Articles in the May 2009 Issue

A Note from Sandra

My note this month is an A which will start a song of Appreciation for your efforts whether you are involved in meal preparation, service, clean-up, warehousing, administration, or supervision. Thanks for all you do to feed or provide food to the children and families in South Dakota. There are many unsung deeds out there from helping a family get benefits, to listening to concerns of families and children, to helping out a co-worker, or providing money for a child's meal whose ticket has run out, or giving a smile to a child. Most of you would say: "It's just my job" and would not want a 'to-do'. Know that what you do behind the scenes is appreciated.

Dr. Seuss said it:

                       "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,

                        nothing is going to get better. It's not."

For those who are retiring or moving on to new positions elsewhere - thank you for your work and years of service. Of special note are retirements of Lois Barkley at Wagner School District and Kay Foust from Douglas School District. Between them they have over 75 years of service.

While the school year is winding down for many, some are just starting up their summer programs, and others will continue their care and providing meals for children throughout the summer. May is a very busy month in Child & Adult Nutrition Services as we select and announce grant recipients of Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and the Equipment Grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), finalize plans for Child Nutrition Institute, make sure the agreements for Summer Food Service have the i's dotted and t's crossed, and begin the Child & Adult Care Food Program education sessions. In the area of personnel, Liz Winter will begin her summer work with us on May 11 and we expect to fill our vacant position by late May or early June. Never a dull moment.

Hope to see you at Child Nutrition Institute or Fall Conference in Huron at the end of July.

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The deadline is quickly approching for kitchen assistance grant applications!

 A prime opportunity for schools to obtain or replace equipment is available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. If you need funding to replace old equipment with something more energy efficient, obtain new equipment to improve the quality or safety of the program, or expand the program, this may be of help to you. Any SFA may apply but we must give priority to schools with 50% or more eligible free/reduced price meals.

This is on a very fast track, so you must move quickly to apply and to complete the expenditure.

  • Applications are due May 15.
  • Grants to qualifying SFAs will be announced no later than June 8, 2009.
  • Grant recipients should plan to fully expend their NSLP equipment assistance grants within three (3) months of the award.

SFAs will be required to follow all Federal, State and Local procurement laws when purchasing equipment under these grants.

Access the Application

The grant application is on the CANS website http://doe.sd.gov/oess/cans/ in the central Quick Links box. Contact the office at 605-773-3413 if you cannot access it and we will mail, fax, or email it to you directly.

Please feel free to contact Janelle Peterson (605-280-4278) at Janelle.peterson@state.sd.us or Sandra Kangas (605-773-4746) at sandra.kangas@state.sd.us) if you have questions.

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SD Child Nutrition Institute 2009

We are finalizing details for Child Nutrition Institute!! Institute will be held from May 31-June 5, 2009. Boy, has it ever snuck up on us this year!! Registration deadline has come and gone. Confirmation letters and the newsletter was mailed out the first week of May. If you have not received anything by May 15, 2009 please contact our office.

Remember to write down new recipes and strategies that have worked at your school or center this year that increased consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and legumes. We are especially anxious to get some kid tested, kid approved recipes and strategies for including dried beans (such as kidney beans, split peas, soy beans, and garbanzo beans) on your menus. When we receive your strategies, tips and recipes, we will put your name in a drawing. Winners will be announced Thursday, June 4, 2009.

Pack your smile, be ready to share ideas, and keep an open mind to learn new ideas! You will be glad you came—you will have fun, make new friends and most importantly learn new skills and knowledge to help you in your work. See you soon!

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Policy in Action!  Implementing, Monitoring and Evaluating Your Local Wellness Policy

Location and Date

Best Western Ramkota Hotel, Sioux Falls (3200 W Maple Street, I-29 exit 81)

Monday, July 13                        8:00 - 5:00

Tuesday, July 14                        8:00 - 5:00                     (Times subject to change.)

Who should attend?

Schools are encouraged to send a team that includes an administrator, school food service staff, teacher, parent and health professional such as a school nurse, dietitian, or doctor.  Teams can be broadened to include other staff and community members that support wellness policy efforts.  Schools that send a team may be eligible to apply for future funding opportunities to support wellness policy efforts.

Credit 

Graduate credit and Department of Education renewal credit will be requested for this training event.

Meeting Registration

Space is limited so please register early.  The deadline to register is June 15, 2009.  Register online at http://www.healthysd.gov/Schools/ .  There is no registration fee.  Reimbursement will be provided for lodging and mileage.  Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days.

Confirmation

Upon receipt of your registration, you will receive a confirmation email.

