August 26, 2009 -- On August 25, SNF and USDA held a special webinar titled “Providing Meals to Needy Children During an H1N1-Related School Dismissal.” Over 1,350 participants watched the live event. The archive is now available for download at www.schoolnutrition.org/h1n1webinar. There is no charge to view the recorded archive. Expert speakers Lisa Barrios, DrPH from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dana Carr, MPH the United States Department of Education provided updates on the H1N1 virus, public health recommendations, and school-based guidance. The panel also included two speakers from USDA, Dr. Janey Thornton, SNS, Deputy Under Secretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services, and Melissa Rothstein, MPA, Branch Chief, Policy and Program Development Branch, Child Nutrition Division.
Deputy Under Secretary Dr. Janey Thornton, SNS and Melissa Rothstein provided critical information around the Department’s recently issued policy which allows school food authorities and other community organizations to provide meals to children from low-income households when schools are dismissed due to H1N1. Eligibility, general requirements, and sponsor requirements were addressed. Waiver request prototype and a sample addendum to the state agreement are available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/disasters/pandemic/default.htm. Dr. Thornton emphasized the importance of community planning in advance for H1N1 related school dismissals as well as other potential emergency situations. She underscored the critical role of school nutrition operators in addressing the food and nutrition needs of low-income children and providing support to the entire community for food and nutrition assistance during emergencies.
Questions and answers will be posted soon to www.schoolnutrition.org/h1n1webinar and http://www.fns.usda.gov/disasters/disaster.htm.
Moving day has nearly arrived for SNA Headquarters! That’s right, after months of planning and a busy few weeks of packing up, on Friday SNA will be saying goodbye to its Alexandria, Va., home for the last 20 years and setting sail across the Potomac River to its new port of call in National Harbor, Md.
SNA’s new address will be: 120 Waterfront St, Suite 300National Harbor, MD 20745
Due to the move, SNA will be closed on Friday, August 28th. During this time, you will not be able to reach SNA staff via phone or e-mail, as we transition our computer systems between buildings. The SNA website, www.schoolnutrition.org, also will be down during this time. On Monday, August 31st, SNA will be open and ready to assist members with all of their needs. There may be a few minor glitches, including down phone or e-mail service, so please be patient. SNA is committed to keeping these response delays to a minimum.
SNA’s address is not the only thing changing. As SNA is moving to a new state, the main phone and fax numbers will be changing to: Phone: (301) 686-3100Fax: (301) 686-3115
The Service Center’s 800 number will remain the same, as will all staff e-mail addresses.
Thank you for your patience. The next time you’re visiting Washington, D.C., be sure to sail on down the Potomac River and visit SNA’s new headquarters office. We'd love to see you!
August 20, 2009 -- National School Lunch Week (October 12-16, 2009) is just around the corner and the basketball themed “All-Star School Lunch” is a slam-dunk promotion to help students learn about the importance of eating healthy and being active. There is a full court press of tools and other resources available to help your NSLW be an All-Star success.
SNA’s Member resource website www.schoolnutrition.org/allstar has toolkits, menus and celebration ideas to help you get a head start on NSLW.
Download all 5 of the team trading cards including Nash’s Noodles coached by Steve Nash and get nutrition “stats” and information about why the lunch is healthy. The trading cards are a great nutrition education tool to use in the cafeteria or to send home to parents and can be downloaded at www.schoolnutrition.org/allstar
Online and in cafeterias, students will have the opportunity to draft and name their very own All-Star School Lunch Team, while explaining why their team is healthy. Four national winners will receive a NBA prize pack. The local contests will run until October 16, 2009, and national entries (paper format only) must be postmarked by October 16, 2009 and received by SNA by October 31, 2009.
There are 2 ways to enter: Online or via a separate cafeteria contest. Online entry is only available to students over the age of 13.
For more information and complete rules about the local and national level contests, and to download entry forms, please visit www.schoolnutrition.org/allstar
Tell us what you’re doing to celebrate All-Star School Lunch in our participation sweepstakes and in return, you will be entered to win fabulous prizes and stickers for your students and yourself! Visit www.schoolnutrition.org/allstar for more details and to enter.
