From the Mass Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on June 4:

On May 31, 2024, Massachusetts was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide Summer-EBT (S-EBT) benefits to eligible households during Summer 2024. Today, the Governor issued a press release announcing the approval. This memorandum is intended to outline S-EBT eligibility, highlight important changes from Pandemic EBT, provide guidance on districts' responsibilities and provide helpful resources for districts and families.

S-EBT provides grocery-buying benefits in the amount of $120 per child to income eligible families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer. The program is administered by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) in partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) with assistance from schools. S-EBT complements the Summer Eats program which provides free meals to kids and teens in eligible areas all summer long.

S-EBT income eligibility standards are the same as the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). As such, all enrolled students identified as meeting the income eligibility standards for free or reduced price lunch during School Year 2023-2024, either through an NSLP household paper application or direct certification, are automatically eligible for S-EBT. The eligibility period for 2024 Summer EBT goes through September 7, 2024.

Note: For Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) schools, only families of students identified as free or reduced price eligible through direct certification will be automatically eligible (streamlined certification). This is a change from Pandemic EBT. All other families can apply directly through DTA or a paper application through the school if requested.

Important: All families with students directly certified for free or reduced price meals in both CEP and non-CEP schools will be identified at DTA and issued benefits without district or family involvement. Therefore, districts will only need to submit to the DESE information on students approved through the NSLP household paper application (non-CEP schools), the new S-EBT paper application (CEP schools) and students who are categorically eligible for free school meals (homeless, migrant, runaway or Head Start).

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS SUMMER-EBT SITE. The MA S-EMT website can be translated by clicking on the language in the top menu of your screen.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about Summer EBT.

                                                                                                                       August/September 2024-2025

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Welcome Back!!

We can’t wait to welcome students back to the cafeteria for the 2024-2025 school year! To kick off the new year, we wanted to share a few things you and your child can look forward to when it comes to mealtime, information on meal pricing and steps to apply for free and reduced-price meals, how we manage food allergies and the documentation needed, and an inside look at the new recipes, concepts, and programs we’ll be introducing this fall.

Food Kids Love to Eat

Chartwells’ team of chefs and dietitians are working to bring even more variety to our menus featuring new recipes with kid-approved foods. This year we’re serving up:

• • Offering Fresh Farm Vegetables
  • Daily Fresh Vegetables
  • Chef Choice Hot Soup when posted in the Monthly Menu
  • More Whole Grain products
  • Monthly Harvest of the Month

The value of school lunch is top of mind as families continue to experience inflation and growing food costs at home. In addition to giving kids the chance to try new foods and cut back on food waste, school lunch provides students with healthy, balanced, and safe meals at an affordable price, while saving families time and stress.

It’s an easy and confidential way to ensure your child stays well-nourished at school.

Universal Free Meals

For the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, Mass has authorized universal free meals for all students. This means students will have the opportunity to enjoy Breakfast and Lunch at no cost throughout the academic school year. Hopefully makes it easier for students and families to confidently check Breakfast / Lunch off their list.

All four schools of the Nantucket Public Schools have been approved for the Community Eligibility Provision or CEP, also known as universal free Breakfast & Lunch (reimbursed at the federal level).  For this reason, we will not be sending paper applications home to families as we have done traditionally. Some families may receive a Notice of Direct Certification in the mail. Should you have any questions or wish to fill out an application, please contact Central Register Sarah Kirk at kirks@npsk.org or call 508-228-7285 x 1149.

Food Allergies and Special Dietary Needs

We recognize the critical importance of our approach to supporting students and families who manage food allergy issues every day and work closely with the families of students who have food allergies and medical conditions that require a modification to their menu. Our approach involves coordination between parents and guardians, school nurses, school administrators, and food service professionals in the school’s/district’s food allergy and medical conditions protocol.

If you would like your child to receive meal accommodations for food allergies or a medical condition impacting the diet, please ensure that you submit the required documentation to your child's school nurse's office and that you receive confirmation from Petersonl@npsk.org that documentation has been received, and a modification plan is in place.

