"Two for Two on Tuesdays" sounds like a promotional slogan for a fast food restaurant. In a way, it is. It promotes awareness of the school lunch program at Paynesville Area Elementary School. Implemented just this year, "Two for Two on Tuesdays" allows parents, grandparents, and friends to eat school lunch with elementary school students.Laura Schaefer (grade 4) is pictured here eating lunch last Tuesday with her parents Terry and Carol.
Two students from each classroom in grades one through five are allowed to invite two people to eat lunch with them each week. (Kindergarten students spend only a half day at school and do not eat school lunch.) "It's excellent (public relations) for the school," said Todd Burlingame, the new elementary school principal, who had the idea for the program. On any given Tuesday, 50 to 75 adults visit the school.
"The kids really look forward to it," said one elementary school teacher.
Another teacher added, "It gives parents a chance to see what kinds of food their kids are eating. It adds variety to the lunch program. Rather than having (just) kids in the lunch room, there are also adults."
Students are chosen in different ways in each classroom. Some teachers follow alphabetical order; others ask for volunteers or choose randomly. However, each student will be chosen twice during this year. The first time is during the months of October, November and December. The program will take a two-month break in January and February, and each child will have a new opportunity starting again in March.
Once the child is chosen, he or she will bring home invitations the week before participation. The child is then asked to provide the number of people coming to visit them, so the school cooks can ration accordingly.
So far, every child that has brought home an invitation has had someone visit them. Students have the option of inviting a teacher.
In some cases, as many as six visitors have come for one child. Parents often bring in their younger children with them. Burlingame, who sometimes helps the cooks serve on Tuesdays, says these additions are welcome. "We donÔt expect parents to get babysitters for this," he said.
In addition to eating lunch with students, visitors are also encouraged to go outside for recess with each child following lunch. The majority of parents come over their lunch breaks, however, so this is not always possible.
The only negative aspect of his program, according to Burlingame, are problems with parking. Kindergartners arrive at the school at the same time as "Two for Two" visitors, which can cause congestion. Signs have recently been put up to try to alleviate this.
"I think parents enjoy school lunch, and students, especially the younger ones, love it," said Burlingame, who plans to continue with "Two for Two" in following years. "Parents sometimes comment on how much better the food is than when they were in school. The gals in the lunchroom do a nice job."