The Head's Blog

As a matter of due diligence, Buckley Country Day School, much like other independent schools, explores every year the possibility of outsourcing some aspects of its operation, specifically the ones that do not affect directly its academic programs. Outsourcing the management of certain services helps schools such as ours focus their human resources on what their primary purpose is, i.e. the education of children, and enhance the quality of the services provided to the community.

After extensive research, we have decided to contract out our dining services, starting June 29, 2009, for both school and our summer program, with Brock and Company, Inc. Brock is a regional, family-owned organization, founded in 1927, managing food services in the Middle Atlantic and New England. Their client references include Park School, MA, Oakwood Friends School, NY, and Miss Porter’s School, CT. For further information about Brock, please click here.

Three other food service companies were interviewed during this process. Brock was retained as the services provided by the company best match Buckley’s philosophy regarding its lunch program. Throughout the process, we insisted in particular on the school’s desire to continue to make lunch a meaningful part of the children’s daily experience and to preserve a family style approach, with broad choices and appealing food presentation. Brock is well aware of our policies regarding allergens, specifically nut products, and will continue to enforce them. It was also brought to Brock’s attention that the kitchen staff is expected to be an integral part of the Buckley community, acting as role models to the children, beyond the lunch and snack experience.

Pedro Escobar, Luis Escobar, Maira Mendez, and Charles Urick, who have been part of our kitchen staff, have decided to stay on the staff. Fran Makowenskyj and Chef Rob, however, will not be back at Buckley in September. I know many of you have known Chef Rob for a long time and will be disappointed to see him leave. I am sure, however, that he will be in touch and will come visit as often as he can. Brock has hired a new Chef Manager for Buckley. His name is Richard Reilly. Richard earned his Associate of Occupational Studies from the Culinary Institute of America and completed an apprenticeship with the American Culinary Federation. Since 1997, he has worked as a kitchen manager, sous chef, consultant, chef instructor, and finally the owner of a Zagat-rated restaurant on Long Island, Blue Sky Bistro. Richard started cooking at Buckley last week and we have been delighted to have him on board. I am confident that his culinary talent and experience, as well as his friendliness, will be great assets to our community. This September, we will be hosting a Grand Opening Celebration cookout, and I hope that many of you will enjoy this opportunity to meet Chef Reilly.

Brock’s menu philosophy for Buckley will be to “present seasonal, wholesome, and nutritious food to the community while still offering menu items that the children like to eat.” Through a sustainable approach to their menus Brock will offer the majority of items when they are in season and at the peak of flavor and availability. All meals will be cooked on Buckley’s premises.

Featured at every meal, there will be great variety built into the menu offering:

SOUPS: one hot soup will be offered daily as a broth or milk base soup. Season vegetables will be the soups main ingredients.
SALAD: the salad bar (a new one) will feature fresh seasonal greens grown locally if available.
LUNCH: each daily lunch, served on the tables, will consist of a featured entrée, a second non-meat entrée, and an appropriate vegetable and starch.
SANDWICH: each day a selection of oven roasted turkey, smoked ham, and cheese sandwiches will be available on an assortment of whole grain, specialty breads.
BEVERAGES: Brock will continue to offer family style service for milk, orange juice, and water.
SNACKS: Snacks will be designed to give students a boost to get them through the morning with nutrient-dense foods and no empty calories.

Take a look at the following sample seasonal menus: Fall Seasonal Menu, Winter Seasonal Menu, Spring Seasonal Menu.

A registered dietitian consultant will be available to the students, faculty, and parents via email (eathealthy@brockco.com), or by appointment for individual counseling. The dietician will also make monthly visits to the school to show students how to make preferred healthy food choices.

Brock will also partner with Buckley in teaching dining etiquette. Every Wednesday, a table will be chosen as a featured table. The students will be seated at a table dressed with a tablecloth and appointed with proper silverware. Students will be instructed on the proper silverware to use and tutored on the proper way to behave at a more formal dining event.

Finally, each month Chef Manager Richard will introduce Exciting Happenings, including birthday celebrations, exotic flavors, and festive feasts, such as Hawaiian luau or a Mardi Gras festival.

