User login
Community of Practice Call February 4, 2021

Community of Practice Call February 4, 2021
About this Series
The Center for Ecoliteracy and LunchAssist host regular Community of Practice calls where we review the latest policy updates and highlight tools, best practices, and lessons learned from school districts and allied organizations across the state of California. This free series offers an opportunity for districts to connect with one another, share ideas, and build connections with community partners and government agencies around the state.
February 4, 2021 Call
Guest speaker: Maureen Pisanick from Pisanick Partners, LLC
- wide
Chat: Community of Practice Call February 4, 2021
Welcome! Please introduce yourself by typing your name, position, and where you work into the chat box. Also, what winter produce have you been enjoying?Welcome! Please introduce yourself by typing your name, position, and where you work into the chat box. Also, what winter produce have you been enjoying?Cathleen OlsenHello,Winters Joint Unified School DistrictTom MurphyGood Morning Everyone! Abby Halperin, Policy and Grants Manager at the Center for Ecoliteracy. Loving the naval oranges!Leslie Pring, Director of Nutrition, Twin Rivers USD in Sacramento , CA. Enjoying all the citrus!Suzanne Yamanishi, Food Service Manager, Southside School in Hollister, CA -- lots of Navel Oranges and Mandarins from California.Regina Salmon, Fortuna Union High School District, Fortuna, CAAlyce Hernandez Cloverdale UnifiedPaula Kendrick Florida department of Agriculture. Florida CitrusLiz OSusan Dalandan, Coordinator, Lehigh Valley Food Policy Council, eastern PA, potato in all forms!Hi everyone! I'm a reporter at a publication called The Counter who writes about school food. I recently covered a rise in obesity that's connected to challenges in schools: [link]Good morning, Zetta Reicker with No Kid Hungry - mandarins!Longwood CSDCathy Paredes, Borrego Springs USD Food Service Director, CitrusHello - Tara Thatcher BDM - West; Darlington Snacks. I enjoy our Blueberry Lemon Bites IW!Amy Hedrick-Farr, Director at Santa Cruz City Schools. I'm really enjoying Brussel SproutsGood Morning, Suzie King, Food Service Coordinator Cotati-Rohnert Park USD - oranges!Cathleen Olsen Winters Joint Unified School District, Little Gem LettuceAmy Glodde - No Kid Hungry ContractorHi everyone. Jenileigh Harris with the National Farm to School Network, based in Colorado.Kitchen Manager at Sand Creek Elementary, Sand Creek MichiganNatalie Lareau, program assistant at F2I Center. I've been loving tangerines!Brendan Shields, Director of Food Services, Magnolia School District, Brussel SproutsMaddy Moritsch, Alliance for a Healthier GenerationCristina Obregon Whittier City school District Director Food Services.Morning everyone! Erin Primer SLCUSD Food & Nutrition Services Director - loving local clementines!Good Morning. Bryan Miller Assistant Director of Child Nutrition Madera Unified.Suzy Sayre El Monte UHSD Love the mandarins!Good morning, everyone. Alexa Norstad, Director of Programs at the Center for Ecoliteracy. I am loving the pears right now!Director Jefferson OregonHi Everyone-Brandy Dreibelbis, Director of School Food Operations, Chef Ann Foundation. I've been enjoying CA MandarinsSally Spero, retired but still in love with school lunch. Fresh Satsumas from our backyard trees!Enjoying the apples and oranges.Leslie Montano, Director of Operations, ARISE High School. Bananas!Lisa Herberg, TUHSD, FSD, Brussel SproutsJennifer MarroneSan Diego Unified, Business Manager Food Services-I don't know what produce is normal to winterMichelle Hernandez, Nutrition and Wellness Coordinator, Carpinteria Unified School District, Winter Squash, Pears, CitrusHello Michelle Poirier from Palm Springs USD. I have been loving RutabagaLaurel Goins, Lucia MAr Unified. WE have fresh Kiwis this week from a local farm!Polly Houston, Lennox School District, always blueberriesMicha James, MPUSD Nutrition Services, cara cara oranges!Emma Finn with the Climate-Friendly School Food Team at Friends of the Earth! Definitely still enjoying as much SQUASH as I can get my hands on!!And I've been enjoying radishes and kale!good morning! Nadia Kelem, Oregon farm to school