Tidbits from Sandra
One thousand four hundred forty.
1440. If you had $1440 – what would you do with it? We each have 1440 minutes
in a day – whether we are a worker or a slacker. Make the most of each one of
them and be a positive force for children. The right amount of sleep is a
positive use of a fair chunk of 1440 so that you can be positive and
productive in the rest of those minutes!
How’s your
walking/biking/swimming/running – whatever movement to get you to conference
coming along? One person bikes (stationery) and says she has been to Aberdeen
and back several times already! Another has reported walking the distance to
Aberdeen already! Some of us are still working on just getting there. Miss a
day? Miss a week? Get back on track and try again. We don’t want to see you
and I don’t want you to see me (figuratively) laying in a ditch on the way to
conference or resting by a sign trying to thumb a ride. Exercise is something
you cannot do for me – I have to get up on my own two feet and do it on my
own.
Plans are well underway for
Certification Institute June 20 – 25 on Augustana College campus in Sioux
Falls. Some positive changes have been made to track 1 to accommodate taking
the ServSafe test earlier in the week and they will be done at the same time
at the end of the week. Mailing announcing this went out in early March. It
is a gold color newsletter format.
Team Nutrition Workshop announcements
have also been mailed out. This is a 3-fold blue on white brochure. The
workshop is June 28 – 30, also in Sioux Falls. These are not to “pick on
food-service” but to look at the whole nutrition environment at school – the
curriculum, vending, meals, a la carte sales, extra sales from other agencies,
messages, and advertising. Offer to be a part of the team if your school is
sending a team.
Child Nutrition Reauthorization
Legislation is making its way through US Congress. See more detailed article
in the bulletin. Marlyce and I were able to attend Legislative Action
Conference in early March with Sheryl Schoenfelder, SDSFSA President and Joni
Davis, SDSFSA Legislative Chairperson. It is truly awesome to see how we as
individuals in our country can have access to our legislators and impact what
happens.
The food
service manager said: “Last year I replaced our old dish-washer with the new
fast and energy-efficient kind. This week I got a call from the contractor
complaining that his work has been completed for a whole year and I had yet to
pay for them.
“Boy, oh
boy, did we go 'round. Just because I'm in food-service doesn't mean that I
am automatically stupid. I proceeded to tell him just what his fast talking
sales guy had told me last year... ‘that in one year the dish-washer would pay
for itself!’
There was
silence on the other end of the line so I just hung up and I haven't heard
back. Guess I must have won that silly argument.”
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Watertown Middle School Recognized for Total Physical Education Program
Watertown Middle School will be among
only 12 schools across the United States named as a charter STARS recipient in
recognition of their outstanding physical education program by the National
Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). They will be honored at
the National Convention of the American Alliance for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on April 1 in New Orleans. Go to
the following link at
http://www.aahperd.org/naspe/ to read the national press release and find
out how your school can apply.
Congratulations to Watertown School
District. Keep up the good work.
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Legislation Update
Child Nutrition Reauthorization Legislation is making its way through US
Congress. The US House of Representatives on March 24 passed H.R. 3873, the
"Child Nutrition Improvement and Integrity Act" by a vote of 419 to 5.
A summary of the Child Nutrition Improvement &
Integrity Act can be viewed at
http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/108th/education/childnutrition/billsummary.htm.
Included in the bill is a provision originally proposed by
Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL) to reduce the stigma among children receiving free and
reduced-price lunches by helping schools make technological improvements -
such as automated "meal card" systems that keep students' financial status
confidential - to increase the efficiency of program operations.
