Search Results for: school canteens

Primary Schools Health Promotion – Live Life Well at School

A joint initiative from the NSW Ministry of Health and school sectors in NSW

Using a whole-school approach to promote healthy eating and physical activity in primary schools.

Health Promotion supports primary school staff, students and their families by providing information, resources and teacher workshops focusing on healthy eating and physical activity to promote wellbeing for primary school students.

In 2023, there are a number of exciting activities on offer including teacher workshops, the SWAP IT healthy lunchbox program, an updated Central Coast Healthy School Canteen Award, and more…

Back to school healthy lunchbox links:

Here’s what some of the teachers have said:

Thank you so much for the sports equipment, we really appreciate it! The kids were so excited when it was all brought up to us, we had to get straight outside to use some of it! One of them even said ‘this is the most fun I’ve ever had.”
Teacher, Valley View Public School

I am very excited for all activities that have been offered in the past and eagerly look forward to ongoing workshops. Amazing professional learning.”
School Gardens workshop participant, term 4 2020

Implementing the SWAP IT program to Brooke Avenue Public School was effortless. Resources were provided such as lesson plans, digital files and large posters to be displayed in each classroom. The impact of the program assisted most families to make healthier changes in their child’s lunchboxes with staff noticing a visible decrease in prepackaged foods being sent to school. The lessons provided had explicit instructions and accompanying resources that linked directly, so staff were happy to implement this as everything was provided with minimal prep time. This program aligned with our Waste Free Wednesdays and our school’s decision to decrease our contributions to landfill. I would highly recommend this program to any school looking to help students’ SWAP IT.”
Lauren Johnson, classroom teacher, Brooke Avenue Public School

Resources for school kitchen gardens

Support and professional development for Canteen Managers

Workshops offered for Central Coast schools

Stage based classroom resources available for download and hard copy

Resources available to support families in the transition to big school

Extra links to healthy eating and physical activity resources

Central Coast Healthy Canteens

By Health Promotion

Working in partnership with the Central Coast Local Health District Nutrition Services, the Health Promotion Service provides support and professional development for Canteen Managers. Assisting them to provide healthy food and drinks to school students on the Central Coast.

Do you manage a Central Coast School Canteen? Join our Central Coast Canteen Managers Facebook group

Find out more about our next Canteen Network meeting

NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy – 4th Edition

The Healthy School Canteen Strategy increases the availability of healthy food and drink options in school canteens to help make the healthy choice, the easy choice.

Healthy Food Finder

Drinking Water

Drinking water is the best way to quench thirst. Even better, it doesn’t come with all the sugar and energy (kilojoules) found in fruit juice drinks, soft drinks, sports drinks and flavoured mineral waters.

How Green is your Canteen?

The Central Coast Green Canteen Challenge organised by Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre is about reducing the single-use plastic footprint in our schools and championing plastic free canteens. The aim is to help school canteens reduce and remove single-use plastic items, and replacing them with reusable or sustainable items.

Take up the challenge and find out how green your canteen can be.

Have a question?

If you have a question for our team or would like information on the next workshop please complete form below.

Canteen Network meeting

By Health Promotion

2023 Canteen Network meetings

The Healthy School Canteens Team hope you are back into the swing of things for 2023 after the school break.  We have some exciting network meetings planned for 2023, for all primary and secondary school canteens.

Details about our next Canteen Network meeting

We are inviting all Primary and Secondary school canteen managers to register now to attend our next Canteen Network Meeting by clicking the link below. 

This terms meeting will be held at Northlakes High School starting at 10am -1pm on Tuesday 21st February 2023. 

You can park on the street out the front of the school and if we can request all who are attending from your canteen to meet at the front office by 9.45am. One of the Health School Canteens team will meet you there and walk everyone over to our room for the network meeting starting at 10am sharp.  

There will be lots happening including canteen updates, information about the 2023 Healthy School Canteen Award, profitability presentation, hands-on cooking activity in the school’s hospitality kitchen, tour of Northlakes High School’s newly renovated canteen, a chance to network with other canteen managers and ask questions.

*Please wear appropriate attire including enclosed shoes to participate in the hands-on cooking activity. 

Any questions please contact us on the details below.

