We can sure see the GREAT construction that’s happening as we speak! And a big part of this are our Brand New School Food & Nutrition Programs starting in September!
We appreciate all the input, thoughts, and ideas we’ve heard from many parents and family members, staff, and students. The top three priorities that we are focusing on are: 1) Have Good Quality Food, 2) Serve Healthy Food, and 3) Offer a Variety of Choices. These meet our goal of providing nutritious and appealing food in a positive environment in line with our mission. And we are on our way to success with the following activities taking place ---
The new construction area in the middle of the two initial buildings will have a commercial kitchen that includes instructional space for students, a coffee shop/café with a seating area, and a cafeteria that is a part of the gymnatorium (gymnasium + auditorium). We will have three serving areas; two in the cafeteria and one in the coffee shop. The middle and high school students will have access to these areas before school, throughout the day, and after school. The coffee shop will also be open all day; and elementary students will have access before and after school. We invite parents and family members, as well as community members, to come eat, drink, and enjoy!
The elementary classrooms will have kitchenettes that will provide a learning environment. Lunch and snacks will be set up, served, and cleaned up in the classrooms.
We plan to have the kitchen, cafeteria, and classroom kitchenettes initial construction done by the first day of school, as well as a simple coffee shop to start the year. There will be future work to add instructional space for students and the final design and layout of the coffee shop with students engaging in the operations.
Upon the completed initial construction --- fresh, healthy, scratch-cooked food made by our chef and production assistants will be ready to eat! We will have a variety of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and coffee shop foods and beverages. Both hot and cold food options, a salad and fruit bar, vegetarian choices, gluten free foods, and other special diet options are all in the works. The elementary classrooms lunches will be sent from the commercial kitchen to each classroom. “To-Go” food using compostable supplies will be available for high school students, as well as all students, to take to their learning environments.
School meal accounts will be set up and all students will have pin numbers to enter into the laptop at the cafeteria and coffee shop cashier areas. Elementary guides will use a manual process to check off the served food in their classrooms. Orders will be taken in advance for elementary students; and middle and high school students will be encouraged to make orders in advance for planning purposes, but the cafeteria and coffee shop options will always be available unless we happen to run out of particular items.
Real, Meaningful Work --- including teaching nutrition education and culinary skills by engaging students in preparing food for our community, building awareness of local farming and environmental sustainability, implementing health and wellness dimensions and role modeling --- and more work will be in the works!
The Name of our Coffee Shop is…….
A GREAT name! We are hearing from everyone --- parents, family, community members, staff, and students. So far, the following ideas for names have been shared:
The Heron Café
The River Side Café
The Coffee Shop
Great River Café
GRS Café/Coffee Shop
The New Café
Blue River Café
Java Jive
The River Cafe
Please let us know your input, thoughts, and ideas anytime --- and Thank You always. Send your ideas to Mary Hunn at nutrition@greatriverschool.org. We’d love to hear from you!