and school garden network, foodcorps - service member. Bend OR. loving Hubbard squash!Laura Bullene Jacobo, Director Woodlake USD, loving the Red Pears!Good Morning! Frances Gonzalez, Director of Nutrition Services for Ojai Unified School District in Ojai, CaGood morning/afternoon all! Jen here from LunchAssist. My favorite thing in the winter are those yummy kiwis that are in season! :)Rosa Rubio, Calistoga JUSD, kaleBrian Chiarito - Director at Madera USDAdriana Lopez, Director of Nutrition Services at Menifee USD in Menifee, CA. Delicious tangerines :)Antoinette Pearce, Assistant Director of Student Nutrition Compton Unified, I love eating oranges right now!Shaekha Dominguez, FSD at Hawking STEAM Charter. Enjoying it all!Mickinzie Lopez, LunchAssist - loving all the fresh citrus from our CSA box!Bailey Rose, Community Nutrition Adviser - Bay Area, Let's Eat Healthy Movement, Dairy Council of CAliz O’Gilvie Springfield Food Policy Council in Springfield Mass they are not local but I am living on Mandarins!Kat Soltanmorad, Director/Dietitian Tahoe Truckee USD. Enjoying local and organic blood oranges, mandarins and kiwis!Join the LunchAssist community here: [link]Brenda Ruiz, Sacramento Food Policy Council, spinachSo cute!Naomi Shadwell, Exec. Director of CNS for San Marcos USD. I'm also loving citrus!So cute! Congrats Jen :)Congratulations, such a cutie!Lisa White, SRVUSD, CA. Brussel sproutsOh my gosh - what a cutie! That smile is preciousAdorable Lola and beautiful familySo adorable!!!Aw thanks everyone! We are so happy. Babies are the best! Hehe.Register for next month’s call: [link]Valerie Weivoda, MS, RD, LD, SNS! Child Nutrition Director at Lee County School District in Tupelo, MS. Fav fall/winter produce I'm loving this year is butternut squash!!!28 Days Moments in Black History that Changed the World: [link]LunchAssist Civil Rights Training: [link]yeah my cousin Susan Burns is from Madera@Brian Great work!QUESTION: What new recipes have you tried out lately?love that fiesta bowlBeef picadillo. It was yummy!we made chicken apple salad yesterday via zoom with our parents it was Great :)QUESTION: How do you let your staff know they are appreciated?That’s such a great idea, Ana! How did it go with the parents??Great JobLove it!FRAC’s summary of the Omnibus Funding for Child Nutrition: [link]We are rolling out new recipes constantly trying to use our USDA foods: Monte Cristo Breakfast Biscuits, Chicken Nibblers, Baked Cinnamon Apple hand pies, BBQ Empanada, Pepper Jack Cheese Dip, Pepper jack Mac & Cheese, Pepper Jack Chkn Quesadillas...Ana Grajeda, I LOVE the idea of having a zoom session with parents. What time of day did you do this? How did it go/Those foods sound delicious, Valerie!lunch time here 1230-100 noonIf you are interested in implementing a gratitude practice for your amazing staff, check out Healthier Generation's Sustainable Gratitude Practice Resource: [link]Thanks for sharing, Maddy!we just finish an exercise class with our parents twice a week also for cooking classesLove that Ana! I've thought of trying to start an exercise class. I'd like to talk to you about how you have organized all of these zoom sessions :)Great news that CA opted in!sureFor those of you operating an At-Risk Supper Program outside of California, are you taking attendance by student name? Or has your state agency allowed you to use a tally count in lieu of student names? What creative ways are you meeting this requirement?For california districts, have you received the additional $0.75? Has it made a difference? We’re talking with legislators right now about more funding for this school year and it would be great to know how/if the existing funding has helped.What if we missed the FFCRA waiver?Abby- Yes we received it and anything helps. Hopefully Universal Meals is part of the legislative visits for your team.The additional $.75 has made a tremendous difference for my District because the fall in meal sales has meant so much less revenue.Thanks so much Suzanne! That’s great to hear.In PA, we only need a tally. Most of the CACFP programs are with enrolled students in child care, so the majority have names as well. However, we do have a few sites that are open drop in and afterschool at