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School Nutrition Bulletin 2324-24

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)

Notice

USDA Wavier to Allow Non-Congregate Meals to Participants Fasting During Ramadan

The following flexibilities are currently in place:

Non-Congregate Meal Service (NSLP and SBP)
Under the NSLA, 42 U.S.C. 1753(b)(1)(A), and the Child Nutrition Act, 42 U.S.C. 1773(b)(1)(A), NSLP and SBP meals must be served in a congregate setting and must be consumed by participants on site. Pursuant to the waiver authority granted at Section 12(l) of the NSLA, FNS waives the aforementioned requirements to serve meals through the NSLP and SBP in a congregate setting, to students who attend school and are fasting during Ramadan. Any other requirements referenced in these provisions remain in effect.

Meal Service Times (NSLP and SBP)
Under program regulations at 7 CFR 210.10(l) and 7 CFR 220.8(l), meals served in the NSLP and SBP must follow meal service time requirements. Pursuant to the waiver authority granted at Section 12(l) of the NSLA, FNS waives, for non-congregate school lunches and breakfasts served to students who attend school and are fasting during Ramadan, the aforementioned requirements that set mealtime parameters.

Offer Versus Serve (NSLP)
Under the NSLA, 42 U.S.C. 1758(a)(3), and program regulations at 7 CFR 210.10(e), Program operators of senior high schools (as defined by the State education agency) must participate in offer versus serve at lunch. Pursuant to the waiver authority granted at Section 12(l) of the NSLA, FNS waives the requirements to serve non-congregate school lunches to senior high school students using offer versus serve during Ramadan.

This waiver is in effect for up to 22 operating days between March 11 and April 9, 2024. In 2024, Ramadan is expected to begin on the evening of Sunday, March 10 and end on Tuesday, April 9, 2024.

However, the dates of Ramadan are based on the Islamic Calendar, which follows a lunar cycle, so USDA understands that the exact dates of Ramadan observance can vary, based on location and moon sightings. SFAs may only operate non-congregate meal service under this program waiver during their observance of Ramadan.

To maintain program integrity and accountability of local operators, WDPI must work with SFAs and sponsoring organizations operating under this waiver to ensure meals are distributed only to children in attendance at the school on the day non-congregate meals are offered, and that duplicate meals are not distributed to any child.

Please contact the School Nutrition Team if your SFA is interested in using this waiver.
 

Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
 

Deadline Extended! Apply for Supporting the Use of Traditional Indigenous Foods in the Child Nutrition Programs Cooperative Agreement has been extended until April 8, 2024

Additional Information:

  • Recording of the Informational Webinar and a Q&A document located under “Related Documents” tab.
  • Grant applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.
  • The Intertribal Agriculture Council is available to provide technical assistance to potential applicants, please email or call Ashley Geravis at ashley@indianag.org (406) 214-6242.

Please send questions regarding the Request for Applications to Anna Arrowsmith, USDA Grants Officer, at anna.arrowsmith@usda.gov.

Virtual Office Hours to answer questions about the Supporting the Use of Traditional Indigenous Food in the Child Nutrition Program Cooperative Agreement Request for Applications

If you are applying for or considering applying, come to our virtual office hours on the dates below with your questions:

March 12, Tuesday, 2-3:00 PM
March 14, Thursday 11 AM-12:00 PM

Please Register by April 8, 2024.

Please note there will not be a formal presentation during the Office Hours. We will be there to answer your questions and subject matter experts and the Grants Officer will be on the call to assist.

Questions asked during Office Hours will be added to our Q&A Document located under “Related Documents” tab.
 

Check Out the Streamlined Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Awards and First Award Winners

Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) and USDA are recognizing and celebrating schools who have made operational changes to improve the nutritional quality of their school meals, as well as schools who engage students and families in nutrition education and school meals. If you've made changes to your school recipes and menus or engaged students in menu planning and nutrition education, you may qualify for a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award! AFHK has made the application process easier and faster. Awardees will receive national and local recognition, including a stipend to attend an exclusive national Healthy Meals Summit in Las Vegas. Apply now!

