“The food is filling and there’s plenty of it. “If they haven’t eaten it for lunch, they can take it home, or they might have snack later in the afternoon.” The Ruru Specialist School “would love” to join the government’s healthy lunches programme, principal Erin Cairns said. She agreed with Hape on healthy lunches helping to lift concentration levels in afternoon learning. The Government’s free school lunches programme was another way of supporting and reinforcing good nutrition inside and outside school, Cairns said. Currently, 130,000 students are receiving the lunches in New Zealand. By the end of 2021, 964 schools and kura, and more than 215,000 (25 per cent) of Year 1-13 students across New Zealand will be receiving them.
Kavinda Herath/Stuff
Kizziah Sinoro and St Patrick’s School Young Vinnies group have made 50 gift boxes for families in need.
Boxes filled with toys, stationary and games will make their way to families in need throughout Southland thanks to the efforts of students at St Patrick’s School in Invercargill. The students made about 50 boxes to be donated to St Vincent de Paul Society. St Patrick’s School teacher Leigh Munro said each classroom had the task of filling two boxes, one for a boy and one for a girl. Students contributed by bringing items to school to be put in the boxes, Munro said.