our firehouses (fire safety, police safety, household safety lessons and exercises) and we only need a tally for that.Hi Jamie - the FFCRA waiver is just an FYI. Nothing you need to do. CA already opted in. :)Thank you for sharing, Susan!They try to get names at the beginning of the program kick off, but not always possible.Oregon, and we must keep attendance by name.This is amazing news!Thank you, Susan! Any other states allowing tally sheets? We would love to share this info with the CA Dpt. Ed.Thanks @Kat, yes, universal meals is a big priority for us this year!Thanks Lisa for letting us know about ORIf the funding formulas were more favorable for schools that have moderate ISPs, and if there were extra state funding for it, would you consider implementing CEP for the 2021-2022 school year? Why or why not?MS school here operating ASCP...currently using names because we are in normal after school tutoring (with social distancing).Good to know, Valerie!GREAT opportunity to incorporate good purchasing values - into your wellness policy!!Op-ed written by Dr. Katie Wilson: [link]Thanks for the plug Jen! Healthier Generation has some great resources to get you on track for the LSWP triennial Assessment: [link]Has your school reopened? If yes, what protocols are in place to help keep your team safe? If not, what strategies would need to be in place in order for you to feel safe about bringing students back on campus?Do you think a national summer school would be beneficial to help students “make up”?as a parent, yes@Alexa-Yes, reopened hybrid for a second time Monday this week. We have MERF13 filters in each classroom, building, N95 masks, masks for all including students, gloves as requested, washing hand stations, desk shields, and only in session 4 days a week.. 1 day is deep clean at each campus. Food Services staff have worked every day since March 13 with the public and in the kitchens with colleagues.....Napa Valley USD is open! We use social distancing, grab and go meals, and use outdoor spaces when possible to name a few. National Summer school will pose schedule issues with CA union and current schedules for Food Service workers.@Alexa, especially for special education students who have had the least equitable access to education throughout this pandemic. They are the forgotten group. Summer school would be great for our crew as we always offer Seamless summer and buses for our summer programs. Receiving funding would be ideal.Yes, we have reopened. The students are eating outdoors durinWhat do you think the impact of not having salad bars this year will have on farm to school programs?We have been packing salads to go out as a full lunch item.@Alexa my district makes single serve veggie boxes and individual packaged salads to get the kids fresh veggies and to continue to order from our local farmsNo, in our part of PA,some are hybrid, a couple very small districts went in-person from September. But we are in an area of high community transmission. Many teachers are using staying virtual as a bargaining tool for contract negotiations as long as vaccines are not available for teachers. Some of the larger city districts in PA are thinking about moving to some in-person in April. Several tried hybrid before the holidays, but there were too many cases in the schools, especially in the middle and high schools.Mashed potatoes sound delicious right now… just sayin’Here are some of what we at Fortuna High School District has put in place when we reopened.Meals will be picked up inside the cafeteria • Meal pick up will be strategically coordinated using staggered release times from classrooms to prevent congestion. • Extended pick up times to allow social distancing. • Markers and floor signage have been placed six feet apart on sidewalks and floors, to ensure students stay apart while waiting to be served. • All entrances and exits are equipped with proper sanitation products, including hand sanitizer and/or sanitizing wipes. • Students are required to sanitize before touching the pin pad on the POS. • Before handling service containers, beverages and utensils, hands will be washed thoroughly and put on food service gloves to avoid any contamination of the containers. Gloves will be worn