Special congratulations to the first Recognition Award Winners:

Clear Lake Community School District - Iowa
Petersburg School District - Alaska
Regional School Unit 89 - Maine
Sandy Valley Local School District - Ohio

Check out their Success Stories and learn more about organization, Healthy Meals Incentives!
 

Learn More About School Food System Transformation Grants

USDA’s Healthy Meals Incentives School Food System Transformation Challenge has three different Request for Applications (RFA) open. School food system partners in Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, and Wisconsin are encouraged to pursue these funding opportunities.

Illinois Public Health Institute’s Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin)

Illinois Public Health Institute’s Innovation Hub has two opportunities:

  • Spark Awards fund projects that need a short-term infusion of funds for school food system and marketplace improvements, such as capacity-building, planning, and product testing projects.
  • Innovation Collaborative Awards fund projects that promote systems-level change of the school food system and marketplace, such as scaling up of programs, regional partnerships, or new program or product development and integration. The RFAs close on April 30, 2024.

Full Plates Full Potential (Maine)

  • Full Plates Full Potential’s School Food System Innovation Grant will support innovative and collaborative projects that will revolutionize the local school food system and increase the amount of Maine-sourced foods served in school meals. The RFA closes on May 1, 2024.

Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team

 

Quality Meal Improvement Courses: Now Available in Spanish and Hmong

Wisconsin Team Nutrition is excited to announce the publication of translated Quality Meal Improvement (QMI) courses. The five existing QMI courses have been translated into Spanish and Hmong and are available on the School Nutrition Online Learning webpage. The course topics include: Communication Skills, Customer Service, Marketing Your School Meals, Upgrade School Meal Appeal, and Student Engagement. These self-guided e-learning courses allow DPI to provide professional development opportunities to a diverse audience of school nutrition professionals.

*These courses credit towards both the GOALS Training Certification Program and professional standards hours.
 

Register for the Summer 2024 Wisconsin Cucumber Crunch!

Celebrate local foods by participating in the Wisconsin Cucumber Crunch! Pick any date this summer and have staff and students crunch into local cucumbers or another local, seasonal vegetable. Find a Farmer in your area or utilize produce from your school garden for your Crunch event!

For access to recipes, nutrition education, and promotional materials visit the Celebrate Summer webpage and do not forget to Register Your Event! Registrants will receive a cucumber seed packet and Cucumber Crunch stickers, while supplies last.

If you have questions about this event, please email the Farm to School Team.
 


REMINDER: Now Accepting AmeriCorps Farm to School (F2S) Host Site Applications for the 2024-25 Service Year

An AmeriCorps F2S program helps to grow sustainable F2S activities by providing manpower needed to increase F2S educational activities for students and families, connect schools to local farmers and businesses, and increase the capacity to support F2S programs that encourage healthy behaviors and improve the school food environment.

For more information on the application process, what our program is, what would be expected of you as a host site, what our goals are, and more, please refer to the Notice of Intent to Apply Form. The deadline for this form is March 25, 2024. If you have additional questions about the program, please email Kara Ignasiak, AmeriCorps Farm to School Director at kara.ignasiak@dpi.wi.gov.

Once you apply and submit your form, you will receive a Host Site Application, please fill this out and submit it by April 12, 2024.

Other Updates and Information

 

Join Free Training Webinars from the Institute of Child Nutrition

The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN) offers free trainings on a broad range of topics for child nutrition professionals working in school nutrition and child care settings.

Don't miss these upcoming webinars:

  • School Nutrition Strategies, Trainings, Action Plans, and Resources Webinar – A Step-by-Step Approach to Effective Menu Planning - March 28, 2024
  • Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition Webinar - Unlocking the Maximum Potential of Your Combi Oven - April 4, 2024

To receive webinar and registration information for upcoming webinars, please Subscribe to the ICN Newsletter. A link to register will be sent to subscribers one week before the webinar date.

Can't make it to a live webinar? View past webinars and learn anytime, anywhere on ICN's Online Learning Management System, iLearn.

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
125 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563