Back to School Newsletter

Summer has been filled with sunshine, outdoor activities, and delicious seasonal produce, but we are excited to welcome students back to the cafeterias later this month! We felt this was a great time to reintroduce ourselves, our program, and what our department does at Northampton Public Schools. We can't wait for another great year!

Freshampton is the School Nutrition Services of the Northampton Public School District. We are responsible for providing NPS students with breakfast and lunch each school day, as well as organizing farm to school programming for students in the classroom through connections with community organizations. Read more below about what we do!

Our goal at Freshampton is to provide delicious and nourishing meals to students everyday. Our dedicated kitchen staff prepare breakfast and lunch daily to provide students with fresh meals that will keep them full throughout the school day. This involves sourcing almost 30% of our produce from local farmers to get quality ingredients that support the larger Northampton community!

Freshampton is also responsible for organizing and executing Farm to School initiatives! We provide monthly taste tests and secure grant funding that allows us to partner with great community organizations. This collaboration results in food and garden based lessons both in the classroom and in each school garden, field trips, and after school clubs for students with the goal of cultivating informed and adventurous eaters! Read on below to see some of the programming you can expect this year!

SY24-25 Farm to School Programming:

• Monthly Harvest of the Month Taste Tests in Elementary School cafeterias
• Club Food Fight after school cooking club at JFK Middle School in partnership with Grow Food Northampton
• Field Trips to the Grow Food Northampton Community Farm
• Fresh Kids experiential, agricultural, nutrition education activities in partnership with School Sprouts -- cooking in the classroom!

Mistelle Hannah is the Nutrition Director of Northampton Public Schools. As a Registered Dietitian, Mistelle is able to create USDA compliant menus that provide a healthy and delicious balance to students breakfast and lunch. She designs menus that utilize similar ingredients, prioritizing local foods and minimizing waste.

Contact:

mhannah@northampton-k12.us

413-587-1489 (x7052)

All of our monthly menus can be viewed on our website. Keep an eye out for website updates this school year that will improve accessibility and make it easier to stay up to date on all things Freshampton!

Northampton Public Schools will offer healthy meals every school day at NO COST to all students as a result of the implementation of the Community Eligibility Provision for school year 2024-2025. Community Eligibility Provision is an innovative provision that allows schools to serve free meals to all students while eliminating the need for families to complete paper applications for Free and Reduced Price Meals. This means that you are NOT required to submit any paperwork for your student to receive free school meals.