Nutritional Services Blog
Cooking with the T-birds
In November, Nutrition Services teamed up with the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension to host a Family Cooking Night at Yavapai Elementary School. We showcased the joys and benefits of cooking and dining together at home, as families crafted their own personal pizzas using fresh ingredients, tossed together a colorful salad, and mixed a homemade dressing that added the perfect finishing touch!
10,000 Meals Served: A Heartwarming Celebration of Gratitude
The week before Thanksgiving, our school cafeterias went above and beyond to make sure every SUSD elementary and K-8 student had the opportunity to enjoy a delicious and festive holiday meal. In a display of community spirit, our cafeterias teamed with parent volunteers and SUSD staff to serve 10,000 Thanksgiving lunches to students across the district, creating memories and spreading joy!
Hats off to Team Awesome for this monumental effort. The cafeteria staff worked tirelessly in the days leading up to Nov. 21 to ensure every student received a hearty, traditional meal and our team knocked it out of the park this year.
This enormous challenge is well worth the effort. The students were excited, and so were we. It was a true labor of love, as serving Thanksgiving lunch is more than just about food, but also about showing students they are valued, appreciated and cared for.
We are grateful for Team Awesome and all they do, not only on this special day, but every day! Here's to many more shared meals ahead!
Thanksgiving is coming, but before we all enjoy a few extra days off with our families, Nutrition Services is excited to host our annual turkey dinner once again on the menu for our elementary and K-8 students and their families on Thursday, November 21! It’s such a busy, fun, exciting day that even our office staff is out in the schools helping serve meals. You can expect turkey and mashed potatoes, along with other traditional side dishes. Gobble, gobble, gobble!
Did you know that your family can apply for the free-and-reduced meal program at any time during the school year? Did you know that if you’ve already applied but didn’t qualify and your circumstances have changed, you can apply again? Did you know that if your child attends school at Coronado, Hohokam, Tonalea, or Yavapai, they can eat breakfast and lunch for free without even applying? All these things are true, so we encourage you to take advantage of these programs!
Looking for something rewarding to do while your students are in school during the day? Come work with Team Awesome! We have full-time and part-time positions open in our kitchens AND our main office. Some of these positions’ hours vary, so the schedule that works for you may just be a great fit for our team. Go to susd.org/jobs and type Nutrition in the Search bar.
LNQ Connect
Applications for free and reduced meals must be submitted annually, even if approved the previous year.
- Visit linqconnect.com
- Click “Start Meal Application”
- Enter “Scottsdale Unified School District”
- Enter Household/Student Information & Review Letter
- Review and Submit
Hohokam Elementary • Yavapai Elementary • Tonalea Middle • Coronado High
Updates to the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) portion of the federal National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs will allow for all students at the above four schools to select a breakfast and a lunch free of charge, each day of the 2024-2025 academic year.
Parents with students at these schools DO NOT have to fill out a free/reduced application form.
Negative Balances
Any negative balances accrued prior to May 24 must still be paid in full.
Refunds & Donations
All money on students’ LINQ account can be refunded or donated to negative lunch balances. To request a refund or donation, call 480-484-6234.
Recurring Payments
If you are subscribed to recurring payments, please cancel through your online LINQ account.
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Website: www.susd.org/NutritionServices
Phone 480-484-6234
It’s Time to Apply for Free and Reduced Meal Benefits!
Exciting News: Fresh Fruit & Veggie Bars Introduced in Our Elementary Schools!
We’re thrilled to announce the addition of fresh fruit and veggie bars to our elementary school cafeterias!
What’s new?
Students will continue to have access to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day; however, the bars will be displayed in attractive pans that students can scoop from and serve themselves the items of their choice and the amount they wish to eat. Most of the items will be in fresh bulk and no longer pre-packaged, adding to their appeal through fresh and vibrant colors, as well as being mindful of our environment. These bars are designed to encourage healthy eating habits by making nutritious options readily available.
Why It Matters:
- Boosts Nutrition: A colorful selection of fruits and veggies helps ensure students get essential vitamins and minerals.
- Encourages Healthy Choices: Easy access to fresh produce makes it simpler for students to make healthy eating decisions.
- Supports Academic Excellence: A well-balanced diet is key to keeping students focused and energized throughout the school day.
Encourage Your Child:
Talk to your child about the benefits of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. Let’s work together to promote healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime!
*Please note there are a few elementary schools where we cannot yet implement these bars. We are actively working on acquiring the equipment that is needed to make this option a reality at a handful of sites.
Meal Prices for 2024/25 School Year
Good news: Meal prices have not increased this year! Nutrition Services has deliberately held off on increasing prices, even in the face of rising costs, to continue to support our community as we continue to navigate out of a pandemic. We are happy to again be fortunate enough to support no price increase and pass that benefit on to our students and families. See meal, entrée and à la carte pricing, below:
Combo Meal Prices
Breakfast Combo includes the choice of an entrée, fruit or 100% fruit juice, veggie and milk.
|
Breakfast |
Price |
|---|---|
|
Elementary Combo |
$1.50 |
|
Middle School Combo |
$1.75 |
|
High School Combo |
$1.75 |
|
Adult & Student Second Meal |
$2.50 |
|
Reduced Price |
No Charge |
|
Free Price |
No Charge |
Lunch Combo includes the choice of an entrée and unlimited fruits and veggies. Additional side choices include 100% fruit juice, whole grain roll and milk.
|
Lunch |
Price |
|---|---|
|
Elementary Combo |
$2.85 |
|
Middle School Combo |
$3.10 |
|
High School Combo |
$3.10 |
|
Adult & Student Second Meal |
$4.50 |
|
Reduced Price |
No Charge |
|
Free Price |
No Charge |
A la Carte Entrées and Snacks
A la carte entrées and snacks are available for purchase by utilizing cash or money in a student’s account at the time of purchase. Prices are as follows:
|
Breakfast Entree |
$1.50 |
|
Lunch Entrée |
$3.75 |
A la carte snack pricing can be found on the Nutrislice online menu here. Simply click on your school site, select “lunch” and then select the à la carte drop-down at the bottom of the menu page. Please note that àla carte snack items have pricing displayed by each item at the school, as well.
Example of a Nutrislice à la carte, drop-down menu:
BIG NEWS! Four SUSD schools will be serving no-cost meals to their students for the 2024/2025 school year
We at Nutrition Services are extremely excited to announce that four (4) SUSD schools have been determined to be eligible to participate in the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program, beginning August 5, 2024. Participation in CEP allows all students at the four schools to select a breakfast and a lunch, free of charge, each day of the school year. The following schools will participate in CEP, beginning next school year:
- Hohokam Elementary School
- Yavapai Elementary School
- Tonalea Middle School
- Coronado High School
School meals are not only a healthy choice, but a huge convenience for most families. We look forward to welcoming your children to the cafeteria in the fall and serving them a no-cost breakfast and lunch, with a smile on the side!
Families at these schools will not need to complete free- and reduced-meal applications and will receive the benefit of no-cost meals simply by having their children enrolled for school at these school sites.
This is a great benefit to our community, district and the students at these four schools. It is the mission of Nutrition Services to find every opportunity to provide healthy meals for our students, and providing those meals at no cost to these four schools is something to celebrate!
In the coming days/weeks, you will begin to see announcements coming out through various social media pages (Nutrition Services, SUSD and the four schools’ website pages). In addition, we will be updating our Nutrition Services webpage in the coming weeks to provide more in-depth information for families, as well.
If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact the Nutrition Services Office at 480-484-6234.