Partnership with Intentional Foods
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 2020
Contact: Kristofer Sippel
CEO/Superintendent of Schools
San Tan Charter School Inc.
480-222-0811
San Tan Charter School’s Newly Expanded Partnership with Intentional Foods will Bring Delicious, Low Sugar and Allergen-Free Hot Lunches to PreK through Sixth Grade Students
The Partnership Complements San Tan Charter School’s “Whole Child” Approach to Education that Includes Emphasizing a Low Sugar Diet and Physical Education Every Day
GILBERT, Arizona—Thanks to a recently expanded partnership with Intentional Foods, PreK through sixth grade students at San Tan Charter School in Gilbert will be served tasty hot school lunches that are also low in sugar, high in nutrition and free from common allergens.
As Sarah Laramie, the K-6 Principal at the Recker campus noted, for the last few years Intentional Foods has provided food for San Tan Charter School’s teacher galas and family events.
In order to further advance the school’s “whole child” approach to education—which Laramie said includes having physical educational classes every day and encouraging a low sugar diet with firm boundaries for sugary items that are served on campus—the school recently partnered with Intentional Foods to be their exclusive PreK-6 lunch caterer, starting with the 2020-2021 school year.
“One of the things that we believe at San Tan is ‘active bodies mean engaged minds,’” Laramie said.
“Our nutrition policy is quite simple; students need proper nutrition to run their bodies. Good quality protein fuels the body far better than a sugary snack.”
Chef Ned, Executive Chef and Co-Founder of Intentional Foods, said students will be able to choose from a variety of options for their lunches, all of which are free of the eight most common food allergies: peanuts, tree nuts, soy, dairy, wheat, seafood, shellfish and sesame.
For example, on Mondays starting this fall, students who buy their lunch will choose from pasta with meat or marinara sauce with a tossed side salad; a SoCal Mexi bowl or a House Chop Salad tossed in ranch style dressing.
On Tuesday, the choices will be turmeric chicken served with rice, tahini-free hummus and veggies or a taco salad.
Other options during the week will include a grilled chicken kale Caesar salad and breaded chicken bites and house made chips.
“The menu is designed to offer one vegetarian option and one option with protein every day. The vegetarian option will be offered with the ability to add protein, in essence offering three options for lunch,” Chef Ned said.
Students who want to bring their lunch from home will definitely be allowed to do so, Laramie said.
“We provide guidance and education for our parents, and we also give guidance to our students about how nutrition fuels their bodies,” she said.
Laramie, who said the turmeric chicken is one of her personal favorites, said she and the other staff members at San Tan Charter School are thrilled to provide their students with a quality lunch that not only aligns with their nutrition policies, but is also safe for students who have allergies.
“There is a certain degree of relief that comes from knowing your meal is prepared in an environment that is safe,” she said.
***ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST***For more information about San Tan Charter School’s partnership with Intentional Foods, please contact Kris Sippel at 480-222-0811.
About San Tan Charter School:
San Tan Charter School is a Kinder-12th grade public non-profit tuition free charter school with two campuses in the East Valley within minutes of each other. The Power campus is a Junior High/High School serving students in grades 7-12 and the Recker campus is an elementary school serving students K-6 including a private Montessori preschool infant, toddler, and PreK. The school uses a Love and Logic® approach to classroom management that is focused on building relationships and communicating with respect. The school focuses on “Education with a Purpose,” which means the teachers encourage their students’ love of learning, which enables them to face challenges and develop critical thinking skills. San Tan Charter School also offers a championship athletics experience, individualized learning plans, and college and career ready programs. The school is focused on maximizing each student’s intellectual development with Gifted & Montessori classrooms, Honors/AP classes, Concurrent/Dual Enrollment classes and robust elective choices including career and technical education (CTE). For more information, please visit https://santancharterschool.com/
