sail—to build a boat that can sail across the bathtub, a pan of water or a puddle. After creating the boat, have children blow “wind” toward the boat to see how fast their creation travels. Parents and children can host races between multiple boats and discuss which boat is faster and why.

Young children grasp concepts through exploration and trial and error, so they should learn STEAM concepts at their own pace and in ways that are natural to them. To ensure that children are learning at their own pace, Primrose offers a balance of play with guidance from teachers and repeats STEAM lessons so children can master skills as they are ready.

To learn about Primrose School of Simpsonville at Five Forks, visit their website or call 864-757-1191. For more helpful parenting tips and information, visit our blog and sign up for the Pointers for Parents newsletter.

Would your children benefit from STEAM in their preschool education?

Meet Meggie Bradbury

Meggie is the proud Franchise Owner of Primrose School of Simpsonville at Five Forks. She has deep roots in early education, as her parents founded Primrose Schools more than 30 years ago to give her the quality early education experience they felt she deserved. Today, she and her husband are thrilled to continue to bring the Primrose Schools’ Balanced Learning® approach to our community, providing families the peace of mind that comes from our research-based blend of teacher-guided and child-initiated activities with an emphasis on character development. It is such a comfort to know their 3 year old daughter and soon-to-be son now have the opportunity to receive the same high-quality early education and care as she did. As Primrose parents themselves, they’re committed to creating a family atmosphere through a true partnership with parents and staff. Their goal is to foster an environment where children from 6 weeks to 6 years old can grow their Active Minds, Healthy Bodies and Happy Hearts®. Meggie is a Certified Holistic Health Coach (CHHC) and a Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach (CTC), which makes them a family committed to wellness. They incorporate balanced meals and snacks into our school and instilling healthy habits that will hopefully stay with our students for life. Meggie and her husband are delighted to bring Primrose Schools to Simpsonville at Five Forks and they look forward to welcoming even more of its youngest citizens to our special Primrose family!

Christ Church Episcopal School

Thank you to Christ Church Episcopal School for supporting Kidding Around Greenville by sponsoring this website post! To learn more about the how advertising helps make Kidding Around Greenville possible please click here.

The Greenville area is home to many excellent schools and parents truly have an array of educational institutions they can choose from to meet their child’s needs. But it can be overwhelming to say the least and as a parent, how do you know if you’ve made the right decision in the end?

There is one school that stands out for its exceptional curriculum which aims to fulfill the needs of every student and seeks to gives them the necessary skills to excel in the classrooms, on their sports team and in their community. If you are looking around for a great school where your child is given every opportunity to fulfill their potential, from pre-K through 12th grade, take a good look at Christ Church Episcopal School (CCES).

A Little About Christ Church Episcopal School

Incredible Statistic

One stat that stood out to me about CCES is that they have a 100% acceptance rate into a college or university for all graduates! That’s amazing. I have small children so college is a long way off but I can certainly appreciate this kind of accomplishment.

Nurturing the Whole Student

While academics are paramount to a well-rounded education at CCES, the school also has a brand new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, a service learning program and 47 diverse athletic teams.

The staff at CCES are dedicated and knowledgeable and instill in the students a love of life-long learning. Seventy percent of all CCES faculty members hold advanced degrees so students are in capable hands. In the Lower School, learning is based on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP) where students learn how to research and present their knowledge to parents and peers. In Middle School, an emphasis is placed on skills that help students excel in both the academic and personal environments. Leadership, critical-thinking, and team building are foundational and students have multiple opportunities to engage in extracurricular and off-campus programs.

In the Upper School, students are offered more than 150 courses, including 22 Advanced Placement (AP) classes, where credits can count towards college classes. The classes are demanding and challenging yet prepare students to do well in college as they develop a wide array of skills needed long after they leave CCES.

Service Learning

When I was in high school, I couldn’t wait to get out of the classroom and into my community for my service projects. They were always interesting and gave me time to develop a heart for volunteer work and service in my community. That same attitude is encouraged at CCES, where the Christian value system of “giving back” is developed in the earliest grades.

Age-appropriate projects are given to students at every grade level and students are encouraged to volunteer and recognize on their own how to serve based on what they experience. For example, some students from CCES volunteered at a local soup kitchen and realized the importance of having soap. They started a collection at school for soap and other hygiene-related items so they could bring them all back to the soup kitchen.

This area of nurturing in a student is so key to their overall morality and common human decency that we see lacking so often just by watching the news! CCES encourages their students to have a servants’ heart.

Athletics

CCES is a member of the South Carolina High School League and the school encourages participation and performance at a high level.

They offer 25 Varsity teams, 17 JV teams, and five Middle School teams including football, tennis, field hockey, volleyball, golf, lacrosse, softball, baseball, basketball, cheerleading and wrestling.

Performing Arts

With a brand new state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, CCES is ahead of the curve when it comes to nurturing that creative spirit in students. CCES has talented faculty specializing in drama, music, theatre, and the visual arts, all ready to aid students to cultivate their inner Shakespearean character, Broadway musical star, Picasso, or Bruce Springsteen.

All of the arts programs at CCES are geared towards enriching the lives of students to ignite their creativity.

Faith Based School

CCES is a faith based educational institution rooted in the Christian, Episcopal tradition and students attend weekly chapel services. Many of the school traditions stem from the CCES mission and “experience”. However, CCES embraces students from a spectrum of religious beliefs and welcomes them all into the CCES family.

To learn more, visit:

Christ Church Episcopal School
245 Cavalier Drive
Greenville, SC
864-299-1522

Does Christ Church Episcopal School sound like a good fit for your child?