Community Eligibility Provision to be Offered at Bakersville School

At their meeting on October 26, 2015 the Manchester School District, Board of School Committee voted to allow Bakersville School to participate in the National School Lunch Program’s Community Eligibility Provision. Under this program all students attending Bakersville School are eligible to eat school Breakfast and Lunch for free regardless of their current meal benefit eligibility status. We will implement this program beginning on January 4, 2016.

 We are excited to be able to offer this program as a pilot program with the intention of expanding participation to other eligible schools in the next school year if this venture proves to be a success. 

There is no paperwork to be completed by parents for participation in this program. Siblings of Bakersville students who attend other Manchester Schools will not be affected by this and their current meal eligibility status will still be in effect. Families will still be able to file a new benefits application on behalf of their non Bakersville students if their current financial situation changes during the year.

Upon written request any funds in a Bakersville student’s account can be refunded or transferred to the account of a sibling at another Manchester school.

Moo're Milk Matters

The most recent Dietary Guidelines recommend 1300 milligrams of calcium for ages 9­-18 and 1000 milligrams of calcium for ages 4-­8. Most children do not get enough calcium in their diets. Most people reach their peak bone mass by their late twenties so investing in their bone mass now with adequate calcium intake and exercise can prevent osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become less dense and more prone to fractures, later on. Check out the chart below for foods that contain calcium.

FOOD                                                 CALCIUM CONTENT*

Milk, 8 oz, nonfat                                                                 302 mg

Yogurt, Plain, low fat                                                           300 mg

Cheese, cheddar, 1 1/2 oz                                                  306 mg

Milk, lactose reduced, 8 oz                                                 300 mg

Cottage cheese, 2 cups, 1 %                                              276 mg

Orange juice, fortified with calcium, 6 oz                            230 mg

         

Kale cooked, 1 cup                                                              94 mg

Frozen yogurt, 1/2 cup                                                       103 mg

Pudding, prepared, 1/2 cup                                                153 mg

Almonds, 1 cup sliced                                                         243 mg

*mg=milligrams

FRUIT & OATMEAL SMOOTHIE

INGREDIENTS: ½ cup rolled oats 1 cup fat-free milk (traditional or lactose-free) ½ banana, ¼ cup strawberries, fresh or frozen, drop of vanilla flavoring,  3 ice cubes

DIRECTIONS: In blender, combine cooked oatmeal, banana, ¼ cup strawberries, vanilla, and ice cubes. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately with strawberry garnish if desired.

Calcium content: 300 mg

School Pizza Rocks!

Spinach Mushroom Pizza with Balsamic Glaze

Who says school food is dull or boring? Not these schools who make their own pizza! Try Hillside's spinach mushroom pizza with balsamic glaze or their hummus veggie pizza. Central makes an awesome Hawaiian or veggie pizza. Check out Southside's barbeque beef or Hawaiian pizza. Keep an eye out for more mouth watering pizza pics on this blog!

Hummus Veggie Pizza

Hawaiian Pizza

Barbeque Beef Pizza

COMING SOON! HEALTHY BIRTHDAY OPTIONS

Coming soon! School Food and Nutrition Services will have some healthy birthday treat options that parents can purchase. The options will be posted on www.foodservice.mansd.org. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, check out some more birthday ideas below.

CELEBRATING YOUR CHILD’S BIRTHDAY IN SCHOOL

The school wellness policy allows healthy snacks, one monthly birthday bash or non-food rewards for parties. Try one of these ideas instead of cupcakes!

 

· Mini pumpkin or gourds

· Goofy shaped erasers, pens, pencils or straws

· Holiday ornaments

· Apple cider with cinnamon sticks

· Make your own sparkling fruit juice with fruit slices

· Fruit on skewers

· Veggies shaped like a tree, person, animal, car, etc.

· Donate a library birthday book with your child’s name

· Birthday hats or badge

· Recess toys (jump ropes or balls)

· Goody Bags with stickers or mini games from store that sell $1 items

Try these web sites for fun birthday ideas.

· www.brainbalancecenters.com

· www.pinterest.com

· www.cspinet.org

· www.pbs.org

· www.ourthreepeas.com

· www.school-bites.com

SCHOOL LUNCH PROGRAM PROMOTES FRUITS & VEGGIES FOR STUDENTS

Now that the school year is in full swing, so is School Food and Nutrition Services. The US Dietary Guidelines and the US Department of Agriculture encourage at least 5 fruits and veggies a day for kids. School Food and Nutrition Services is doing just that with this colorful display of fruits and vegetables at lunch. Take a look!

NEW MENU ITEMS COMING THIS FALL!

School Food and Nutrition Services is featuring some new menu items this fall. Try our pizzeria pizza, home style macaroni and cheese and southwest chicken on a taco boat! In addition to our daily menu items, there will be a salad of the day. Salads include chef's salads with turkey and cheese or ham and cheese, Romaine salad with chicken or spinach cheese with egg and cheese. Food and Nutrition Services will continue to provide a sandwich of the day and sun butter and jelly sandwich on flat bread with a cheese stick. Check out our menu on the school district web site under departments and food and nutrition services.

Kids in the kitchen - thank you to the Lunch Ladies!

Thank you cards from kids to the Lunch Ladies! See what kids have to say after visiting the kitchen to see how school lunch is made:

STUDENTS TASTE NEW MENU ITEMS

Students at Parker Varney Elementary School will be taste testing "triangle" pizza and spicy boneless chicken wings in the upcoming weeks as a result of a school lunch survey about 2300 students completed about the school lunch program.

 Beech Street Elementary students tested macaroni and cheese this past week. The macaroni and cheese not only pleased the students but also met the USDA requirements for calories, saturated fat, and sodium. The results were a "thumbs up". 

Jim Connors, Director of School Food Services and his staff have been working on an action plan with the Parker Varney students to add some of the items that the students had requested. The key is to add some of these items on the menu while still meeting the USDA regulations for the National School Lunch Menu. Watch out for some of these additions for June and the fall of 2015! 

National Nutrition Month 2015

The National Nutrition Month (NNM) theme, “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle”, is the 2015 theme sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The theme is based on research
that shows people purchase foods that taste good over foods that are nutritious. This year’s theme encourages Americans to adopt healthy eating and physical activity plans that are focused on fewer calories, making informed food choices, and getting daily exercise in order to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote overall health.

Based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommendations and MyPlate messages, NNM is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. For more information on NNM and promotional resources, visit www.eatright.org.

Courtesy of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Eat Breakfast at School - Make it Your New Year's Resolution!

Mornings can be really crazy! The alarm doesn’t go off. The kids don’t want to get up and there’s no time to eat breakfast before the bus comes…or they’re just not ready to eat. Maybe your teenager grabs a can of soda and a candy bar on the way to school. If this sounds like your house, we have good news for you.

Breakfast is served at school! School breakfast will give your child a healthy start to the day. A nutritious breakfast helps students be more alert so they can learn more in class. Breakfast has vitamins and nutrients for a strong and healthy body. Research shows that children who eat breakfast have better attendance and academic performance at school.

Breakfast at school is affordable, too. If you qualify for free and reduced price meals, you also qualify for the breakfast program with no additional paperwork. You can’t find a healthy breakfast at such a low cost anywhere else.

Help your child start the day right with school breakfast!!