Field Trip Meals
Meal Pattern: Meals sent on field trips must meet the meal pattern requirements. Each component, including milk, must be provided in the daily minimum serving size. Field trip meals must be documented on the daily production record.
Meal Counting and Claiming: Meals must be counted at the point of service. Students can go through the line before the regular meal service time to pick up their meal and be counted. If students do not pick up the meal before leaving, field trip staff must send complete meals and complete a meal count sheet.
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Field trip staff counting meals should be trained on correct meal count procedures including civil rights.
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If not operating Offer versus Serve (OVS), all components must be taken before the meal is counted for reimbursement.
Contact your assigned field specialist with any questions about field trip meal procedures.
SUN Bucks Webinar Slides
The slides from the SUN Bucks presentation are available here. Next week, there will be action items for each school that will help inform and prepare households for this new benefit.
Ramadan Waiver
USDA approved IDOE’s waiver request, allowing program operators to seek approval to serve meals in a non-congregate setting to children at schools operating the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program who are fasting in observance of Ramadan. Contact your field specialist for more information.
End of School Year Tasks
Schools should evaluate the volume of all USDA Foods currently at their state assigned warehouses (Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Food Service and Wabash Foods), at the processors and any Department of Defense (DoD) Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Program funds available in the Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS). USDA Foods allocations into school food authority (SFA) inventories in CNPweb will end on Tuesday, April 30. State assigned warehouse deliveries will end on or before Sunday, June 30. SFAs should remove all USDA Foods from their state assigned warehouse, processors and utilize DoD Fresh Program funds by Sunday, June 30. It is highly recommended that SFAs cross-reference their delivery periods under the "Orders" tab in CNPweb with school calendars. Any unordered direct delivery (brown box) USDA Foods will be swept from all SFA inventories after Sunday, June 30.
American Commodity Distribution Association Conference (ACDA)
School food service staff working with the USDA Foods in Schools Program are encouraged to participate in the upcoming ACDA Annual Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, from Sunday, April 21, through Wednesday, April 24. Learn more here.
Total Solar Eclipse 2024
The 2024 eclipse will be on Monday, April 8. If your school places a USDA Foods order and will not be in session, will be on break, or has an e-learning day scheduled, please ensure school staff is onsite and available to inspect, verify and accept any USDA Foods deliveries. If school staff is unavailable and it results in a missed delivery, the school food authority (SFA) may be subject to missed delivery fees, which could include transportation, handling, fuel, and restocking fees.
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USDA Foods Recipes
Institute of Child Nutrition’s Beef Shepherd’s Pie recipe is a good way to use your USDA beef and veggies, such as corn, peas, or mixed vegetables. This recipe must be adjusted to meet serving sizes and meal patterns.
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Back by Popular Demand! Culinary Skills for A+ School Meals In-Person Summer Training
Culinary Skill for A+ School Meals is a free five-day, hands-on culinary training skills workshop designed for all job positions in school kitchens. Classes are free and will earn attendees 28 continuing education units (CEUs). This workshop will be offered in six locations throughout Indiana.
- Evansville - Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 7
- Columbus - Monday, June 10, through Friday, June 14
- Fishers - Monday, June 24, through Friday, June 28
- Merrillville - Monday, July 8, through Friday, July 12
- Elkhart - Monday, July 15, through Friday, July 19
- Plainfield - Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26
Classes meet from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time at the host site. Space will be limited for each session and participants should plan to attend all five days. Register here.
Introduction to School Nutrition Leadership (ISNL)
Due to restrictions from the Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN), IDOE will offer one in-person ISNL training opportunity this summer, from Monday, June 24, through Friday, June 28, at Greenfield-Central Educational Services Center. ISNL is intended for new school nutrition program directors and provides an overview of school nutrition programs, defines the role and responsibilities of a director, and reviews the relationship between local policies and state/federal regulations. Because this session will be capped at 40 participants, we ask that only those with three or fewer years of director/program management experience, and who have never attended ISNL training, register to attend. Register here.
Food Service Director (FSD) 101
IDOE will provide training to new school nutrition program directors with five years or less experience through FSD 101. This series of live webinars will discuss the director’s role, meal pattern and crediting, wellness policies, special dietary needs, USDA foods, and more. We ask that participants plan to attend all sessions. Learn more and register here by Friday, May 24.
Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition (CICN) - Unlocking the Maximum Potential of Your Combi Oven
Join CICN on Thursday, April 4, at 3 p.m. ET, to discover practical strategies for maximizing the benefits of combi ovens in school nutrition programs. Learn how to effectively utilize convection, steam, and combination cooking techniques for various dishes, such as roasting meats and vegetables, and crisping breaded items. Differentiate between manual and programmed modes and learn about routine maintenance and troubleshooting to ensure smooth operation. Equip your staff with essential skills and prepare them for success with this equipment. Register here.
ICN Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) Series
ICN is offering a spring VILT series featuring topics for school nutrition professionals and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) operators. Register here.
April
- Buy American: U.S. Agriculture Supporting Healthy School Meals
- Forecasting the Procurement of Foods
- Infant Meal Pattern Requirements
- Norovirus in Schools
May
- Emergency Preparedness - Lesson from Intro to School Nutrition Leadership
- Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP
- Keeping Food Safe - Lesson from Food Safety in Schools
Team Nutrition (TN) Virtual Training Update
TN virtual training is still available for school nutrition directors, assistant directors, dietitians, managers, and frontline staff. All 40 hours of TN virtual training are available for managers and directors in Moodle, in addition to all eight hours of training for frontline staff. The first 250 food service directors and 250 kitchen managers who complete the 40 hours of training will be rewarded $500. The first 250 frontline staff that complete the eight hours of training will be rewarded $100. There are still incentive spots left. Please inform frontline staff who may benefit that the eight hour training is now available in both Spanish and Hakha Chin. Read through the updated FAQ and contact the TN Training Grant team with additional questions.
Trauma Informed Nutrition Training - Limited Space Remaining
The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) is partnering with Leah's Pantry, a national leader in trauma-informed nutrition, to host a free training that will bring a fresh perspective to your program with the objective of increasing the health and resilience of your partner communities. This training counts towards professional standard training hours for school nutrition professionals. This opportunity is open to school nutrition and food service professionals (i.e., directors, supervisors, managers, dietitians, cashiers, and others) and Indiana School Health Services Professionals (i.e., directors, nurses, health aides/assistants, and others). Learn more and register here.
Upcoming Dates |
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Thursday, April 4, at 3 p.m. ET
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CICN - Unlocking the Maximum Potential of Your Combi Oven
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Monday, April 8
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Total Solar Eclipse
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Tuesday, April 16, 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET
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Sunday, April 21, through Wednesday, April 24
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ACDA Conference
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Tuesday, April 23, 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET
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Session 2: Trauma-Informed Nutrition Security for Indiana Schools
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Monday, April 29
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Summer EBT Final Rule Comments Due
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Tuesday, April 30
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Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub Application Deadline
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Tuesday, April 30, 3 to 4:30 p.m. ET
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Session 3: Trauma-Informed Nutrition Security for Indiana Schools
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Friday, May 24
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FSD 101 Registration Deadline
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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