Hotel Registration

Lodging is available at the state rate of $46.50 plus tax at the following hotels. Participants must submit hotel receipt for reimbursement.  The blocks of rooms held until June 30th. Specify block of rooms for "SD Department of Education".

  • Best Western Ramkota Hotel, 3200 W Maple Street (I-29 exit 81), call 605-336-0650.
  • Country Inn & Suites, 200 E 8th St., (I-29 E on Russell), call 605-373-0153 (block "090712EDU")
  • Kelly Inn, 3101 W Russell, (I-29 exit 81), call 605-338-6242
  • Quality Inn & Suites, 5410 N Granite Lane, (I-29 & I-90 exit 83), call 605-336-1900

Questions

If you have any questions in regard to registration or lodging, contact Deanna Bies at dbies@tie.net.  If you have questions in regard to the content of the workshop or in regard to your team selection, contact Kari Senger, Coordinated School Health at kari.senger@state.sd.us or Amy Richards, Child and Adult Nutrition Services/Team Nutrition at amy.richards@state.sd.us or call 605-773-3261.

Text Box:

Text Box:

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Fall Conference July 28-July 31, 2009

 

 

 

 

Plans have been put together for the annual School Nutrition of South Dakota fall conference. Authorized Representatives and School Food Service Directors should be watching for the registration form and conference details to be arriving in your school mailbox soon. Also, be watching the CANS website in May for further fall conference information.

Be sure to take advantage of the early bird registration which is due by July 1st.

The 2009 conference will be held at the Huron Event Center and Crossroads Hotel in Huron SD. Pre-conference classes will begin on Tuesday July 28th and conclude on Wednesday morning July 29th. Pre-conference classes will include “The New Healthy Edge”, “ServSafe”, “ServSafe - Recertification,"Special Diets", “Developing a Food Safety Plan”, and “Food Service Overview” designed for new Authorized Representatives and Food Service Directors or as a refresher for seasoned administrators. The conference first general session will begin Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The conference will end with a third general session on Friday, July 31st, and will conclude about noon.

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Building for the Future with the CACFP

Upcoming CACFP Training Events:

The CACFP Basic workshops are designed for new staff that need to be trained in the basics of the CACFP. The basics class is limited to 25 participants per class. The CACFP Plus! workshops are designed for veteran staff that have a solid understanding of Program requirements. Pre-registration is required for all workshops. There is no charge to attend. For more information please contact Melissa Halling at (605) 280-2696 or by email at melissa.halling@state.sd.us.

The dates and locations of the CACFP Basic training are as follows:

May 6          Sioux Falls      Sioux Falls School District

May 13        Rapid City       Youth & Family Services

June 10       Pierre              SD Capital Lake Visitor’s Center

The dates and locations of the CACFP Plus! training are as follows:

May 14        Rapid City       Youth & Family Services

May 20        Sioux Falls      Augustana College

May 27        Watertown      Lake Area Technical Institute

May 28        Aberdeen        Aberdeen Catholic Schools

June 9         Pierre              SD Capital Lake Visitor’s Center

Mealtime Memo:

Did you know that the Mealtime Memos are now available on line? You can find the latest copy at:

http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=preview_message&fn=Link&t=1&ssid=159&id=bzotp7opahbe

p9qn0tserlc7msj1e&id2=4eu6s1hl7xva3sdh362bttxhai3nc

Production Records Quiz Show:

In an attempt to help you avoid the most common errors we see during CACFP reviews we are using this as a way to educate agencies on the requirements for production records in the CACFP that are most commonly found as errors during program reviews.

Did you know?

  • That the weight of the breads and grains items must be listed on the production records.
  • That you do not have to record the brand name of the foods that you are serving.
  • That the Specific Food Item column should be used to record information about the menu item that is being served (e.g. for peaches you should record canned vs. fresh, sliced vs. dices vs. quarters, etc).
  • If you use a recipe, you can make a reference to that recipe on the production record rather than recording the amount of meat, bread/grain, and/or vegetable in that recipe. (You just need to be able to provide a copy of that recipe if requested during a program review).

Check back next month for more Quiz Show learning. J

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Kids in the Kitchen

Monday Melon, Tuesday Too

Source: Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children

Watermelon and other melons don’t need to be for special occasions only. They are a popular and healthy snack. Serve ½ cup per child and for fun, served Watermelon Monday, Cantaloupe Tuesday, Honeydew Wednesday, and so forth.

Provides 1 fruit/vegetable for CACFP Snack for 1-5 year olds

Nutritional Information for Watermelon: Calories, 24; Fiber, .3 g; Total Fat, .1 g; Saturated Fat, 0 g.

Snack Idea (1-5 year olds):

½ cup melon and ½ cup skim milk

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Kids on the Move

Toss Up

Source: Physical Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children

Arrange the children on a long line facing you.

Each child should have a “special spot” (their own spot) on a large circle and a smaller circle (inside of the larger circle). Practice moving from the special spot on the smaller circle to the special spot on the larger circle. The spots should be a straight line moving from the inner (smaller) circle to the outer (larger) circle. You will stand in the center of the circles and will count “one, two, three” aloud and after “three” say one of the children’s names. As you say a child’s name toss a ball into the air (straight up) and move to the outer circle. The child whose name you called runs to the center and catches the ball. The other children run to their special spot on the outside (larger) circle. Once the center child has gained control of the ball, you move to the small circle as do all the other children. The game continues until all children have been in the center. Repeat.

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Schools are awarded USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program for 2009-2010

Forty-nine schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program have been selected to participate in the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) for the 2009-10 school year. Schools will receive funds to provide free fresh fruit and vegetables throughout the school day to students. The goals of this program are to create healthier school environments by providing healthy food choices, expand the variety of fruits and vegetables children experience, increase children’s fruit and vegetable consumption; and to encourage students to make healthy choices in their diets.

Schools that have a 50% or higher percent of free/reduced price meal eligibility receive priority. The fresh fruit and vegetable snack must be served during the school day and outside of the breakfast or lunch meal.

The schools selected to participate for the 09-10 school year are:

American Horse School K-8

Bennett County School District—Martin Grade School PK-6

Cheyenne River BIA School K-2

Children’s Home Society

Crazy Horse School K-8

Edmunds Central School District K-5

Enemy Swim Day School K-8

Eureka School District PK-8

Frederick School District K-8

Gayville-Volin School District PK-8

Grant-Deuel School District PK-6

Huron School District—Buchanan Elementary (K-5) and Jefferson Elementary (K-5)

Hot Springs School District PK-5

Hoven School District K-6

Iroquois School District PK-5

Kadoka Area School District—Interior (K-8), Kadoka (PK-8), and Midland (K-8)

Lemmon School District K-6

Little Wound School K-8

Loneman School K-8

Marty Indian School K-5

Meade School District—Sturgis Elementary (K-5) and Whitewood Elementary (K-6)

Rapid City School District—Canyon Lake Elementary (K-5), General Beadle Elementary (PK-5), Horace Mann Elementary (K-5), Knollwood Elementary (K-5)

Red Cloud Indian School—Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary (K-8) and Red Cloud Indian School (K-8)

Pine Ridge School K-8

St. Joseph Indian School K-8

Shannon County School District—Batesland (PK-8), Red Shirt (PK-8), Rockyford (K-8), and Wolf Creek (PK-8)

Sioux Falls School District—Hawthorne Elementary K-5

Sisseton School District—Westside Elementary K-5

Smee School District PK-8

Summit School District PK-6

Takini School K-8

Tripp Delmont School District Pk-5

Todd County School District—North Elementary K-3

Wagner Community School District 1-4

White Lake School District K-6

White River School District—Norris Elementary (K-6) and White River (PK-5) Elementary

Yankton School District—Webster Elementary PK-5

The FFVP is administered by the United State’s Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services and South Dakota’s Department of Education – Child & Adult Nutrition Services.

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HURON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS PRESENTED WITH HEALTHIER US SCHOOL CHALLENGE AWARD

Congratulations to Huron School District’s Buchanan, Jefferson, Madison, and Washington Elementary Schools for receiving South Dakota’s first Healthier US School Challenge Award from the United States Department of Agriculture.

USDA challenged schools throughout the nation to make changes in their school nutrition environment, improve the quality of the foods served and provide more nutritious, healthy choices for students. As part of the Healthier US School Challenge, schools must enroll in Team Nutrition and meet higher standards than the basic federal government requirements. The purpose of the challenge is to recognize elementary schools that are taking steps to improve their meal programs in an effort to reduce childhood obesity.

Huron Public School is commended for taking a leadership role in improving the school nutrition environment by helping students at their 4 elementary schools learn to make healthy eating and active lifestyle choices.

Gina O’Brian representing the USDA in Denver, presented plaques to the principals Heather Rozell, Buchanan and Madison schools, and Peggy Heinz, Jefferson and Washington schools. Carol Tompkins, school lunch program director, was honored for her efforts as well. The Huron schools are four of only 486 schools across the country that have met the challenge.

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