Dear Parents of Lynnfield Students,

I would like to explain how the National School Lunch Program works in Lynnfield. We participate in the “Offer vs. Serve” program. A lunch must offer the 5 components of what the NSLP considers to be a well-balanced, nutritional, reimbursable meal. The 5 components are.

1. Meat or Meat alternative (Proteins such as Legumes, Tofu, Cheese)

2. Grains (Breads, Rice, Cereal, Pasta)

3. Fruits

4. Vegetables

5. Milk

Under the new Guidelines for any meal to be considered a well-balanced, nutritional, reimbursable meal, we must offer all 5 of these components, but your children only have to take 3 as long as one of their choices is a fruit or vegetable. This is why it’s called “offer vs. serve.” Your children may take all 5 components, but only have to take 3 for it to be considered a meal.

With the new regulations under the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act of 2012, all grains have to be at least 51% Whole Grain (pasta has to be whole grain, rice, has to be brown rice, all of the Breads for sandwiches have to be at least 51% whole Grain). Knowing this the food service distributors, have tried to develop products that are not only compliant, but also that your children will eat and enjoy.

Under the Massachusetts Competitive Foods & Beverage Bill all foods sold in public schools shall be compliant with state nutrition standards 30 minutes prior to the start of school to 30 minutes after school ends. All A la’ Carte items sold must have no more than 200 calories per item with no more than 35% of those calories coming from fat, less than 20% from saturated fat, and less than 30% from sugars with the exception of fruit and low-fat yogurt. No beverage shall contain caffeine or artificial sweeteners.

Free and Reduced Lunch program offers a well-balanced, nutritional, reimbursable meal to all families who are eligible, but it must qualify as a meal under the state and federal guidelines. A la’ Carte items are not included in this program (snacks, waters, extra servings). All of these items are to be paid for separately. 

We are striving to find healthy nutritious meals and snacks for your children under the state and federal guidelines that they enjoy. We use the John Stalker Institute A-list as a guide and all snacks sold are compliant with all of the aforementioned guidelines.

Please feel free to call me with any questions or if your child has dietary restrictions or allergies that you would like to discuss.

Sincerely,

James McCarthy

Food Service Director

781-334-7320

mccarthyjam@lynnfield.k12.ma.us

Dear Parents of Lynnfield Students,

The Lynnfield Public Schools Food Service Department uses the Meal Magic Corporation’s point-of-sale system in our school cafeterias. This is a pre-paid register system that provides convenience and accountability for our meal programs.

All students have an “account” into which parents can deposit money at any time.  This account will be used for all of your child’s breakfast, lunch, milk or snack purchases.  All students are assigned a four digit code which they enter at the register when making a purchase.  Codes for incoming kindergartners will be mailed home at the start of school in September.  If a student forgets his/her code it can be looked up by the cashier. Meal Magic offers you control for monitoring your child’s spending and eating habits. 

With our Meal Magic system, comes access to www.sendmoneytoschool.com.  This web site allows you to gain access to the activity of your child’s Nutrition Services account. You must register your child with their “Student ID” on the web site. You will need to contact the Food Service Office for your child’s “Student ID”.  There is no requirement to make deposits online and no fee to view account activity. If you decide to make a deposit online ($20 minimum) using a credit card, a flat fee of $2.00 will incur on all transactions.  If you have more than one child you can designate an appropriate amount for each child. You may also deposit money into your child’s account by sending in cash or a check, made out to “Lynnfield Food Service.” There is no fee for deposits made at school with either check or cash. These deposits can by made at any school kitchen or by mailing it to our office at the Middle School, 505 Main St., Lynnfield. 

The Free and Reduced Meal Benefit applications are available on-line using www.LunchApp.com.  When using this site, your approval will be in one business day or less.  Meal Magic helps protect your child’s privacy when participating in this program because all children’s accounts will look the same.

POINT OF SALE SYSTEM BENEFITS

Prepaying for meals is A WIN/WIN FOR EVERYONE. Monies are drawn from the account ONLY when your child eats; and if your child moves to another Lynnfield school, the funds follow them. As a parent, you have discretion to have us block items that you would not like your child to purchase. This does not mean that they cannot purchase a lunch.

• The lunch line moves faster so students will have more time to eat.
• You may deposit prepayment money in your child’s account at any time.
• You may send in any amount in an envelope with your child’s name and PIN number on it to the school or to the Lynnfield Food Services for deposit into your child’s account. 
• If paying by credit card on-line, prepayment of a $20.00 minimum may be made to www.sendmoneytoschool.com  
• Computer touch-screen cash registers are used to verify student information.
• Each student has their own personal lunch account.
• Sales are automatically deducted from the student’s account. 
• Parents may log onto the internet to see the balance of their child’s account to see what their child has selected.

All elementary students must prepay for their meals throughout the year.  We will encourage parents to pay on a weekly or monthly basis by sending in cash or a check to their child’s school or by using www.sendmoneytoschool.com.  There will be no cash exchange at all on a daily basis.  Middle and high school students are encouraged to prepay to save time and improve service.

MEAL PRICES

View Menus at

www.lynnfield.k12.ma.us

BREAKFAST $2.00

LUNCH $3.00

MILK ONLY $.75

All questions and suggestions please call or e-mail:    James McCarthy, Food Service Director

Lynnfield Food Service, 505 Main Street, Lynnfield, MA 01940

(781)334-7320 or (781)334-7300  ext: 5138

Or email at mccarthyjam@lynnfield.k12.ma.us

Comm_of_MA_WIC-Free_Lunch-SNAP.pdf

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, repirsal, and where applicable, political beliefs, martital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department.  (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at
http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint filing cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the for.   You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form.  Send your completed compaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20250-9420, by fax (202)6907442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800)877-8339; or (800)845-6136 (Spanish)

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer."