March 20, 2012 – Do we have your correct e-mail address? SNA is currently looking to improve our ability to communicate with members on timely school nutrition-related news, trends, legislative updates, upcoming meetings and other essential resources. To do so, we need your help in making sure we have your correct e-mail address in our records.
To ensure you’re connected with SNA, simply submit or verify your current e-mail address on “My SNA.” If you don’t already have a profile on My SNA, just create a profile and be sure to include your e-mail address. Providing SNA with your valid e-mail ensures that you’re receiving periodic information about news, membership, programs and services. You can unsubscribe from SNA e-mail updates at any point.
Best of all, school nutrition professionals who sign into My SNA and submit their valid e-mail address by May 31, 2012, will be automatically entered into “Connect with SNA” sweepstakes. Five (5) winners will receive a $25 gift certificate to the SNA Emporium. To learn more, visit www.schoolnutrition.org/connect. Note: Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary.
Since your e-mail service probably uses some type of spam/junk filter, please add webmaster@schoolnutrition.org and webmaster=schoolnutrition.org@m6.madmimi.com to your trusted list of senders, contacts or address book (depending on your e-mail service)—also known as “whitelisting.” This ensures that important SNA e-mails reach your inbox and don’t end up in your spam/junk folder. If you continue to have trouble receiving SNA e-mails, please consult the IT department for your school or district.
We look forward to keeping you in the loop in the world of school nutrition!
Join the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) and your friends and colleagues for the third annual Puttin’ on the Glitz at ANC 2012 in Denver:
Tuesday, July 17, 2012 7:30pm – 9:30pmHyatt Regency Hotel
It’s an evening filled with great music, enthusiastic participants and lots of laughs. We hope to outdo the fun everyone had last year, by bringing teams together for an exciting night of lip synching to their favorite song.
By popular demand, we are also bringing back raffle tickets and VIP reserved seating. All proceeds from the evening support SNF’s education and scholarship programs.
Ways to participate
For more information and to register www.schoolnutrition.org/glitz
March 15, 2012 – The deadline to submit a poster idea for the Child Nutrition Showcase has been extended to March 30, 2012. The Child Nutrition Showcase is a display of “posters” highlighting successful practices and research in school foodservice and nutrition. The display will be available for viewing on Monday, July 16 and Tuesday, July 17, as part of SNA’s 2012 Annual National Conference (ANC) in Denver.
If your school nutrition program has implemented a successful program or idea, or if you have conducted research in the area of school nutrition, visit www.schoolnutrition.org/cnshowcase to learn more and to submit a poster idea. Posters can be submitted in the following categories:
Awards will be given to one poster from each of the above categories. All posters and authors will be listed in the official ANC Program Guide. Research poster abstracts will also be published in The Journal of Child Nutrition & Management.
ANC 2012
The School Nutrition Association just finished another successful National School Breakfast Week. This year’s theme, “School Breakfast – Go for Gold” helped students understand importance of eating a healthy, balanced, and nutritious school breakfast each day. The campaign was created by SNA with the generous support of General Mills Foodservice.
Jeff Davis County, GA celebrated NSBW with “Buzzy” the mascot introducing a new menu item to students - the “Jacket Scrambler”.
Please click on the links below for several great stories about the week:
KPHO (CBS), Chandler Unified School District, AZ
KSBI (IND), Shawnee Public Schools, OK
Fowlerville Community Schools, MI
Rockwood School District, MO
B. Bernice Young School, NJ
Sky Oaks Elementary School, Burnsville MN, kicked off NSBW with the MN Twins Mascot, TC Bear!
Send in Your “School Breakfast - Go for Gold” Photos!
Please pass along the details of your NSBW event to the School Nutrition Association! SNA would appreciate a brief report of your activities and photos. Please send your NSBW to snmagazine@schoolnutrition.org or:
NSBW Wrap-Up School Nutrition Association120 Waterfront Street, Suite 300 National Harbor, MD 20745
Your efforts might be featured in the pages of the next NSBW review! Thank you for your continued hard work, creative efforts and overall dedication especially during National School Breakfast Week 2012!
At Manchester-Essex Regional Middle High School, members of the student "Green Team" plant and harvest vegetables in the school garden. Cafeteria employees use this fresh produce in the salad bar and in many of the made-from-scratch recipes served for lunch, like pesto pasta prepared with garden kale instead of basil.
Now that students are involved in raising these healthy choices, they are more willing to select them in the cafeteria.
Read the complete story AND the many great comments about the "Green Team" at http://www.traytalk.org/success_story/%e2%80%9cgreen-team%e2%80%9d-helps-bring-fresh-choices-to-massachusetts-cafeteria/
Tray Talk is not Mealtalk!Do you know that Tray Talk and Mealtalk are different programs? Mealtalk is USDA's listserv and Tray Talk (www.traytalk.org) is SNA's website for parents to help them understand the facts about school meals and learn about school nutrition success stories from around the country.
