6/23 S.S.T.A.R. - School Meal Programs and Food Distribution Programs Newsletter

Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction sent this bulletin at 06/23/2025 03:29 PM PDT

School Meal Programs and Food Distribution Program S.S.T.A.R.: Week of 6/23

Sponsor Spotlight: Okanogan and Highline School Districts Power Up Hands-On Nutrition Education with Student-Designed Meals and Menus
Update: June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month!
Update: Four Ways to Learn More About Power Up Your Program!
Farm to School Corner
Important Dates to Remember

Sponsor Spotlight: Okanogan and Highline School Districts Power Up Hands-On Nutrition Education with Student-Designed Meals and Menus

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) continues to celebrate school year (SY) 2024–25 Power Up Your Program participants by featuring Okanogan and Highline School Districts' work. Both districts created hands-on experiences for students to dive into school meals requirements and create nutritious and tasty lunch meals for their fellow students to enjoy.

Okanogan School District – Students Build Balanced Menus for School Lunch

While exploring nutrition education opportunities during Power Up Your Program, Todd Rouse found an enthusiastic partner in Toni Brown, Okanogan High School’s leadership teacher. Together, they engaged five student teams in creating a week of menus for school lunch. Todd taught students about meal pattern requirements for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and used MyPlate to reinforce what makes a balanced meal. As menu planners, students consulted the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s (OSPI’s) meal pattern charts and navigated real-world challenges like how to balance cost, nutrition requirements, and student preferences. Students’ menus featured tacos, yakisoba, grilled cheese, and other favorites along with colorful fruits and vegetables, milk, and whole grains. Todd is looking forward to offering the menus at lunch next year, showing students that their voice and work matters.

Upcoming Trainings

School Meals Monthly Webinar

New Series for SY 2025-26!

Date: Monthly, September 2025– June 2026

Time: 2–3pm PT

School Meal Programs Annual Training

Join OSPI for annual training in Ellensburg August 5 & 6! Choose from 16 different breakout sessions and/or attend the new Basics of Operating School Meals training.

Attend ANC 2025 in San Antonio, Texas!

Join School Nutrition Professionals from across the country at School Nutrition Association's Annual National Conference July 13–15!

Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) S.T.A.R. Webinar

Streamlining the Completion of Production Records - Identify effective tips to complete production records while maintaining accuracy and compliance.

Date: June 26

Time: 12–1pm PT

Highline School District – Culinary Students Serve Up “Student Crafted, School Approved” Recipes

Lisa Johnson and Kris Marsh showcased the power of collaboration in a student-led culinary event at Mt. Rainier High School. In partnership with the Institute for Culinary Arts and Sciences, child nutrition staff and culinary students collaborated to develop and serve innovative menu items to nearly 800 students over the course of one busy lunch period! Leading up to the event, culinary students used community survey results to create the culturally inspired recipes. Lisa and Kris taught the students about regulations for school meals and developing compliant, tasty recipes. On the day of the event, culinary students arrived bright and early to prepare everything and set up. At lunchtime, they experienced the exciting and busy school kitchen environment. The highly successful event introduced delicious menu items, including beef birria stew and chicken ramen with scratch-made broth. Other dishes featured Washington-grown beets, goat cheese, and salmon. District leaders joined the celebration; Superintendent Duran could be found helping on the serving line! Building on this success, Kris and Lisa plan to expand these recipes district-wide and will continue collaborating with the culinary program.

Update: June is National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month!

Summertime means eating fresh fruit and vegetables straight from the garden or visiting a local farmers market or farm stand to pick up delicious fruit and vegetables and the peak of freshness.

Take a look at the Harvest of the Summer calendar and pick some fresh fruit and vegetables to feature in your summer menus or at home.

Update: Four Ways to Learn More About Power Up Your Program!

Are you curious about Power Up Your Program?

Here are four new ways to learn how signing up for this unique training opportunity for SY 2025–26 can benefit your program and students.

Don’t miss the SY 2024–25 Power Up Your Program celebration video! This 7-minute video offers a taste of Power Up Your Program and highlights some ways this year’s participants created nutrition education experiences and enhanced student and family engagement in their programs.
Check out the article “Powering Up Engagement” in the Washington School Nutrition Association’s (WSNA) Apple Press (Spring/Summer 2025 issue) on page 17.
Look for us at the 2025 WSNA Conference in July. SY 2024–25 participants will share about their Power Up Your Program experiences during the session, “Strengthen Your Program and Build Engagement with OSPI’s Team Nutrition Initiatives.” OSPI will be available to answer questions at the OSPI booth in the Exhibit Hall.
Come to the “Creating Engaging Programs” breakout session at the SY 2025–26 School Meals Annual Training on August 5 and 6 in Ellensburg. Explore how you can use the Power Up Your Program toolkits to take action on nutrition education or creating more culturally inclusive meals.

