Kids lunches

[Adreamer's_wfe]

Originally Posted by Regina

I read conflicting things about physical education being taken out of the curriculum; one person's point being, the schools are trying to blackmail parents to pass another levy because there isn't enough money to pay for any "extra" teachers outside the mainstream classroom teachers. Since a lot of people are defintely health oriented and sports-oriented, after awhile the parents will think that their child needs the exercise and preparation for sports... a new levy will pass until the schools get to blackmail again with taking busing or sports away from the kids. Don't get me wrong; I think teachers deserve a lot more than they get because they are no longer (probably never were) just teachers.....they are now teachers, babysitters, counselors, etc., etc.

OUCH!! I have NEVER heard anyone say that schools are trying to blackmail parents by cutting programs. WOW - schools are so completely strapped for money, they have to make really tough choices. With No Child Left Behind and the expecation of Yearly Annual Progress (AYP) -schools have no choice but to focus on core classes. And it is not as simple as a school district passing standardized testing, they are responsible for sub groups passing. The school overall can pass, and pass quite well, but if one subgroup falls, the school fails. We failed one year becuase we had a student in a detention center, the councleors did everything to get him to take the test, at the detention center, but he refused, along with another at-risk student!!

You are correct, schools are expected to do everything for everyone, and we just cannot do it. By the way, for the last three years I have "earned" a 1/2% raise. I will be lucky to get that this year!

[Regina]

Sorry to hit a nerve, that is what I was reading in newspapers when we were in Ohio (awhile back...at least 4 years ago)...specifically, a school district that cut sports and parents were just going crazy. They would rather have cut the buses than the sports, which the school ended up cutting both, I think. The next time the levy was presented, it was passed. I guess I was thinking about this and comparing it to the government telling you how to discipline, raise your kids, and now what to send in their lunches...???? Giving them the benefit of the doubt, some parents may not realize what a healthy lunch is and this might benefit them and the kids, but to me, it is just one more thing that someone else (meaning government) is trying to decide for us. There are rules even in private schools though, so I guess it is just which one you would rather follow....

Teachers are definetly not paid enough....they are the start of every child's future, but we don't treat them with the respect, both monetarily and help that they deserve. Teaching is what my background is also, so.....anyway,......

We had the proficiency tests in Ohio, but it was so sad. So many good...even great teachers...were not able to present material the fun way that they did for so many years. They now had to teach to these tests because so much depended on them. The teachers, the ones that I worked with, will tell you that it has totally changed the how and what they have taught.

Personally, I feel the parents need to step up and start taking a more active role in the children's education in order to support the teachers....everyone would benefit, including the parent. b.o.t.

[Bigsweetie]

Here's some info from a website I found, hopefully it helps!

