Elementary Food Services - Meal Program Information

Menus
The menus are published monthly online on each building page.  Students will order their lunch at the beginning of each day in their homeroom.  Please review the menus each night and know what you want to order the next day.  Your order will be taken in your homeroom and sent to the Cafeteria.  As you go through the serving line, you will tell the server if you want all the meal items listed on the menu to accompany the entrée choice that you signed up for earlier in the day.  Please be courteous to the server, and move quickly through the lines so everyone has sufficient time to eat.

There are a variety of fruits, vegetables, and milk available each day for the meal price.  You may choose the five components that make up your meal, so it’s important to know and understand them.  Below is an explanation of those 5 components.  You must take three of the five offered, to include a fruit or vegetable,  for the meal price.  We encourage you to take all five for a “real meal deal.” 

Student Lunches – 5 Components
There are five components of a school lunch:

1. Protein (hamburger, hot dog, chicken fries, cheese on pizza, tuna, etc.) Choose one.
2. Grain (roll, noodles, pasta, pizza crust, etc.)  Choose one.
3. Fruit (choose one fruit AND one vegetable)
4. Vegetable (choose one fruit AND one vegetable)
5. Milk assorted flavors, ½ pint.  Choose one.

Sample Lunch:  One slice of pizza (protein and grain) ½ cup corn, whole apple, milk (5 items) OR one slice of pizza (protein and grain) and fruit (3 items).

Milk, water, 100% fruit juice slushies, other juice drinks, fruits, vegetables, and an assortment of ala carte items are available for sale to complement any packed lunch from home, or any school meal.

Serving Sizes
One serving of fruit and vegetable is equal to ½ cup.  A ½ cup serving spoon is provided for you to serve yourself.  If you super size your servings, you will be charged accordingly.
 
Serving Line Area

1. All students are asked to keep their voices low while going through the line.  This will allow the servers to hear each student’s lunch order
2. Each student will pick up their own milk, straw, napkin, and utensils.  The server will hand you your tray.

Recycling
There are recycling barrels available and marked for recycling plastic drink containers and aluminum cans.  Please remove the lid, and empty all liquids from the container before depositing in the recycling barrels.

Cafeteria Rules

1. Backpacks, books, coats, and other items may NOT be carried through the Food Service Area.
2. All students must enter through the regular entrance locations, not through the cashier area.
3. A limited number of students will be allowed in the Food Service Area at one time.
4. Please do not enter the Food Service Area just to accompany a friend.  It creates congestion and slows the lines down.  If you are not making a purchase, please wait for friends in the dining room.
5. There is no eating allowed in the Food Service Area.  Please wait until you get in the dining room and seated at your table.
6. Anyone caught stealing will be punished according to the Conewago Valley School District policy.

Dishroom Area
All students are responsible for:

1. Returning your trays and silverware to the dishroom window and properly placing items on the counter and in soak containers.
2. Recycling empty aluminum and plastic items in the appropriate containers.
3. Placing silverware in the soak sink.
4. Paper and other waste must be placed in the trash receptacles.

Dining Room
Students are responsible for maintaining a clean area.  Please clean the area you where sitting before you go outside or return to class.  All lost and found items will be sent to the office.

Field Trips
When you are going on a field trip, the cafeteria can pack a nutritious lunch for you.  The lunch can be debited from your meal account.  Please be sure you have funds on the account to cover the lunch.  Free and reduced benefits may be used.

Food Allergies
If your child has food allergies, please ask the school nurse, food service staff, or download from our website, a form to be completed by a physician.  This form must be on file in the Food Service Department and nurse's office.  The form must be updated each year before any food substitution can be made for any of the 5 meal components.

Back-to-School-Night
A Food Service staff member is available at back-to-school night to answer your questions pertaining to the lunch program.  At that time, you may apply money to your child’s lunch account.

