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National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) was March 6-10th. We know many of you had celebrations and we enjoyed seeing how you took part.
The image above is from Westhope. Their students were 'Digging into School Breakfast'! The elementary kids took part in activities from the NSBW materials, as well as PreK-6 colored school breakfast coloring pages which were hung throughout the lunchroom. The students were excited that they got to take part and brought several of their own toys to add to the display!
At Oak Grove Elementary School, the School Nutrition Team decorated their door to fit the theme for National Nutrition Month, based on the Book "I Can Eat A Rainbow", as seen in the image to the right.
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We are happy to provide, upon request, certificates for 10 years of service and for every 5-year interval after that. We also provide awards upon retirement at the request of the school district.
These are quality certificates of appreciation signed by our Director Linda Schloer and NDDPI State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler.
It is a process to ensure that the certificates have the right name on them, are signed by both administrators and then are mailed out in a timely manner, so, please, check your staff list now and submit your requests as soon as possible.
Certificates will be mailed out Monday, April 27th. Please check the certificates and immediately notify our office if there are any discrepancies. It is suggested the certificates be presented to your foodservice personnel on School Lunch Hero Day, Friday, May 5, 2023, or during School Nutrition Employee Week, May 1-5, 2023.
Should you have questions about the Years of Service Awards, please call Victoria Silva at 328-2294 or toll-free at 1-888-338-3663.
Hello Spring! Well hopefully warmer weather and spring temperatures are on the way, no April’s Fools jokes here please.
As April arrives, so does the celebration for Harvest of the Month. April is Bees/Honey month. North Dakota is all the buzz right now as the top producer of honey in the nation.
I am dreaming of the warm weather with beautiful bees flying throughout flower and garden beds. It’s National Garden month too, and we know we need the bees to keep our gardens and crops healthy and vibrant. We can’t eat delicious foods without them! So go ahead and set out the cute little honey bear for your morning tea or the delicious breakfast biscuits you make for school breakfast.
As the end of the school year is near, we are already gearing up for next year. CNFD wants to know about your local foods, farm to school activities, and needs. We compiled a survey and would appreciate your responses to help us understand how we can better serve you in the future. You can find that link here: https://forms.office.com/g/ixwpthBEVa
Responses are due Monday, April 17 by 6pm.
In May, we will be celebrating Beef for Harvest of the Month. We can’t wait to see the cool kits ND Beef Commission sends out and the delicious dishes you make for students!
Thank you for your hard work to feed students healthy meals every day!
If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Olson, Farm to School Specialist- amolson@nd.gov or 701-328-0817
Even though our North Dakota winter is still going strong, it’s never too early to start thinking about summer. Applications for the Summer Food Service Program will be open in NDFoods in April 2023. We are expecting a return to normal operations with a few flexibilities that have been set into regulation.
Our office has reviewed area eligibility for all school sites and 2023 SFSP Site Eligibility List will be published on our website by February 1. Sponsors may only operate at sites that have been determined eligible. We have also received the SFSP 2023 Meal Reimbursement Rates which have been published on the NDDPI website.
Starting this summer, USDA has established a permanent non-congregate meal option. The non-congregate meal service is limited to ‘rural areas with no congregate meal service’. Sites must still be determined eligible to operate SFSP according to the USDA regulations. Non-congregate meals must meet all applicable state and local health, safety, and sanitation standards, and SFSP meal pattern requirements. NDDPI will establish a process for identifying gaps and barriers to reaching needing children and will use the USDA SFSP Rural Designation Map to determine rural counties in ND that may be eligible for the non-congregate option under SFSP.
If your school is interested in participating in SFSP this summer, please reach out to mdanderson@nd.gov with any questions or guidance on how to apply.
Will the school year 2023-24 be the same wild year we just went through with price increases, supply fluctuations, labor shortages, and all the other unknowns? We do not have a crystal ball to help you with these challenges, but we can help you in a small way by allowing more funds to be kept in the school foodservice account.
Federal regulations for the nonprofit school foodservice account include limiting net cash resources to three months’ average expenditures. 7 CFR 210.19(a)(1) For the past two years, NDDPI has allowed for an extra 25% of the average operating expenses to remain in the food service account. For school year 2022-23, please continue to use this calculation. Contact the Child Nutrition and Food Distribution office if you have questions about the calculations or for what excess funds can be used, at dpicnfd@nd.gov
Please share your concerns about USDA’s proposed changes to child nutrition programs. These changes will have severe impact on your programs and the students they serve.
A quick comparison of nutrition standards as they are now to the proposed changes can be found here:
If you have a bit more time to add comments on how the changes to milk, whole grains, added sugar and sodium limits will affect your program, please click this link Regulations.gov In the middle of the page on the left hand side is a blue box with ‘Comment’ in it. Click that box and follow the instructions on the next page to add your comments.
If you need some bedtime reading, scan the entire proposal that includes how many extra hours each required rule will take to be compliant or how many millions of dollars on average each proposed change will cost the US taxpayer. But beware of nightmares if you go that far.
Comments can be submitted using paper and pen and the U.S. Mail. Send comments to School Meals Policy Division, Food and Nutrition Service, P.O. Box 9233, Reston, Virginia, 20195
You may submit the comments as an individual or on behalf of your school food service program or even anonymously.
Finally, your voice is important but so is the voice of your assistant, your business manager, and your administration. Encourage them to enter comments as well.
