Happy Friday! On this spring day, I write with really important logistical news. Forgive me for the format.
Parents/Guardians of 10th Graders: The ELA section of the MCAS begins next Tuesday and will conclude on Thursday (there is no school on Friday). It is imperative that students be on campus on time and ready to go for this assessment. In recent weeks, English teachers have been working hard with and for students to get them prepared. Now, all they need to do is show up and strut their academic stuff.
Parents/Guardians of 11th graders: if you have not already, you will receive a letter in the mail from me detailing an assessment that they will be taking during the week of the 4/6. It is called the PARCC assessment. In short, this is an assessment is is not a a graduation requirement. It is, however, an important opportunity for us to gauge how well we are implementing the new common core standards. We are asking students to take this assessment seriously and perform their absolute best. We expect no less.
If you have questions on either assessment, please do not hesitate to contact your student's guidance counselor.
There are changes coming to the school breakfast and lunch menu. See below for details. Also, get ahead of your summer planning. See
That's all for now. Have a great weekend!
Best,
Dr. T
"Summer Stuff" for middle and high school students...
(http://boston.k12.ma.us/
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New menus for breakfast and lunch are coming to all
Boston Public Schools starting in April.
Boston Public Schools starting in April.
Why are we making changes? Above all, we want students to enjoy eating healthy meals. We never want children to go hungry. We also need to manage our costs. We plan to:
• Continue to provide healthy, nourishing meals that students like
• Improve and streamline operations in ordering and preparing food
• Reduce food waste
o Under federal guidelines, we must offer all entrée choices to all students at mealtime. The more entrée choices offered, the greater likelihood of overproduction and waste.
Highlights of our streamlined menu:
For breakfast, we will offer two choices daily, including hot options served twice a week.
• Cold choices include cereals, muffins, or yogurt, always offered with fresh fruit, 100% juice, and nonfat or 1% milk.
• Cereals continue to be whole grain and limited in sugar. We will not offer cereals that are perceived as sugary, even if they are available in a low sugar version.
o Low sugar Cocoa Puffs and Trix, previously considered as part of a draft menu, will not be served.
• For lunch, we will offer student favorites more often as part of our new-three week menu cycle. We will offer three choices daily, across all grades, with both hot and cold entrée options. Previously, schools with grades K-8 had three meal choices and high schools had four choices.
• Cold meal options include entrée salads, subs and sandwiches. Additionally, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are always available in schools that are not peanut-free.
• Fruit offerings are unchanged, with fresh fruit and 100% juice daily.
• Milk offerings are unchanged and include nonfat and low-fat options.
Hot menu items rotate students’ favorites with new features. For April, newmenu choices will include:
Pollo Guisado: A Puerto Rican-style braised, bone-in chicken, with onions, tomatoes, green peppers, cilantro, and a homemade adobo spice mix. This recipe was introduced by our community partner, Project Bread.
Southwestern Garden Salad with Chicken: Mesclun mix greens with chicken, fresh tomato, black beans, corn, and grated cheese.
The Department of Food and Nutrition Services strives to ensure that students eat nutritious meals that they enjoy. The goal is to increase participation in the meals program, and this goes hand in hand with ensuring that students like what they are eating. Since fall, FNS has taken steps toward that goal:
• FNS formed the School Food Advisory Committee, which is made up of parents, students, and community partners, including the Boston Public Health Commission, to solicit input for meal options.
• FNS conducts student taste tests regularly. These provide important feedback which informs menu decisions.
• Online surveys have also played a role in rating popularity of foods. Students and parents may also offer feedback at schoolfoodboston@
Our district is a leader in universal breakfast and lunch for students. Please help us shine a light on the good work that is coming out of Food and Nutrition Services and help dispel myths about changes to nutritional quality or limitations on serving foods students like to eat. As you’ll see from the April menus, we will be serving amazing options that meet or exceed USDA nutrition guidelines and appeal to a range of tastes.