Ready to jump in? Complete the registration form to save your space in one of the four SY 2025–26 pathways: nutrition education, program promotion, culturally inclusive meals, or Local Wellness Policies.

Questions? Reach out to CNSTraining@k12.wa.us

Power Up Your Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Farm to School Corner

Grant Opportunities

2025–2027 WSDA Farm to School Purchasing Grant—Closes July 3, 2025

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) Farm to School Purchasing Grant Application for the 2025–2027 school years closes, July 3, 2025, at 5pm PST.

The WSDA Farm to School Purchasing Grant is a competitive reimbursement grant supporting the use of Washington-grown foods in child nutrition programs.

For further details, please visit the WSDA Farm to School Purchasing Grant webpage.

Harvest of the Summer

To support sponsors using local foods, OSPI is creating Harvest of the Summer resource sheets. Each week in July and August, OSPI will feature one local, seasonal food. The resource sheets will include fun facts, nutritional information, selection and storage tips, recipe ideas, and educational resources/activities.

July's resource sheets will feature carrots, potatoes, onions, blueberries, and bush beans. You can find these, and future Harvest of the Summer resource sheets on on our Farm to School webpage.

Harvest of the Month

Now is a great time to plan local purchases for next year! 

If your district wants to follow along with OSPI’s Harvest of the Month Calendar here is a sneak peek of what we will feature in school year 2025–2026. 

Past Harvest of the Month Resource Sheets are available on the Farm to School webpage under the "Harvest of the Month" dropdown menu. Use OSPI’s Menu Planning and Meal Patterns Toolkit to plan next year’s menus.

Farm to Summer Week — Save the Date

Celebrate Washington’s Seasonal Summer Bounty by joining OSPI’s Farm to Summer Week, July 14–18, 2025. Serve local foods, share food education, and spotlight your efforts using #WAFarmtoSummer. Let’s celebrate the flavors of summer and support Washington’s farmers! Find promotional tools and activities on the Farm to Summer webpage.

Check out the NEW Summer Meal Program & Farm to Summer Toolkit. The toolkit includes editable flyers, sample social media posts and captions, tips for using different platforms, and ideas to boost engagement online.

Taste Washington Day and the Washington Apple Crunch — Save the Date

Taste of Washington day and the Washington Apple Crunch will be celebrated this year on Wednesday, October 8, 2025! It is never too early to start planning your event.

Taste Washington Day is an annual celebration where schools across Washington serve local foods, connecting students with Washington farms and promoting healthy eating. It highlights Washington agriculture and supports local farmers and is one way Washington celebrates National Farm to School Month.

The Washington Apple Crunch is a fun, statewide event where students, teachers, and communities bite into locally grown apples at 12 pm on October 8, 2025, to celebrate Washington’s apple harvest.

To help to start planning your celebrations check out the WSDA Farm to School website. Updated sign-up forms and resources are coming soon.

Submit a Recipe for the Harvest of the Season Initiative

OSPI received a USDA Farm to School Grant to create a toolkit to support sponsors in implementing Harvest of the Month programs featuring 24 Washington-grown foods. Submit your favorite breakfast, lunch, snack, or supper recipe here. Selected recipes will be included in the toolkit, with credit to the sponsor who submitted it, giving you the opportunity to shine and share your culinary creations with a wider audience.

Check out the May 27 Farm to CACFP article for more information.

Important Dates to Remember

June 30	Power Up Your Program Registration Closes
July 14–18	Farm to Summer Week
August 5 & 6	School Meal Programs Annual Training \| Ellensburg
August 5 & 6	Basics of Operating the School Meal Programs \| Ellensburg

ALL STUDENTS PREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY PATHWAYS, CAREERS, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

Led by State Superintendent Chris Reykdal, OSPI oversees K-12 public education in Washington state. Our mission is to provide funding, resources, tools, data and technical assistance that enable educators to ensure students succeed in our public schools, are prepared to access post-secondary training and education, and are equipped to thrive in their careers and lives.

ADA NOTIFICATION FOR OSPI CHILD NUTRITION SERVICES EVENTS
To arrange accommodations for persons with disabilities for OSPI Child Nutrition Services events, please contact the Child Nutrition Services Team at 360-725-6200, TTY 360-664-3631, or by email, child.nutrition@k12.wa.us at least three business days before the event. Please note that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not require OSPI to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services, or impose an undue financial or administrative burden.

This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.

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This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.