|
NEWS ITEM #1
Tuckshop? Canteen? Cafeteria? Kitchen? Lunch service? What will school canteens of the future look like? Will they employ in-school staff or a commercial outsourced service? What foods will be sold? Will today's canteen "managers" become tomorrow's canteen "chefs"? The government is banning confectionery sales from schools in 2009 - what snack items will be sold in the future? Volunteers are an endangered species - how will canteens be staffed? Can school canteens become greener, use less energy and packaging, and produce less waste? How can raw foods be quickly and easily prepared? Can healthy canteens be profitable? How will we deal with issues like the childhood obesity epidemic, allergies and anaphylaxis? Will students of the future eat healthier foods? How will school canteens survive in the 21st century? This all day 2008 VSCA School Canteen Conference will celebrate VSCA's Silver Anniversary - 25 years since VSCA began! The conference will be specifically for school canteen staff and, subject to space limitations, will also be open to interested observers. Victorian School Canteens: 2020 will
be looking at issues around school lunch services of the future
and may include any or all of the following topics: The whole day conference will include a lunch time trade show of products and services for school food services, resources for school food and fund raising ideas. The VSCA Annual Canteen Rewards Evening will follow the day's conference with a 3 course VSCA Silver Anniversary Conference Dinner and the announcement of the winners of the 2008 VSCA Canteen of the Year Awards. Healthy canteens need healthy staff! There will be a "happy hour" between the end of the day's conference and the evening's activities with a number of "wellness workshops" and some surprises to nurture and pamper you. To finalise the celebrations, on Tuesday morning, 2 December, between 10 am and 12 noon, VSCA will host a gourmet "Foodies Tour" of Queen Victoria Market. You will be able to enjoy two fun-filled hours of food in the exciting hustle and bustle of Melbourne's historic Queen Victoria Market. We will tour the three main produce sections of the market: the Meat and Fish Hall, the Fruit and Vegetable aisles, and the Dairy Hall. You will discover the newest foods and trends in the company of a fully qualified Market Guide. You will meet some of the specialist traders and pick up valuable hints in selecting produce while sampling the goods. You will see the greatest variety of fresh, seasonal produce offered at the lowest prices. The tour includes generous samplings, a coffee or tea and an environmentally friendly shopping bag! Delegates and representatives from schools and others interested will have the option of attending the whole event (conference, wellness workshops, dinner and market tour), or of attending single sections (the day's conference and/or the dinner and/or the market tour). Full details and a conference booking form will be available on VSCA’s website (www.vsca.org.au) early in Term 4. VSCA will also snail mail conference information to members in the Term 4 edition of VSCA’s “Victorian Canteen News ‘n’ Nibbles”. Current members of the Victorian School Canteen Association will be eligible for special discounted conference rates. If your school is not a member, you can join VSCA when booking to take advantage of these discounts. Early bird rates will apply for those booking before 31 October. Please mark this day in your diary and start planning to attend today! Don't forget to apply for professional development funding to help you to attend. VSCA warmly invites food industry representatives and other agencies to contact us if you would like in any way to participate in or support Victorian School Canteens: 2020. Opportunities include the conference trade show, the happy hour “wellness workshops” and sponsorship of keynote speakers, the conference dinner, rewards for canteen staff and the Foodies Tour. We would love to hear from you! NEWS ITEM #2 2008 VSCA CANTEEN OF THE YEAR
AWARDS Each year since 1999, the Victorian School Canteen Association Inc (VSCA) honours Victorian school canteen workers via the annual VSCA Canteen of theYear Awards and the VSCA Annual Canteen Rewards Evening and Dinner. This is a unique opportunity for schools to recognise their food service staff and to publicly express appreciation for the valuable contribution they make to their school communities. The awards are open to any tuckshop, canteen, cafeteria or lunch service that may be operated by paid, voluntary or outsourced staff, in any school; large or small; primary, secondary or P-12; located anywhere in metropolitan or country Victoria. Awards are offered in both Primary and Secondary/P-12 divisions. Nominations may be for Canteen Manager, Canteen Assistant, Canteen Voluntary Helper, the Most Improved Canteen or the Best Canteen Idea of the Year. We invite YOU to nominate your canteen worker/s and/or your whole school lunch service for the 2008 VSCA Canteen of the Year Awards. Some school administrators even surprise their canteen staff by making SECRET nominations! Full details and nomination forms are available from VSCA, or can be downloaded from VSCA's website (www.vsca.org.au). In 2008, for the first time, nominations may be made online. Please note the conditions of entry. Details of previous entries and the VSCA Canteen of the Year Honour Board can be viewed on VSCA's website. Closing date for nominations is the last day of Term 3: Friday, 19 September 2008 Winners will be announced at the 2008 VSCA Annual Canteen Rewards Evening and Dinner to be held on Monday, 1 December, 2008. VSCA convenes this fun evening at the end of each year to reward the very special canteen people (chefs, managers, assistants, volunteers, canteen committees, etc) who nurture and nourish students during the year. The Victorian School Canteen Association ~ in 2008 proudly celebrating our Silver Anniversary ~ 25+ years of helping Victorian schools to happy munching! |
||||
