Wednesday, February 7, 2024
Announcements from the WI DPI School Nutrition Team (SNT)
- Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Updates from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) School Nutrition Team
- Other Updates and Information
IMPORTANT! Summer-EBT Point of Contact Survey Coming Soon!
As the Wisconsin Departments of Public Instruction (DPI) and Health Services (DHS) prepare to administer the new Summer EBT (S-EBT) Program for summer 2024, a point of contact for each school food authority (SFA) must be identified.
The School Nutrition Team is sending out a brief survey to collect a point of contact for Summer EBT and information about how your SFA operates. This information will be used by both DPI and DHS to ensure that all eligible students receive S-EBT benefits during the summer months when access to nutritious school meals is limited.
Your quick response to this survey is greatly appreciated!
Updates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
New features and food yields in the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs Interactive Web-based Tool!
Two exciting new features have been added to the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-based Tool. Both features are available under the Tools menu on the toolbar:
- Interactive flow chart on using the preparation yield walks users through when to use the Preparation Yield factor in the Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW).
- An Ounces to Pounds Calculator allows users to easily convert ounces to pounds and pounds to ounces to make converting units a breeze!
New foods are available in the FBG! New additions consist of USDA Foods frozen mixed vegetables and a variety of meat items including 11-, 43-, and 48-ounce pouched tuna; boneless, skinless chicken thighs; ground mutton, mutton shoulder chops and stew meat; catfish filets; and USDA Foods canned pork. Stay tuned for additional yield data releases.
Team Nutrition appreciates receiving your comments on the FBG and works continuously to enhance the user experience.
Explore the Food Buying Guide today!
Updates from the DPI School Nutrition Team
NEW Training Opportunity! In-person Produce Processing
The DPI School Nutrition Team is offering in-person produce processing training for school nutrition professionals. The goal of these training sessions is to increase speed, skill, and confidence with processing of raw produce to increase local product procurement.
Chef Jeff Mallegni, one of the Farm to School (F2S) Specialists on the School Nutrition Team is excited to conduct processing demonstrations, assist with produce sampling, and taste testing. Opportunities to participate will begin April 2024 and continue throughout the 2024-25 school year. Please fill out the Training Interest Form to request a training visit for your school or district.
School Nutrition Summer Training (SNST): Go for the Gold!
Join the DPI School Nutrition Team for SNST 2024 at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in Green Bay. Gear up for the Summer Olympics and get ready to Go for the Gold with our revamped breakout sessions, inspiring guest speakers, and a special Keynote Session featuring Kwik Trip Public Relations liaison, Ben Leibl.
Our Opening Ceremonies kick off this year's conference the afternoon of Monday, July 15, with classes running through Wednesday, July 17. Stay tuned for the conference schedule and registration, coming in early April on SNST Webpage. Get ready to champion excellence in school nutrition!
With Green Bay being a popular summer destination, we recommend booking a hotel stay early.
Winter 2024 School Nutrition Newsletter
Extra! Extra! The Winter 2024 Edition of the School Nutrition Newsletter is here with a brand new section featuring the School Nutrition Superhero of the Month, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program Grant information, updates on the Wisconsin Local Foods for Schools Program and much more!
You can find past editions on the School Nutrition Team Newsletter webpage.
NEW Farm to School(F2S) Newsletter!
The Farm to School Team at the DPI is excited to announce publication of Harvest Highlights, a F2S newsletter. The first issue was published Thursday, February 1, 2024. Future issues will be published on the first Thursday of each month. Topics include upcoming F2S grant information, in-person and virtual training opportunities, articles profiling school districts, farmers, and producers, as well as other updates for current and future F2S projects. Please consider Subscribing. There is also a blue subscription button located on the F2S webpage titled “Subscribe to Harvest Highlights Email List.”
NEW Farm to School (F2S) Resources!
Social media is a great tool to showcase your F2S activities to caregivers, administrators, teachers, and the community. Utilize the Sample Social Media Posts for templates you can copy and paste to promote on your school social media accounts! The Wisconsin F2S logo can be used in your posts as well.
In a Nutshell Selling to Schools: A Guide for Producers explains the State of Wisconsin and federal licensing requirements for selling local products to schools. Schools may use this resource as a checklist to ensure they are buying from reputable sources.
Other Updates and Information
Reminder: NEW Grant Opportunities!
The Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub, funded by the USDA, is offering two grant opportunities in 2024. SPARK grants ($10,000-$75,000) fund projects that need a short-term infusion of funds for school food system and marketplace improvements, such as capacity-building, planning, and product testing projects. Innovation Collaborative Awards ($250,000) fund projects that promote systems-level change of the school food system and marketplace, such as scaling up of programs, regional partnerships, or new program or product development and integration.
Applications opened February 1, 2024, with a final application deadline of April 30, 2024.
Register for an upcoming informational webinar on Wednesday, February 14, 2024, offered in English at 1:00 PM CST and Spanish at 2:00 PM CST.
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Jill K. Underly, PhD, State Superintendent
125 S Webster Street
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 266-3390 • (800) 441-4563