Record Keeping
The end of the school year is the best time to pull together records and documentation that need to be filed together and retained for multiple years. Ensure that files are kept in an organized fashion and easily identifiable. Past years’ records must be easily accessible to staff members in order to provide to field specialists during an administrative review. Refer to the Recordkeeping Resource for a detailed list of retention guidelines.
NSLP Equipment Grant Application Closes Friday, May 31
Applications for the 2023 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant will be accepted through Friday, May 31. Instructions and application can be found here. Frequently asked questions can be found here. Email SCNFinance@doe.in.gov with questions regarding this funding opportunity. Please include your sponsor number and “Equipment Grant” in the subject line.
Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Application Deadline Approaching
The deadline to apply for CEP participation for the 2024-2025 school year is Sunday, June 30. CEP Schools in their fourth year of eligibility in school year 2023-2024 must reapply or return to standard claiming for the 2024-2025 school year. New or renewing schools interested in applying must use school direct certification free data and enrollment data from around April 1. More information can be found on the IDOE CEP webpage. For additional questions, contact your assigned field specialist as listed in CNPweb.
Register Before Summer Break: Back to School Training - IN the Mix, Prepped for Success
IDOE is happy to announce the return of in-person back to school training. All food service personnel are invited to attend this day-long session in preparation for the 2024-2025 school year.
- When: Wednesday, July 10, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
- Where: Renaissance Indianapolis North Hotel, Carmel, Indiana
- If you wish to stay overnight, a discount on the nightly room rate is available for the Renaissance Hotel here. If the Renaissance Hotel is unavailable or not your hotel of choice, additional hotels are located nearby.
- Additional Details: This training is free to attend and the cost of travel to the training is an allowable expenditure of food service funds. View a draft of the agenda, with learning tracks by job duties, here. Attendees will receive credit toward annual professional standards training hours. Lunch will be provided for attendees through the support of the American Dairy Association, Indiana.
Please ensure each attendee has registered here.
SUN Bucks Card Distribution
Cards have begun to be distributed to households. Distribution is occurring in waves and the first round of cards could take up to three weeks to be distributed. If asked, please communicate the three week distribution period. If households do not receive all expected cards for their children by Friday, June 28, they can contact the SUN Bucks helpline. The SUN Bucks helpline is not able to assist households with activation of the card or creation of their PIN. Households must to contact the number on the back of the card for activation assistance.
SUN Bucks Contact
Please designate a SUN Bucks contact for your school/corporation. This person does not have to be the food service director, but needs to be reasonably available throughout the summer in the event that questions surrounding eligibility, enrollment, or custody arrangement situations arise. Complete contact designation form here.
Local Assistance
Please share information and resources regarding the basics of SUN Bucks with all school staff, including building level administration, administrative assistants, and teachers. Schools are responsible for providing individual eligibility assistance, as well as answering local questions from households and staff. Questions that cannot be answered locally, and address change requests, should be submitted on the online help form.
2024 Farm to School Symposium
The agenda and registration for the Farm to School and Early Care and Education (ECE) Symposium can be found on the Indiana Grown for School’s event page. The event will be held at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds on Tuesday, June 18, and Wednesday, June 19. Participants will learn about gardening, local procurement, and agriculture education. All teaching, food service, and school administrative staff are welcome to attend. Interested programs are encouraged to design a poster to show off their farm to school programs. Posters should be approximately 24 by 36 inches. Contact Sophie Lindley with any questions or if you would like to create a poster.
Apple Crunch Registration Now Open
It’s Apple Crunch registration time! Join Purdue Extension, IDOE, and the Indiana Grown for Schools Network as we celebrate Indiana apples and orchards. There are so many great benefits to apples, and we are so lucky to have so many producers right here in Indiana. Visit the Apple Crunch website here and register for stickers and window clings. Supplies are limited, so register today.
Don’t Leave Money on the Table
Schools must spend their Department of Defense Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Order Receipt System (FFAVORS) funds by Sunday, June 30. Unused they will be lost and they do not carry over to the next school.
Program Year (PY) 2025 for USDA Foods
PY 2025 has been hidden until the school year opens in July 2025. IDOE will notify schools via this newsletter when it is available.
USDA Foods Warehouse Clear Out
Schools have until their last available delivery period under the Orders tab in CNPweb to order any direct delivered USDA Foods remaining at the state assigned warehouse, Dilgard Frozen Foods, Stanz-Troyers Foods or Wabash Foods. All USDA Foods for Processing at the processors must be ordered via the distributors. Any USDA Foods for Processing remaining at the processors as of Sunday, June 30, will carry over to the 2024-2025 school year.
SY 2024-2025 USDA Foods Direct Delivery Warehouses
IDOE has executed new contracts with two warehouses for SY 2024-2025. Dilgard Frozen Foods will cover the counties in northeastern region and Stanz-Troyers Foodservice will cover the remaining counties in the state. Click here for a map and list of county and regional assignments.
USDA Foods Recipes
Use your USDA frozen or fresh strawberries for this variation of strawberry yogurt pops. This recipe can be made with USDA Foods and must be adjusted to meet serving sizes and meal patterns.
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Spring Webinars from IDOE
- Rescheduled - Professional Standards: This webinar will cover best practices for annual professional standards training requirements for all school nutrition professionals and discuss hiring standards for new school nutrition program directors. Thursday, May 23, at 2 p.m. ET - register here.
- This webinar was rescheduled to allow schools to attend the USDA Final Rule webinar on Thursday, May 9.
Limited Space Available! 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 - Limited Space Available
- Columbus - Monday, June 10, through Friday, June 14 - Wait List
- Fishers - Monday, June 24, through Friday, June 28 - Wait List
- Merrillville - Monday, July 8, through Friday, July 12 - Wait List
- Elkhart - Monday, July 15, through Friday, July 19
- Plainfield - Monday, July 22, through Friday, July 26 - Wait List
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.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) School of the Year
On Monday, May 6, IDOE's FFVP School of the Year award was presented to Joshua Academy Charter School in Evansville. The food service department received a framed certificate and aprons printed with the FFVP School of the Year logo from IDOE. Piazza Produce sponsored a prize of $250 to be used for educational materials related to FFVP.
Pam Nunning, RN/Health and Wellness Coordinator, nominated Joshua Academy for the award. Nunning wrote that nutrition lessons about fruits and vegetables have been incorporated into the school day for math, art, language arts, and health. The bulletin board near the cafeteria showcases the snacks served each week. Some of the items provided to students included kiwi, cantaloupe, pears, star fruit, papaya, zucchini, radishes, snap peas, red cabbage, and Brussels sprouts.
This is the seventh year IDOE has recognized schools for creating a healthier school environment by providing fresh fruits and vegetables to students through the FFVP.
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Upcoming Dates |
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Thursday, May 23, at 2 p.m. ET
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Professional Standards (Rescheduled)
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Monday, May 27
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Food Education Fellowship Application Deadline
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Friday, May 31
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2023 NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant Application Deadline
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Tuesday, June 18, and Wednesday, June 19
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Farm to School and ECE Symposium
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Sunday, June 30
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Deadline to apply for CEP participation for the 2024-2025 school year
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Sunday, June 30
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Deadline to spend DoD FFAVORS funds
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Wednesday, July 10, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET
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IN the Mix: Back to School Training
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Tuesday, August 27
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Summer EBT Final Rule Comments Extended Deadline
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This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
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