throughout the service time, changing them when needed. • Facial coverings must be worn at all times by both students and staff. • Staff are 6 foot distanced, behind clear screens as much as possible. • Administration and Cafeteria Staff will be present during serving time.Wow, THANK YOU for sharing, Regina!!!Here is the rest...Make reasonable efforts to ensure social distancing. • Common surfaces like doors and waiting areas will be disinfected after every meal service. • Meals will be taken outside, or taken home with individually plated or bagged meal.MS, schools are completely opened. My district is 5 days weekly. All students & staff wear masks; extended meal periods for social distancing; alternating those that dine in the classroom or some schools eat completely in classroom.Great ideas, Maureen! We love it all <3Valerie - are the students in the classroom social distancing as well?CDE Smarter Lunchrooms Movement: [link]Action for Healthy Kids also has some great smarter lunchrooms resources: [link]We also have a dining room two-part cleaning routine that involve the teachers to help us clean tables between classes. We have a spray that staff use at the end of the day on all tables, door knobs, ect. They wipe the tables down to remove any residue in the AM. We have containers of disinfectant wipes cashiers keep by them to wipe down high contact areas often throughout meal time. Stopped using pin pads but really need to bring them back to speed the line back up. Unfortunately, I don't believe they are able to space students out as mulch as they would like so they've opted for plastic barriers on every student desk.Very well said! Thank you Maureen! Such an inspiration.USDA Team Nutrition Training Grant for School Meal Recipes: [link]Gro More Good Garden Grant: [link]Maureen can you direct me to where to find your how to videosWhole Kids Foundation Garden Grant: [link]We love Maureen’s innovative menu planning solutionsCDFA Farm to School Incubator Grant: [link]Thank you all - for more recipe inspiration find us at [link]CDE School Breakfast Program and Summer Meal Program Start-up and Expansion Grants: [link]CDE NSLP Equipment Assistance Grant: [link]thanks again ladies for all the wealth of information it is much appreiciated Local Nutrition Directors Meeting Butte CountyCDE Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Application: [link]SY 20-21 CACFP AR Checklist: [link]If you are having a CACFP AR this year definitely take a look at that checklist as it’s a bit simpler and easier to follow. We hope it helps you! :)Chef Ann Foundation: Scratch Cooking To-Go Recipes: [link]The tally sheet that is on your site that now says "COVID-19 Emergency FeedingWoohoo! Thank you for the shoutout, CEL x LunchAssist!Friends of the Earth - Organic School Food: A Road Map for Success: [link]Register for the webinar at [link]Friends of the Earth Webinar [link]CDFA| Farm to School Network Conference [link]Hi Carrie - yes it is actually nearly the same as the CDE form just slightly modified. You can use this or any other meal count form that helps you take meal counts in a way that makes sense for your program.Culinary Institute of America | Global Plant Forward Culinary Summit: [link]Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: [link]What is something you do on a daily basis, out of habit?Making my morning coffeeUnfortunately, checking my phone right when I wake up is a habit I formed during pandemic. Definitely looking forward to changing this!Maddy, agree! scrolling through news and social media half asleep, anyone?I have started keeping a tally sheet on my desk to mark off how many bottles of water I’ve had each day. I try and check off all my tallies every day, and even if I don’t succeed, I make sure to make it a priority the next day!!Stretching and walking workout - I have been emulating my cat for years now! lolOh, I like the water one!SY 20-21 Cafeteria Team Checklist: [link]Clean the top of my desk at the end of the dayOoo, good one, Sally!Recommended Reading: “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg and “Atomic Habits” by James ClearPlease feel free to put questions for discussion in the chat, or come off of mute to ask them.What was Maureen email?01:28:18