The bill also includes an initiative proposed by Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI)
and Ron Kind (D-WI) to strengthen partnerships between local agriculture and
schools to ensure fresh, local produce can go from farms to schools. In
addition, the Child Nutrition Improvement & Integrity Act extends and allows
for the expansion of the popular Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program through the
discretionary appropriations process. The Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program
currently provides free fresh and dried fruits and fresh vegetables to
children in 25 schools in each of four states and one Indian Reservation. The
Child Nutrition Improvement & Integrity Act also reauthorizes the Special
Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
During the
last week of March, the Senate and House passed S. 2241, a bill, "To
reauthorize certain school lunch and child nutrition programs through June 30,
2004." This bill extends authorization for several programs: 1) privatized
military housing, 2) for-profit child care centers participating in CACFP if
at least 25% of the enrolled children meet the income eligibility criteria, 3)
continues authority for schools and community organizations to operate the
SFSP, 4) continues the operation of special pilot programs in 14 States that
reduce paperwork requirements and increase the number of low-income children
who receive free meals and snacks during the summer months, 5) allows the
Secretary to purchase commodities above the original allocation, if needed, to
ensure that sufficient levels of commodities are available for CN programs,
and 6) the bill also extends the provision which allows the Secretary to use
section 32 funds to reimburse States for removal of commodities if the
Secretary determines that donated commodities pose health or safety risks.
The bill goes to the president for signature.
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What is the purpose of sending notices prior to the reimbursement checks?
Some
agencies may feel these are unnecessary, since they already know how much
their reimbursement will be.
First, the notices give agencies
details of what comprises their reimbursements. Should there be a difference
from what the agencies were expecting, they can determine exactly where the
variance lies without having to call our office. This saves our office staff
time by avoiding calls inquiring about their reimbursement.
Some agencies have several nutrition
programs that need to be accounted for separately from the School Lunch
Program, such as Severe Need Breakfast, Summer Food Services and Child and
Adult Food Program. The notices we send out give a breakdown by program so the
agencies can account for the revenues appropriately.
Reimbursement checks are mailed to
agencies directly from the state’s auditors office. These checks may include
reimbursements from other departments within the state. These amounts may not
have sufficient information to identify everything included with the check.
The notices we send out identifies what portion of the reimbursement is from
the Food Nutrition Programs.
Some agencies have personnel other
that the business office submit their nutrition reimbursement claim forms.
The notices aid business managers in determining what is reimbursed and how to
code the reimbursement.
The notices, can also aid auditors as
a source of outside verification for revenues.
In the ideal world, were the amount
reimbursed is always the same as what is expected, and all business mangers
are aware of what the reimbursement check are comprised of, there would not be
a need for the notices.
We do have plans to have the claim
forms and reimbursement notification to be processed over the internet,
therefore, eliminating the necessity of mailing out separate notices. At
present, the system we have does not allow this. Hopefully, we’ll be able to
have the new system in place within a couple of years.
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Appreciation Certificates
Schools, child care centers, and other
local agencies can honor long-time employees or retiring employees with an
appreciation certificate. To order a certificate, contact Linda Jarvis at
773-3413 or by e-mail to
linda.jarvis@state.sd.us. We need to know correct spelling of the
person’s name, number of years in food service (specify if at different
districts/agencies), and what school/agency employed at currently. Also
advise if we are to send the certificate to the employee or if it should be
mailed to someone else. Please plan for a couple weeks for processing and
delivery.
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2004 South Dakota Child Nutrition Program Certification Institute
Remember EARLY BIRD Registration Deadline is APRIL
30th!
The 40th annual South Dakota Child
Nutrition Program Certification Institute will be held June 20-25, 2004 in
Sioux Falls at the Augustana College campus. All tracks are 5-day courses and
qualify for 30 continuing education credits from the American School Food
Service Association (ASFSA). All tracks have a size limit and will be filled
on a first come, first served basis. Registration
deadline is Friday, May 14th! In order to guarantee your
enrollment, send in your registration form and payment as soon as
possible!
Registration Information was mailed
out the last week of February to Food Service Directors and Authorized
Representatives. You can also print the information and registration form
from the Certification Institute link on the CANS website.
Don’t forget to turn in the
Certification Institute Scholarship Application if you are eligible.
