Moultonborough School District
Wellness Advisory Committee
Meeting Minutes – November 10, 2011
Present:Celeste Burns, Lydia Eaton, Jennifer Galea, DeeDee Howard, Linda Isabelle, Maura King, Mike Lancor, Carolyn Nelson, Cathy Nilson, Julia Velie, Christine Woodland
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Jennifer Galea at 3:15 p.m. in the MCS Art Room.
•PawPrints: Linda Isabelle wrote an article called “Rate Your Plate: A Wellness Message” for the October 2011 issue of PawPrints. It was suggested that an article be written for a future issue of PawPrints highlighting the reasons why recess is now scheduled before lunch. A second suggestion was to reprint an article that has appeared in past years on proper winter clothing for recess at MCS.
•Bulletin Boards, Café Services Newsletters, Website: Dee Dee Howard indicated she would update the cafeteria bulletin boards. The Wellness Initiative pages on the MSD website include a list of Wellness Advisory Committee members, a link to Kids Health, Café Services menus for MCS and MA, Café Services Fresh Picks newsletter, Free and Reduced Meals website and application, New Happenings, and the District’s Wellness Policy. Jennifer Galea will work with Frances Strayer to keep the webpages up-to-date.
•Fruit Juice: DeeDee Howard stated that only 100% fruit juices will be served/sold at MA.
•Parent Lunch Volunteers: Concerns were raised about lunch time supervision and the environment during lunch at MCS. Issues discussed included supervision, wait time for students to be served, lack of time to eat, general atmosphere, use of volunteers, and need for an educational component. Mr. Lancor indicated that he felt these issues were administrative in nature and it would not be appropriate for the Wellness Advisory Committee to make recommendations regarding these topics. Five members (Celeste Burns, Jennifer Galea, DeeDee Howard, Julia Velie, Cathy Nilson) present indicated they would like to meet with Dawn Alexander-Tapper and/or Scott Laliberte to discuss these topics. Mr. Lancor will inform Ms. Alexander-Tapper and Mr. Laliberte of this request.
•Quality of MCS Lunches: Discussion took place regarding the quality of meals and meal trends at MCS. The most popular lunches are chicken nuggets, French toast and pizza. All meals served meet federal guidelines and numerous changes have been made by Café Services over recent years to improve the quality of meals. For example, all bread, dough and pasta are whole grain, and all juices are 100% juice. Changes that improve the nutritional quality of meals do not necessarily result in an increase in meals purchased, and may actually result in decreased sales. Mr. Lancor noted that the District contracts with Café Services to provide breakfast and lunch at both MCS and MA. Café Services need to cover all expenses related to food costs, employee salaries, administrative overhead, etc. The District does not subsidize the breakfast and lunch programs. DeeDee Howard welcomed members to send meal suggestions to her and she will give the suggestions a try.
•Raffling of Ice Cream: Concerns were raised about raffling off free ice cream as part of a promotion during MCS lunch time. DeeDee Howard indicated she would no longer include ice cream as a raffle item during promotions.
•Recess Alternatives: A suggestion was made that on days when recess does not take place due to weather (e.g. rain, snow), that alternative activities (e.g. art) be made available to students. Mr. Lancor indicated that this is a topic that would need to be discussed with Ms. Alexander-Tapper or Mr. Laliberte.
The meeting adjourned at 4:16 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael Lancor
Superintendent of Schools