Tailored school engagement

Our Healthy Kids Advisors, in partnership with local councils and community health services, are out and about connecting with local schools and exploring ways to link them with complimentary healthy eating initiatives, local food opportunities and the state-wide Vic Kids Eat Well movement. 

With each Advisor leaning on their individual strengths and local community knowledge, their approach to school engagement is tailored to meet each school’s needs and healthy eating aspirations. Participating schools are equipping their students with empowering food knowledge, while our Advisors are strengthening our Foundation’s vision to see children and young people form positive food habits for life. 

Here, we showcase some of our Advisors’ unique, tailored outreach efforts and how these engagement plans generate positivity and opportunity relevant to their region. 

Hands-on growing workshops — Southern Grampians 

Joining forces with GenR8 Change, our Healthy Kids Advisor in the Southern Grampians, Jason Thomas, offered free edible gardening experiences to 10 schools in the region. Practical and hands-on, the workshops allowed students to pot up lettuce, chives, coriander, mint, and parsley, then use the same ingredients to master the art of making rice paper rolls. 

The first of these workshops occurred at Penshurst Primary School — a small, regional school with just 15 students. Jason was lucky to receive a tour of the school’s grounds and animals, including their flock of chickens and two calves. His extensive off-grid knowledge and gardening experience meant he connected with the student’s interests and introduced them to planting, composting and worm farming. 

The kids loved it. I was hearing this morning how they’re looking after their plants and where they’ve put them. We have [plants] in the junior classroom — with lots of volunteers for watering. From the chatter now, it was a very successful visit.

- Fiona Hermon, Principal of Penshurst Primary School

After the hands-on gardening, the students washed up and made delicious rice paper rolls. Excited students tucked into crunchy, tasty Vietnamese flavours — with some students experiencing produce they’d never had before. 

These free, engaging sessions allowed Jason to discuss various ways the Principal and leadership team could reinvigorate their growing spaces and boost healthy food and drink opportunities in the school environment. There are now plans underway for the school to revitalise their vegetable and herb gardens and incorporate the harvests into the students’ lunch preparations. 

Our community health partner, Emma Schultz from GenR8 Change, summed it up best: “The afternoon was a fun and interactive way to reinforce that healthy can be simple, achievable and sustainable.” A journalist from The Hamilton Spectator agreed. They joined the workshop and documented the moment in an article recently published here. 

Student council consultations — Greater Dandenong 

Meanwhile, our Healthy Kids Advisor in Greater Dandenong, Belinda Nowakowski, has been building connections with local metro schools, one of which is St Joseph’s Primary School in Springvale. 

After meeting with the Principal and introducing him to the initiative, Belinda registered the school for Vic Kids Eat Well. Belinda will support St. Joseph’s to reach the Vic Kids Eat Well milestones, all of which are small, achievable actions to boost healthy food and drink. The school has proudly announced their partnership with Belinda by publishing a whole web page about its future food goals. 

Belinda will guide our school community over the next few years to help increase our understanding of nutrition and access to healthy food and drinks.

 - Alan Brew, Principal of St. Joseph’s Primary School

Since engaging with the school’s staff, Belinda connected with the Student Representative Council to capture the needs and wants of the young students. She introduced 20 Year 5 and 6 students to the Healthy Kids Advisors initiative and led a brainstorming session to explore how the young people thought their school could boost healthy eating in and around the classroom.

The students led the charge, creating some inventive competitions, classroom incentives and ideas for a canteen transformation. Belinda will continue connecting with the students in Terms 3 and 4 to develop their ideas further and action them in a sustainable tailor-made way.

Collaborative cooking classes — East Gippsland 

Further east, our Healthy Kids Advisor in East Gippsland, Kristina Stafford, collaborated with Gippsland Lakes Complete Health and another local health promoter to visit Orbost Secondary College and Newmerella Primary School. 

Together, they consulted with staff members and inspired students with healthy, delicious meal ideas. Kristina helped the year groups cook up some classic poached apples and Stephanie Alexander’s popular Silverbeet and Potato Torte. 

Newmerella Primary School, a new member of the Kitchen Garden Program, has a solid reputation for encouraging children to participate in cooking and sustainability activities, including a recycling program, pet chickens and rabbits, a vegetable garden, an orchard and composting station. We’re excited to see other regional schools follow in their steps, and Kristina will be working closely with East Gippsland schools to encourage similar change.

Apples for the teacher — Hume 

Proving that there’s nothing like an old-fashioned meet and greet, Christie McIntosh (Healthy Kids Advisor — Hume) has been networking with primary and secondary schools across her local government area, leaving a fun, seasonal reminder with school decision-makers. 

Tasty apples have graced more than 20 Principal desks throughout Hume. Christie followed up the mystery apple gifts with a warm introduction by phone and email, leading to nine school and community hub visits — with more in the pipeline for Term 4. Five of these on-site visits have led to Vic Kids Eat Well registrations, proving Christie is well on her way to inspiring some delicious, long-lasting changes across Hume. 

Book a Healthy Kids Advisor to visit your school 

We believe community spirit is infectious. If your school, sports club, outside school hours care or community/council facility could benefit from the local knowledge, expertise and energy of a Healthy Kids Advisor, please get in touch: hka@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au 

Our Advisors are located in 13 Victorian communities. 

• Buloke Shire Council
• Central Goldfields Shire Council
• City of Greater Bendigo
• Colac Otway Shire Council
• East Gippsland Shire Council
• Glenelg Shire Council
• Greater Dandenong City Council
• Greater Shepparton City Council
• Hume City Council
• Melton City Council
• Mildura Rural City Council
• Northern Grampians Shire Council
• Southern Grampians Shire Council

Connect with your region's Healthy Kids Advisor and positively impact the health and wellbeing of local children and young people.

Want more information?
Visit our webpage and news page, or email hka@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au

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#HealthyKidsAdvisors, on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. 

Healthy Kids Advisors is delivered by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation and supports the Vic Kids Eat Well movement.