Victor Scott Primary School is taking the initiative to make sure everyone has some form of a healthy breakfast before starting the day.

And that includes the school's principal, teachers, students, and janitors.

This is the second breakfast the school has had with the help of Victor Scott's parents group -- Parents Assisting Parents (PAP) and the Continental Society of Bermuda.

School counsellor Marilynn Smith said the breakfast programme which is called `Breakfast on the Run' started with Nutrition Week -- when they had the first breakfast -- last May and "our aim was to encourage our children to eat a healthy breakfast''.

"PAP is trying to encourage students and parents to understand the importance of breakfast, and what that means for the child, how it can enhance their level of energy, and their attitude which will help their overall functioning in the school environment.

"We know everyone can't or does not have the time to prepare a sit down breakfast. However, there are a variety of breakfast foods that can get our children off to a good, healthy start and PAP has developed the concept, that twice a term with the assistance of the Continental Society we can reinforce the need for a healthy breakfast.'' Mrs. Smith added that with Breakfast on the Run everyone at Victor Scott school is provided with a brown paper bag breakfast.

"This time around we will have a piece of fruit, cheese and crackers, a small box of cereal and a juice box. This way the kids are getting the various food groups necessary for good growth and development.

"The breakfast is reasonable, not costly, and it also helps us identify those students who are not eating breakfast before coming to school. We may be able to give them additional support.

"Without the Continental Society this would be very challenging, we do look for that financial support.'' Mrs. Smith added that the purpose of PAP was for parents to lend support to one another for their own benefit as well as for the children's sake.

"We come up with different ideas as far as what would benefit the school environment and we had a games night which was a fundraiser. Our aim is to gather information that will help us grow.

"We try to do things for the children, especially if they need clothing. We encourage parents to recycle school uniforms and any other type of clothing their children have outgrown.

"These are financially challenging times that we are all facing and there are some parents that need a little extra assistance and support. Some parents are in need of not only financial support but emotional.'' Mrs. Smith said many of the parents that the group is intended for do not come out and "we need to be able to reach them. Victor Scott is a community school. There are a lot of excuses as to why parents do not attend meetings and hopefully those that do can come up with ideas on how to network with those that do not come.'' Continental Society president Olga Scott said Victor Scott is one of the society's adopted schools along with Orange Valley.

"We have had, as one of our projects, a health, education and nutrition focus and over the years we have been involved in providing a breakfast fund for various schools across the Island,'' Mrs. Scott said.

She added: "Some principals had approached us about students coming to school without breakfast and we decided to provide the funds so they could purchase whatever breakfast foods they needed and we are still prepared to do that.

"We also wanted to have a more hands on approach and most of us were able to find the time so we could actually help with serving the breakfasts in the schools.

"Victor Scott approached us about Breakfast on the Run and the idea of brown bag meals. We provided the funds for the previous one in May and this one.'' Mrs. Scott said this was one of the areas that the society felt that for "effective learning to take place young people must have a good start and having a good breakfast provides them with the energy to stay active and alert in the classroom and of course all growing children need proper nutrition.

"In a small way we are contributing to their healthy growth and development.'' PAP meets every second and fourth Tuesday in the school's assembly hall at 5.30 p.m.

`We know everyone can't or does not have the time to prepare a sit down breakfast. However, there are a variety of breakfast foods that can get our children off to a good, healthy start.' -- School counsellor Marilynn Smith