The Creative Parent's Guide to School Lunches Written by Brandie Valenzuela It is that time of the year again -- back to school! It goes without saying, that no matter what, you can never have too many lunch ideas!
Save your yogurt containers! After eating the yogurt, wash them thoroughly and fill with liquid Jell-O or pudding mixture (before it sets), cap, and refrigerate. This gives you individual snack-sized Jell-O or pudding at a fraction of the cost.
Take leftover cooked chicken and make chicken strips. Pack dippers such as salsa, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey mustard, or pizza sauce.
Use a variety of breads. Try Italian varieties, sourdough, different grains, Hawaiian bread, and different rolls.
Pack string cheese or cheese cubes. Send along bread sticks or crackers to eat with them. Or pack a prepared cheese spread with breadsticks for dipping.
Cut fresh fruit into bite-sized pieces and use fruit-flavored yogurt or pudding as a dip. Or mix the fruit with your prepared Jell-O (see Jell-O tip).
Each day include a short note to your child. Anything that shows them you love them and you are thinking of them will show your child you care.
Layer creamy peanut butter on a flour tortilla with jelly or fruit spread and roll up "wrap" or "jellyroll" style. Slice crosswise into pieces. Select the size tortilla depending on your child's appetite.
Heat frozen waffles and make a sandwich with them, using peanut butter and jelly. Or cut them into bite-sized pieces or sticks and send syrup for dipping.
Add fun to your child's lunch by using colored plastic wraps. Or during the holiday's, use special prints that are usually for plastic wrap, zipper-type bags, and napkins.
Cut open a bagel and spread each side with cream cheese. Lay several slices of luncheon meat on top of cream cheese and make into a sandwich.
Kids love to dip! Send baby carrots, celery sticks, or broccoli trees with their favorite dip or dressing. Or send peanut butter as a dip, and include some sliced apples.
Create your own "Lunchables". Cut meat slices and cheese into pieces that will fit on crackers. Pack the meat, cheese, and crackers together. Have extra mustard or mayo packets from your take-out? Pack those along for condiments.
If your child loves sandwiches and won't let you try anything new, have fun with the sandwiches -- cut the sandwich into interesting shapes or cut with cookie cutters.
It doesn't have to be jelly everyday! Some other ideas for sandwiches using with traditional peanut butter are: sliced bananas, honey, butter/margerine, raisins, marshmallow fluff, and thinly sliced apples.
The possibilities are endless with tortillas! Roll up just about anything in a tortilla. Try lunch meat, chicken strips, vegetables, or cheese. You can even make a fruit wrap!
Invest in a thermos and you can send along chili, stew, or soups in the chilly months. Be sure to include some crackers!
Did you know you can create "wraps" with bread? Simply take a slice of your favorite bread (softer breads work better), and lay a slice or two of your favorite lunch meat and cheese on it. Roll up the bread tightly, making sure to press the edges of the bread together to seal.

[Regina]

Thanks, that is great!

[Bigsweetie]

Originally Posted by Regina

We had the proficiency tests in Ohio, but it was so sad. So many good...even great teachers...were not able to present material the fun way that they did for so many years. They now had to teach to these tests because so much depended on them. The teachers, the ones that I worked with, will tell you that it has totally changed the how and what they have taught.

Personally, I feel the parents need to step up and start taking a more active role in the children's education in order to support the teachers....everyone would benefit, including the parent. b.o.t.

I'd love to talk to both you and Angela via PM (or starting another thread) regarding the current state of our public schools. From the few teachers that i've talked to, they don't even have time to use the different teaching techniques that they learned in college and just have to "get through the material" to get ready for the state testing. It makes me wonder how many bright/gifted or slower to learn students are getting overlooked because of the strict guidelines putting so much pressure on teachers. It makes me wonder, if at least for the first few years, my daughter wouldn't be better off at home with me learning things one-on-one. I'm very torn on the issue and would love to talk to a teacher about it.

[lucky81698]

Originally Posted by Bigsweetie

I'd love to talk to both you and Angela via PM (or starting another thread) regarding the current state of our public schools. From the few teachers that i've talked to, they don't even have time to use the different teaching techniques that they learned in college and just have to "get through the material" to get ready for the state testing. It makes me wonder how many bright/gifted or slower to learn students are getting overlooked because of the strict guidelines putting so much pressure on teachers. It makes me wonder, if at least for the first few years, my daughter wouldn't be better off at home with me learning things one-on-one. I'm very torn on the issue and would love to talk to a teacher about it.

I can tell you from what I learned in our school district by experience and from talking to others is that (at least in our district) if your child is either gifted or special needs he will be fine. In the first week of kindergarten they did testing to determine if some kids would need a little extra help. My son was one, only because he was so shy that he was afraid to answer the questions so they thought he did not know the things he should have. So he went to the reading specialist every day and did great. He did not need any further help for the next grade. There were kids that did need all sorts of help and they did get it. I don't believe they had gifted until the first grade. They have separate classes for them. It's the more average students that seem to get left behind, one reason because some of them aren't challenged enough and teachers are spending too much time tending to the disruptive students. The public primary school (K-2) was excellent. Somehow, after that I don't know what happens. Maybe it is the pressure on schools in the following grades to do well on the standardized tests and like Angela said they end up teaching to the test, which pretty much any teacher will tell you, does not work out well.

