SHELBY COUNTY SCHOOLS
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PYRAMID FOR
FOOD AND
NUTRITION
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OUR MENU FOR
SUCCESS
Shelby County Schools participates in the National School Lunch (NSL) and School Breakfast Programs (NSB). The United States Department of Agriculture
administers these programs and has established guidelines that must be followed by the District.
School lunch, as it is known today, came into being in 1946 as a result of the National School Lunch Act. That law was intended to safeguard the health and well being of the nation's children and to encourage the domestic
consumption of agricultural commodities.
The School Breakfast Program began as a pilot program under the Child Nutrition Act of 1966. We currently serve breakfast in over 50% of our schools.
NSL guidelines specify the type of meal to be served and the quantities of each food that must be offered. The school lunch provides 1/3 of the recommended daily dietary allowance for children ages 6-12 and sufficient
calories to provide for the energy needs of growing children. An emphasis is placed on vegetables and fresh fruit. Skim, low fat, and whole milk are offered along with 1% low fat chocolate milk. The nutritive value of each item is evaluated so healthy choices are available to students but still provide familiar and desired foods.
The Shelby County School Nutrition Program serves an average of 23,000 meals daily.
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MISSION:CHILD NUTRITION
We strive to serve appealing, tasty, and nutritious meals in a pleasant atmosphere at an affordable cost.
The statement: "You cannot teach a hungry child," is our incentive to meet the nutritional needs for our students. Students are encouraged to try new foods and use the cafeteria as a learning laboratory for making nutritious choices.
Balance, moderation, and variety are the keys to healthier eating. If we can instill this into our children today, we will have healthier adults in the future.
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MEAL SERVICE OPTIONS
Our centralized menu is published in local newspapers. Each of our schools also provides second choice entrees and usually second choice vegetables and fruits. These second choices are determined by student preferences. We offer chef salads and salad bars in many of our schools. We also offer a la carte items.
As part of the National School Lunch Program we are required to offer five components for a reimbursable lunch. Through a program called "Offer vs. Serve" students only need to choose three of those five items. We encourage healthy choices.
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FREE AND REDUCED PRICE MEALS
Free and reduced-price meals are available to students who qualify based on family size and income as established by Federal guidelines. Applications for free and reduced-price meals are distributed to all students at the beginning of the school year and are also available at the school office any time during the school year.
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REDUCED PRICES
Breakfast: 30 cents
Lunch: 40 cents
PURCHASING SCHOOL MEALS
Our system allows for prepayment on a child's account. You have the option to prepay weeks in advance. You can even prepay a month or a year in advance. The money goes into your child's own debit account and is automatically deducted when he or she buys a lunch or a la carte item. The money is kept in an account in the computer so it is always accessible. We strongly encourage prepayments.
The following is a brief highlight of the system:
- Each student has a unique
I.D. number.
- This will not affect any
students free or reduced price meal benefits. All students will have an
account.
- Another feature is the
accountability. We are able to capture every transaction as it happens,
therefore, at your request, we will be able to furnish you with a detailed
list of purchases along with dates and amounts of prepayments for any time
period in question.
Checks should be made out to the School's Cafeteria Account and should
include the student I.D. number and first and last name of the student.
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ADULTS PAY MORE
Federal reimbursement is not received for meals sold to school staff and adult visitors. Adult meal prices must by law be the highest amount charged the paying student plus the total value of federal cash and commodity assistance.
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MENUS
LUNCH MENU MUST OFFER
- 2 oz. meat/meat alternate lean meat: fish, poultry, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, cooked dry beans or peas, nuts
- 3/4 cup vegetables and/or fruits
- 1 serving bread and/or bread alternate, enriched or whole grain bread, biscuits, muffins, rolls, or pasta
- 1/2 pint fluid milk, lowfat milk either flavored or unflavored, or whole unflavored milk
BREAKFAST MENU MUST OFFER
- 1/2 cup juice/fruit/vegetable
- 1/2 pint fluid milk
and
- 1 serving bread/bread alternate
- 1 serving meat/meat alternate
or
- 2 servings of bread/bread alternate
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| MEAL PRICES
LUNCH
$1.50 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
$1.75 HIGH SCHOOL
$3.00 ADULT
*BREAKFAST
$1.00 STUDENTS
ADULTS: A LA CARTE PRICE
*not available at all schools
|
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OPERATING COSTS
The School Nutrition Program operates within the District's business policies
while maintaining a nonprofit, self-supporting status. The revenues to support
this department are generated by income from paid meals, government
reimbursements, and government donated commodities. From this income the School
Nutrition Program:
- Pays all salaries and benefits for a staff
totaling more than 350 employees
- Pays all food costs
- Pays all non-food costs
- Replaces all equipment as needed
PLEASE VISIT
Consult with your child's school principal for the best times to visit and eat with your child.
EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
Opportunities for full time, part-time, and substitute employment in school nutrition are available.
Call 321-2537 to schedule an interview.
Shelby County Schools
160 South Hollywood
Memphis, Tennessee 38112
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