Look forward to seeing you all there, 

Healthy School Canteens team

(Lesley, Nina & Chad)

For updates on workshop plans, join our mailing list.

If you have any questions or suggestions for workshop topics, please email [email protected].

Canteen Network Enquiry

By Health Promotion

The Health Promotion Service in partnership with the Central Coast Local Health District Nutrition Services provides support and professional development for Canteen Managers. Assisting them to provide healthy food and drinks to school students on the Central Coast.

Join our Facebook group or if you have a question for our team or would like information about school canteens on the Central Coast, please complete form below.

Healthy Drinks for Children

By Health Promotion

The best drinks for children are water and milk. Plain tap water is best to quench thirst.

Milk is an excellent source of calcium and other important nutrients. Calcium is important for children to grow strong bones and teeth. Reduced fat milk is the best choice for children over two years of age. It has less saturated fat and energy (kilojoules) than full fat varieties, but still has important nutrients such as calcium.

Healthy drinks for Infants (0-12 months)

Breastfeeding is the healthiest start for infants.

It is recommended infants be breastfed until 12 months of age (or longer). Introduce solid foods at around 6 months of age.
If an infant is not breastfed, commercial infant formulas should be used.
Breast milk or infant formula should be the main drink in the first 12 months.
Exclusively breast fed infants do not require additional fluids up to 6 months of age.
For formula fed infants, cooled boiled tap water may be used if additional fluids are needed from birth.
From around 6 months small amounts of cooled boiled water can supplement breast milk.
Do not offer juices and sugar sweetened drinks. They do not provide any nutritional benefits.

Healthy drinks for Children (1-5 years)

At 12 months of age:

Pasteurised full cream milk may be introduced.
Low fat and reduced fat milks (skim milk and milk with 2 to 2.5% fat) are not recommended in the first 2 years of life).
Plain tap water is preferred to quench thirst.

From 2 years of age:

Reduced fat milks (with 2 – 2.5% fat) are recommended.
Plain tap water is preferred to quench thirst.

Healthy drinks for School children (5-12 years)

Healthy Drinks Poster
Plain tap water is best to quench thirst
Reduced fat milks (with 2 – 2.5% fat) are recommended.
Soft drinks, energy drinks, flavoured mineral waters and sport drinks are banned for sale from school canteens in NSW.

Useful Links

Drinking water is the best way to quench your thirst. Even better, it doesn’t come with all the sugar and energy (kilojoules) found in fruit juice drinks, soft drinks, sports drinks and flavoured mineral waters.

Rethink Sugary Drink has partnered with LiveLighter to encourage Aussies to think twice about how much sugar they’re drinking.

Healthy Bodies Need Healthy Drinks Resource Package

Thirsty? Choose Water!

Q4:H20

How green is your canteen?

By Health Promotion

The Central Coast Environmental Education Network is challenging schools to reduce single use plastic and champion plastic free canteens. Schools that can demonstrate change can win a $50 voucher and will be presented with a plaque for their canteen to show they are the winning school for the term.

Schools can choose what steps they can take, from replacing plastic cutlery with re-usable (or compostable) cutlery, phasing out plastic straws, talking to their suppliers about reducing unnecessary plastic packaging or other alternative plastic reduction actions.

New schools can get involved by completing the online Green Canteen survey (on Rumbalara EEC’s website) and will receive a gift of wooden cutlery or paper straws.
Schools that have already been involved can choose a new action and tell us what you have changed by sending us a photo of the change along with a photo of your actions poster. Please send us an email to inform us of your schools involvement.

Email to [email protected]

How to be involved

1. All schools will receive a “How Green is your Canteen?” poster. Hang your poster near your canteen to show your support.
2. New schools that take the challenge should fill in the survey on the Rumbalara website and will receive free sustainable cutlery or straws.
https://rumbalara-e.schools.nsw.gov.au/green-canteens.html
3. Make some sustainable changes to your canteen and school and tick off the changes on the “Steps to A Green Canteen’ poster.
4. By the end of Term 3 tell us what you have changed by sending us a photo of the change along with a photo of your actions poster and email to
[email protected]
5. A panel will review each schools submission and advise the winner.

Green Canteen project is supported by Rumbalara Environmental Education Centre, Kariong Eco Garden, Community Environment Network, Central Coast Council, Australian Take3 and Cleanaway.