The date of implementation for the final rule is set (at this time) to start rolling out for School Year 2025-2026.
Mark your calendars and plan to attend one of the Workshop Days. Registration links are provided below.
We hope to see you there!
Will you have new school managers or cooks this summer? Want to prepare them for the upcoming year ahead? NDDPI is hosting its annual New Kitchen Manager Training where we will go through menu requirements, production records and more to help new staff understand the details of School Foodservice.
Our New Kitchen Manager Training is a time to get to know your State Agency Staff! Come spend the afternoon with us, and while in Bismarck, come back the next day to complete your Initial 8 Hour Sanitation Training!
This training is provided by NDDPI at no cost to you!
Master the Menu - Incentivized Training - Registration Now Open!
North Dakota was awarded a Team Nutrition Grant for School Nutrition Professional Readiness and Retention. This grant is to support building and retaining a strong school nutrition workforce that is empowered to provide nutritious meals that meet National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) meal requirements and weekly dietary specifications.
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North Dakota selected the "Incentivized Training" Track. This means that upon selection and completion of our training program, attendees will receive an incentive bonus!
Training begins May 31st, 2023, and runs through the 23-24 SY, but the goal is early completion!
This grant will offer two tracks:
- 8-Hour Track: Meal Pattern Breakdown is open to Food Service Frontline Staff
- Receive $100 bonus if completed within 6 months
- Registration will be open until training has reached 650 participants!
- 40-Hour Track: A Manager's View is for Directors and Managers
- Receive $500 bonus if completed within 6 months
- Geared to those relatively new to School Nutrition
- Registration DUE BY APRIL 30TH - Approval by NDDPI to participate! 50 spots available!
Sub-grants will also be available in two categories: (1) to support purchasing equipment based on post-training implementation and (2) to provide support to the district for personnel expenses paid during participation in training.
If you have questions about this training program, please reach out to Amy Nelson at amylnelson@nd.gov.
A link to register can be found HERE or by scanning the QR Code below:
USDA has partnered with Action for Healthy Kids to offer competitive grants (up to $150,000 per grant) for small and/or rural schools. The grants are intended to help support schools overcome many of the challenges with staffing, equipment, and who want to improve the nutritional quality of their school meals. Schools with enrollments less than 5,000, or that are from rural areas, are eligible to apply. The grant period is April 10-May 26, 2023. Action for Healthy Kids has provided a timeline and grant templates for schools. Schools can also partner with local public health, extension, or non-profit agencies for assistance in writing the grant. You can find out more information here and make plans to apply when the grant applications open on April 10th. Action for Healthy Kids Signs Cooperative Agreement with USDA Food and Nutrition Service to Implement Healthy Meals Incentives Initiative - Action for Healthy Kids
We recently received questions in the office about the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program program rule for dips. Here are the answers:
May dips be served with fresh fruit or vegetables? A low-fat dip may be served with a fresh vegetable only. No dips may accompany fresh fruit.
What is the definition of ‘low-fat’? USDA specifies that ‘low-fat’ is ≤ 3 grams of fat per serving. 9 CFR 381.462(b)(2) The serving size must be ≤ 2 Tablespoons. Peanut butter and reduced-fat peanut butter do not meet this definition; therefore, they cannot be used as a dip in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
The goal of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is to introduce children to fresh fruits and vegetables, to include new and different varieties, and to increase overall acceptance and consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce among children. Adding dips and seasonings changes the flavor of the vegetable it is served with. Contact the Child Nutrition office at dpicnfd@nd.gov if you would like ideas on getting kids to eat fresh vegetables without the sides.
 The Power of Power Lunch with Lenora Stevenson
North Dakota schools have been using the Power Lunch module for many, many years now. There have been no real changes in how the Power Lunch module works but enough new people are using it that we thought it would be good to review its capabilities and the connected reports in Power School. Lenora Stevenson, the Student Information Systems specialist with EduTech will show us all the bells and whistles that are available in the system.
We will also explore some of these reports from Power School to look at data that can help you be more innovative and efficient in your school meal programs.
Please join the Teams channel below – Tuesday, April 18th, 2 p.m. CST
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Join with a video conferencing device
teams@join.nd.gov
Video Conference ID: 115 372 266 8
Alternate VTC dialing instructions
Or call in (audio only)
+1 701-328-0950,,282939126# United States, Fargo
Phone Conference ID: 282 939 126#
The updated 2019 flyer is a good reminder for school districts on two areas that are reviewed in an administrative review: the number of hours of professional development completed by each staff member AND hiring qualifications for a new food service director.
Annual professional development
The first page of the flyer highlights the number of continuing education hours each person working with the school meal program(s) needs to complete annually. We have found in several reviews this year that no one has been named as the food service director in the district. However, someone must wear that hat. This person must complete at least 12 hours of professional development every year. This person also must have the 8-hour sanitation certification. This certification is tracked in the NDDPI-CNFD office.
Hiring standards for New School Nutrition program directors
The back page of the flyer outlines the qualifications needed for someone interested in the food service director position. A school district must hire based on education level and food service experience. Qualifications are a little different for small, medium, and large-sized districts. School districts with less than 500 students can apply for a waiver of the minimum food service experience to hire a new director.
Please contact our office at dpicnfd@nd.gov if you have any questions about professional development or hiring a new director.
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