I can tell you that the teachers in the public schools in our area are paid extremely well. In our district, after 10-12 years the pay is in the $90,000 range. I know even in the city schools after 10 years the pay is topped out and it is quite high. (I talk to a bunch of city teachers every day at the pool we go to.) I'm not sure what the starting salaries are though. Even though they don't like teaching in the city, if they moved to a different district they would have to start over. One of the ladies taught at the Catholic school my son will be going to for 12 years, she was at top pay, which was $14,000/year! That was before the Catholic schools here were unionized. Obviously, she just could not afford to teach there anymore. Another lady just retired from a Catholic school and she was topped out at $32,000.

My sister-in-law is a kindergarten teacher. I have spoken to her about home schooling. She is against it in just about every way possible. I never really considered it, since I don't feel I have the qualifications myself and I really think they need to learn socialization by being in school and at that age it is a very important thing to learn. Of course everyone has different ideas and none of them are right or wrong for everyone.

Even though I'm not a teacher, only a mom, just thought I'd share my experience with you.
Jan

[Regina]

Just a side note to the homeschool issue and socialization: evidence suggests most (not all) are just as, if not better socialized than their counterparts...unfortunately, most people always remember that one homeschool child that they met 20 years ago that wouldn't speak to anyone and seemed so nerd-like or that child that they heard about on the news.....etc. etc.., like I mentioned, the majority of studies have determined that homeschooled students (the majority) are equally, if not more socialized. Schools such as Harvard and Yale are now actively recruiting homeschooled students because they have found them to be less trouble, more motivated, and assets to their Universities.

[Adreamer's_wfe]

I work in an at-risk district, with that said, our ELE does an OUTSTANDING job! Actually, I would say they do a better job than the much nicer community that we live in and send DD to school. Most ELE do an excellent job! DD is going into second grade, and hopefully will be starting the gifted program - I am impressed that they are starting at that level.

Yes, a LOT of my day is spent with disruptive students. I had one class last year that was just a really bad combination of students, and getting anything done was a challenge. I had one gifted student in the class. I got to the point where I would just apologize to her - I felt really badly for her, had she been in a different hour, it would have been a totally different experience for her. And yes, kids on the bottom and top get what they need, but the kids in the middle are the ones getting left behind.

Life is all about testing - all of our teacher inservice revolves around test results, and making a plan to improve the areas we are weak in. A tremendous amount of time and energy to into it -but schools truely have no choice - they have to get AYP.

$90K - ARe you kidding me! Where???!!! In my district teachers top out at about $60. I think new teachers start out in the low $30's.

With all the problems, I do support public schools. A lot of great teachers are putting it out there and making school an outstanding experience for kids.

Regina - you are fine! I think I have heard it all when something new comes along. I like to talk to people that do not know I am a teacher - it is an eye opener. Parent objectives for education and school objectives can be very different. Good to know that some people actually have that thought process.

[roz]

In our house, I only had certain types of foods. Everything is fresh and cooked from scratch. We use whole grains instead of refined flour. We don't use sugar but we do love dark chocolate.

So,I make blueberry pancakes--but I use whole wheat flour, almond flour and egg whites instead of the other stuff. The splurge is the real maple syrup. Everyone loves my pancakes!

Angela, teachers in my district start in the mid 30's and top out at 100,000 after 12 years with a master's degree.

I remember my sister sending her son to private school in Michigan because he was gifted. In Pennsylvania, however, my son was able to be identified and served in first grade. Although to make it happen, I had to pay for the assessment at $900. Otherwise, he would have been on the waiting list!

[laralen02]

Back on the lunch thing...I don't have kids, and I don't remember much about my lunches.

EXCEPT: I think the idea of putting a note in it for your child is EXCELLENT. My mom used to do that, and THAT'S what I remember. It meant so much to me and made me feel so special.

I used to sneak and read the note on the way to school, so she started writing the message on a banana with a toothpick so I couldn't see it until lunchtime when the words "magically" appeared!