Abby Halperin | Center for Ecoliteracy:01:28:27
Maureen Pisanick:01:28:31
Maureen Pisanick:
https://www.nutrismartnetwork.com/01:28:35
Ricardo Espinosa:
what are you all doing for home delivery01:28:38
Ricardo Espinosa:
?01:28:45
Mickinzie Lopez | LunchAssist:
Oh my gosh, LOVE the Wellbeing Calendar Laura just shared!01:28:52
Mickinzie Lopez | LunchAssist:
Printing it out now :)01:29:08
Jamie Anderson:
Frozen meals01:29:09
Kristie Summers:
We are bussing meals to drop off sites in neighborhoods.01:29:10
Susan Dalandan:
Thank you and have a great day. This is a very busy conference week, but I can01:29:11
Frances Gonzalez:
Our bus drivers deliver meals01:29:18
Susan Dalandan:
but I can01:29:18
Leslie Pring:
School nurse refers students for home delivery and verifies information..01:29:29
Susan Dalandan:
but I can't miss these calls!01:29:58
Jen McNeil I LunchAssist:
Aw thank you Susan. We appreciate you being here! <301:30:01
Ricardo Espinosa:
thanks ! :)01:30:26
Michael Jochner | Director@MHUSD:
We deliver once a week. Targeted low income, large apartment complexes, and mobile home areas within our community.01:30:43
Jen McNeil I LunchAssist:
Thank you for sharing about home delivery, Kristen!01:30:49
Lisa Buskirk:
Busing meals daily. K-1 returns Monday01:30:58
Michael Jochner | Director@MHUSD:
Staff cars, pay mileage.01:31:45
Suzanne King:
CA has to have permission from the family in writing01:31:57
Sarah Prince:
TN must have a signed consent from the family for SSO or CACFP01:32:13
Jennifer Herrold:
Indiana has to have consent01:32:20
Leslie Pring:
We have a written consent and is only available while in distance learning.....01:33:01
Jamie Anderson:
I didn't know that about SSO, guess I missed it!01:34:26
Leslie Montano:
We deliver once a week. We have a google form where students & families sign up for home deliveries (on our website and sent as a reminder for anyone who still wants to join in receiving meals). They get meals for a week and shelf stable bags from the Alameda county food bank :)01:34:59
Paloma Perez Bertrand I LunchAssist:
Thank you everyone for sharing how you are doing and keeping track of home delivered meals!01:36:21
Mickinzie Lopez | LunchAssist:
Thanks for sharing, Brenda!01:36:23
Patricia Lopez:
How do we register for that webinar?01:36:57
Suzanne King:
Thank you, Brenda!01:37:25
Cathy Moen:
thanks Brenda, I have parents calling and asking how to sign up.01:38:29
Mickinzie Lopez | LunchAssist:
Here’s the link to download the insert: https://www.lunchassist.org/resource_redirect/downloads/sites/91734/themes/2204453/downloads/VBwK4GSoSoy6KAp4vGls_HACCP_Plan_Supplement_for_COVID_19_1_.docx01:38:44
Maureen Pisanick:
We are super excited to still offer "Try-days" and "Local Meal Takeovers" - I'd be happy to assist in anyway I can01:38:45
Brenda Ruiz:
P EBT is not open yet for 'sign up'. we'll know a lot more on Feb 28 what the roll out is going to look like in California01:38:51
Brenda Ruiz:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/270222506033587866801:38:58
Brenda Ruiz:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/270222506033587866801:39:12
Mari Fujikawa:
Since CDE will pull the Free/Reduced students from CALPADS by the end of February, we would appreciate being able to send out P-EBT communication soon. I thought I read there won’t be an application for P-EBT this round.01:39:20
Emma Finn:
Thank you LunchAssist x CEL for another great community call! We so appreciate the sharing of resources and partnership <301:39:30
Brenda Ruiz:
*feb 18 for PEBT webinar01:39:54
Paloma Perez Bertrand I LunchAssist:
Thank you, Emma! we appreciate everyone joining today :)01:40:46
Lorene Randazzo:
great presentation !!01:40:49
Brenda Ruiz:
for p EBT it's not really an application, more of a sign up or registration01:41:08
Alexa Norstad | Center for Ecoliteracy:
Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/upYtde-uqTIp5W3YWMxHDzNjEWcAj6n7Fg01:41:22
Mickinzie Lopez | LunchAssist:
Thanks, Lorene!01:42:05
Suzanne King:
Always excited to see Michael's background01:42:16
Michelle Hernandez:
Thank you!! These meetings are great!01:42:22
Valerie Weivoda:
Thank you!01:42:28
Brenda Ruiz:
thank you!01:42:28
Polly Houston:
Thank you everyone. Very informative.0