Some call them short order cooks in a school cafeteria really like no other.
On this episode of the Supercast, we celebrate Thanksgiving at the Kauri Sue Hamilton School where cafeteria staff make sure the holiday is celebrated in a fun and festive way for students with special needs. Find out how these incredible food service workers use a unique set of cooking skills to make sure every meal is custom made to meet the varying needs of the many students they serve.
Audio Transcription
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Anthony Godfrey;
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Some call them short order cooks working in a school cafeteria that is like no other.
On this episode of the Supercast, we celebrate Thanksgiving at the Kauri Sue Hamilton School, where cafeteria staff make sure the holiday is celebrated in fun and festive ways for students with special needs. Find out how these incredible food service workers use a unique set of cooking skills to make sure every meal is custom made to meet the varied needs of the many students they serve.
We're here in the cafeteria of Kauri Sue Hamilton School with Katie Bastian to talk about what happens for Thanksgiving dinner today.
Katie Bastian:
We do a full feast.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the feast that is laid before the students here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School.
Katie Bastian:
It's a pretty typical Thanksgiving dinner. You've got your turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, yams, stuffing, pumpkin pie.
Anthony Godfrey:
And a lot of it is made from scratch, which is really the signature move of the Nutrition Services Department. As director, you've explained before that this really cuts down on our reliance on outside companies to prepare food in advance and makes for a better meal.
Katie Bastian:
It does, yeah, where we have fully staffed kitchens with labor, all of our kitchens are fully operational with equipment. We make all of our food here, you know, onsite. It's not reheated and served. It's all made onsite. We do make a lot of things from scratch and it lets us have control of the quality.
Anthony Godfrey:
And is this the same type of meal that will be prepared in schools throughout the district?
Katie Bastian:
Yes, yes. During this week, there are a couple of them on different days, but yes, every student during the school district will have access to a Thanksgiving feast. And then, Kauri Sue has a lot of dietary modifications. So we're doing some special things here, just like they do in the other schools, but there's more here. Like, we'll do gluten-free gravy, gluten-free roll, you know, things along those lines. So with some small modifications, most students should be able to eat it.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's wonderful that you customize the meals to the extent that you do so that even students with those dietary restrictions here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School, where our students with the most severe disabilities receive an education, it's just wonderful that you still make those traditional meals available to students in the same way.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah, the staff goes above and beyond at this school. They do extra texture modifications and dietary modifications that most of the other schools don't see. So, again, they're in it for the kids. They go above and beyond. We're lucky to have a registered dietitian on staff to make sure all the students within our district are taken care of and have what they need. So if they want to eat with us, they can.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me about the texture modifications as well.
Katie Bastian:
So purees, different textures, ground, that type of modification. So if a student can't–
Anthony Godfrey:
So that something's more finely ground so that it's easier for them to consume. Blendtec, the company in Utah, when you say that you'd be surprised what you can puree, they actually have a Will It Blend channel, I think, on various social media. So you could do a Will It Puree channel where you put certain school foods in to puree them so that students have access to those meals.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah, I'm always surprised. Like, this is a hamburger. We've got our meat. We've got our bun. This is, you know, tastes like a hamburger. So again, it's their kind of specialty here. They do a great job.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now you were in this role previously. Tell me about the dietitian's role and we did a podcast early on with you about that. Tell me about the role of a dietitian in helping create the meals for the district.
Katie Bastian:
Sure. Right now probably accommodate, we have on file over 800 accommodations district-wide. We're probably not actively accommodating that many, but we keep documentation on them. It is a full-time job making sure all the diabetics, gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free, are taken care of and seeing what modifications. And the dietitian will look over each and every one of those papers that's turned in to us to make sure that they have a meal that's safe for them. You know, we check in with the parents. We check in with the kitchen manager so everyone's on the same page. For the most part, you know, students love, we hear a lot of good feedback from parents that they're just so glad they can meet at school with their peers and know that they're safe and their meals are well taken care of.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you and the staff do a great job at the district level and I also know that every school staff is made up of very dedicated employees who really care about kids and have daily contact with kids. That is really important to kids' nutrition but also to their just feeling connected with the school.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah, the credit goes out to the over 500 lunch staff that we have because they make it happen every day.
Anthony Godfrey:
And we always have positions available for those who are interested. A few hours in the middle of the day or full-time throughout the day, there are lots of opportunities to be involved in. It's great contact with the kids and it's really an important part of their day. So that's always out there available for those who are interested.
Katie Bastian:
Yeah, come join our team.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, thanks very much, Katie.
Katie Bastian:
Thank you. Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Melissa, the sub-manager here at Cari Sue Hamilton School for Nutrition Services. Thank you for being here.
Melissa:
Yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about being at Kauri Sue this year.
Melissa:
I just started in September, the beginning of the year. I really like it. I was scared to come here because it's a lot different because I come from a middle school. But I've learned a lot and the kids are super nice and the teachers are helpful. And I don't know, I just like it here.
Anthony Godfrey:
I know that they rely on you in a big way. At every school, the Nutrition Services staff is really key to how the school feels and how the school functions. But at Kauri Sue Hamilton School in particular, with the special needs and the dietary restrictions, they really rely on your being creative, and flexible, and responsive to a wide variety of needs. So thank you very much for all the hard work you do. Tell me a little bit about what that's like day to day.
