The School Nutrition Program commenced at our school in 2009. It is an initiative of the Commonwealth government.  The program provides nutritious meals to school-aged children attending school, encourages parental support through encouraging families to financially contribute to the cost of meals and provides jobs for local community members.

Here at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Thamarrurr Catholic College we provide basic Breakfast and Morning Tea/ Cuppa and Lunch to approximately 300-400 students.  The school further supports the program to enable teachers to purchase meals at a cost.

The Traffic Light system is what we use to develop our Menus (NT Department of Education Canteen, Nutrition and Healthy Eating Policy and the  National Healthy School Canteen Guidelines):

  • Green – Always on the menu
  • Amber – Select carefully
  • Red – Not on the menu
Menus and meals are written and prepared following guidelines from School Nutrition and Healthy Eating Policy and the Australian Dietary Guidelines. 

The School Nutrition Program’s two main goals are: 

  • Support improved school attendance, engagement and attainment by providing meals to children attending  school. 
  • Provide opportunities of employment and capacity building for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. 

Living in a remote community may reduce access to affordable fresh and nutritious food and the health gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is well documented. 

The School Nutrition Program, through anecdotal evidence from the local clinic provides, contributes to improved health outcomes in the Wadeye community by: 

  • Supporting healthy eating practices at an early age, improving normal growth and development, and contributing to positive learning outcomes and behaviours in the classroom, as well as out in the community.
  • Supporting healthy eating behaviours, structured mealtimes, and responsibilities like, distributing food safely and equally, using hygiene practises and cleaning up after a meal.

The School Nutrition Program also benefits the local community in many ways:

  • By reducing the pressure on families to provide nutritious and adequate food for their children during school hours. 
  • Local School Nutrition Program staff become positive role models for the community.
  • Supporting local businesses through use of suppliers and providers of food and catering supplies.