I am thrilled to be opening school in September in a newly-furnished dining room and in partnership with Brock. Their philosophy fully resonates with what Buckley strives to accomplish every day at lunch: the dining room should be more than just a room – it should be the place where students and faculty gather and connect – where “breaking bread” is more than an exercise; it is an experience. The dining room is an additional classroom, and the kitchen staff an extension of the faculty with the responsibility to impart knowledge and share culinary experiences with each student.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or Brock’s Executive Chef, Eric Rappaport, at askchef@brockco.com.

Bon Appétit!

A considerable number of studies have evidenced that misused and overloaded backpacks may cause back or shoulder pain and poor posture in children, and at times worse clinical ailments. Common sense tells us the same. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you that as the health of your children is of paramount concern to us, we are keenly aware that Buckley needs to do its share in reducing the weight of the backpacks children use as school bags. You can help us achieve this goal by (1) checking, at any age, that what your child is carrying in his or her backpack is actually necessary, and (2) letting the appropriate administrator know when you feel that your child is carrying a backpack that is too heavy for him or for her.

Below is a list of recommendations, gleaned from a variety of sources including the American Occupational Therapy Association, that might be helpful in choosing your child’s backpack and in avoiding using it in a way that could be harmful:

Backpack types and features:

• wide padded straps distribute the load over the shoulders
• a lumbar support in the padding may help prevent slouching
• separate compartments keep the load where you placed it and allow for an even distribution of weight
• waist straps help transfer the load to the hips
• a chest strap between the two shoulder straps may help prevent slouching.
• the pack should not be larger than the child’s back

Backpack use:

• place heavier items at the bottom in order to transfer the weight to the hips, and closest to the back
• arrange supplies and books so they do not slide in the backpack
• use both shoulder straps. Not only does this evenly distribute the weight across the back, it also prevents a student from leaning to one side, which can lead to a curvature of the spine or cause back pain
• tighten the shoulder straps for a proper fit. The backpack should fit tightly against the student's back. The bottom of the backpack should rest next to the curve of the lower back and should not be more than four inches below the student's waistline
• tighten the waist belt. This distributes the weight more evenly

School Supplies:

In the lower school, all supplies are provided by the school. For the most part children do not have to carry hard-cover textbooks to and from school. Please do not hesitate to address any concerns with Mrs. Lyons.

In the upper school, Mrs. Wong, with input from parents and faculty, has focused on streamlining the supplies list and minimizing the weight of her students’ backpacks. Parents are encouraged to follow the suggestions for the size of the binders listed. They have been limited to a one-inch binder for each subject that requires a binder (except 5th and 6th grade science). Students will be advised to empty out their binders at home (preferably into an accordion file) on a regular basis, for example at the end of a unit. In the 7th and 8th grades, parents might decide to purchase a two-inch binder and combine subjects together, such as English with history, and French with Latin. During class and homeroom, students will be directed not to take their whole subject folder home if it is not necessary to complete their homework, but rather to take home the individual sheets in a pocket folder. Whenever possible, a second set of textbooks to remain at home will be provided. Finally, please remember that while a school laptop is provided to all 7th and 8th graders, students may opt to use a flash drive rather than bring their computers back and forth. Laptop sleeves are provided by the school.

I like to quote this friend of mine who says that, “as educators we have to focus on simplifying our students’ lives outside the classroom and complicating their lives in the classroom.” Thus, in an effort to simplify everybody’s life, Mrs. Wong has set up an online account with The School Stop, a Long Island school supply company, for parents to purchase grade specific, pre-selected supplies online and have them delivered straight to their home. The supplies list for each grade is listed at www.TheSchoolStop.com. You will be asked to enter the school’s zip code (11576). Items that you do not need can be removed once you have put the list in your shopping cart. The rest is very self-explanatory. If you decide not to use The School Stop, click here to view the supplies list. Let me put on my parent’s hat and thank Mrs. Wong for setting up the account with The School Stop and saving some of us the hassle of September school supplies shopping mania.

Mrs. Duffy often tells me how much as a child she was looking forward to September and shopping for school supplies, the aroma of new notebooks producing a similar effect as madeleines on Proust! As for me, the longer I could ride my bike to the beach, the better! It takes all kinds...