Dining

Food Service will begin on the first full day of school, August 19, 2020.  

All students in Pre-K through 8th grade are automatically enrolled in our dining service as a part of tuition. Students in Preschool 3s have the option of enrolling, and students in Preschool 2s enjoy packed lunches from home in their classrooms.

While lunch is normally enjoyed in Hauser Hall and our beautiful courtyard, this year will look a bit different. Lunch will be served in the classrooms for Preschool 3s through 7th grade.  8th graders will have Cafeteria Privileges as long as safety rules are followed and will dine in Hauser Hall. Our Preschool 2s will eat their lunches (brought from home) in their classrooms, as normal.

Lunches will be delivered to rooms via carts. All food items will be individually packaged and delivered in bags, boxes or clamshells.  Each meal will come with a kit containing cutlery, napkin, condiments, etc. and an individual beverage (milk or water).

Lunches are delivered between 11:00 and 12:30. 

Flik will design, with assistance from the St. Mark’s Menu Team, monthly menus as they have in the past.  The biggest difference is that all foods will be easily delivered and eaten picnic style and all potentially dropped items can be cleaned up with a vacuum (no sauces, yogurt, pudding, etc.).

Yes! However, the choices will be made in advance to allow for safe distribution of food.

Preschool 3s through Kindergarten Students:

All students will be served the same meal each day, and the meal will be chosen from the daily selection by the Head of Primary School. For example, if Mrs. Dods selects the hot meal option for one day, each student in Preschool 3s through Kindergarten will have the hot meal option that day. Mrs. Dods is very familiar with the needs and preferences of our youngest lions, and she will make thoughtful choices to help our students get a balanced meal and explore new items. The Primary School menu selections will be shared with parents via their teachers at the first of each month.

What this means for parents of Preschool 3s through Kindergarten students? No need to place an order for your child! Preschool 3s will be served lunch whether they have enrolled in Flik or not.

1st through 4th Grade Students:

Parents will continue to place lunch orders for their Lower School students, following the same process already in place . The menu will be posted online for 1st through 4th grade students by the 10th of each month, to be completed by the 20th of the month for the next month’s selection.

5th through 8th Grade Students:

Students in 5th through 8th grade will begin placing their own orders at school, under the direction of their teacher. In a normal year, our older students are usually given the autonomy to select their lunch from the items offered each day. While students will still order their lunches in advance online, we hope that by giving students input on their meals, that they will  find some sense of normalcy.

What this means for parents of 5th through 8th grade students:  No need to place an order for your child! Students will make their order during advisory.

Under non-COVID conditions, Primary School teachers help children make their healthy lunch choices in a buffet style delivery system, 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. In a normal year, if a student tried one option and did not like it, he or she could go back through the line and select a different choice.

Because of the current safety practices put in place due to COVID, the lunches are served individually packaged to the classroom. Beginning in January, in an effort to  expedite the delivery of lunch and to offer the children a variety of meals, I will be selecting the daily meals for our Preschool 3s through Kindergarten students. The meal choices will reflect a wide variety of hot meals, sandwiches, and “bite boxes.” 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, my goal is to expose the children to a wide variety of healthy meals, while respecting their young and developing palates.

The meal selections will be distributed at the end of each month so you have a chance to see the menu for each day of the coming month. If you have a concern that your child will not like or eat the provided daily meal, please send a hearty snack. We appreciate your partnership and support as we continue to navigate this unusual year.

At least one of the options will offer gluten free, dairy free, and vegetarian.

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.

In conjunction with the School Nurse, we think it’s safest not to allow lunches from home.  This should limit sharing, bringing germs into the lunch areas, allergens, etc.  

While COVID-19 concerns require in-classroom lunches we won’t be able to allow parents to eat with their student.

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!

An 8th grade privilege will be to eat in Hauser Hall.  Our large round tables will be marked on the top with tape to show areas for each diner.  There will be 3 students to a 72” table.  Lunch will be served in two shifts, each accommodating half the class.  Meals will be placed on tables grouped by alphabet and grabbed by the students as they enter.  Supervision will be provided  to assure that students wait in a socially distanced line to pick up their meal.  Students will “bus” their own tables, dropping their trash into open trash cans.

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.

In a non COVID environment, every day students have a choice of multiple hot or cold main dish options that include vegetarian and gluten-free options. Students 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.

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

In addition, we have a Menu Review Committee, made up of faculty members across the grade levels. They will share student feedback and help influence menu decisions based on their knowledge of their students. Questions about who is on the committee or their work? Contact Eve Grubb, Director of Operations.

Flik will design, with assistance from the St. Mark’s Menu Team, monthly menus as they have in the past.  The biggest difference is that all foods will be easily delivered and eaten picnic style and all potentially dropped items can be cleaned up with a vacuum (no sauces, yogurt, pudding, etc.).

Each day there will be a choice from three items:

1. A sandwich/wrap option bag including a meat sandwich or wrap (half, whole or whole and half depending on grade), sliced fruit, side such as chips or crackers, crudite and cookie.  Gluten free options are available.

2. A composed salad option that is available with meat or a vegetarian accompaniment.  Also with and without dairy (cheese).  Salad dressing packets will be used.  A bread and cookie will be included.

3. A hot meal option that includes a protein, warm veggie, roll/bread/starch, fruit and cookie.

The menu would differ each day, but the three options would always be available.  For example:  One day may offer ham sandwiches for the sandwich option and the next turkey sandwich, or tuna salad sandwich, etc.

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.

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.