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