School Meals are Changing - New School Meal Requirements

You may have heard that there are new federal requirements for school meals thanks to the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act. The new requirements are great news for our students! The new requirements will help Shenendehowa build on the work we are already doing to provide more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthier entrees in our school cafeterias.

Some of the New Requirements Include

•  Increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables

•  Reducing the sodium in meals over the next 10 years

•  Setting calorie limits for the first time

K-5: 650 calories

6-8: 700 calories

9-12: 850 calories

•  Increasing whole grains

•  Limiting the amount of meat/meat alternatives and grains

Students will now be required to have ½ cup of fruit or vegetable on their tray for it to count as a full meal. Anything less than a full meal will be charged at as individual items. We plan to offer a variety of fruits and vegetables daily to give students more options in the hopes that choosing fruits and vegetables will be easy.

Schools are now limited on how much meat/meat alternate and grains that can be offered. This means that some of the main dishes may not be as large as they have been in the past. Remember, though, there will be more fruits and vegetables available, to fill out the meal and ensure students have plenty to eat!

In Shenendehowa, we have already made progress toward meeting the new requirements.

What Are We Doing

• Fresh fruit and vegetables are served every day.

• Sandwiches are served on whole grain bread.

• All pasta served is whole grain.

• Milk that is available is only low-fat or fat-free.

• Main dishes have been changed to reduce sodium.

• Dark green and orange vegetables are served on a weekly basis.

• Dried beans have been incorporated into some of the recipes.

We’ll face some challenges to meet the new requirements on a tight budget, but our school nutrition program will work hard to make these healthy changes for our students and make each meal something our students will enjoy!

How Can You Help?

Parents can support this effort by encouraging your child to give the healthier meals a try, joining your child for lunch and talk about the healthy options, or simply introducing your child to these healthy changes at home. You are your child’s primary role model, when they see you choose healthy foods they are more likely to choose them as well.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us. We are here to help!

Katherine Headwell, RD, Director of Food Service 518-881-0630

More websites to visit:

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/legislation/CNR_resources.htm
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentid=2012/01/0023.xml
http://www.traytalk.org/
http://www.choosemyplate.gov
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/healthierschoolday/default.htm  

 

School Meal Program Letter for 2012-13.

 

Buying School Meals

To buy a school meal, you can:

• Pay cash

• Deposit money on your child's account by writing a check to School Lunch Fund. The check can be brought to school and given to the cashier in the cafeteria or mailed to the above address.

• Deposits can be made on PAYPAMS, a parent account management system for school meals. See directions below.

• Information about free and reduced lunches.

 

Menus

Menus 

Pricing

Click here for a complete price list.

School Breakfast Prices- $1.60; Milk $0.55
Reduced Breakfast $0.25

High School
School Lunch Prices - High School $2.65; Milk $0.55
Reduced Lunch $0.25

Middle School
School Lunch Prices - Middle School $2.40; Milk $0.55
Reduced Lunch $0.25

Elementary School
School Lunch Prices - Elementary $2.15; Milk $0.55
Reduced Lunch $0.25

 

Wellness Newsletters

Information on nutrition and wellness

 

PAYPAMS

PAYPAMS allows you to pay for your child’s meals from the convenience of your home or office 24/7, view your child 's meal account balance, schedule automatic payments based on account balance, receive low balance email reminders, view a report of daily spending and cafeteria purchases
Go to www.PayPams.com and take a tour of PAMSlunchroom today. To register your child/children: Type in a user name and password. The site will ask you the state where you reside (NY) and you will be guided to Shenendehowa and our school listings. For more information call Shenendehowa Food and Nutrition Services Office at 881-0630.

To register your child you will need their student id number. You can find the student id number on the top of your child's report card or if you have a parent portal account you can find the number on the student's schedule.

Effective October 1, 2012, the on-line payment system used to replenish student lunch accounts, PayPams, will begin imposing a $1.00 transaction fee to the user/parent. In the past, the district has partnered with our local bank to absorb this fee. However, new banking regulations have eliminated that option. PayPams will charge $1.95 per on-line transaction, with $1.00 charged to the user/parent, and $.95 charged to the district.
Please note that no transaction fee is imposed if parents choose to replenish student accounts by sending a check directly to food service. The student on-line account activity will continue to be made available regardless if the on-line payment system is utilized by the user/parent. Parents with on-line accounts through PayPams will also receive communication directly from PayPams regarding the new transaction fee.
If you have any questions regarding this process please call the Food Service Department at (518) 881-0630.

 

Food Service Goals

 

We will introduce new foods throughout the year.
We will serve a good variety of balanced, low-fat and nutritious foods.
We will present food attractively and safely.
We will have a cheerful and pleasant staff.
We will ensure no student goes hungry for lack of money.