|
"Our Voluntary canteen Manager Heather Rookes with her team
of parent helpers provides our school and students with healthy
canteen foods. Heather works tirelessly in our school canteen
making lunches and snacks for students from the raw materials.
Our school is a 'Kids Go For Your Life' school and for this
accreditation Heather has developed school canteen menus around
the KGFYL healthy canteen 'Green' foods guide. Heather ensures
that our school's healthy eating policy is adhered to at all
times.
Our school is very grateful and fortunate to have like minded
parents like Heather who run our canteen on a voluntary basis.
On behalf of the students, parents and staff at Mt Beauty
Primary School, we think Heather and our school canteen produces
fantastic nutritious foods, and without the support and dedication
from Heather the quality of food being produced would not
be as high as it is today."
- Tony Keeble, Principal
"Our voluntary school canteen manager, Heather Rookes, is
a mum of three primary school aged children, and has worked
in the food and hospitality industry for many years in various
roles and positions. She works in the canteen every Monday
and Wednesday (the days it is open) and every second Friday
for 'Meal Deals' all year round. She is often found there
every other day baking and cooking as she listens to her favourite
music.
Heather makes every effort to ensure the canteen falls within
the 'Go for Your Life' food guidelines for canteens, and encourages
and promotes 'green foods' as the main choice in our canteen,
always looking for ways to present them in different and appetising
ways. She produces a canteen newsletter and weekly articles
to keep parents and students informed of canteen procedures
and updates, and ensures the canteen abides by the school's
policy of reduce, reuse and recycle by reducing the use of
packaging and plastic wherever possible. Heather is also the
President of the Parent Club, and cares for her elderly mother.
She works tirelessly in the canteen, collating orders and
then cooking, preparing and serving the food with the help
of volunteers, and cooks and serves at various fundraisers
throughout the school year, catering for barbecues, staff
morning teas and lunches, and cake stalls. She makes all of
the muffins, cookies, cakes, soups, rolls and salads on offer
in the canteen, and designs and 2008 VSCA Canteen of the Year
Awards Nomination Category (B) Primary Canteen Manager of
the Year (Voluntary) Heather Rookes, Mt Beauty Primary School
prepares most of the 'Meal Deal" menus, which are two course
meals with fruit and juice that the teachers and parents can't
resist ordering too! She has made the canteen inviting and
accessible to everyone in the school community, and rewards
her volunteers with drinks and treats, and encourages all
parents to drop in for a coffee and a chat.
As she has three children of her own attending the school,
Heather knows how important it is to provide nutritious and
delicious food at the canteen, and how vital the canteen is
in helping create funds that make excursions accessible and
available to all of our students. School camps and excursions
are of particular relevance in the Upper Kiewa Valley as we
live in a remote and rural area where many families in our
community do not have the income to travel often, or are farming
families who have constant responsibilities to their animals
and land. Fuel costs are also a contributing factor to families
not travelling as much, and the cost of hiring coaches has
increased substantially. Add to this the direct threat during
the bushfires and recent drought, and many of our families
have been financially compromised. She is therefore very conscious
and careful about spending any money from the canteen profit
on equipment as this is money taken directly away from our
children, and she refuses to deprive them any further in these
already difficult times.
During Heather's time at the canteen, she has helped update
inadequate and old equipment, extend and improve the menu,
increase profits, and worked hard to develop an innovative
approach to providing a healthy canteen menu which fosters
a balanced diet for our students. Her projects for the future
include establishing a kitchen garden to grow the food that
is prepared and served in the canteen, introducing 'Canteen
Events', catering for after school activities for children
based on healthy snacks and fun themes, and providing 'Energy
Snack Packs' for students participating in sporting events
and the ski program."
- Angela Toniolo, Secretary, Parent Club
|
