NOW is the time to apply for the November 2011 District of Excellence! The District of Excellence Distinction in School Nutrition is awarded to school nutrition programs that have successfully documented their program has met or exceeded the best practice standards set by the School Nutrition Association. The District of Excellence applications are reviewed by an expert peer review panel. The deadlines for the November 2011 District of Excellence are as follows:

• Intent to apply is due by November 1, 2011 (Please send your intent to apply by e-mail to Ruth Bennett.
• Application deadline is November 30, 2011. Applicants must send in a completed binder in the mail to SNA and complete the online portion of the application by November 30, 2011.

FAQs

How to Apply

It is strongly recommended that you complete the Keys Express online self-assessment before applying for District of Excellence: Scores should be as close to 100% as possible.

Review the District of Excellence application instructions (including the instructions for completing the application binder):

Complete the District of Excellence Online Application

For more information, please contact Ruth Bennett.

Tray Talk Video Spotlight on Farm to School

Tray Talk introduces a new series of videos spotlighting school nutrition success stories from across the country. In honor of National School Lunch Week and “School Lunch - Let’s Grow Healthy”, the first video focuses on Farm to School and shows how the Burlington School Food Project (Vermont) is connecting students and their families with wholesome, local and fresh foods.

Or watch the video about Burlington’s amazing Farm to School Program at the Tray Talk Website.

New Jersey Cafeterias Serving Up Rachael Ray’s Healthy School Recipes

Rachael Ray joins Sal Valenza and his nutrition
team in their West New York Schools kitchen

West New York Schools (NJ) are always looking for fun ways to get students excited about eating healthier meals. So when the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and television personality and author Rachael Ray asked them to test healthy new school meal recipes with their students, they jumped at the chance.

The school nutrition team gave the recipes a trial run in their school kitchens, collecting feedback from students as well as the school chef and cooks who prepared the dishes. Now, students in New Jersey and in schools throughout the country are enjoying Rachael Ray’s Cheesy Mac & Trees, BBQ Turkey Sloppy Joes and other scratch-prepared, veggie-infused, low-fat and low-sodium dishes.

Read the full success story.

Or access the Rachael Ray recipes.