It may not be National School Lunch Week anymore, but for SFUSD it’s always a time to celebrate the importance and power of school food. Over the last 10 years, SFUSD Student Nutrition Services has been partnering with community organizations to elevate the student dining experience.

 

It means taking a deep dive into every aspect of school food from the food quality to the built environments that students dine in. The results have included the launch of our Refresh Program at 21 middle and high schools across the district, the renovation of 5 kitchens, and the redesign of 82 dining spaces. All of which has impacted over 42,000 students!

 

We learned that the investment in school food infrastructure equates to improvements in food quality and student experience. This entire journey has been captured into a book, Transforming the Student Dining Experience, which you can read on our website.

Student Nutrition Services strives to nourish our students with Good Food every school day. Learn about how School Food has improved in SFUSD by reading the eBook!

No Kid Hungry California Hunger Hero Award

It takes a village to nourish students!

The administrators at James Denman Middle School, Principal Jenny Ujiie, Assistant Principal Tricia Land, and their teams, have been awarded the No Kid Hungry California Hunger Hero Award for their innovative and compassionate thinking, working collaboratively to address the urgent issue of hunger through their Breakfast in the Classroom program. Student Nutrition Services Child Nutrition team advocates for Breakfast in the Classroom because it is proven to increase breakfast participation and decrease the number of hungry learners. 

 

Every school day, these hunger heroes work with our fantastic dining lead, Lillian, to nourish the students at James Denman Middle School. We can't thank them enough for building a system in their school community to make it happen!

Reach out to us to learn more about Breakfast in the Classroom!

Have Spook-tacular Halloween Celebrations

Student Nutrition Services has nutritious food options for your Halloween Celebrations! 

Here are a few reminders and ideas for celebrating at home or in the classroom: 

1. A Halloween Celebration Guide to help plan your fun party that is in line with SFUSD’s Wellness Policy guidelines. Or if you'd prefer or more nutritious option at home!
2. Schedule all celebrations after lunch time, so students can still enjoy a nutritious lunch before the party! Dining staff order meal quantities far in advance, so any meal time celebrations lead to excess food waste. Help us keep food waste down! 
3. Ensure any food offered at the celebration meets SFUSD’s Nutrition Guidelines (focus on offering fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, lean proteins, or whole grain items). 

Together, we can create a healthy school environment all year long! More information and resources at sfusd.edu/bewell.

 

Have spook-tacular halloween celebrations!

Try some of our suggestions at home!

The October Harvest of the Month is Apples! Apples are a wonderful addition to salads, can be eaten with cheese and crackers, or enjoyed with any kind of nut butter! They are very versatile! Our Refresh menu includes apples often to fulfill the fruit requirement for meals. This month students may also get to enjoy them in their yogurt parfaits. Our Revolution Foods menu typically incorporates apples to fulfill the fruit requirement, and incorporates other seasonal fruit each month! 

 

View our October Harvest of the Month poster to learn more about Apples. You're welcome to print them for your school, office, or home! It even includes easy ways to incorporate Apples into your at home meals. 

The McAteer Community Farm is a 2024-25 Farm to School grantee! Chef Josh has been integral in his relentless efforts to make this happen, through multiple external partnerships. This new farm to school program will increase multidisciplinary agriculture education, access to local food, and increase sourcing and purchasing from local producers.

 

We'll keep you updated as this program develops!

Please share any of these relevant messages with your networks. Thank you for being a part of our community!

 

Kaitlyn Robinson

Marketing & Communications Specialist