September 13, 2012 pdf edition - Quaboag Current

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PAGE 8 A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, September 13, 2012 – education - Teacher of the Week WEST BROOKFIELD - Karen came to teaching after a 20-year career in banking. Working four day work weeks as a part-time assistant manager in a bank branch, she spent her Fridays volunteering in the school district her children were enrolled in. Realizing how enjoyable she found it, she enrolled in Leslie University through the weekend cohort program when her youngest son was only one. Attending school with a young child, plus older ones, at home was challenging but she says, “If it’s what you really want to do, you can do it.” The 2012-2013 school year is Karen’s third year in the District, all spent at WBES in the fi fth grade. She previously spent three years teaching in the Palmer School District. “A lot of people cringe at this age (of children), but it is my favorite age,” says Karen. “Watching kids grow, helping them to grow, guiding them to be independent, those are my favorite parts of this.” She has a scavenger hunt prepared for the fi rst day of school each year, so that the kids can locate things in the classroom like the box of tissues and where the date is displayed. “I have a little video, it is an old commercial I think, of some people going up an escalator and then when 5th Grade Teacher at West Brookfi eld Elementary School Meet Karen Oliveira the escalator breaks down all the people panic because they don’t know how to get off. At this age, (the kids) need to learn how to get themselves off the escalator,” she explained. Tools such as the scavenger hunt allow her students to become self-suffi cient at a rate that is appropriate for their psychological development, and she fi nds a lot of joy in guiding her students on this path. With the wide array of lesson plans available, Karen fi nds the most challenging part of her job uncovering the one’s that are most valuable. “It’s important to keep up with technology, and I don’t want to use things that will be outdated quickly. It is challenging to weed out what is most important from all the tools available to me,” she says. Time management is essential, as is fi nding the lessons that provide the most pertinent information in an effi cient manner. As WBES assigns classrooms according to the grade level and the teacher’s last name, Karen’s classroom is 5- O. Karen joked that she could never switch to another grade level, as she has family in Hawaii and anything besides 5-O just wouldn’t sound right to her. Hanging on her classroom wall is a “Hawaii 5-O” T-shirt, adding a mix of personal fl air to her classroom’s title. A Brand New Year of Classes By Jessica Peltz Student Intern WARREN - There are many different feelings roaming around Quaboag Regional Middle/High School as the students and teachers enter into their fi rst few weeks of classes. Students and teachers alike are buzzing about their studies. They talked about their likes and dislikes about the fi rst day of school and the different subjects being taught. Christopher Bailey, teacher of History and English, said that the biggest thing of all is meeting all of the new students coming in. “I was defi nitely forward to school starting back up again. It gives me something exciting to do,” says Bailey. Alton Button, special education teacher and basketball coach, says, “I dread going back to work at the end of summer vacation, but once I’m back, I enjoy it. I love meeting all of the new kids and seeing all of my colleagues again.” The teachers may love being back at school, however, some of the students have a little different perspective on returning. Miranda Prentiss, junior, said that she loves seeing her friends. “It’s the best part of my day,” says Miranda. Jason Norman, sophomore, said that his fi rst day of school was fun and his favorite part of the day was his study period. One student that I talked to had a refreshing perspective on returning to school. “I like the fact that I am enlightening myself everyday,” Nicole Norman, senior, adds a new point of view to the crowd. Whether they like or hate the fi rst day, it is most defi nitely an interesting experience for everyone. Rethinking the lunchbox MA School Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods and Beverages implemented at QRSD By Jennifer Robert Turley Publications Reporter WARREN - Signed into law on July 30, 2010, the “Act Relative To School Nutrition” is now upon us. Effective Aug. 1, 2012, immediately prior to the start of the 2012-2013 school year, standards for competitive foods and beverages went live. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health states that, “the goal of the standards is to ensure that public schools offer students food and beverage choices that will enhance learning, contribute to their healthy growth and development, and cultivate life-long healthy eating behaviors.” The regulations set forth in the Act apply only to competitive foods and beverages such as a la carte items, not those part of a federal nutrition program. Janice King, director of Nutrition for the Quaboag Regional School District, said that there are changes that are coming for federal nutrition standards as well. So how does this translate on our children’s lunch trays? “Students won’t see much change here,” said King, “because for us it has been a gradual change. We are constantly growing and developing, seeing what works and what doesn’t. We’ve been keeping an eye on things right along, and there is very little food in our trash. Kids are eating the food we give them.” There are some changes though. While Quaboag has introduced more whole grain options, the emphasis with the upcoming federal changes will be on more whole grains and fruits and vegetables. “We used to think about an entree, and then plan the meal around it. You know, we are having chicken, so what will we have with the chicken. That is the old way of thinking. The new way is to create a plate that has whole grains, and fruit and vegetables, and then add in your protein.” Christopher Bailey, History and English. King cited myplate.gov as an excellent resource for parents to rework their menus and get a graphic idea of what their plates should look like. King said that there are some marketing materials going up in the cafeterias and being handed out in the classrooms to familiarize students with the new menu planning. Decals on the lunch lines and posters on the walls will offer a glance at what a healthy meal looks like; bookmarks handed out to all students will allow them a reference at home, and provide a great starting point for a conversation on nutrition. One part of the federal guidelines coming up includes the regulation that all reimbursable meals, such as those that are part of the School Breakfast Program and the School Lunch Program, must contain at least three different food groups on the student tray, with at least one being a fruit or vegetable. “It’s a challenge to get kids to eat them,” confessed King, “because they aren’t getting them at home.” Quaboag uses some tactics to make them more appealing, such as seasonings, which most districts do not. The MA Competitive Food Bill also eliminates the use of artifi cial sweeteners, and calls for a reduction in the amount of sugar and salt in the food. King explained that last year, the salad dressing came in two ounce servings; they have reduced sodium by scaling that back to one and a half ounces this year. Four ounce juice cups have replaced the old 10 ounce juice bottles, and the new chocolate milk has 18 grams of carbohydrates, compared to last years 22. While it sounds at fi rst like TURLEY PUBLICATIONS PHOTOS BY JENNIFER ROBERT The Quaboag Regional High School had its fi rst lo-mein bar day in the cafeteria recently. Students had the option to select which protein and vegetables were added to their noodles, and the meal came packaged in a festive take-out style carton, complete with chopsticks. The bar was a big hit according to King, “the students seemed to really love it.” Senior Rock in the front of Quaboag. Senior Nicole Norman and sophomore Jason Norman getting ready to head to school. there are a lot of restrictions, the variety of lunches available to the students has been increased by a great deal. Last year, the elementary schools offered yogurt parfaits on Tuesdays only, and salads on Thursdays only. This year, the students have a choice of a hot lunch, a salad, a sandwich or a parfait each day that lunch is served. The high school students have even more options coming their way, with the introduction of a make your own soup station three days a week, and looking forward, paninis, smoothies and a lo mien bar. The District has also switched from Thurston Foods as a vendor to Cisco Boston. “We are still trying to fi nd the products, make sure we get them on time,” said King, “There is a little bit of a learning curve. The students have access to a lot of foods we did not have with Thurston, though, and I think that it is going to work out very well.” Quaboag has also made some great strides in bringing nutrition into the classroom. Last spring, the nutrition program funded fi ve scholarships for teachers to go the Massachusetts Farm to School Convention. The premise was the teachers would go and learn valuable information on nutrition and self-sustaining food production and then return to incorporate those lessons into their classrooms. Some of the topics that were covered including agriculture, composting and greenhousing. Good nutrition comes at a cost, as we all know, and the challenges to the Nutrition program are there. “It is very challenging,” stated King. “The invoices are coming in for the start of the school year, and they are enormous.” Good planning has made optimal nutrition a possibility here, however. King explained that the Nutrition program is self-funded, and considers the upgrades to equipment and better food options an investment. King acknowledges that cost can be prohibitive to packing a nutritionally sound cold lunch and says that the school lunch is, “the most amazing value in your food budget.”
