Food & Nutrition Newsletter

A Message from Our Food Service Team (in partnership with SFE LLC):

Dear Blue Ridge Families,

As the weather warms and spring is in full bloom, our Food Service team, in partnership with SFE LLC, is excited to continue providing your students with delicious and nutritious meals throughout May! This month, we're sharing our regular menu highlights, two fun recipe ideas to try at home, and celebrating some very special heroes!

We value your feedback and are always working to enhance our meal program.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or suggestions using the contact information provided below.

Mark your calendars! Friday, May 2nd, 2025, is School Lunch Hero Day!

Blue Ridge Unified School District, in partnership with SFE LLC, is proud to join schools across the nation in recognizing the incredible dedication and hard work of our school nutrition professionals.

When we say school nutrition professionals are heroes, we mean it!

These amazing team members make a significant difference in the lives of every child who comes through our cafeterias. They work tirelessly to provide nutritious and delicious meals, ensuring our students are ready to learn and thrive.

Let's take a moment on May 2nd to appreciate their commitment to our students' well-being.

You can learn more about this special day at https://schoolnutrition.org/event/school-lunch-hero-day/.

Wondering what delicious and nutritious meals are on the menu for May? You can find the detailed daily and weekly menus for all Blue Ridge Unified School District schools here:

https://brusd.nutrislice.com/menu.

Be sure to check it out regularly to see the exciting options available for your students!

Elementary:

For lunch the elementary students have three choices for an entrée: a Scratch made Entrée, traditional Kids Favorites, or a Sunbutter and Jelly Sandwich with a String Cheese. A salad and fruit bar is also available, along with a choice of milk.

Junior High/ High School

For the junior high and high school, students can choose an entrée from one of our six concepts, offering over 30 different lunch combinations!

Ballpark features student favorites such as Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, Cheeseburgers, BBQ Beef Rib Sandwiches and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Deli Bar features Fresh Baked Sub Rolls with a variety of Deli Meats, Cheese and toppings

Grab and Go Station features Yogurt Power Packs, Chef Salads, Caesar Salads, PBJ Power Pack and a Hummus Power Pack. Each package contains a full meal, so either load up at the salad bar, or grab and go to the register!

Adobe features a Nacho or Taco Bar! Choose from Seasoned Ground Beef or Chicken, Nacho Chips, Walking Tacos, Crunchy or Soft Tacos, and add Spanish Rice and Corn to complement your meal.

Cheese and Pepperoni Pizza is offered Daily!

Traditional Line features a new entrée daily! Visit us Monday for our Asian selections, Tuesday for Ballpark Favorites, Wednesday for Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy, Thursday for Italian, and Friday for Wings!

All meals include an enhanced salad bar with fresh choices and four options for fruit!

Please visit the link above for the specific daily and weekly menus for your child's school.

Why kids love it: It's easy to make, fun to assemble, and provides a good source of fiber and protein. Plus, the name is just plain silly!

As we approach Mother's Day in May (Sunday, May 11th, 2025), we want to acknowledge the vital role mothers and caregivers play in shaping healthy eating habits and nurturing their families through food. Just like our School Lunch Heroes nourish our students at school, mothers provide nourishment and care at home.

Food is often a central part of family traditions and celebrations, and Mother's Day is a wonderful opportunity to share a meal together. Whether it's a special brunch, a home-cooked dinner, or even a simple shared snack like the parfait recipe above, the love and care that goes into preparing and sharing food strengthens family bonds and contributes to overall well-being.

This Mother's Day, let's appreciate all the ways mothers and caregivers contribute to the health and happiness of their families, often starting with the nourishment they provide.

Celebrate the special mothers and caregivers in your life with a delicious and colorful parfait! This is a fun recipe to make together.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups vanilla yogurt (low-fat or Greek)
• 1 cup mixed fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), sliced if large
• ½ cup granola
• 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup (optional)
• Fresh mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

1. Gather your ingredients and let everyone help wash and slice the berries.
2. In individual glasses or small bowls, layer about ¼ cup of yogurt at the bottom.
3. Sprinkle a layer of granola (about 1-2 tablespoons) over the yogurt.
4. Arrange a layer of mixed berries over the granola.
5. Repeat the layers: yogurt, granola, berries.
6. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup, if desired.
7. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig, if using.
8. Serve immediately and enjoy this refreshing and healthy treat together!

Why it's great for Mother's Day: It's light, refreshing, and can be customized with favorite fruits. Making it together is a lovely way to spend time and show appreciation.

Summer Meals will be available for Thursday pick up starting on 5/22/2025. Meals will include items for 7 days of breakfast and lunch. Items may vary depending on availability but will include a gallon of milk, juice, bread, deli meat (or other protein), breakfast grains, fruits and vegetables!

