The school operates St Mary’s Canteen, employs a part-time canteen co-ordinator and is staffed by parent volunteers.
It is open three days a week to provide recess and lunch to our students and staff. St Mary’s canteen offers a variety of healthy food and drinks and follows the guidelines set out by the Fresh Tastes @ School NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy, which took effect in 2005. Our school canteen is a member of the Healthy Kids Association (formerly the NSW Healthy Kids Canteen Association).
Canteen Opening Hours
Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Canteen Closed Tuesday and Thursday
- Recess 11.00am – 11.20am
- Lunch 1.00pm – 1.50pm
Canteen Volunteers
The canteen relies on the support of parent volunteers to provide a reliable service to our students. As a canteen volunteer you will be rostered on only one day per month and you can help out either for a full day (9.00am to 2.00pm) or part day (9.00am-11.20am or the lunch period, 12.00pm – 2.00pm).
Canteen Volunteer Duties
- assisting with the preparation of food
- serving children over the counter at recess and lunch
- general canteen tidy up after lunch
The children really love to see a familiar face on the other side of the counter. You can choose to be rostered with parents you are friends with, or it is a great way to get to know other parents within the school.
Online Orders
Our Canteen uses an online ordering platform. Orders can be placed up to two weeks ahead, with a daily cut-off time of 9am
Canteen Food
The Healthy Kids Association approves food sold in the canteen under its food nutrition guidelines, which are set out in its Healthy Canteen Strategy (2005).
The Association operate a Traffic Light System where food is categorised as either Green, Amber or Red depending upon the levels of saturated fat, sugar, salt and the serving sizes of each product. Green foods include fresh fruit and vegetables, homemade soups, sandwiches/ wraps or rolls with salad ingredients, etc and are the most nutritious choices. Amber food products are generally pre-packaged and contain some nutritional value but are more of a “treat” than an everyday choice. Red products are those that don’t fall within the nutritional guidelines and are either banned completely (i.e. soft drinks) or may only be sold up to twice a term, for example, on a special lunch
order day.
At St Mary’s, the students are offered a wide range of choices in their canteen food, with lots of “Green” products available every day. In fact, our daily lunch specials are generally foods that consist of fresh salad ingredients and are coupled with a drink at a discounted price to encourage students to purchase those.
Children with Food Allergies or Intolerances
St Mary’s Canteen does not stock peanut butter or nut-based products such as Nutella; however, some of the pre-packaged food may have been manufactured on-premises or equipment that may contain traces of nuts. If your child does have a food allergy or intolerance, please feel free to contact the canteen to enquire about what products are suitable for your child to consume. It is also vital that any allergy information regarding your child is made known to the school.