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Dear Cardinal Families,

Today, we want to shine a well-deserved spotlight on our incredible cafeteria manager, Ms. Stella Lee, and share a fantastic success story from our lunchroom.

As we all know, trying new foods can be a little intimidating for elementary students. To help our kids expand their palates, Ms. Lee recently launched a brilliant "Free Sample" initiative. Her first feature? A delicious, savory chicken and rice dish.

When samples first came out, the initial reaction was classic elementary skepticism. Most students were pretty hesitant to give it a shot. However, with a little gentle encouragement from Ms. Lee and our lunchtime staff, a few brave students took that first bite—and the reaction was instant joy!

Word spread quickly across the cafeteria tables. Before we knew it, students were lining up for a taste, loving it, and eagerly asking, "When is this going to be on the regular menu?!"

We are absolutely thrilled about this new sampling program. One of the biggest hurdles for kids trying new school lunches is the fear of the unknown. No student wants to commit their entire lunch tray to a brand-new dish, worry about not liking it, and then end up hungry for the rest of the day.

By offering these free, bite-sized tastes, Ms. Lee is giving our students a safe, zero-risk way to try new things. If they like it, great! If not, they still have their trusted favorite lunch ready to go.

We are so grateful to Ms. Lee for her creativity, warmth, and dedication to making our school cafeteria an exciting (and delicious) place to learn and grow.

Warmly,

Allison Hoak, Principal

Jon Kemmerer, Assistant Principal