EC-Grade 8 Cafeteria Handbook

Monthly menus, Ala carte items, and prices are available on our website. Daily: Hot main course with a vegetable, fruit, milk, and grain offering.

1% & Non-Fat White Milk; Non-Fat Chocolate.

Canned fruit such as applesauce, pears, peaches, pineapple, and mixed fruit. Fresh fruits such as grapes, orange slices, bananas, and apple slices.

Baby carrots Salad bar Additional daily options:

• Peanut butter & jelly sandwich
• Choice of whole-grain bagel or whole-wheat soft pretzel with yogurt and string cheese
• Deli sandwich of the day
•  Daily grab and go options

A La Carte items include yogurt, homemade soups, pretzel twists, bagels and cream cheese, granola bars, soft pretzels, fresh fruit, 100% fruit juice, handmade baked goods, reduced-fat ice cream novelties, popcorn, baked chips, goldfish crackers, etc.

If your child has a severe food allergy which requires an EpiPen, inform the administration office. A food plan and parent-specific permissions are in place for all students with known severe food allergies. Teachers and kitchen staff receive EpiPen training annually. Contact the cafeteria with any questions.

Regarding peanuts:

• Our kitchen staff is taught to prepare foods without cross-contamination
• Sandwiches containing peanut butter are fully wrapped

LUNCH COST

• K-2nd Grade: $ 3.75 per meal
• 3rd-8th Grade: $4.25 per meal

PAYMENT METHODS

1. Dock Mennonite Academy is now using schoolcafe.com and a “cashless” point-of-sale system. https://www.schoolcafe.com provides account use at both campuses, and the ability to pay for meals online using credit/debit cards or electronic checks. The cafeteria is requesting each family to sign-up with the schoolcafe.com website and attempt to utilize their services for payments.

You can:

• Create Low Balance Alerts
• Check Account Balances
• Track & Review Meal History
• Set Up Automatic Recurring Payments (service charge is a % of total amount paid)
• Make one-time payments from a computer (service charge is a % of total amount paid). To register for an account, go to https://www.schoolcafe.com your student’s ID number is the current Dock Mennonite Academy ID number utilized for the library and cafeteria.

2. Checks Received at School

• If making payment directly to the school, we encourage personal checks made payable to Dock Mennonite Academy Food Service Account rather than cash. Submit your check along with a Food Service Account Payment Form (found on our website or at the main office). Indicate the student name(s) and the amount of money for each account.
• Lunch program checks should be separate from tuition payments.

The cafeteria point-of-sale system utilizes bar code readers and PIN pads to track student spending.

If your family is utilizing schoolcafe.com, 7-day history reports are available online. If you are not enrolled in www.schoolcafe.com, student account history reports are available upon request.

The cafeteria system also includes the capability for families to set limits by student: daily spending limits, dessert limits, and a la carte limits. For further information concerning reports or restrictions, please contact Bill Lorah (wslorah@dock.org).

Dock Mennonite Academy offers free and reduced-price school lunches to families who qualify. Qualifying families include those receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. Families qualify if their gross income is within the Federal Income Guidelines.

The free and reduced meal program applications can be found below. The form can be emailed to wslorah@dock.org or handed to the main office. To ensure the benefits remain current, please apply before the start of school.

• Download the application for reduced-price lunches (English)
• Download the application for reduced-price lunches (Spanish)

Dock Mennonite Academy school system recognizes the role a complete and balanced meal plays in the success of its students both academically and physically. As a school, the policy is that we will never deny any student a meal.

The first step in this process is to inform all families that we participate in the free and reduced meal program per the federal government established guidelines. Families can find applications for free and reduced meals on the school website, in the main office at either campus, on the PA department of education website, and the USDA website. The application can be processed online, or a paper application can be handed in at the school. This application if approved allows the student to receive the full meal at the reduced price or free depending upon the approval received. The free and reduced meal prices are not retroactive. They are valid from the date approved by the school food authority, until 30 days into the next school year. The school food authority will process the application promptly. All students are eligible to apply for free and reduced meals. The School district will take all steps following the Dock Mennonite Academy guidelines to assure all students on the free and reduced program are not overtly identified at any time. Families may apply for the free and reduced benefits at any time during the school year and are encouraged to apply when financial changes occur within the family.

The meal charging policy herein reflects Dock Mennonites Academy position of feeding our student body. This policy applies to all students at all grade levels.

Dock Mennonite Academy has established a system for funds to be added to a student’s account. Funds can be added in several ways. Parents or guardians may apply funds through the

online meal payment system https://www.schoolcafe.com. This payment portal allows families to access their student’s account, review purchases, and add funds to their students account. Families are reminded to set low alert balance reminders, so their student does not become delinquent.

Families may also apply funds to their students account by sending cash or check to the school and noting that the funds are for their student’s cafeteria account. Families can request to have reports run from the cafeteria highlighting activity on their children’s’ accounts.

Dock Mennonite Academy will inform students during the lunch service if their balance is below ten dollars; once the account reaches four dollars, low balance letters will be e-mailed or mailed to families. The low balance letters are sent weekly. If a student’s balance reaches a negative $25.00 or more, the family will receive a phone call from a school official, and a letter will be mailed home to the parent or guardian. Follow-up will continue weekly with the family until the account becomes current. At no time during the food purchasing process will the student be held accountable for the funds/delinquencies on the account. The food service account and the funds on the account are the responsibility of the parent or guardian.

When a student’s account has become depleted of funds, the student will still be allowed to charge a complete meal to their account. If the student’s account balance is in the negative, the student will only be allowed to charge a full meal following the Dock Mennonite Academy program

guidelines. The student will not be permitted to charge any extras and will be encouraged to consume the complete meal. A full meal includes a main entree, fruit, vegetable, milk or juice, and may consist of a dessert.

Dock Mennonite Academy’s policy is to carry positive balances forward each year until the student graduates or the parent request a refund. Graduating seniors with positive balances that have siblings in our school system will have their balances transferred to the sibling’s account. For graduating seniors without siblings, all balances over $10.00 but under $75.00 will be sent home with the students in the form of cash. Balances over $75.00 will be mailed to the parent or guardian at the address on file, in the form of a check. Parents and/or guardians may request to pick-up any funds under 10.00 dollars at the main office of either campus. These funds will be held for the first 30 days of the new school year. Any refunds not claimed in the first 30 days will be considered abandoned and subsequently forfeited by parents or guardians to the school. At the end of the school year, the school has the right to transfer balances between siblings to cover delinquent accounts.

All delinquent accounts should be brought current one week before the last day of school, following one of the above funding procedures. All accounts not made current one week after the last day of school will require a hold to be placed on the student’s account.

The school food authority will do all that is needed to assure all the above requirements are followed out per Dock Mennonite Academy guidelines.

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.), should contact the Agency (State or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination

Complaint Form, (AD-3027) found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992.

Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:

(1)  Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400  Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2)  Fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3)  E-mail: program.intake@usda.gov.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.