Great Trays Tickler
Issue Thirteen. September 8, 2011.
Geƫng to WOW:
WELCOME BACK!
Three Steps at a Time
“Seƫng goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the
visible.” Tony Robbins
Set or revisit your goals.
How do you plan to “Get to
WOW” this year? Set a few
goals to update your menu,
train staff, nudge students
toward healthy choices, or
promote your program.
Use Great Trays resources.
Go to
www.health.state.mn.us/
schools/grea rays/ to find
tools, templates and videos
for menu planning,
coopera ve purchasing or
program promo ons.
Celebrate the Minnesota
harvest. September is Farm
to School Month. Add a
locally grown food to your
menu and adver se it with
a fun food fact, which you
can find on our website by
scrolling down to “Share.”
Every new school year presents terrific new opportuniƟes. This
year, you’re one step ahead of the game with Great Trays training
under your belt. The steps you take in September can set the tone
for the year and lead to great results later on. Here’s what WOW
looks like in a growing number of Minnesota schools:
 WOW is tasty. The days of cardboard‐flavored “health food” are
long gone. Get students involved in selec ng new flavorful food for
your menus with taste tests, student discussion groups, surveys
and more.
 WOW is colorful. Nothing looks be er on your serving line than
brightly colored fruits and vegetables. Keep them as close to their
original color as nature intended with a variety of prepara on
techniques. For example, use NatureSeal® to extend the life of
fresh‐cut fruits or roast vegetables to deepen their color.
 WOW is fun. Kids love trivia, jokes, games, contests and special
guests. Invite a farmer to serve their product at lunch. Share a silly
joke about a featured food as they go through the line.
What does WOW look like at your school?
GREAT IDEA
You may have amazing goals in your head, but if your staff, co‐
workers, administrators and others don’t know about them, they
can’t support them...or you! Write down your goals, share them at a
staff mee ng, and ask for help to accomplish them.
STAY CONNECTED
GREAT RESOURCE
Visit us on the web at h p://
www.health.state.mn.us/
schools/grea rays
Celebrate Farm to School Month with tried‐and‐true ideas at
www.farm2schoolmn.org. Click on Schools then Favorite Ideas for
CelebraƟng Farm to School Month.
If you wish to unsubscribe, please send an email message to health.greaƩ[email protected]
This publica on was supported by a coopera ve agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Preven on (CDC) (3U58DP001974‐01S4). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the CDC, the Department of Health and Human Services, or the federal government.