The official All-Star website has a full court press of activities and contests for kids including team trading cards and the “Draft Your All-Star School Lunch Team” game and contest.
August 13, 2009 -- Join USDA's Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Deputy Under Secretary Dr. Janey Thornton for a Special Webinar on Providing Meals to Needy Children During an H1N1-Related School Dismissal on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 from 2:00-3:30 EDT. The School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) in partnership with USDA will be offering this special webinar. This is not being offered on Wednesday as a “Wednesday Webinar”.
For complete information, including registration, visit www.schoolnutrition.org/h1n1webinar.
Key Information on Providing Meals During an H1N1-Related School Dismissal
This webinar will address information contained in two USDA Policy Memos released in July 2009 outlining how school and community organizations may continue to provide reimbursable meals to low-income children during potential school dismissals. Meals served during these dismissals may be claimed through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) or the National School Lunch Program's Seamless Summer Option (SSO). Experts from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Education also will share critical updates and resources on H1N1 influenza preparedness and recommendations for the education community.
The target audience for this webinar includes district school foodservice directors, school district administrators, and State agency personnel. Due to anticipated demand, SNF encourages participants to arrange for viewings in a group setting when possible.
Questions and Answers specific to meal service will be addressed during the event and posted following the webinar. Resource information will be provided that will direct participants to additional information for other types of questions related to H1N1.
Additional SNA Resources
SNA has also created a web page that will remain current with information on H1N1 (Swine) Influenza. See Related Links.
SNA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education on this issue. In the coming months, SNA will be participating in monthly meetings with the Department of Education to discuss procedures for communities suffering from an H1N1 flu outbreak.
Webinar Information
H1N1 Resources
SNF
August 11, 2009 - The Washington Post is reporting that the White House is opposing an ad campaign for child nutrition reauthorization that references the Obama daughters. According to the article in today’s paper, the White House has asked the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) to remove 14 advertisements that have been posted in Washington, D.C.’s Union Station train station.
The attention-grabbing posters simply feature the photograph of a young African-American girl with a thought bubble stating, “President Obama’s daughters get healthy school lunches. Why don’t I?” The ad also includes the statement “Reform the Child Nutrition Act,” with the only additional text being a web address and sponsorship credit.
PCRM, which paid $20,000 to post the ads in the train station, was asked to remove the advertisements because they mention the Obama sisters. White House counsel argued that it was inappropriate to reference the president’s daughters as leverage for an organization’s particular position. The paper quoted a political consultant who noted that there is a long and respected tradition that a president’s children are “off limits.”
PCRM is an animal-rights activist organization that promotes a pro-vegetarian and pro-vegan lifestyle. During Child Nutrition Reauthorization, they are advocating for USDA to require schools to serve more vegetarian and vegan meal choices. At press time, PCRM had declined to remove the ads.
White House Objects to Poster that Invokes Obama Children - Washington Post
August 10, 2009—Need to refresh your understanding—and that of colleagues and parents—about immunization facts? August is National Immunization Awareness Month, a prime opportunity to do just that as students prepare to return to school. Following are some key facts from the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) that you can review to familiarize yourself and share with others.
For more information about immunization, including a childhood and adolescent immunization schedule, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website. This government resource also lists an adult immunization schedule and offers resources that address the importance of immunizations for preteens.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website
August 6, 2009 -- The National Dairy Council® and local Dairy Councils® have huddled up with the National Football League to help students eat right and stay active with Fuel Up to Play 60, a new school-based program that empowers students to make smart choices about their nutrition and physical activity.
SNA members can sign up for free wellness kits that include colorful displays as well as online access to easy- to-implement activities. These were designed to inspire students to “fuel up” with the food groups kids don’t get enough of – low-fat and fat-free dairy foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains and to “get up and play” for 60 minutes a day. Fuel Up to Play 60 can be used to complement an existing school wellness program, or to help a school get started.
