Dear Parents:
Moorpark Unified School District promotes health at school by supporting wellness, good nutrition, and regular physical activity as a vital component of the total learning environment. Because of this belief, we have reviewed out school lunch program and have decided some changes are order. 30-40% of a child’s calories are consumed at school and we believe school lunch can make a strong impact on what a child learns to eat. The messages we send our children about eating can influence their health for a lifetime. Further more there is strong evidence that promoting healthy eating in school leads to better academic performance as well.
Beginning September 2010 we are pleased to announce to have the California Health and Longevity Institute, located at the Four Seasons Hotel, Westlake Village, help us improve the quality and nutrition of our school lunch program. Paulette Lambert RD., Director of Nutrition for California Health and Longevity Institute along with our Child Nutrition Director, Camille Plante have redesigned the menus for Moorpark schools to include increased quantities of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, leaner protein, and less saturated fats and sodium, while relying less on prepackaged, preserved foods. These menu creations will include healthier, fresher, on site preparation which will put the cafeteria staff back in the mode of being involved in food preparation. The new two week rotation menu will include more homemade items with exciting, kid friendly options such as baked potato bar, turkey black bean chili with homemade cornbread, Chinese stir-fry bowl, healthy macaroni and cheese and tuna melts with homemade tomato soup. High school students will be introduced to a whole new world of exciting food from around the globe such as Southwest chicken salad, chicken wraps with peanut sauce, and Vietnamese Pho, trendy but healthy food options for their expanding palette.
We are pleased to offer students delicious, healthy options infused with good nutrition in our cafeteria in 2010. We hope that you will support our new program by encouraging your child to participate which will enable us to further expand our school lunch program even further in the future.
Sincerely,
Camille Plante
Director of Child Nutrition
Posted: 8/5/2010