Melissa:
So we came up with a different way of keeping track of my special diets. So I have two papers to keep track of the special needs, the special diets for gluten-free. Let's see, what else? We have puree, we have chopped, we have small chopped. And then the other kids are on another paper so I can keep track of which kid is allergic to citrus or onion or all the different things.
Anthony Godfrey:
So allergies and the way that the food is prepared, there are all kinds of things at play. It's really important of course, those things need to go right. Because otherwise, students are at risk. So that's an added layer of responsibility that you take on. And it's really important, so thank you for doing that.
Melissa:
It's just important to– I just do the same routine every day so I know which student can have this and this and this and keep your food separated. So yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
What does your day look like? When do you start? When does it end?
Melissa:
Oh, I get here at 6:00 and I start doing breakfast. And then my 6-hour worker comes in at 7:30 and he'll start making lunch. And then we serve lunch and I go home at 2:30.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's a long day. Tell me what are some of the favorites out here? What are some of the favorite meals that kids get most excited about?
Melissa:
Well, the chicken nuggets are the top one of course.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah.
Melissa:
Yeah. They like the mac and cheese.
Anthony Godfrey:
I'm a big mac and cheese fan myself.
Melissa:
They really like it here.
Anthony Godfrey:
It's really good.
Melissa:
And then probably they do like the sloppy joes, which is surprising. We don't serve that at middle school, so I was surprised they like it.
Anthony Godfrey:
I haven't had the sloppy joes. I need to put that on the list.
Melissa:
Yeah, they're good.
Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Does the Thanksgiving meal for today take a little extra effort, I'm assuming?
Melissa:
Yes. We serve a lot extra. Stuffing, sweet potatoes. Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
What's the hardest to prepare?
Melissa:
Well, the turkeys. We cooked the turkeys a couple days ago, slice them, cook them. Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Awesome. Well, it all looks great.
Melissa:
Oh, thanks.
Anthony Godfrey:
And I just can't thank you enough for being such an important part of Kauri Sue Hamilton.
Melissa:
Oh, thanks. Thanks for coming to this school.
Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we talk to a teacher about the Thanksgiving dinner served up at Kauri Sue.
Break:
In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families, free of charge. You can take a class called Blues Busters for children feeling sad or worried. Just Breathe is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends. There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District school psychologists, counselors, and school psychology interns. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Amy, one of the teachers at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. Introduce yourself and tell us what you're up to here.
Amy White:
I'm Amy White and I teach special education here and we are enjoying our lunch today.
Anthony Godfrey:
And you're helping feed students this wonderful feast.
Amy White:
I am, yes.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what is the reaction? I see applause.
Amy White:
Well, this student is applauding, yes. We have some cheers. Do you like lunch today?
Student:
No.
Amy White:
Is it good?
Student:
Yeah.
Amy White:
Yes, it is. There are smiles all around.
Anthony Godfrey:
Lots of happiness brought by this meal. Is lunch something that everybody looks forward to by and soon?
Amy White:
Oh yeah, we all love lunch around here. Our lunch staff does a great job of accommodating lots of different dietary needs and making something delicious that they all enjoy.
Anthony Godfrey:
Many of the students here require assistance with meals and so you're very involved and very aware of the reaction to the meals.
Amy White:
Yes, yes. And if it's something they don't like, we know that. They'll tell us loud and clear.
Anthony Godfrey:
They're an expressive group that’s for sure.
Amy White:
They are very expressive.
Anthony Godfrey:
Is this something they've been looking forward to I assume?
Amy White:
Yes. Yes, Thanksgiving in general and lunch every day. But this one is a favorite meal for sure.
Anthony Godfrey:
Now the staff has access to the lunch as well, right?
Amy White:
Yes, yes. We look forward to it too. I just had some pumpkin pie before this and it's incredible.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the lunch staff here. I know that it's a unique situation where, as you said, a lot of accommodations are required. Tell me about the staff.
Amy White:
Some new lunch staff this year and they've been excellent at accommodating to whatever we need and very flexible, always willing to make separate meals if we need them. We have kids with a variety of needs here from purees to chopped meals to ground or different allergies and they've just done excellent. I think there's some getting used to at the beginning but they've really adapted and really they've saved our lives here.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's fantastic. It really takes everybody working together to be sure that we meet the unique needs of students here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School.
Amy White:
That's right in lots of different ways and that definitely applies to lunch.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, no doubt. Well here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. You always go above and beyond in celebrating holidays and making the most of those moments. What else are you doing for Thanksgiving?
Amy White:
We have an excellent music teacher here, music therapist, Cassie, who always does a great job at singing songs and having dances and different activities. All around the school, you can see turkeys that we've made, handprint turkeys, and different crafts like that. We just try to have a good time. We love movement activities and art and music and just all around we're doing that. We do a lot more for Christmas and Halloween, all those things. It's always really fun to celebrate big with our kids.
Anthony Godfrey:
Just a wide range of great things going on all over the Kauri Sue Hamilton School.
Amy White:
It's a good place to be.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there and Happy Thanksgiving.
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