Dining

Food Service will begin on the first full day of school, August 23, 2021.

All students in Preschool 3s through 8th grade are automatically enrolled in our dining service as a part of tuition. Students in the Explorers and Seekers enjoy packed lunches from home in their classrooms.

Every day students have a choice of multiple hot or cold main dish options that include vegetarian and gluten-free options. Student can choose from the hot entrée line (served with hot vegetables and sides), the sandwich bar, the full salad bar, or soup. There will be a variety of options to supplement their meal including fresh fruit, yogurt, and a choice of milk, 100% fruit juice or a daily fruit-infused water.

All students will be served family style in their classrooms. Family style dining encourages child development, as students and teachers sit together at a table, serving themselves, and sharing conversation. This dining environment encourages independence and autonomy in our young learners, who feel control over their choices. 

Our Primary School teachers help children make their healthy lunch choices, while taking into consideration their food preferences and dietary needs. While some children can be picky, others are willing to try new things, and some won’t eat anything at all. These are all normal behaviors for young children, who are learning about the world around them and seeking independence through opportunities to make their own choices. Often at school, children are willing to try new foods that they may not try at home. If a student tries the food being served and does not like it, he or she may choose from the optional menu items provided.

Our food service provider, Flik Dining, provides balanced meals, which offer teachers the opportunity to talk to our students about healthy food choices and to encourage children to try new foods. Three to six year olds are frequently evaluating the world around them and drawing comparisons. In past years, we have offered “Tasty Tuesdays,” where Chef Sergio provides tastes of new or unique foods for students to try. We have seen some of our pickiest eaters take a taste of something new after hearing friends say they liked it. Sometimes peer pressure works in our favor!

In making adjustments to our menu and meal choices, our goal is to expose the children to a wide variety of healthy meals, while respecting their young and developing palates.

Our food service provider, Flik Dining, has gone to great lengths to assure food preparation and service will be safe and healthy, while offering the same nutritious meals and choices we’ve always enjoyed. Our kitchen equipment and space is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, and our Flik Dining team members are required to wear PPE, standard with state food service regulations.

Students will have choices for their meals, but all food will be served by our Flik Dining staff; students will not be touching tongs, spoons, or other serving utensils. 

We are excited to bring students back to Hauser Hall to eat lunch for the 2021-22 school year. To accommodate spacing requirements, students will dine in Hauser Hall, the Courtyard, and / or the Flex Space, as necessary. 

We have several students with special dietary needs, including food allergies or sensitivities, who enjoy lunch at St. Mark's every day. We work with the child and family to prepare plates that meet their dietary needs. Chef Sergio and Nurse Beckmann partner together with the Flik regional dietitian to ensure plates are healthy for all children and appropriate for those with specific needs. Every day, we serve vegetarian, dairy, and gluten free options on the menu. In addition to the posted allergy board, all foods are labeled, and staff is available throughout lunch to answer any questions the students may have.

On the first day of school, students will go through the serving area and choose their meals. Appropriate signage will be on each station, and additional teachers will be available in case questions arise.

Typically parents are welcome to join their children occasionally for lunch at a cost of $10/day.  Due to ongoing COVID restrictions, this has been temporarily suspended.  It will be reinstated once distancing is not necessary.

For the safety of our students and faculty, we would also like to eliminate food brought from home for parties due to germs and allergens.  Flik Dining has created a menu of offerings that parents can order delivered to the child’s room.  Please visit our online form to place your order!

We know that telling students about the importance of nutrition will not always translate into the selections they make during lunch. Instead, we must demonstrate that eating nutritious foods can also be fun, creative, and delicious. 

We'll have monthly tastings, which take place in the classrooms and empower students to try new foods at their own pace. They have the opportunity to sample unfamiliar foods in small bites, rate them, and let Chef Sergio know if they would like to see them on upcoming menus. In this way, they are helping build the dining program they want to see.

As part of our desire to educate the whole child, we’d like to introduce our students to other tastes and help them make wise choices. If you are concerned about the offerings, feel free to pack your child some of their favorites, or speak with Chef Sergio to see if some of the items can be added to the menu.

Although all Preschool 3s through 8th grade students are required to participate in the our dining program, students may bring lunch from home if they prefer to do so. No discounts or refunds for dining services are available. Good nutritional habits, including limited sugar intake, are strongly encouraged. We request that children not leave the campus at lunchtime. Students may not order food to be delivered to school by any restaurant or food delivery service.

Desserts are served every Friday. Fresh fruits are available every day.

Menus are planned in one-month increments. We only repeat items that are very popular with our students. View the menu online!

We serve white, multigrain, whole wheat, honey wheat berry, gluten free and wraps at the deli every day.

We serve whole milk, 1%, and 2% milk every day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays we serve fat free chocolate milk and regular chocolate milk.

We only serve milk sourced from cows that are certified to be free of the artificial growth hormones rBGH/rBST.

Apple juice and orange juice are available daily. All juices are 100% fruit juice. Students may also choose to drink water, milk, or fruit-infused water.

We serve a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available every day, with local and organic options available when reasonable.

We're so glad you asked! Check out the Food for Thought archive to find more information about this month's events and programs.

After establishing our Food Philosophy, we partnered with Flik Dining, because their standards align so closely with our policy.

We believe in serving:

• Foods prepared from whole, fresh ingredients, limiting the use of processed foods and avoiding ingredients containing artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.
• Food prepared with the limited use of fats, using olive oil and non-hydrogenated canola oil to reduce the saturated fat content in items.
• Soups made from scratch daily.
• A variety of fresh fruits and vegetables available every day with local and organic options available.
• A salad bar with fresh items prepared on site, including house-made dressings.
• Whole grains available on the salad bar daily.
• A deli that offers a variety of proteins including turkey roasted in-house.
• Whole grain breads available at the deli every day.
• Turkey and chicken produced with the restricted use of antibiotics.
• Only cage-free eggs to prepare foods.
• Milk sourced from cows that are certified to be free of the artificial growth hormones rBGH/rBST.
• Substitutions and accommodations for individuals with dietary restrictions when necessary.

Questions about our dining program? Contact Director of Operations, Eve Grubb.