Food & Nutrition Newsletter

The Blue Ridge School Nutrition Program

February is American Heart Month! This February, Blue Ridge Unified School District is committed to promoting heart health and nutrition awareness among our students and families. We believe that healthy hearts lead to healthy minds, and we're excited to share resources and tips to help you make heart-healthy choices.

Fueling Our Students for Success:

Did you know that a balanced diet plays a crucial role in heart health and overall well-being? Our school cafeterias are dedicated to serving nutritious meals that meet the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans. We prioritize fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins to ensure our students have the energy they need to learn and thrive.

This Month's Focus:

• Heart-Healthy Recipes: Check out SFE LLC (https://sfellc.com/superior-food/) website for delicious and easy heart-healthy recipes that you can make at home with your family. We'll be featuring recipes that are low in sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars.
• Nutrition Tips: Learn about the importance of reading food labels, understanding portion sizes, and making smart choices when dining out.
• Physical Activity: Discover fun and engaging ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Even small amounts of exercise can make a big difference for your heart health.

Get Involved:

• Family Fitness Challenge: Join our family fitness challenge and track your physical activity throughout the month. Prizes will be awarded to the most active families!
• Nutrition Workshop: Attend our nutrition workshop to learn more about making healthy food choices and cooking heart-healthy meals.
• Volunteer in the School Garden: Help us plant, harvest, and maintain our school garden.

Resources:

• American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/
• USDA ChooseMyPlate: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Stay Connected:

Follow us on social media for updates, recipes, and nutrition tips throughout the month. We encourage you to share your heart-healthy journey with us using the hashtag #BRHeartHealthy.

Together, we can make a difference in the heart health of our students and community!

Contact:

Kimberly Dugdale, kdugdale@brusd.org

.

You can also manage your student's meal account safely and securely online with LINQConnect.

The LINQ Family Portal allows you to:

• Make online payments to your student's account (Accepts Visa and MasterCard)
• Add money to multiple students during the same session.
• Remotely monitor your children’s cafeteria meal accounts
• Set up automatic and recurring payments
• Set up low account balance email and text alerts
• Transfer money between students
• Submit an online application for free and reduced meals
  
  

Need to create an account? Click the button and then select "Sign Up Today" and follow the instructions to link your students to your account.

PAY ONLINE - LINQCONNECT

• LINQ Connect Family Portal Support:
  – 844-467-4700 ext. 1

The District shall maintain a meal charge program that minimizes identification of children with insufficient funds to pay for school meals and maintains the financial integrity.

The District's meal charges will at all times comply with federal regulations. Eligible students shall receive reimbursable meals as permitted by federal statute and regulation.

The District shall make reasonable efforts to collect unpaid meal charges without impacting the involved student and shall provide communication to the parent/legal guardian responsible for the costs regarding the procedures for the debt collection and for providing additional meals. The District will reclassify delinquent debt as required by the National School Lunch Program.

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.