Continue to watch the monthly
Nutrition Bulletin and CANS website for Certification Institute updates!
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Let’s Go on a Spring Field Trip!
When
faculty at your school take students on a field trip over the noon hour do
they let you know? It can be costly to the food service programs when the
kitchen plans for the normal expected daily participation but at noon they
find out the entire fifth grade class isn’t in school because they went on a
field trip.
How can you avoid these frustrating
circumstances? Be willing to attend district staff meetings and let the
teachers and administrators realize the importance of being forewarned. Draw
up an example of what daily food and labor costs are on an average day and
illustrate how it can quickly cause your month to go in the hole when adequate
planning cannot happen. Your program needs to operate like a business. Look
for ways to be sure to keep participation up.
Do you know that if you plan sack
lunches that meet the NSLP meal pattern you are eligible to collect
reimbursement for those meals? Inform teachers and administrators that if
class trips are planned the teacher must file an Off-Site Meal Request
Form with your kitchen. The field trip needs to be an educational type
activity to qualify for reimbursement. The Offsite Meal Request Form can be
located in NSLP Memo #26. The food service staff must send the request form
into CANS via fax or mail prior to the event for advance approval. Request
teachers to give the kitchen enough time, 1-2 weeks minimum, to plan food
purchases for the sack lunch menu and for CANS to have time to approve the
request and send back an approval.
If the kitchen does not have picnic
coolers, request the teacher(s) to provide adequate number of coolers to
transport food so food is kept at proper temperatures (don’t forget to add a
thermometer to the cooler for safety concerns). A class roster must be used
to check off at point of service which students received a sack lunch. After
the field trip the roster must be returned to the food service staff to be
included in meal counts for the day.
If everyone understands the rules of
the game it is a win win day - “win” for the students to have a nutritious
meal, a “win” for the kitchen staff to keep participation numbers up, and a
“win” for the teachers to have the food conveniently planned and prepared by
the school food service staff.
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CANS Celebrates School
Breakfast Week
Child and Adult Nutrition Services
celebrated National Nutrition Month and National School Breakfast Week by
meeting with the SD State School Board during their monthly meeting which was
held at the Ramkota in Pierre. Staff from the CANS office presented a power
point informative program to explain how the USDA child nutrition programs are
administered through our office. Since we were not allowed to serve breakfast
to the board since they were meeting in the Ramkota complex, we gave the board
samples of USDA commodity items that can be especially used in the school
breakfast program. Board members asked good questions and thanked us for our
informative presentation. Following the presentation the Superintendent from
Pierre Public Schools asked if CANS could come talk to the Pierre District
Administrators to explain the school breakfast program, the snack after school
program and the summer feeding program. It is exciting to report that the
Pierre School District has decided to pilot school breakfast at their middle
school in April and May.
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School Breakfast
Programs are Expanding in SD
-
During the month of March the CANS
office signed on four new school districts to implement the school breakfast
program. In addition a couple districts expanded their present programs to
include more sites. The following school districts signed amended agreements
to add school breakfast:
-
Gettysburg School
District 03/22/04 K-12
-
Garretson School
District 04/05/04 K-12
-
Brandon Valley School
District 04/05/04 K-5 (2 sites)
-
Pierre School District
04/12/04 7-8
-
Yankton -
added one more elementary building
-
Spearfish
- added high school site
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Mislabeled Smucker's
Uncrustables Products
It has been brought to our attention
the nutrition facts on the cases of many of the 4.8 ounce Uncrustable Peanut
Butter and Jelly sandwiches from Smucker’s are mislabeled. The nutrition facts
are for the smaller (2.8 ounce) sandwich. This affects both the 4.8 ounce
grape and the 4.8 ounce strawberry products.
The correct nutrition fact sheet for
the larger Uncrustables is included below. The information is the same for
both items.
We have been in contact with the J. M.