March 13, 2012 – SNA and CEO Frank DiPasquale are featured in the recent February issue of Food & Drink Digital and Business Review USA, two leading digital media sources that reach a wide audience of executives and high-level professionals in the food industry. The article highlights the ongoing efforts of the Association, school nutrition professionals and industry partners in advancing the availability, quality and acceptance of school meal programs as an integral part of education.
Food & Drink Digital and Business Review USA are part of WDM Group, a diverse portfolio of nineteen industry-specific brands. Leaders in the food and drink industry look to Food & Drink Digital for the latest news on food production and technology, franchises and chains, food retail, hotels and restaurants, and more; top-level executives rely on Business Review USA to stay up-to-date with the most fundamental operational issues in demanding and ever more competitive global business sectors.
To read the full feature, visit the Food & Drink Digital and Business Review USA sites.
March 7, 2012—Former Secretaries of Agriculture John Block and Dan Glickman and Former Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Charles Conner participated in a roundtable discussion on the challenges and opportunities presented by agriculture and nutrition programs as the School Nutrition Association’s 40th annual Legislative Action Conference (LAC) drew to a memorable close in Washington, D.C.
During the discussion, Block noted that as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) celebrates its 150th year, school nutrition operators, legislators and USDA officials must work together to ensure that children receive high-quality school meals. “We need to accept the changes and new technology that have come about over the years and work together to be sure we can make the same progress we’ve made in the last 30-40 years,” he stressed.
“Food and agriculture are among the few issues that have brought Democrats and Republicans together,” Glickman, a former member of the Wichita, Kan., school board, pointed out. He encouraged attendees to get to know their members of Congress. “Invite them to a school meal. Seeing your meals served first-hand gives them a frame of reference regarding your work,” Glickman said.
A common theme expressed by the three panelists was the valuable role that school nutrition professionals play in children’s health. “What you do to make sure that kids have good meals at school is really important…I view school nutrition professionals as healthcare professionals because you’re helping kids live longer,” said Glickman. Conner agreed, adding, “Don’t underestimate your involvement. You have a tremendously powerful voice on behalf of the kids, and don’t forget that.”
Block, Glickman and Conner also identified some potential allies that school nutrition professionals can turn to as advocates for school meals programs as the federal deficit continues to grow higher. They cited the influence that farm groups, members of the medical community and legislators and representatives have on issues pertaining to children’s health, including school nutrition programs.
As the roundtable session concluded, the panelists shared their memories and experiences of school meals. Conner spoke fondly of the yeast rolls he enjoyed in his school cafeteria. “School food is so much better now than it was when I was in school,” Glickman expressed, encouraging attendees to continue to make their voices heard regarding economic fairness for school nutrition. “If you keep these battles up, you will continue to have success,” he asserted.
More than 900 attendees from all corners of the country gathered in Washington, D.C., from March 4-7, 2012, to advocate for school nutrition priorities, setting an LAC attendance record.
2012 LAC Attendees Charged for Change
School Nutrition Professionals Call on Congress & USDA to Provide Guidance on Growing Unpaid School Meal Burden
March 6, 2012—The Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service announces new criteria for the HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC). These new criteria reflect the recent changes to the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program meal pattern requirements. The program will continue to recognize schools that go above and beyond federal requirements for school meals. The implementation of these new criteria will coincide with the implementation of the new meal pattern. All new applications submitted on or after July 1, 2012, will be considered using the new criteria. Schools will continue to be recognized at four award levels: Gold Award of Distinction, Gold, Silver or Bronze level.
FNS plans to release a revised HUSSC application form, technical assistance materials and training tools in Spring/Summer 2012.Major changes to the criteria include:
Breakfast Criteria• Under the 2012 criteria, schools must participate in the SBP and, for upper award levels, meet Average Daily Participation (ADP) criteria for breakfast. • Schools must meet criteria relating to fruits and/or vegetables whole grains, and lowfat and fat-free milk at breakfast.
“Other Criteria for Excellence” Category• Schools may meet criteria in this category by selecting from 20 options relating to program outreach, physical activity, nutrition education and school and community involvement in wellness efforts. The number of options a school must accomplish varies by award level.
Lunch Criteria• The 2012 HUSSC criteria are updated to reflect NSLP meal pattern requirements, while continuing to encourage schools to offer a variety of vegetables, fresh fruit and whole grain-rich grains. ADP Calculation Method• The ADP criteria for NSLP and SBP are based on attendance rather than enrollment. The 2012 HUSSC criteria also include modifications to nutrition education requirements for elementary and middle schools and update Local Wellness Policy criteria to be consistent with the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Related LinksHealthierUS School Challenge: 2012 Application Criteria http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/HealthierUS/2012criteria.htmlSNA Meal Pattern Resource Center www.schoolnutrition.org/mealpattern
National School Breakfast Week 2012 is here and "School Breakfast - Go for Gold" is the perfect campaign to help your breakfast program succeed! It is not too late to take part and SNA has plenty of fun tools and contests to help you promote awareness about the benefits of school breakfast.
