Nutritional Needs of Students Prompts Change in School Lunches

As you may have heard, Food and Nutrition Services no longer serves baked desserts as part of regular school lunch menus. Baked desserts like cookies and cakes contributed extra calories to school lunches, often making the lunches exceed the one-third daily energy (calorie) requirements of students. In addition, such desserts are not included as a component of the Department of Agriculture’s reimbursable meal (a school lunch meal).

Fruit and low fat dairy foods will continue to be served as part of school lunches. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans includes a recommendation for increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables. Studies have shown that most children eat less than three servings per day. Students can be at their peak intellectually and physically by eating more fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods.

Poor eating habits and sedentary life styles are more prevalent in children and adolescents today. Obesity rates among adolescents have tripled in the last two decades and among children, they have doubled. Almost 80 percent of children and adolescents do not eat the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. In our community, adult diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes are seen regularly in overweight adolescents and even in children as young as second grade.

School districts play a major role in the health and nutrition habits of our young people. The following facts prompted Broward’s Food and Nutrition Services Department to eliminate baked desserts from regular school lunches.

• Desserts and sweets are not a necessary component of daily meals.

• If baked desserts are not served, students will choose increased fruit, vegetable or low fat dairy products as components of their meal

• The energy (calorie) needs of students can be more closely met in school lunches by reducing the excess calories provided by cookies and other baked goods.

It is critical that children learn and adopt healthy eating habits while they are young. We ask your support in promoting this healthy initiative among our students.

Appointments and
Reassignments

November 8,  2005
The Board approved the following appointments: Nancy Lieberman, Director, School Readiness;  Kenneth Bosted, Architect V; Kimberly Fernander, Assistant Principal, Dillard Elementary; Interim Assistant Principals: Jeffrey Berry, McArthur High; Jeffrey Nelson, Cypress Bay High; Elgin Watts, Endeavour Primary Learning Center; and Haleh Darbar, Dillard High.

The Board also approved the following reassignment: Fran Rubenstein, Interim Principal Special Assignment, Tedder Elementary.

December 13,  2005
The Board approved the following appointments:  Scott Krutchik, Accountant V, Confidential; Lourdes Gonzalez, Assistant Principal, Everglades High; Interim Assistant Principals: Shari Brown, Coral Springs Elementary; Lezondra Harris, Lauderhill Middle; Valerie Scott, Exceptional Student Education Itinerant Deaf & Hard of Hearing/Visually Impaired; and Rayner Garranchan, Driftwood Middle.

The Board also approved the following reassignment: Henry Verdugo, Project Manager II, Facilities & Construction.

January 17,  2006
The Board approved the following appointments: Frank Alfieri, Timothy Arahill, Gerald Devio, Scott Gillen, Michael Solley, Brian Swantek, and James Carballo, Project Managers I; Alberto Destrade, Director, Real Estate & Environmental Planning; Ivan Perrone, Treasury Manager; Mohammed Rasheduzzaman, Planner, Growth Management Monitoring; Vanishree Shimoga, Project Manager, Enterprise Resource Planning.

The Board also approved the following reassignments: Helen Akers, Special Assignment Principal, Facilities & Construction Management; and Gary Hines, Special Assignment Teacher, Facilities & Construction Management.

February 7, 2006
The Board approved the following appointments: Andrew H. Feirstein, Specialist, Public Affairs and Community Relations; Julie Gittelman, Interim Principal, Plantation Park Elementary; Gilberto Killingbeck, Interim Assistant Principal, McArthur High; Robert Levinsky, Interim Assistant Principal Dillard High; and John Murray, Interim Assistant Principal, Miramar High.

The Board also approved the following reassignments: Brenda Marsh, Supervisor II, Transportation Terminal North; Daureene Reyes, Acting Interim Assistant Principal, Pines Lakes Elementary; and Kenneth Zacharias, Special Assignment, Director, Enterprise Resource Planning, Office of the Chief Information Officer.