Smucker corporate office. They indicated they will be sending corrected
labels. When received, the warehouse will place the correct information on the
mislabeled cases. In the meantime please use the nutrition fact sheet provided
below.
Click here to
view fact sheet.
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Professional Development
Opportunities
National Food Service Management
Institute
Satellite Seminar: Coaching
Employees: Will you make a difference?
April 28, 2004
2:00pm-3:00pm
Viewers will be able to identify the
coaching relationship as a partnership or joint venture. Ultimately the
following objectives will be realized:
- Strengthening employee skills;
- Increasing productivity of the employee, the tram, and
the Child Nutrition Program;
- Enabling employees to excel and achieve success
For additional information go to the
National Food Service Management website, www.nfsmi.org, and click on
Educational Opportunities.
Sponsored by Iowa State University
downlinked at six South Dakota sites by the Department of Health
Satellite Videoconference: Metabolic Syndrome: Prevention & Treatment
Challenges
April 29, 2004
10:00 am – 4:00 pm CT
- Provides critical review of research efforts to
define, diagnose, and characterize the primary contributors to the Metabolic
Syndrome
- Outline prevention and therapeutic strategies to
alleviate the physiological consequences of the Metabolic Syndrome by
integrating physical activity, nutritional, pharmacological, and
psychological approaches
- Identify future directions for prevention and
treatment of the Metabolic syndrome
For more detailed information and to
register online go to
www.state.sd.us/doh, click on site index and then calendar of events.
Food Allergies in Children:
Prevention and Intervention
June 2, 2004
12:00 pm-4:00 pm CT
Conference will address diagnosis and
treatment of food allergies in children. There will also be a discussion of
food allergies and school policies. More information will be posted on the
DOH website as it becomes available.
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Nutrition Bites
DAIRY PRODUCTS MAY AFFECT CHILDREN’S
WEIGHT
Calcium’s role in building strong and
healthy bones is well-known, and new research shows consumption of
calcium-rich food items like dairy products may be associated with lower body
fat in children.
The December issue of the Journal of
the American Dietetic Association published the study in which researchers
examined eating habits of children ages two to eight and their mothers,
finding that kids who consumed smaller amounts of calcium had generally higher
body fat than children with high calcium intake.
The researchers also found that
children’s dietary preferences - which generally carry over into adulthood -
are established very early, many times by age five.
This study presents more support that
children should be encouraged to regularly include calcium-rich foods and
drinks in their diets.
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Building
for the Future with the CACFP
Upcoming Training Events –
CACFP/SFSP Operational Workshops
May 12 – Rapid City – Youth & Family
Services
– 120 E. Adams
May 20 – Pierre – Home Federal Savings Bank
– 322 S. Coteau
May 27 – Sioux Falls – Department of Transportation
– 5316 W. 60th St. N. (Hwy 83)
Plan now to attend the annual CACFP
Training Workshop this May. While the workshop is not currently mandatory, it
is likely that in the future, annual attendance at training will be
mandatory. This is an excellent opportunity for that training. For more
information please contact Melissa Halling at (605) 773-3566 or by email at
melissa.halling@state.sd.us.
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Kids in the Kitchen
Monkey Toast
Adapted from Physical
Activities and Healthy Snacks for Young Children; Team Nutrition Iowa.
Toast bread (whole wheat or other whole
grain variety). Spread low-fat whipped cream cheese on the bread and top it
with sliced fresh fruit (choice of bananas, blueberries, strawberries,
peaches, kiwi, etc.) or fresh vegetables. Children may prefer steamed but
still crisp vegetables.
Arrange the fruit or vegetable pieces on
the toast in shapes, designs, or faces and talk about the shapes or textures
of the fruit. Or use canned fruit available in animal shapes.
