Cafeteria

Yes it is working!  We have been working on systems everyday in the cafeteria to help our lunches be enjoyable and smooth.  To be honest I was a bit reluctant to start about having a cafeteria for such young children but it is working.  I really appreciate HKIS and the parents pursuing the idea of 'community style eating'.  The hot dinners are on the table when we arrive and plate of snacks are in the middle to share.  The children are learning how to self-choose the snacks and how to share.  They are learning how to ask for more snacks and food if they wish.  They are also learning how to clean their plates and put things away. At the moment there is a huge excitement about watermelon which is very popular.  I think they had four refills of snacks today!  The children seem to be really enjoying the food.  They adored the mashed potato and chicken.

Today one child kept asking if the food was organic.  I asked him what organic meant to him and he replied he thought it meant is the food fresh.  I told him the food is lovely and fresh. They are also encouraged to have a polite taste of new things just to see if they like it.  I am at present keeping an eye on the children eating school lunches and will let you know if I think they are not eating enough.  However, I am not always on duty at lunch time.

In addition I would like to mention the shared platter that I recommended at orientation.  I want to reassure you that if you choose to bring a pack lunch and not participate in the shared platter your child will still get a wonderful lunch experience.  No one is sitting away and we all feel part of our community.  My class is allocated two and half tables and we happily fill these in different ways.  Therefore, after seeing things in action in the cafeteria I would now recommend you make your own choice of whether you want to bring pack lunch or participate in the shared platter or not.  

I know this is new for all of us and I imagine you have many questions.  I will talk a bit more about this at back-to-school.  I added some photos of the food and cafeteria. However, if you have any questions please email.