{"id":10143,"date":"2018-09-16T20:06:22","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T00:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=10143"},"modified":"2018-09-17T06:49:51","modified_gmt":"2018-09-17T10:49:51","slug":"more-fresh-fruit-veggies-and-healthy-meal-options-in-our-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=10143","title":{"rendered":"More Fresh Fruit, Veggies and Healthy Meal Options in Our Schools"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We asked and our students answered! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier this year, the ACPS Department of School and Nutrition Services surveyed students in grades seven and ten to get feedback on their overall experience with school dining. We also conducted numerous taste tests and focus groups to get student feedback on potential products, recipes and about the future of school meals at ACPS and this is what we heard.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students want more: <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">higher quality proteins<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">fresh produce<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">artisanal touches<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">speed scratch items &#8211; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;semi-homemade&#8221; using quality ready-made products and adding a few fresh ingredients to personalize and round out the meal<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_10312\" style=\"width: 270px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10312\" class=\"wp-image-10312 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7322-cropped-260x173.jpg\" alt=\"Louay Abdel Sadig, 11th Grade\" width=\"260\" height=\"173\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7322-cropped-260x173.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7322-cropped-150x100.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7322-cropped.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-10312\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;I like that you can actually choose what you\u2019re putting on your plate.&#8221; \u2013 Louay Abdel Sadig, 11th Grade<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ACPS is committed to ensuring that all students are ready to learn by having access to nutritious, appealing school meals and including in the curriculum lessons on the importance of nutritious foods. It\u2019s part of ACPS 2020 Every Student Succeeds Strategic Plan\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.acps.k12.va.us\/Page\/1666\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">health and wellness goal<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To that end, we\u2019re excited to announce some new changes this year around healthy meals and nutrition.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Cafe+Teria Fast Casual Concept Line Coming to T.C. Williams High School<\/b><\/h3>\n<div id=\"attachment_10313\" style=\"width: 270px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10313\" class=\"wp-image-10313 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7318-cropped-260x173.jpg\" alt=\"Shakayla Farmer, 11th Grade\" width=\"260\" height=\"173\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7318-cropped-260x173.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7318-cropped-150x100.jpg 150w, http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_7318-cropped.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-10313\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;I like that it\u2019s a lot of vegetarian options and that we actually get to pick what we want and we can actually see what\u2019s going into our food.&#8221; \u2013 Shakayla Farmer, 11th Grade<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">T.C. Williams High School students now have the opportunity to enjoy a fast, casual style, build-your-own-lunch entr\u00e9e daily in the new Cafe+Teria line. Students can customize their entr\u00e9e with fresh produce and quality proteins and cheeses. Students select ingredients in four steps to build a nutritious meal by picking a (1) base of a grain, salad or a wrap; (2) a protein: antibiotic-free chicken, ground beef, or Paneer cheese; (3) a topping of vegetables, fruit or cheese, and (4) a dressing. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The offerings were selected with students in mind and provide healthy, quality, delicious options with pleasing combinations that incorporate local produce from area farms. Cafe+Teria will rotate different cuisine styles throughout the month with several different international cuisine types including Mexican, Indian, Asian, Mediterranean and Caribbean.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The program launched at the T.C. Williams High School King Street campus on the first day of school, with plans to have temporary pop-up Cafe+Teria\u2019s at the T.C. Williams Minnie Howard campus and Francis C. Hammond and George Washington middle schools during the year. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I feel like it\u2019s a healthy option for all of us and we get to pick what we want to put on our own burrito, the other lines you have to go with the flow but this you get an opportunity to pick what you want to eat,&#8221; said a10th-Grade student.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>New Grab and Go Station at T.C. Williams<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renovations are scheduled for the T.C. Williams Titan Express Snack Bar room over the winter break. The floor plan of the Express room will be opened up to provide more of a market experience featuring student favorite hot meals and new quick \u201cOn-the-Go\u201d meals so students can spend less time in line and more time enjoying their break. Breakfast After the Bell, Lunch and Dinner Club will be offered here. Smart Snacks will also be available for purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Upgraded Cafeterias at Francis C. Hammond and George Washington Middle Schools<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Renovations are expected to be completed this Fall at our middle schools. Traditional lunch lines will be a thing of the past. Francis C. Hammond and George Washington middle schools will feature new, scramble-style serving stations, similar to what one would see at a food court. With student input on design, both cafeterias\u00a0are also being upgraded and redesigned to provide a fresher, modern look to the school lunch experience. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Fresh Fruits and Veggies at Cora Kelly School and William Ramsay Elementary School<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Students at Cora Kelly School for Math, Science and Technology and William Ramsay Elementary School can now enjoy free fresh fruits and vegetables as a snack during the school day, two to three days per week in addition to corresponding nutrition education. Options include fruit and vegetables such as purple potatoes, pomegranates, radishes and familiar but unusual varieties of old favorites like apples and citrus fruits with a preference to regionally grown produce as seasonally available. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Through the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP) administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s Food and Nutrition Service, ACPS is expanding the variety of fruits and vegetables available to children and aims to inspire lifelong healthy choices. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Greens and More Salad Bars in All Elementary Schools<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As announced last year, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/?p=5227\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ACPS is bringing Greens and More salad bars to our schools<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a public-private partnership.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> All ACPS elementary and K-8 schools have access to fresh fruits and vegetables through the Greens and More salad bars, and secondary schools feature self-serve fruit and vegetable stations. Current USDA nutrition standards for school lunch require serving a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables each week. Salad bars and self-serve fruit and vegetable stations provide an easy way for schools to serve these options. Research and experience in schools across the country show\u00a0that children significantly increase their fruit and vegetable consumption when given a variety of choices in a school salad bar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Catch a Rainbow Every Day Program<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">During the month of September, a pilot nutrition curriculum program, Catch a Rainbow Every Day, is underway at\u00a0Patrick Henry School and James K. Polk and John Adams elementary schools in select first-grade, second-grade and third-grade classrooms. The program consists of five grade-appropriate nutrition lessons that focus on food colors, food sensory, portion sizes and math skills. Students will also get to sample a corresponding vegetable from the color group that they\u2019re studying:<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red &#8211; Grape Tomatoes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yellow\/Orange &#8211; Yellow Squash<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Green &#8211; Kale<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White &#8211; Cauliflower<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue\/Purple &#8211; Purple Potatoes<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Funding for the program and training is provided by the Student Support and Academic Enrichments, Title IV, Part Grant. Once the pilot is complete, plans will be made to expand the program into additional classrooms, grade levels and schools.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>We know that students who are healthy are better able to learn and attend school than those who are not and that families who are knowledgeable about health and wellness activities are able to encourage their children to make healthy decisions and pursue active lifestyles. ACPS is committed to enabling students to be healthy and ready as part of the ACPS 2020 Strategic Plan. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.acps.k12.va.us\/Page\/1666\">ACPS 2020 Goal 5: Health and Wellness<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We surveyed students about their school dining experience and, incorporating their feedback, we&#8217;re bringing more fresh fruit and vegetables, high-quality proteins and broader selections of healthy food options to our schools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":10256,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,36,3,21,6,5,17,22,28,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-acps","category-acps-2020","category-achs","category-cora-kelly","category-george-washington","category-hammond","category-john-adams","category-patrick-henry","category-polk","category-ramsay"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 09:13:06","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10143"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10360,"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10143\/revisions\/10360"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.acpsk12.org\/news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}