COLLETTE VACATIONS PRESENTATION Join us on September 26 at the Wok Inn, 142 West Main St., W. Brookfield at 6:30 PM for a slide program featuring our 2013 trips! October 6 . . . . . . . Fall Mystery Trip with Lunch . . . . . . . . . .$89 October 13 . . . . . . Radio City Backstage Tour . . . . . . . . . . .$79 October 14 . . . . . . Broadway's Catch Me if You Can . . . . . .$89 October 20 . . . . . . Great Bay Foliage Cruise . . . . . . . . . . . .$79 November 1-12 . . . Discover Tuscany & Rome . . . . . . . . .$3299 November 24 . . . . New York for a Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$59 December 9 . . . . . Broadway’s ‘Memphis’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$79 December 15-16 . . Trapp Family Lodge Weekend . . . . . . . .$249 January 31 . . . . . . Australia and New Zealand 20 Days . .$8299 February 19-27 . . . Discover Panama . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2999 March 1-11 . . . . . . Sunny Portugal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2949 Share the Adventure with us soon! For further information call Randall at (413) 436-5357 or email adventuretours@att.net We’re looking for proud business owners in The Brookfields, Warren, West Warren and New Braintree to participate in the Established Edition of the Quaboag Current SEPTEMBER 27 Whether its been 100 years, 50 years or just 1 year, your business is a vital part of our community. Ads will run in order of the oldest to the youngest. Don’t miss out on this special issue. Ad deadline is September 20th Call Jacky Perrot at 413-967-3505 or Tim Mara 978-355-4000 Whiskey Hill Sports 220 Ware Road West Warren 413-436-5885 Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9:00-4:00 Sunday 10:00-? www.whiskeyhillsports.com www.turley.com WICKABOAG FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC DR. LINDA K. SCHAETZKE Practicing For Over 21 Years IMPROVING YOUR HEALTH! • Adult and Pediatric Care • Most Major Health Insurance Accepted • Flexible Hours to Accommodate Your Schedule EMERGENCY CARE AVAILABLE OFFICE HOURS BY APPOINTMENT PHONE: 508-867-6161 • FAX: 508-867-1961 143 WEST MAIN ST., WEST BROOKFIELD TURN YOUR UNWANTED OLD, USED GUNS INTO CASH BUYING SWORDS & MILITARIA I BUY GUNS Guns can be a problem if... • You no longer hunt. • You have inherited guns and have no interest in them! • You have guns but not the proper permits to own them. Licensed to Buy & Sell Guns In-Home Appraisals Free Advertise Where It Matters... “Award Winning” News and Coverage in Your Hometown Publications Call Jacky 413-967-3505 A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, September 13, 2012 PAGE 9 You are the cure to an ailing economy... Please get out and visit these local merchants. FREE Newcomers Class Saturday Sep 15, 2 - 4 pm FREE health talks Sunday Sep 23 & 30, 2 - 4 pm To register, call 413 436-7374 or email info@thecenteredplace.com YOGA OGA OGA FOR EVERY VERY BODY ODY: ODY EASY ASY, ASY , SAFE SAFE, SAFE , E EEFFECTIVE FFECTIVE , WWW.THECENTEREDPLACE.COM These advertisers make this publication possible. Let them know you saw their ad! , E THE HE CENTERED ENTERED PLACE LACE YOGA OGA STUDI TUDIO TUDI SINCE 1988 286 BRIDGE ST. WARREN MA Svaroopa ® Yoga and Meditation Classes 260 West Main Street, West Brookfield, MA 01585 Over 50 Years of New England Hospitality! Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre “The Academy of Awards” September 21, October 19, November 16 Lobsters & Steamers Are Now Available Complete 3 Course Dinner Specials $20.00 Tuesday-Thursday starting at 5 pm and Noon on Sunday Thursday Night is Prime Rib Night Visit the Hexmark Tavern Tuesday-Friday 4-9 pm x102 www.salemcrossinn.com (508) 867-2345
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