SNA members can earn CEUs when implementing Fuel Up to Play. Complete information on how to earn CEUS for Fuel Up to Play 60 will be available in September. Enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year is underway and supplies are limited. To order a free kit (one per school) please sign up at www.SchoolWellnessKit.org.
August 5, 2009 -- SNA’s Call for Proposals for the 2010 Annual National Conference in Dallas will close on October 9, 2009. Submit your proposal to present a 1-hour concurrent breakout session through the ANC 2010 Call for Proposals website at: www.schoolnutrition.org/anc.
Proposed sessions should focus upon one of the following four Key Areas as defined by SNA's Keys to Excellence in School Food and Nutrition Programs: Operations, Nutrition, Marketing, and Administration. Additionally, special consideration will be given to those sessions addressing any/all of SNA's Key Issues for 2009-2010: Membership Diversity, Professional Growth, Emerging Issues, and Professionalism. Proposals will be selected this fall based on the programming priorities of the SNA Annual National Conference Steering Committee. Notification for all proposals will be sent via email in January 2010.
Tips for Successful Proposals
At ANC 2009, SNA posted handouts online instead of providing paper handouts to attendees. SNA will do this again for ANC 2010. SNA’s educational policies also state that all presentations are subject to review prior to ANC. Speakers that are selected for the final program will be asked to submit the final presentation for review and posting in March 2010.
August 4, 2009—Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius recently announced a call for entries to the 2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest. Entrants may submit a 15, 30, or 60 second video Public Service Announcement (PSA) that will inform and motivate the public to take steps to help prevent the spread of the flu. The creator of the winning video will receive $2,500 and have the video shown on broadcast television and on government websites.
To enter, post a video to YouTube in response to Sebelius’s call for entries and fill out the online form on the contest website. The deadline for submissions is 11:59 pm Eastern Time August 17, 2009.
A panel of celebrity judges will select the top ten videos submitted, which will then be presented to the YouTube community to choose the winner. Judges will choose entries based on message and appropriateness to theme (50 percent), creativity (30 percent) and entertainment value (20 percent).
For more information, visit the contest website.
2009 Flu Prevention PSA Contest
August 3, 2009 - Hoist up the anchor and cast the sails – SNA is moving! After more than 20 years in Alexandria, Va., SNA is sailing across the Potomac River to a new home. Starting on Monday, August 31, 2009, SNA Headquarters will be located in its new port of call at 120 Waterfront Street, Suite 300, National Harbor, MD 20745-1142. National Harbor is a new 300-acre waterfront destination located just minutes from both Alexandria and Washington, DC.
There are many reasons why SNA is moving to National Harbor. With the lease on the current building expiring, this year was the perfect opportunity for SNA to move to a new location in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. For the last two years, SNA staff has worked with a commercial property firm to find a new space that will allow the Association to grow and continue to meet the needs of its membership. After weighing the costs of several different properties, SNA decided to move four miles across the Potomac River to National Harbor, Md.
Through out the month of August, SNA staff will be working to ensure a smooth transition to the new headquarters building. On Friday, August 28, 2009, SNA will be closed as movers clear out the old office and set up the new space. From August 28-30, you will not be able to reach SNA staff via phone or email, as we transition our computer system between buildings. The SNA website, www.schoolnutrition.org, will also be down during this time frame. On Monday, August 31st, SNA will be open and ready to assist members with all of their needs. There may be a few minor glitches, including down phone or email service, so please be patient. SNA is working hard to keep response delays to a minimum.
SNA’s address is not the only thing changing. As SNA is moving to a new state, the main phone number will be changing to (301) 686-3100 and the fax number to (301) 686-3115. The Service Center’s 800 number will remain the same, as will all staff email addresses. Please keep checking www.schoolnutrition.org for updated information about the move.
The next time you’re visiting Washington, D.C., be sure to sail on down the Potomac River and visit SNA’s new headquarters office. We'd love to see you!