For meal pick up:

Summer Meal Pick Up Starts Thursday, 5/22/25

Available for all children 18 and under

Thursday Pick Up will include items for 7 days of breakfast and lunch

Times are 7:30am-11:00am

Pick up at the back door of the High School Cafeteria

No Meal Pick Up 7/3/25

As we look forward to the next school year (FY26), it's important to register your student as soon as possible. Early registration helps the district plan effectively for staffing, resources, and program development to best serve all our students.

How to Register:

You can find all the information you need to register your student for the FY26 school year, including online registration links and in-person registration details, here: https://www.brusd.org/domain/30. Please visit this page for step-by-step instructions and any required forms. Importantly, the registration process also includes the application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals for FY26.

Why Register Early?

• Ensures Placement: Early registration helps guarantee your student's placement in their appropriate school and grade level.
• Resource Allocation: Accurate enrollment numbers allow the district to allocate staff and resources effectively, ensuring the best learning environment for all students.
• Program Planning: Early registration assists in the planning and development of specialized programs, including those supported by Title I, Title III, and Title VI.
• Communication: Registered families will receive important updates and information regarding the upcoming school year, including start dates, supply lists, and back-to-school events.
• Convenient Meal Application: Completing the registration process allows you to conveniently submit your application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals for the upcoming school year.

Please complete the registration process for the FY26 school year by July 2025 to help us prepare for a successful year ahead and to ensure timely processing of your meal application.

• Food Menus: You can find the daily and weekly food menus here: https://brusd.nutrislice.com/menu.
• Meal Payments: Manage your meal payments easily and securely through our new LINQ Connect platform. Visit [link to the LINQ Connect information page, if available, otherwise use the general Food Services page: https://www.brusd.org/Page/80] for more details.
• Free and Reduced-Price Meals: If you believe your family may qualify for free or reduced-price meals, please visit [link to the application or relevant page on the BRUSD website]. Applications can be submitted at any time during the school year.
• Allergy Information: If your child has any food allergies or dietary restrictions, please ensure you have communicated this to the school nurse and the food service department. We work closely with families to accommodate individual needs.

Blue Ridge Unified School District is proud to partner with SFE LLC to provide high-quality, nutritious, and appealing meals to our students. SFE LLC brings their expertise in school nutrition management, menu planning, and food sourcing to ensure our students have access to healthy options that support their learning and well-being. 1 Together, we are committed to:

1. About SFE | Putting Child Nutrion First | Superior K-12 Food Service

sfellc.com

• Offering a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Providing meals that meet or exceed USDA nutritional standards.
• Creating menus that are both nutritious and kid-friendly.
• Maintaining high standards of food safety and hygiene.

Our partnership with SFE LLC allows our district to focus on our core mission of education while ensuring our students are well-nourished and ready to learn.

We're excited to announce an upgrade to our meal payment platform! Our meal payments platform, Titan Family Portal, has been upgraded to LINQ Connect. It’s an easy and convenient way to manage your student's meal payments without the hassle of sending cash.

LINQ Connect allows you to:

• Make secure online payments from your computer or mobile device.
• View your student's meal account balance and purchase history.
• Set up automatic payments to ensure funds are always available.
• Receive low balance alerts so you can replenish funds as needed.

Look for information on how to access and use LINQ Connect on the Blue Ridge USD website [link to the LINQ Connect information page, if available, otherwise use the general Food Services page: https://www.brusd.org/Page/80].

We encourage all families to take advantage of this convenient and secure way to manage meal payments.

To see if your student qualifies for free or reduced lunch:

Go to BRUSD.org>

Click on PARENTS/STUDENTS/REGISTRATION>

Under the Quick Links click on ParentVue/StudentVue>

Log in to your ParentVue>

Select your student you would like to look at in the upper left corner of the screen>

Click on Student Info>

Scroll down the page until you see the Other Data box. The Free and Reduced Meals Eligibility is displayed there:

To fill out the Free and Reduced Meals application or to make changes to it:

Go to BRUSD.org>

Click on PARENTS/STUDENTS/REGISTRATION>

Under the Quick Links click on ParentVue/StudentVue>

Log in to your ParentVue>

Click on Online Registration in the upper right corner of the screen>

Select the Free and Reduced Meals Update>

Fill out the Update and Submit.

The Food & Nutrition Department is dedicated to supporting the educational process by providing nutritious, flavorful and affordable options that fuel students’ bodies and minds. We believe that meals should be both nourishing and enjoyable; we take pride in offering a variety of foods that excite our students and satisfy their diverse needs. All items sold & served within our schools are based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Food Service Liaison: Kimberly Dugdale (kdugdale@brusd.org)
Food Service Administrative Assistant: Sophia Federico (sfederico@brusd.org)
SFE General Manager of Food Service : Stephanie Joyner (sjoyner@brusd.org)

Phone: 928-368-6126

https://www.brusd.org/Page/80

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

fax: (833) 256-1665; or (202) 690-7442

email: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.