Resources and ToolsSNA's Member resource website www.schoolnutrition.org/nsbw has menus, logos and activity sheets to help get your NSBW celebrations started.
School Breakfast T-shirt ContestThis year students will have the opportunity to create their own school breakfast t-shirt design highlighting the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast.
Local contests end on March 9, 2012, and national entries are due March 31, 2012. Find out more and download contest forms at www.schoolnutrition.org/nsbw.
Thank you!We hope you have fun with "School Breakfast - Go for Gold" and thank you for celebrating National School Breakfast Week.
March 2, 2012 – Did you know that since 2003, the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) has awarded over $160,000 in scholarships to assist SNA members attending the Annual National Conference (ANC) for the first time? Isn’t about time you took advantage of such scholarships to help further your professional development and advance your career in the school nutrition profession?
If you need help covering the cost of attending ANC, SNF is here to help with the ANC First Timer Scholarship. This $500 scholarship may be used to cover registration and travel expenses associated with attending the conference. So why not apply and make ANC 2012 your first? This summer’s event, taking place July 15-18, in Denver, promises to offer educational value and opportunities of all kinds to all attendees—but those attending for the first time are sure to be especially pleased with their conference experience.
Only SNA members from the employee or manager category are eligible for this scholarship and they must be nominated by their district director. The district director must be attending ANC as well.
For more information or to access the application, visit www.schoolnutrition.org/scholarships and click on ANC First Timer Scholarship. The application deadline is May 11, 2012, and awards will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding for the ANC First Timer Scholarship is made possible by Winston Industries.
ANC First Timer Scholarship
March 2, 2012—The March issue of School Nutrition, SNA’s award-winning flagship publication, marks the third issue of the magazine’s new digital edition. The digital edition is offered in addition to the print edition and is available via web browsers. If you haven’t already done so, take some time to visit www.schoolnutrition.org/snmagazine and explore the digital version of School Nutrition.
School nutrition operators know the importance of professional development, but taking time for personal development pays dividends, too. The March issue of School Nutrition explores a variety of topics related to planning for the future.
The issue also highlights USDA’s final rule establishing new nutrition standards for school meals in “The Wait Is Over” and presents the information that will be critical to your operation.
It’s reasonable to expect the unexpected, but how many of us have prepared for true catastrophe? “Ready…for Anything!” offers a veritable multitude of suggestions to improve your preparedness for a number of different emergencies. Bonus Web Content: Don’t miss additional tips on how to plan for the possibility that disaster affects your property or your workplace. Plus, find some suggestions on making the best use of today’s technology to improve your emergency readiness, as well as a list of web resources to check out.
Planning for long-term care often seems simpler to avoid or postpone, but the process becomes easier when you have some straight-up facts and options to consider. “Living Happily Ever After” gives a basic introduction to the key issues and alternatives. Bonus Web Content: Take a look at more statistics about how working, the economy and retirement affect the Baby Boomer generation, as well as a chart that summarizes long-term care coverage limits provided by Medicare and most private health insurance programs.
It’s never too late to develop good health habits. “Live Long and Prosper” examines four core principles that you can put into practice today to enjoy your golden years tomorrow.
Have plans to retire soon, or is an empty nest in your immediate future? Or, have you recently experienced one or both of these life changes? “Retiring Minds Want to Know” walks you through contemplating and planning for these major transitions ahead of time.
Though the carrot may not be a particularly exotic vegetable, it turns out there’s plenty to learn about the second most-popular vegetable in the world (after the potato). “The Merits of Carrots” provides a crash course on this root vegetable and also offers some kid-friendly recipe ideas. Bonus Web Content: Check out a large-quantity version (680 servings) of one of these featured recipes developed by one of School Nutrition’s recipe panelists.
School Nutrition –March 2012
March 1, 2012 – Interested in chasing down some of your educational goals in the coming year? Act fast! Time is running out to take advantage of the School Nutrition Foundation’s (SNF) 2012-13 academic year scholarships! To make it even easier for you to apply, SNF is now using a new 4-in-1 Scholarship Application. Simply fill out the one online application and you will be eligible for the following four scholarships:
Whether you are just beginning your career in school nutrition or seeking to deepen your understanding of the intricacies of school feeding programs, these scholarships can help you get started. Scholarships of up to $2,500 will be awarded to each recipient of the SNF Professional Growth, Schwan’s Food Service and Winston Industries Build Your Future scholarships. One scholarship of $500 is awarded for the Nancy Curry Scholarship.
To view the application and additional information, including tips for submission, visit www.schoolnutrition.org/scholarships. The application deadline for the 2012-13 is April 9, 2012. If you have any questions, please contact SNF at (800) 877-8822 or snf@schoolnutrition.org.
SNF Scholarships
How to Apply for a SNF Scholarship