Children often choose what they eat when it comes to cafeteria meals, making it up to teachers and staff members to steer them towards healthier options.
Clicking each food item displays its calorie counts, nutrition data, and allergen flags. Families coping with diabetes or allergies can access an online menu application for easier management.
Fruits & Vegetables
CMS’s school lunch menu strives to offer nutritious and satisfying meals to students every day. A complete meal includes entrees of various types, colorful selections of vegetables and fruit, milk, and nutritional standards set forth by both USDA and Dietary Guidelines for Americans; additionally, it meets bread & grain requirements as well as provides healthier fat options in certain items.
School lunch menus provide essential vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal growth and development, but some students may not consume all their food due to dislike or not feeling hungry enough. Parents and teachers can assist children by encouraging them to try new things and setting a good example by eating healthful food themselves.
Many schools are trying to improve the school lunches to encourage more kids to consume them. At Highland Creek Elementary, their menu includes chicken nuggets, spaghetti casserole, grilled cheese sandwiches, and a chef salad with either mashed potatoes or mixed vegetables; in addition, there is fresh fruit available and even dessert!
CMS schools also provide exceptional menu choices designed for special diets and healthcare needs, including vegan and vegetarian meals, gluten-free options, and options tailored specifically to students who may have specific dietary restrictions. Parents or students with such conditions are encouraged to share them with cafeteria staff.
School nutrition staff members also work to encourage children towards more nutritious food choices. If a child doesn’t eat his/her vegetables or fruit as instructed by cafeteria staff, they might question why and suggest they pick some up; this helps ensure all students are getting enough of what’s necessary for healthful learning environments.
Families looking for free or reduced-price meals for their students must once again apply starting August 1 if they want them to receive lunch without cost. In the aftermath of the pandemic illness, lunch was provided to all students without charge.
Entrees
Student meal accounts and their respective Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) provide students with accessible, safe, and quicker food service at lunchtime, with any excess funds carried forward to the next school year. Families can manage their accounts online via the Campus Parent Portal. Students are expected to pay for meals unless approved for reduced or free pricing via either an application process or direct certification; please be aware that meal prices and menus can change without prior notice, although all meals include lactose-free milk on request.
Drinks
Students purchasing lunch at school can use their ID badge or barcode card to scan in the cafeteria and pay with cash, personal check, money order, or credit/debit cards through an online system. The school lunch menu features items (a la carte) with limited levels of fat, sugar, sodium, and trans fat; any money left over after one school year can be carried forward into another year’s account.
CMS Schools Lunch Menu Offers Gluten-Free, Vegetarian, and Nut-free OptionsClearly marked items on their lunch menu offer gluten-free, vegetarian, and nut-free options that can easily be identified by clicking any item and viewing its Nutrition Data, Calorie counts and flagged allergens are displayed for any item that may contain lactose products (for instance steamed collard greens contain dairy). Furthermore, CMS also offers ten translations, including Spanish, French, and two versions of Chinese, to help international families make informed choices when ordering lunch!
Students receive an array of fruits and vegetables as well as white or chocolate nonfat milk from kindergarten through eighth-grade meals; pork and seafood may be offered during high school meals. Grams of carbohydrates are listed after every food item on the menu.
Chefs and dietitians from AVI use feedback from student surveys to add bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and innovative dishes to CMS school lunch menus. Working closely with local farmers as well as the Audrey Stout Learning Garden at Shaker Schools to source produce for all of the district cafeterias is also part of their duties.
Students attending CMS schools can enjoy either complimentary or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch services, featuring items such as banana bread with fresh melon at breakfast and spinach side salads with pork street tacos as lunch offerings. CMS also provides snacks and meals to afterschool programs as well as summer eating sites at apartment complexes and mobile homes, part of its nationwide effort to ensure students access healthy meals daily.