To modify the school meal, we must have a written Medical Statement on file signed by a licensed medical provider (physician, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner). The statement must identify the following:

• Information about the child’s impairment that is sufficient for understanding how it restricts the child’s diet,
• An explanation of what must be done to accommodate the child’s disability, and
• If appropriate, the food(s) to be omitted, texture modifications, and recommended substitutions.

For any children who are currently receiving meal accommodation, please contact petersonl@npsk.org or 508-228-7280 x 1236 to review the meal accommodation plan, which may require additions or amendments based on the ongoing supply chain issues.

As part of our protocol, café managers review food labels for foods used to produce special meals daily. We may encounter situations where product substitutions are made that contain different allergens or have a different nutritional profile than our usual menu items. As a result, we may need to provide a meal that is different than previously identified for students with special dietary needs to ensure that the meal served to them remains in adherence to their needs as outlined in their medical forms.

While we have posted signs in the cafeteria encouraging students with food allergies or other dietary concerns to speak up, we encourage you to remind your child to be sure to check with the cafeteria manager regarding product substitutions that may not be reflected in the posted menu.  We will make every attempt to update Nutrislice in real-time, but please do not solely rely on nutrition or allergen information on Nutrislice to accommodate allergies or medical conditions in the event of last-minute menu changes.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your student’s allergies or dietary needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to petersonl@npsk.org or your school nurse’s office. We are committed to providing safe meals for all students.

Programs that Encourage Fun and Discovery

Chartwells continues to inspire healthy eating habits and spark a culinary curiosity to last a lifetime through fun and engaging programs that, hopefully, be available soon.

• Mood Boost: This innovative program helps elementary and middle school students connect what they eat with how they feel. It features recipes and characters that focus on six moods: Smart, Happy, Confident, Alert, Strong, and Calm.
• Student Choice: Giving CPS / NHS students a voice in deciding what food concepts are featured and new menu items that will be available, Student Choice brings the latest food trends to school menus.

Inviting Environments & Happy Cafeterias

Students need a place to eat where they can connect with others, recharge, and enjoy a sense of happiness and with their classmates.

Menus, Nutrition Facts, at Your Fingertips

Through Nutrislice, an innovative app, students, parents, and faculty have access to school menus, including nutrition information, allergens, and photos. Nutrislice can be downloaded for free from the App store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) and is available on desktop and mobile devices. Menus are also available at npsk.org click on Food Service.

Celebrating Our School Lunch Heroes

As kids advance from grade to grade with new classes and different teachers, the dedicated lunch ladies and men in the school cafeteria are often one of the few constants throughout the academic journey. Throughout the school year, these heroes of the cafeteria are dedicated to making mealtimes a bright spot in a student’s day, ensuring kids throughout the Nantucket community are served nourishing meals.

 We are always looking for talented individuals to join the dining services team with perks including family-friendly schedules, no night or weekend work, hiring incentives, and more. For more information, send an email to:petersonl@npsk.org.

Through sharing our passion for great tasting food, instilling a desire for food discovery, and most importantly, providing nourishing meals, we're excited to continue serving up happy and healthy to your children in the year ahead.

We love hearing from parents, and your feedback is important to us. Please reach out to our team with any questions or comments. We’re looking forward to a great school year!

Thank you,

Linda A. Peterson

petersonl@npsk.org

Office 508-228-7280 x 1236

 Nantucket Public School will serve Daily FREE Breakfast & Lunch in all Cafes for the 2023-2024 School Year.

National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program - DESE

Children need healthy meals to learn!

Nantucket Public Schools is providing free meals to all students under the USDA's Child Nutrition Program.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact at 

petersonl@npsk.org 

Thank you for supporting the Nantucket School Lunch Program.

***********

Chartwells - Nantucket Public Schools

Linda Peterson, Food Service Director
508-228-7280 x. 1236
petersonl@npsk.org

    FOOD FOCUS