Lunch Supervision
The Calgary Board of Education provides students with the option to stay at school for lunch. Lunch Supervision is offered to all students in Grades 1- 6 and in our full-day kindergarten programs for an annual fee. Please visit our Lunch Supervision page for information.
Playground Use at Lunchtime
We organize a split lunch hour for our Grade 1-5 students, so that only half of them are on the play structure at a time. Grades 3-5 eat first, followed by Grades 1-2. Each group will then have their own play time.
Fun Lunches – Grades 1-5
Throughout the school year students will be offered to purchase a Fun Lunch. A notification will be sent home when these events are planned. Also see our Calendar.
A King George School Council fundraising initiative, Fun Lunches are available to parents through the Healthy Hunger website. Meals from a wide variety of restaurants will be available to order on Mondays and Thursdays. If you are ordering lunch and would be able to help out at the school on that date sorting and delivering lunches please tick off the appropriate box during the ordering process.
Allergies
We have several students and staff at our school with life threatening nut allergies. We cannot guarantee that these students will not come into contact with nuts or nut residue at our school, however, for their safety we ask that students not bring nut products to school. To this end we also do not allow food sharing between or among students and do not support birthday celebration with food. Please find alternate ways to celebrate your child’s birthday.
For more information about this and other health concerns visit our Illness & Medical page.
Home-Packed Lunch Tips for Parents
Lunch is an important part of your child’s day at school. Here are some tips to help you provide a lunch that is safe and nutritious with less waste.
Food Safety
- Keep cold food cold by using an insulated lunch bag and 1-2 ice packs.
- Keep hot food hot by using an insulated container. Preheat your container with boiling water before adding hot food. Microwave ovens are not available for elementary students.
- Pack non-perishables, such as granola bars and whole fruit, that can be kept at room temperature.
- Most CBE schools are nut-aware, please check with your child’s teacher for more information on nut allergies and other allergies in your child’s classroom.
Help Reduce Waste
- Bring a reusable water bottle.
- Pack just enough for a child to eat during lunch.
- Many schools participate in “boomerang lunches” (pack in/pack out), where all leftover items are returned home.
Tip: Pack a sealable bag or container labeled ‘garbage’ for uneaten food or open containers to avoid mess in the lunch bag.
In 2024, ten CBE schools participated in a waste audit conducted by Green Calgary. Here are a few suggestions from the audit to help minimize waste produced by packed lunches:
- Send less selections of food. Younger children have difficulty deciding what to eat when there is a lot of choice and sometimes end up not eating.
- When possible, use reusable containers for foods such as crackers and cut up fruits or vegetables.
Other Tips
- Make sure your child can open all packages by themselves.
- Involve your child in packing their lunch. Children involved in food preparation may be more likely to try new foods and eat what is packed, minimizing food waste.
- Aim to include a food from each food group – lean proteins, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables should be eaten daily (as per Canada’s Food Guide 2019).
- Some items, such as sandwiches, can be made ahead and frozen to save time. Note that some fillings such as fresh vegetables do not freeze well.
- Designate a shelf in the fridge/pantry at home for lunch items. This may help make packing lunches quicker and encourage independence for children packing their own lunches.
References