Friday Focus
November 5, 2021
SCHOOL NUTRITION NEWSLETTER
Message from the Director
Daylight Savings Time (DST) originated in Germany in 1916 during World War I. The idea was to make better use of daylight hours and conserve fuel. The rest of Europe adopted the idea and in 1918 the United States followed suit. DST was abolished nationally after WWI, but states could decide to keep it or not. This resulted in chaos and confusion between time zones for the transportation industry and in 1966, DST was put back into effect uniformly across the country and the same dates were set for changing clocks across the nation. I am reminded we, too, must use a uniform approach to operating our child nutrition programs. Imagine the chaos if each school did things differently! I am proud of how you share best practices which keep us improving. Your creative ideas lead to innovation, something we've had to rely heavily on during these past two years. The very best ideas are a result of many ideas. A perfect example of this is our Thanksgiving Brunch. It started with Deb Johnson suggesting caramel dip with apple slices and little by little others weighed in with ideas to make Thanksgiving special without traditional turkey. Keep thinking, keep sharing and together we are unstoppable!
With gratitude,
Kathy
Supply Chain Issue with Turkey? No Problem, we get creative with everyone's ideas!
FROM THE MIND OF A MANAGER: Debbie Johnson
Hey everyone, sure seems like this has been a long school year so far. With staffing challenges and supply issues it feels like it should be the end of the school year. There is light at the end of the tunnel with only 122 full days of school and 3 half days left, we can do this!
Did you know using a drain grate in your full size steam table pan will keep sausage links from swimming in liquid? If you do not have any, GFS has them, item 226564. You will need to get approval from Kathryn before ordering them. We change the clocks back this weekend so enjoy the extra hour of sleep, rest or whatever you do to recharge. Have a wonderful weekend!
Ben Franklin Middle School Gets Cafeteria Table Upgrades!
Administrative Review PREP: Meal Counting and Claiming
If you are a cashier, you are the person counting the number of reimbursable meals served. Every time you press the button on the screen, you are ensuring that the student you just rang up had a qualified reimbursable meal. Every time you press the button, it is recorded and a monthly report is generated which is used to apply for federal reimbursement. Every time you press the button, we receive $4.31(lunch) and $2.46 (breakfast). All those button presses add up to to more than $2.75 million dollars each year and it is what pays for food, staff paychecks, equipment, etc. This is one area that is always reviewed and cashiers must know what makes a meal reimbursable. In fact, reviewers will typically stand behind cashiers and watch how they ring up meals. They may ask questions, too, but don't be nervous...you've got this!
We use "Offer vs Serve" at all Valparaiso Community Schools in an effort to reduce waste. This means students don't have to take everything that is menued (although we welcome it), but they do have to take a minimum number of things. To be considered a reimbursable lunch, students must select daily full servings of at least two meal components plus 1/2 cup of fruit or vegetable. . It's very important that you know what a full serving of a component is for your grade group. Production records list the component values of all food served. The menu planner has to ensure that the weekly component amounts are met. Cashiers have to ensure the minimum per day (in parentheses) component amounts are selected. See the chart below for reference. Next, look at the Meal or No Meal question below.
Meal or No Meal?
The menu offered is Mac and Cheese, Cornbread, Side Salad, Apple Slices and Milk. You can see the component value of each item. If a student selects mac and cheese with a side salad, is this a reimbursable meal for grades K-8?
YES! The Mac and Cheese contains full servings of grain and meat/meat alternate for K-8 and the side salad meets the fruit or vegetable requirement.
Is this a reimbursable meal for grades 9-12?
NO! The Mac and Cheese contains only one full serving of a component, the meat/meat alternate. It has only a half serving of grain (1 oz) because the 9-12 serving size is 2 oz. This meal does not meet the requirements of two full servings plus a fruit or vegetable.
Food Allergy Training
Laura's Logic: IMPORTANT TIMESHEET INFORMATION
With everyone working extra time, I just wanted to clear up some issues that I’ve been seeing on timesheets.
Your “Start Time A.M.” and “End Time P.M.” should always be the actual times you worked that day.
The “Regular Hours” column should be the amount of hours that you’re “board approved” to work, and the “Extra Time Hours” would be the difference between the hours you worked and your regular hours.
In the example below, the employee is “board approved” to work six hours per day, and the regular start and end times are normally 7:30-1:30. The employee is working extra hours and staying until 3:00, so the beginning and end times reflect that. The 6 reflects the regular hours the employee works, and the 1.50 is written in the extra time. The total hours worked of 7.50 are then written in the “Total” column.
Another issue I see is when paid time off is used.
If you leave your shift early, you will again write in the actual time you work. In the example below, the employee is taking a ¼ sick day. The actual hours worked were 4 hours, and the sick time used is 2 hours totaling the employee’s “board approved” hours.
If you are taking a full sick or personal day, you will not fill in a start or end time if you are gone an entire day. You will simply write your “board approved” time off in the corresponding column and carry the amount of time over to the total.
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
My School Menus for Apple
Keep Menu Info on the go
My School Menus App for Android
SECOND SHIFT...HELP SAVE THE DAY!
OPEN POSITIONS
Non-employees can apply by completing an online application as an External Applicant here: https://www.applitrack.com/valpo/onlineapp/
FS Tech, VHS, 6 hours
FS Tech, VHS, 4 hours
FS Tech, Cooks Corners, 3.5 hours
FS Tech, Cooks Corners, 5.5 hours
FS Tech, Parkview, 4.5 hours
FS Tech, Memorial, 3.5 hours
FS Tech, BF, 5 hours
FS Tech, BF, 5 hours
FS Tech, TJM, 4 hours
FS Tech, Flint Lake, 4 hours
FS Tech, Heavilin, 4 hours
2021-22 Calendar
November 7, 2021 Daylight Savings ends, turn back clocks 1 hour
November 24-26, 2021 No School, Thanksgiving Break (No Work Days)
December 16, 2021 1/2 Day K-12 (Regular Work Day)
December 17, 2021 No School (No Work Day unless used as Weather Make Up Day)
December 20-31, 2021 No School, Holiday Break (No Work Days)
January 17, 2022 No School, MLK Day (No Work Day)
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https://www.valpo.k12.in.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1221036&type=d&pREC_ID=1455849
About Us
Email: kkane@valpo.k12.in.us
Website: https://www.valpo.k12.in.us/apps/pages/nutrition
Location: 2727 N. Campbell St., Valparaiso, IN 46385
Phone: (219) 531-3050
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ValpoSchoolFood
Twitter: @ValpoSchoolFood