IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!
Welcome Back! Please take the time to read this carefully.
- If your child(ren) were eligible for free/reduced meals last year, or may be eligible this year, please remember to submit the new Free/Reduced form enclosed or send in the Direct Certification letter from the government as soon as possible to the food service. Last year’s eligibility expires on October 1st. Either return to school with your child or mail it Onteora CSD PO Box 300, Boiceville, NY 12412 Att. Christine Downs. If your household was eligible last year and you fail to send in a new application, you will be responsible for paying the full price for a meal starting October 1, 2012. Applications for free/reduced meals may be sent in for approval at any point during the year. It is confidential, and with the Point of Sale (POS) system, the student’s status can not be detected by others.
- The cost of a complete lunch has changed due to Federal requirements and new portion sizes for different age groups. Please note that the costs of breakfast and milk remained the same.
Complete meal: In order for a lunch to be claimed and thus charged the lunch
prices below, a student must take 3 of the 5 different components offered and one MUST be a fruit or a vegetable. (see highlighted and numbered categories below). There will be signs at each POS informing students what constitutes a meal. If he/she still has questions, please encourage the child to ask the food services staff.
| Breakfast | Lunch |
K-5 | $1.25 | $2.00 |
6-8 | 6th $1.25 / 7th &8th $1.50 | $2.25 |
9-12 | $1.50 | $2.50 |
Reduced price | $0.25 | $0.25 |
Milk | $0.50 | $0.50 |
Some a la carte prices have been increased as well.
There will be minimums and maximums on 1) bread/grains and 2) meat/meat alternatives per day and week. However, the amounts of 3) vegetables and 4) fruits only have minimums that must be served. With this said, we encourage families to discuss with their child(ren) the importance of eating healthy and taking, and eating their fruits and vegetables. The 5) milk will remain the same size. School Food Authorities (SFA) were given these new requirements and rules by the federal government regarding the meals served. In some cases, students may notice portion sizes of some of their favorite meals are reduced. These regulations require SFA in all 50 states and Washington DC to follow the same rules for portion sizes and frequency of the different components of a complete/reimbursable meal.
- All students use a PIN (personal identification number). Returning students will still use the same PIN and all positive account balances will remain the same as when the students left for the summer. If your child is new to the district, his/her PIN is the student identification number that they will receive on the first day of school. (If negative account balances were not paid from the 2011-2012 school year, those students will not be allowed to receive a meal this year unless they have cash or money available on their account). Remember that the POS will be connected to the parent portal/Infinite Campus. This will allow you better access to see what your student(s) have been purchasing from the cafeteria. If you do not have a parent portal account, please contact your building administrator to sign up for one. On-line payments can be made through the parent portal.
- We strongly encourage parents to pre-pay for your student’s breakfast, lunch, and a la carte purchases on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis. Please keep in mind, this is a debit account. All monies deposited can be used for complete meals and a la carte purchases.
- If you placed restrictions on your child’s account, please contact the food service department to make sure they are still in place. Also, please contact the district if your child requires special meal accommodations. A detailed diet plan is required by a physician annually, at the start of a new school year, in order for the SFA to accommodate the request.
Look for our annual week long NY Harvest for NY Kids where we will be featuring fruits and vegetables from our local farmers. Please remember, we strive to serve healthy options and our fresh ingredients are purchased locally when available.
Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your support and cooperation. We look forward to a great year. Eat well and be happy!
Sincerely,
Christine Downs
School Lunch Manager
Onteora CSD
845-657-2373 x 2181
