09/17/2026
A Note About Our Cafeteria Procedures
At Beverly Elementary, we want lunchtime to be an enjoyable part of every childโs school dayโa time for students to eat, recharge, and enjoy being with their classmates.
We would like to clarify one of our cafeteria procedures so that our families have an accurate understanding of what students experience during their 30-minute lunch period.
During the first 10 minutes of lunch, students are asked to focus on eating without talking. This gives our children time to get settled, open their lunches and containers, receive help from adults when needed, andโmost importantlyโbegin eating their meal.
This procedure was implemented after concerns were shared that some students were spending much of their lunch period visiting with friends and, when it was time to leave the cafeteria, had eaten very little of their food. In some cases, significant portions of lunches were being discarded simply because students had run out of time to eat.
After those first 10 minutes, students have the remaining 20 minutes of their lunch period to talk and visit with the classmates seated around them while they continue eating.Students are absolutely permitted to talk during lunch.
This procedure is part of the cafeteria expectations we teach through our schoolwide PBIS program. Our goal is not to take away an important opportunity for children to socialize. Rather, we are working to establish a healthy balance between giving children time to eat their meals and giving them time to enjoy conversation and friendships with their classmates.
We recognize that lunchtime is an important part of a childโs day, and we want it to be a positive experience. As with all of our school procedures, we will continue to listen, observe, and make adjustments when they are in the best interest of our students.
Thank you to our Beverly families for partnering with us as we work each day to care for our Wildcats.
Learn with purpose. Lead with pride. Live with heart.
We are Wildcatsโgrowing stronger every day.