Young people from across the province are heading back to class, and CBC will be right there with them. Here and Now and our local radio shows will also bring you stories about the issues facing our schools and colleges: How do you cope with back to school shopping? How nutritious is the food in your child's school? How effective is French Immersion? Why are MUN students having such a hard time finding a place to live? We'll tackle all this and more in early September. So stay tuned!

School Reports:

Keep tuned to CBC radio for all the school information you need. Tune into your local Morning Show every day for the School Report. We'll tell you what's open and what's closed, if the buses are running late, and when to bring in those recyclables.

In the St. John's area, you can hear the school report at 6:20, 6:45 and 7:20.
In central Newfoundland, tune in for the school report at 6:55 and 7:25.
In western Newfoundland, T.B.A.
In Labrador, school announcements will be read throughout Labrador Morning.

A Parent's Survival Guide to the 2008 School Year:

We'll try to tackle questions parents have about issues they find perplexing and/or confusing. A brief survey of the parents in our St. John's newsroom revealed a broad range of questions from: what do you put in kids school lunches to how do you handle homework to why don't schools offer more career counselling for older kids to how many professional development days are there this year, and more. If you have a question, send us an e-mail, and we'll see what we can find out

Our next question:

What should you pack in school lunches?

It's 7:30 in the morning. You've just heard a newsreader describe the latest listeria scare. A note tacked to the fridge reminds you that kids in your child's school suffer various allergies. You're standing with the fridge door open wondering what you're going to pack in your child's lunch bag.

Your choices these day are growing more limited. Packaged meats are suspect, and that old standby - peanut butter - is out of the question, being banned in most if not all schools across the province.

So what do you do?

Melanie Colbourne is the program development co-ordinator with the Kids Eat Smart Foundation in Newfoundland and Labrador which supports quality nutrition programs in the province's schools. She's also a registered dietician. We asked her for some suggestions to make school lunches less of a headache for busy parents.

An important thing for parents to keep in mind is food safety, and that means keeping food at the right temperature even though there's a four hour gap between the time a lunch is packed and when your child eats it. Colbourne suggests freezing yogurt tubes and juice boxes in advance. That way, they'll be defrosted by lunchtime and they'll keep other food cold as well. You can also use an insulated lunch bag, and include an ice pack if necessary. Colbourne suggests using a thermos to keep hot food warm.

Colbourne also says parents should follow the province's school food guidelines and try to get in as many food groups as possible. She says three groups for sure, four if possible. Apparently the two hardest groups to get kids to buy into are fruits and vegetables, and milk.

Colbourne says cheese strings, getting kids to buy milk at school and yogurt tubes are some suggestions for milk. As for fruit, she suggests fresh or frozen fruit (which can thaw during the morning) and combining it with a yogurt tube to make a parfait. She also suggests canned fruit packed in its own juice or water.

Other suggestions to switch up lunches while saving money:

pack mini pitas, sauce and cheese so kids can make pizzas at school;
pack pieces of block cheese and whole wheat crackers and pack in individual bags for a healthy version of cheese and crackers.
kids tend to eat fruit if it's cut into bite-size pieces. So cut an orange into pieces instead of expecting your child to peel an orange, or cut a melon into pieces, or same grapes.
the same with vegetable, so send baby carrots or vegetables cut into pieces, and include a low-fat dip.
don't forget leftovers. You can put leftover pasta or soup in a thermos or make sandwiches out of leftover chicken, turkey or beef.
for a variation on sandwiches use pitas, english muffins or bagels instead of bread.

Here are some suggested lunches:

whole wheat pita pizza; a fruit cup; milk or water.
roasted chicken, lettuce, tomato sandwich; a yoghurt tube; milk or water.
a garden salad with chicken pieces; whole wheat roll; yogurt; milk or water.
whole wheat bagel; hard cheese; apple; milk or water.
low sugar, high fibre cereal and milk; fruit; a piece of cheese; milk or water.

One of the big issues with kids is boredom. Eating the same thing everyday might encourage kids to buy food that's not all that nutritious from the local store or fast food restaurant. Colbourne says it's important to vary food during the week. She also says if you're eating the same food all the time, you might be missing certain nutrients.

Here are some links that may give you more ideas:

Kids Eat Smart Foundation

School Lunch Association

Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Education School Food Guidelines

Government of Nova Scotia

Prince Edward Island Healthy Eating Alliance

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board - Peanut butter-less lunch and snack ideas

Dietitians of Canada - Cool lunches that kids will eat

Canada Food Guide