In recognition of the National School Lunch Program, which serves nearly 30 million children each school day, Newton County Schools will celebrate National School Lunch Week from October 14-18, 2024. The fun and creative campaign theme, “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure,” highlights the value of a quality school lunch and its nutrient-dense food and beverage components related to a student’s success in and out of the classroom.
Research shows children are getting their healthiest meals at school. National School Lunch Week highlights the nutritious foods available during school days within Newton County schools. One treasured aspect of our food and nutrition services is our Farm-to-School initiatives that facilitate our schools showcasing Georgia’s Harvest of the Month agriculture. With October being National Farm-to-School Month, Newton County Schools is proud to offer Georgia Grown Gourds, such as roasted pumpkins and squash, as a healthy component of our quality school lunches. Additionally, Newton County School’s Nutrition Department provides federal and state nutrition, physical activity, and educational resources via our website and social media platforms targeting compliance with our district’s Wellness Policy.
“School lunches offer students various fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, milk, and other excellent protein sources while meeting federal nutrition standards regarding limiting fat, calories, and sodium,” said Abdul Lindsay, School Nutrition Director. “National School Lunch Week helps us educate parents and students about treasuring our lunch program's wonderful benefits.”
On Thursday, October 17, 2024, all our local school nutrition teams will demonstrate their School Lunch Pirate spirit as they serve all our customers. For this school year, the main “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure” event is planned for Live Oak Elementary, whereby the school nutrition central office and local team members will host activities that aim to engage children with Food-based Learning approaches. Children will receive complimentary gifts and prizes as they enjoy their quality meals.
The federally funded National School Lunch Program has been fueling students for success for 77 years. Newton County Schools currently offers no-cost (Free) quality meals to all actively enrolled students under the United States Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) in our ongoing effort to Fuel Georgia’s Future!
The “School Lunch Pirates: Find Your Treasure” campaign is made possible by the nonprofit School Nutrition Association. Parents and students can follow the fun on social media using the hashtags #NSLW24, #SchoolLunchPirates and #SchoolLunch.
For more information on National School Lunch Week, visit
www.newtonschoolnutrition.org and
https://schoolnutrition.org/nslw/.
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