Wellness Policies Can Strengthen Student Nutrition
Did you know you can write items into the local wellness policy that will strengthen the nutritional quality of the food your students eat? Items that can be included are guidelines for outside meals provided to athletes during school hours, time requirements for meal service (consult with the administrative representative on the wellness committee), classroom celebration limitations, reward systems (offering non-food items only), farm to school participation, school store limitations, food based fundraiser request process, and more!
Questions about how to integrate non-traditional items into your local wellness policy can be directed to Ashley Heller.
CNPweb Applications
IDOE reached out to all sponsors with applications that are missing or pending submission. If not yet approved, please ensure the sponsor application is in "pending approval" status. With the August claim deadline of Monday, October 30, fast approaching, it is important to ensure approval by that date. Please also make sure you do not have any unanswered emails from IDOE staff regarding items that need correction for approval of the application.
Request for Photos
IDOE would like to put together a National School Lunch Week 2023 Indiana scrapbook. Please submit your photos for this year’s compilation along with a description of location and any other special service information you’d like to include. Email photos to Gretchen Huntzer. Remember that photos of children’s faces cannot be submitted without media release information on file.
USDA Farm to School Census Reminder
USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) has contracted with Decision Information Resources (DIR) and Mathematica to conduct the 2023 Farm to School Census with all sponsors that participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) nationwide. An email was sent on Monday, October 2, from Farm2SchoolCensus@dir-online.com with a link to the census and instructions. When completing the census, provide information about your SFA for school year 2022-2023. The census will be open through December 2023. It is important that all SFAs participate, regardless of their participation in farm to school activities.
If you have any questions, please contact the project team toll-free at 866-986-2230 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, or e-mail Farm2SchoolCensus@dir-online.com.
USDA Foods Allocations and Ordering
Direct Delivered USDA foods have begun being shipped to the state assigned warehouses, Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Foodservice, McFarling Foods and Wabash Foodservice. SFAs should be monitoring their Food Distribution Program inventory regularly in CNPweb and placing orders under the Orders tab. SFA orders must meet the 10 cases per site minimum in order to avoid an under case minimum delivery fee. Please remember that school staff must be available to inspect, verify and accept all USDA Foods orders. For a refresher on the steps for ordering direct delivered USDA Foods, click here. Any missed deliveries will result in missed delivery charges to the SFA. These charges will include fees for transportation, handling and restocking of USDA Foods. Please be sure to monitor and utilize your SFA’s bulk pounds diverted to processors and Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruits and Vegetables funds, if applicable.
Forecasting for the Future Webinar
The USDA Foods: Forecasting for the Future webinar experienced technical issues and participants were unable to attend. IDOE is in the process of preparing the recording and PowerPoint presentations for viewing. It should be available on the CNPweb Food Distribution Program Update and Message screen in the coming days.
DoD Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Live Webinar
IDOE will host a DoD Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program live webinar on Wednesday, November 1, from 10 to 11 a.m. ET. This webinar will explain what DoD is, provide tips on determining allocations, eAuthetication and vendor information. Registration is not required for this webinar.
Introducing Food Distribution Program (FDP) 2.0
What is it? FDP 2.0 is new program that will replace FDP software in CNPweb.
Who will use it? Schools, warehouses, and IDOE will use for the 2024-2025 school year.
When? The first phase of FDP 2.0 will be rolled out in December 2023 for school sponsors to complete the annual pre-order (forecast) survey in early 2024.
Why? The current FDP system will be retired for a more user friendly and updated system.
There will be more information forthcoming on access, logins, training and rollout phases in future newsletters.
Farm to School 101
IDOE will host a webinar titled Farm to School 101: How to Get Started on Thursday, October 19, at 2 p.m. ET. Join Sophie Lindley, Farm to School Coordinator for IDOE, along with Brianna Goode, Farm to School Coordinator for the Indiana Department of Health, as they discuss what Farm to School means, how to get started, and what resources and support are available for schools. They also will have time to answer any Farm to School related questions. To register for the event, click here.
Questions? Contact f2s@doe.in.gov.
Now Available: Recorded Trainings
- Miss the Back to School Reminders webinar? IDOE's Back to School training session has been recorded and can be found here.
- The DC Basics and Processing Possible Matches training modules are now available on Moodle. Find these sessions under the Direct Certification tile.
Migrant Education Status and Categorical Eligibility for Free Lunch
Migratory students identified through the Title I, Part C Migrant Education Program (MEP) are categorically eligible for free meals and textbooks. School food authorities (SFA) and local educational agencies (LEA) should work directly with their Regional Migrant Education Program Coordinators to identify migrant children and to document their eligibility for free school meals. The SFA and LEA must accept documentation that the children are migrant children from the MEP coordinator; this documentation is in lieu of a free or reduced-price meal application and should be sought prior to a household completing an application. More information and frequently asked questions about Indiana’s MEP can be found on the MEP webpage. Questions about acceptable documentation for migrant children as it relates to the school meals programs can be directed to Gretchen Huntzer.
Spanish Offer Versus Serve (OVS) Resources
The Spanish versions of the OVS materials for school nutrition programs are now available online. The OVS materials include five posters and two tip sheets. These tools will help students quickly select reimbursable meals in the breakfast and lunch lines and provide guidance for school nutrition professionals for breakfast and lunch meal service.
Access the Spanish-translated OVS materials here.
Indiana School Nutrition Association (ISNA) Annual Conference
ISNA is excited to host the 2023 fall conference from Wednesday, November 8, through Friday, November 10, at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, IN. This year's conference will feature a great lineup of engaging speakers to equip you with the tools and knowledge to excel in school food service.
Registration is open for members and non-members. Find more information here.
ISNA Certificate Program
ISNA and IDOE have joined forces to create a program that will add value to the School Nutrition Profession in the state of Indiana and qualify as a state recognized certificate as defined by USDA. ISNA is actively marketing this program to superintendents and school business officials as the criteria to look for when hiring. The program is designed to be completed within two years and is comprised of 17 targeted courses specifically designed for Indiana.
Even if you are just getting started, continuing the certificate path, or almost to the finish line, we would love to see you in these courses. Click here for more information on the program. Upcoming training is happening on Wednesday, December 6. Topics include Advanced Menu Planning and Production Strategies (morning) and Creating and Implementing Your HACCP Plan (afternoon).
Upcoming Dates |
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Thursday, October 19, at 2 p.m. ET
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Farm to School 101 webinar. Register here.
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Monday, October 30
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August claims due
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Wednesday, November 1, from 10 to 11 a.m. ET
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DoD Fresh Fruits and Vegetables live webinar
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Wednesday, November 8, through Friday, November 10
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ISNA Annual Conference in French Lick, IN.
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Wednesday, November 15
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Verification due date: all final notification letters should be sent to verified households.
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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