Applying for Free/Reduced Meal Benefits
The Conewago Valley School District is a National School Lunch program sponsor that participates in the Free and Reduced Meal Program.  Families and caregivers who have children attending a public school district such as Conewago Valley School District have the option of applying for free or reduced priced meal benefits.  If interested, you may complete the application online at www.compass.state.pa.us or submit the paper "Household Meal Benefit Application” that is distributed the first day of each school year.  Only one application per household is required.  Once submitted, the approved benefits are valid for the current school year and up to 30 operating days into the next school year.  Even if you received benefits the previous school year, a new application must be submitted every year for each household.  You may apply for free or reduced meals any time throughout the school year.  If you applied at the beginning of the year and were denied, but now have a decrease in household income, increase in family size, become unemployed, or begin receiving Food Stamps or TANF, you may be eligible.

How to Apply?

Online
Families that have children attending Conewago Valley School District may apply for free or reduced meal benefits online using COMPASS.  This is a web-based system that allows families to apply for multiple social service benefits online at the same time. In addition to free and reduced meal benefits, COMPASS allows Pennsylvanians to apply for additional social service programs such as;  Food Stamps (FS), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Energy Assistance, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), etc. To learn more about the offered benefits or to apply online, access the COMPASS website at www.compass.state.pa.us. As a reminder, if you apply for free or reduced priced meals through COMPASS, you do not need to submit a paper application.

Paper Application for Free or Reduced Meals
On the first day of the new school year, each student will receive a paper application for free and reduced priced meal benefits. If you need access to another paper application, you may print one from our main food services page. If you have multiple children in the school district, remember, only one application is needed per household.  After you complete the paper application, please send the application back to school with the child you feel is the most responsible for turning it in.  This will ensure the application is submitted for approval and benefits can start as soon as possible.    

When Will Meal Benefits Begin?
After the application is submitted, benefits will begin when your application is officially approved and you receive notification of approval or denial. A notification letter of approval for free/reduced meals or denial will be mailed to your home after the application is processed.  Until your application is approved, you are responsible for providing money for your child’s meals or packing a lunch.  Once approved, your free or reduced meal status will automatically be programmed into your child’s lunch account in the point of sales system and will remain confidential.  If eligible for free or reduced meals, your child is allowed one breakfast meal and one lunch meal per day at the free or reduced price.  Your child may not give or loan his/her free or reduced meal benefit to another person.

Electronic Point of Sale (POS) System
Each student has his/her own lunch account that can be accessed using a Personal Identification Number (PIN).  This PIN number will remain the same as long as they are a student at Conewago Valley School District.  Each time a purchase is made in the cafeteria this student specific PIN number must be used. Money cannot be refunded off your account to use in the vending machines.

Funds on Lunch Account
We encourage students to put money on their lunch accounts.  This allows the lines to run smoothly during lunchtime, prevents lost or stolen money, and is a convenience for all.  At the end of the school year, if your child is transitioning to a new building within the District, his/her balance will be transferred to the building for use the following year.  If you’re leaving the District, please check with the Food Service Department to review your child’s lunch account, because a refund may be due.

Writing a Check?
Please do not use gel pens of any color to write checks.  The bank will not accept them.  They will be returned to you.  All checks should be made payable to the “Conewago Valley Cafeteria Fund” and clearly marked with your child’s full name, and student ID number. 

• Elementary Level – lunch money is collected in the homerooms daily and sent to the cafeteria. 
• Middle School – a locked drop box is located outside the office for students to place their funds in, it is checked twice per day.  
• High School – a locked drop box is located inside the office for students to place funds in, it is checked twice per day.  

Checks Returned
All checks returned to the District Office for any reason will be charged a $10.00 service fee.  Your child’s lunch account may be placed in the negative due previous funds not being honored by the bank.  

Please call the Food Service Department at 624-2157 ext. 1015 with any questions you may have concerning the Food Service Program.

Karen Gordon  717-624-2157 ext. 7008 NOE Head Cook

Kristy Colon 717-624-2157 ext. 8008 CTE Head Cook