SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM 2016-17SY/August 2016

1st Semester Newsletter

We Want to Hear from YOU! Visit the Alleghany County Schools website and the School Nutrition webpage at www.alleghany.k12.nc.us/school-nutrition-services. Click on the STUDENT SURVEY link and let us know your likes and dislikes. Parents please help our younger students take the survey but please let them answer the survey questions themselves. This information will be compiled and reported on in the next newsletter coming out next semester. Feedback from the survey will also help guide the School Nutrition Program throughout the coming school year. So let your voice be heard and take the survey today!

NEW LUNCH PRICES in 2016-2017 There has been a $0.10 increase in lunch meal prices due to increases in operating expenses. There are NO changes to breakfast prices, which remain at $1.00 for all students ($0.30 for reduced breakfast). Please keep in mind that no charges are allowed. Lunch: Elementary student meals $1.85 ; High School $2.10 / Adult meals $3.10 (reduced price lunch meals remain at $0.40) How does Alleghany County Schools compare. . . . Breakfast

Free and Reduced Meal Applications 

Available to all families to fill out and have qualification determined. Students must pay until qualification determined.

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Can be filled out anytime during the school year if your family situation changes.

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Confidential and a quick notification sent out regarding qualification.

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Available at your school’s office, at the board of education office, and at the

Lunch - Elem/HS

Alleghany County

$1.00

$1.85/$2.10

Ashe County

$1.00

$2.00/$2.25

Stokes County

$1.10

$2.40/$2.50

Surry County

$1.15

$2.20/$2.40

Watauga County

$1.50

$2.40/$2.60

KEEP THE CHANGE Unless requested at point of sale, change will not be made and will instead be put in the student’s account to go toward future purchases.

School Nutrition webpage: (www.alleghany.k12.nc.us/schoolnutrition-services) APPLY TODAY, DON’T DELAY

Advantages of School Lunch Packed School Lunch COST $1.85/$2.10HS or $0.40 or free if qualify

$3.84*

870

Calories (federal standard HS 750850)

837

Fat/Sodium/Sugar/Protein

$3.84 average/day x 5 days = $19.20/week $3.84 average/day x 168 school days = $645.12 costs for the entire 2016-17 Pnw 7/13/16

40g/1395mg /47g/11g

32g/1296mg/ 10g/38g

*Prices based on shopping at Food Lion, Sparta, NC the week of 7-11-16

Elementary: $1.85/day x 5 days = $9.25/week ($310.80 all year) High School: $2.10/day x 5 days = $10.50/week ($352.80 all year) If qualify for Reduced Price Meals: $0.40/day x 5 days = $2.00/week ($67.20 all year) If qualify for Free Meals: $0/day = $0/week = $0/all year

The North Carolina Farm to School Program was formed in 1997 by the N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Food Distribution and Marketing divisions and the U.S. Department of Defense Produce Merchandising Office (DOD) to develop a system for North Carolina schools across the state to receive fresh produce grown by local farmers. The program began by testing the market for strawberries grown in North Carolina. This was a big success and the N.C. Farm to School Program expanded throughout the state the following year. Farm to School display at 2015 School Nutrition Administrator’s Conference and Farm to School fresh fruit and vegetable options (watermelon, cantaloupe, blueberries, and grape tomatoes) available this summer during the Summer Feeding Program. All grown in North Carolina!!!

Source of Farm to School Items: (article source: ncfarmtoschool.com)

Commodity

Grower

City & State

Apple Slices (had in May/June) C.L. Henderson Hendersonville, NC

Blueberries

Cottle Farms

Faison, NC

Cantaloupes

T.C. Smith

Seven Springs, NC

Cantaloupes

Jackson Farms Autryville, NC

Grape Tomatoes (bagged) C.L. Henderson Hendersonville, NC Making Paying for Student Meals Easy: K12 Payment Center

After School Snack Program: Smart Snacking The School Nutrition Program is pleased to sponsor the Smart Snack Program once again this year which provides healthy snacks to students enrolled with the 21st Century After School Program at each of our elementary schools. There are three GREAT things about the program: 1) snacks provided everyday to those enrolled in the program, 2) healthy snacks consist of 2 out of 4 components (Milk, Vegetable/Fruit, Whole Grain item, or Meat/ Meat Alternate item) that meet Smart Snack guidelines, and 3) ITS ALL FREE! Students do nothing to participate other than be enrolled in the 21st Century program.

Call or email anytime: Penny N. Walker, Director - 336-372-4345 email: walkerpenny @alleghany.k12.nc.us

The K12 Payment Center is a convenient way to ensure your student always has funds in his or her cafeteria account to purchase food items. Here are a few reasons the center is so great: 

$10 lifetime membership fee includes all students in your family; $1.95 fee per transaction with no maximum payment required and deposits can be made to multiple student accounts with one single payment.

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Step-by-Step registration is easy and your information is always confidential.

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See your student’s meal account balance and history anytime with auto notification available to notify you if balance falls below a pre-determined amount.

Go to www.k12paymentcenter.com today and set up your student’s account or deposit funds into an existing account. Payment made easy!

All school districts in North Carolina are encouraged to participate in the N.C. Farm to School Program. Deliveries now include strawberries, watermelons, cantaloupes, several varieties of apples, slicing and grape tomatoes, sweet potatoes, red and green cabbage, broccoli, apple slices, sweet potato sticks, blueberries and more that are grown on North Carolina farms. NCDA&CS Food Distribution Division works with child nutrition directors across the state to see what produce school cafeterias can utilize. Next, as the various produce items come into season, Food Distribution sends out order forms to the school districts to verify quantities needed. The Markets Division works with N.C. commodity associations and individual farmers to harvest, pack and store the produce in climatecontrolled facilities in order to maintain optimum quality and shelf life. The Marketing Division also develops promotions for the school districts to promote North Carolina grown produce and sends out educational materials supplied by commodity associations to schools statewide. The Food Distribution Division utilizes its fleet of tractor trailers to pick up the produce and deliver it to the school systems. The program has been well received. By buying produce directly from North Carolina farmers the child nutrition directors know the students are getting locally grown produce and the program has opened an additional market for the North Carolina farmers.