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A slice of real life at Myrrhee Primary School
21-12-2010In addition to their weekly kitchen garden classes, the students at Myrrhee Primary School in Victoria are learning a range of new skills through an innovative business initiative.
Twice a term, the school runs a ‘Friday Night Pizza Business' where students use the wood-fired pizza oven and fresh produce from the garden to make delicious pizzas.
During the week, students send out order forms to the community, using a database they have compiled of interested families. They devise a menu, take orders and make up a shopping list for a parent volunteer to fill.
Business hots up after lunch on Pizza Business days: the mixing of the dough begins, ingredients are weighed and measured using formulas and the dough is left to rest for the afternoon.
People start arriving at school from 5.30 pm and the kids launch into action with help from their Principal and Kitchen Garden Program Coordinator. One student collects money while others cook and prepare the pizza. Customers get a complimentary glass of Myrrhee merlot and a piece of freshly cooked pizza while they wait.
The pizzas are truly gourmet, with herbs and seasonal ingredients from the school's own productive garden. They overflow with colour, smell delicious and taste sensational!
The evening usually finishes by 8.00pm with everyone pitching in to clean up. The students average around 40 pizzas per session and gross around $600. They calculate the expenses and take home the profits, usually around $70 each. Comments are captured via a feedback form after the event, then recorded and implemented to continually improve their service and product.
It's a great evening and a great way for families in the community to catch up over locally grown and produced delicacies. Pizza Business brings the community together while providing students with a hands-on practical experience of running and maintaining a successful business.
These are just some of the activities and related learning areas or skills in practice:
- Preparing flyers and mail-outs - English, ICT, Design, Creativity and Technology
- Creating databases and spreadsheets - ICT, Maths
- Communication and customer service skills - English, Communication
- Engaging with the community - Civics and Citizenship
- Team work - Interpersonal Development
- Problem solving and reasoning - Thinking Processes
- Food handling skills - Health and Physical Education
- Calculating, formulas, measuring ingredients - Maths
- Managing resources, stock levels and budgeting - Economics, Maths, Interpersonal Development
- Money handling skills - Economics, Maths
- Competition - Economics
- Evaluation - Thinking Processes
What a fantastic example of real-life learning... with the added bonus of pocket money!
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