Snack Idea (1-5 year olds):
½ slice of Monkey Toast (with toppings, see recipe above)
½ cup 100% berry juice
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Kids on the Move
Monkey Toes
Adapted from Physical Activities and
Healthy Snacks for Young Children; Team Nutrition Iowa
Arrange the children in scatter
formation. The children follow and sing or chant with you. They touch the
body part as they say the words.
Sing or chant the following words: “Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and
toes” (a bit faster on knees and toes the second time) “watch how fast the
monkey goes, monkey goes” (run in a circle). Repeat.
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“Commodity
History" Report
This report lists commodities that
were to be delivered monthly and the USDA value of the products. It will be
mailed to you in mid May. The history report is often used by the firm
conducting a school’s audit to determine the dollar amount of commodities
received during the accounting period. Please make certain a copy is provided
to the appropriate administration official(s).
If the report is misplaced and
needed at a later date there will be a $10 (ten dollar) charge for a
replacement copy.
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Results of Nutrient Analysis
are Shared
In conjunction with the onsite
Coordinated Review (CRE) or National School Lunch Program review, a
nutritional analysis of the menus for the sites involved in the review is
conducted. This process will occur once every 5 years. CRE visits will
continue to be done by the Department of Public Safety with the majority of
nutritional analyses completed by the state agency.
Attached are charts showing the
results from menu analyses completed for 2001 and 2002.
As you can see by looking down through
the chart, two of the nutrients that we need to continue monitoring are sodium
and fat. Beginning with the 2001 school year, the required level of sodium
was increased from 800 mg to 1300 mg at lunch and from 600 mg to 800 mg at
breakfast. This increased level of sodium, while still representing a
significant reduction in overall consumption, remains an attainable goal for
schools to reach. If at all possible try to reduce or eliminate the salt
without affecting the quality of the product. Keep in mind that
processed ready-to-eat items and canned food items will
contribute higher levels of sodium to the meal.
Gradual reductions are best when
moving toward reduced fat levels as well. Comparing fat levels when selecting
products, modifying recipes by reducing the amount of fat or substituting part
of the fat with fruit puree or offering jelly or honey with sliced bread or
dinner rolls rather than “buttered bread” are a few ways to help reduce fat
without affecting student acceptability. Offering one percent and skim milk
is also a simple way to start lowering fat.
The fiber standard was recently
changed as well to be more in line with the National Center for Nutrition and
Dietetics and the American Dietetics Association recommended guidelines for
children’s needs and their developmental cycle. The new formula is the
child’s age plus 5. For example, a five year old child would need about 10
grams of fiber per day, 5+5=10. This formula allows for the increased need
for fiber as the child grows. Therefore, an average level of fiber for each
grade group was determined based on this formula.
Offering a variety of fruits and
vegetables as well as multi-grain or whole grain grains/bread items daily will
help to increase and/or maintain levels of fiber.
South Dakota schools have shown great
efforts toward meeting the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Keep up the good work!
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Survey
of Nutrition Bulletin Readership
The goal of the Nutrition Bulletin is
to provide timely relevant information related to the operation of the child
nutrition programs administered by Child and Adult Nutrition Services in the
SD Department of Education. To better meet the needs of our customers the
online bulletin began with the December 2003 issue and paper copies no longer
being distributed. Each month all authorized representatives and food service
directors for child nutrition programs with a current e-mail address are
notified when the bulletin goes online and includes the link to the online
Bulletin at
http://www.state.sd.us/deca/CSCF/CANS/NBulletin/. Please check it out if
you haven’t already had a chance to do so.
Now that a few months have passed we
would like your assessment. The survey is being sent both electronically as
well as in paper format to authorized representatives and food service
directors in all child nutrition programs. You need only respond one time to
either version. Be assured that all replies are not identifiable and will be
confidential unless you choose to identify yourself. Please take time to
complete this survey and fax it back to Attn: Jean Schuurmans, Child & Adult
Nutrition Services, 605-773-6846 or submit the online survey. Your
response by June 1st will be appreciated.
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