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November Nutrition Newsletter

Posted Date: 11/12/24 (2:24 PM)
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Nutrition Newsletter
Updates from the PSD Nutrition Services Department
November 12, 2024
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The Peninsula School District Logo with an image of fresh, colorful vegetables in the background.
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A photo of a dirt garden path towards a tall fence. You can see leafy greens, grass, and bean poles.
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Look How Our Garden Grows!
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Voyager Elementary Farm to School

This summer, staff from Voyager Elementary School teamed up with Sodexo Nutrition Services to attend the K-12 Farm to School retreat at Oregon Garden Resort. This was a fantastic opportunity for collaboration as we learned from leaders in farm to school and developed a year long action plan for farm to school programming.

Voyager received a farm to school grant this year to promote healthy eating by focusing students learning - both in the classroom and at lunch - on where their food comes from and how their food is grown.

Plans are being drawn up for a community garden on school grounds and we are thrilled to provide students with an opportunity to get their hands dirty this year and learn outdoors about the food that fuels their bodies! What could be better than that!

Three, Two, One … Crunch!

On October 2nd, students at Voyager Elementary School participated in The Great Washington Apple Crunch! Apple Crunch Day is a statewide celebration in October to support local farmers and promote healthy eating.

When the clocks struck noon, students and staff, along with Superintendent Bahr and Board President Natalie Wimberley, all bit into their apples at the same time!

What a fun way to connect with other students around our state. Sodexo is proud to partner with The Peninsula School District to provide these types of learning opportunities to our students!

Four types of apples that were available from Washington farms for the apple crunch were;
  • Granny Smith Apples - Washington Fruit Farms
  • Gala Apples - Sequoia or Rainier Growers
  • Pink Lady Apples - Washington Fruit Farms
  • Red Delicious Apples - Sequoia or Rainier Growers
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A spaghetti squash sitting on a marble and wood countertop. The squash is roasted and sprinkled with pepper. A fork sits in the squash covered in loose squash fibers.
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Featuring Local Produce
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Spaghetti Squash

In November, our middle schools and high schools will be trying something new!

Spaghetti Squash is a winter vegetable that can literally be roasted and used as an alternative to pasta! Its rich in vitamin C and B-vitamins and is a good source of fiber.

When cooked, its fibrous flesh gets stringy, resembling strands of spaghetti and its mild, slightly sweet flavor is perfect with tomato-based sauces.

What a great opportunity for students to try something new!

Red Crimson Pears

We love to keep things local, so the red crimson pears we have been featuring in our schools come straight from Stemlit Farms in Wenatchee, Washington.

Also from Washington is our intern Caydee Wise! Caydee is a recent graduate from Central Washington University and she is doing a dietetic internship with Sodexo here at PSD.

Caydee has created and is implementing a chance for our high school students to try a pear crisp recipe. What a fantastic way for students to taste local fruit in a variety of ways!

We're proud of our commitment, both to local food, but also to raising up future Washington leaders who know the value of nutritious eating and have practice encouraging kids to eat fresh and local!
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Photo of a lunch salad bar container of Radikale salad. Red serving spoons are sticking out of the salad.
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What Happened and What's Coming
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September & October

The Welcome Back to School picnic occurred on September 19th at our elementary schools. The picnic featured Super Sub Sandwiches with chips and Radikale salad, a recipe made by a former PSD student.

October 2nd, we had chicken pot pie for lunch at all the schools.

October 31, Halloween inspired foods - pumpkin pretzel, mummy dogs, orang and black offering bar, orange Jello treat.

November

Elementary Schools & Middle Schools:
  • Nov. 13: Chicken Potato Mashed Bowl
  • Nov. 21: Thanksgiving FEast; Turkey Gravy w/ Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Cranberry, and Apple Crisp.
High Schools (PHS & GHHS)
  • Nov. 7: Pho
  • Nov. 22: Baked Potato Bar
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A photo of Kana, who was awarded the Sodexo Experience Award in October. She is standing next against the wall in her uniform holding up an award certificate.
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Staff Shout Out
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Monthly, we do a Sodexo experience award. This award goes to an outstanding individual who is either nominated by peers or management for their performance.

October

The picture to the left is Kana.

In the month of October, Kana was presented the award.

Kana works at Pioneer Elementary. She was nominated this month due to her amazing presentation, attitude, and attendance.

November

In the month of November, Jennifer was presented this award.

Jennifer works at Gig Harbor High School. She was nominated this month due to her high-quality work with attention to detail and accuracy with signage in the kitchen, and her ability to adapt quickly to new challenges and responsibilities.
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