May 29, 2024 • 15 mins
Assistant Superintendent Michael Janzen and Director of Nutrition Services Margueriette Wright join us this week to give us all of the information on the Summer Meal Program! What's included in a multi-day meal pack, who can pick-up, why do we qualify for meals to-go, and more--you definitely won't want to miss this episode!
For more information & to sign up for summer meals visit Nutrition Services.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hello everybody, welcome to episode 6 of T-Bird Talk.
(00:07):
Join us as we explore the world of Circle Public Schools, sharing inspiring stories,
delving into the inner workings of our district, exploring innovative education and celebrating
the achievements of our students and educators.
Whether you're a student, parent, educator or just passionate about education, T-Bird
Talk is your go-to source for community conversations and behind-the-scenes insights.
(00:30):
Get ready for a journey into the heart of Circle Public Schools where excellence meets
innovation.
I'm Superintendent Don Potter.
And I'm Sarah Potter, Director of Community Relations and Development.
Today we're here with Circle Public Schools Director of Nutrition Services, Marguerite
Hutchinson and Assistant Superintendent of Circle Public Schools, Michael Janssen.
Marguerite and Mr. Janssen, welcome to your episode of T-Bird Talk.
(00:56):
Thanks for having us.
Alright.
Well we're going to jump right into this.
Marguerite joined us this past winter.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, your experience, your qualifications?
Yeah, so I joined Circle Public Schools in January of this year.
For the last 10 years I've been working in food service.
I graduated Kansas State University with a degree in nutrition and public health in 2015.
(01:22):
And since that time I've worked for a contract food service company, Sodexo, and I've worked
for the Wesley Hospital system.
I've done a little bit of banquet and catering sales.
And then for the last five years I was with Wichita Public Schools as one of their supervisors.
Alright.
Well we're here to talk about food service today.
(01:43):
And I'm going to ask Mr. Janssen to talk to us a little bit about the history of offering
summer meals in 375.
Okay, we've offered meals to a lot of our students in the summertime for quite a few
years.
The difference this year that we will have is that in the past the meals had to be congregate,
(02:06):
meaning that the students had to eat them in the school system itself.
Unfortunately those meals were serviced by our summer school kids and very few people
would come in for breakfast and then come back for lunch on a daily basis.
So the community really didn't benefit that much.
This year we did get qualified as non-congregate, meaning that the meals can be taken and eaten
(02:32):
elsewhere because of our district layout.
We are a very large district that goes from Wichita to El Dorado and expecting those families
to drive out to get a breakfast and then drive back out for a lunch is just something that
isn't convenient or efficient for a family.
So I think this will be a real benefit how we are able to do that this year.
(02:57):
Marguerite, can you talk about, well a couple things.
So, what did you have to do in order to make this work for our district with USDA and the
applications and that kind of stuff and kind of describe a little bit how it's different
than Mr. Jansen said the congregate and those kind of things.
(03:19):
Give us a little bit of insight of what that's going to look like for parents and students
picking up their meals and stuff this year, this summer.
So, kind of like Michael said, we have this new rural designation and what that means
is we get to serve meals curbside to go.
(03:40):
You do not have to be in a school to eat these meals and with any federal program there's
always all this red tape and rules and regulations and convincing why our families and our community
deserves to be rural.
(04:00):
We really had to dive into how can our families, how is there access to fresh fruits and vegetables
and for many of our families that's 10 plus miles.
If you live in Benton, you know your closest place is the Andover Dillons and if you're
in a rural part of Tawanda you're going you know 8, 10 miles to the Walmart in El Dorado
(04:27):
and so really that not having that access is why we have this designation and by offering
these summer meals we give kids and families these access to fresh fruits and vegetables
and milk and high quality food that isn't readily available in our area.
(04:49):
And due to that designation you know part of that is just like Marguerite was saying
the distance to a local food store is why we are able to do this in our district.
The only location really in our district that qualifies however is Tawanda Elementary and
so that is where we will be serving the meals this summer.
That is the only spot that qualifies.
(05:11):
Okay that's definitely good to know.
So when we talk about the meals and they can come in and get five meals at a time both
breakfast and lunch correct?
So when we were planning the summer meal program we wanted to give kids and families something
(05:32):
quick and easy.
So if I am running off to summer academy or if I am with grandma and grandpa or wherever
I am this summer I can grab a breakfast and have it ready to eat.
So a lot of our menu items are cereals, pop tarts, but we always have that fresh fruit
component I think that is super important.
(05:54):
And then at lunch we did things like hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, thaw and serve PB&Js.
A lot of this stuff is going to come frozen with heating instructions or thawing and serving
instructions but we are always going to have that fresh fruit or fresh vegetable component
and then we are going to give families a half gallon of milk as well to meet the components
(06:19):
required.
And juice is always included with that too correct?
Yes, 100% juice with no added sugars.
Love it.
This is a great opportunity for parents and especially kids 1-18.
Can those students come on their own or do they need accompanied by a parent to get the
(06:43):
five breakfasts and five lunches?
So with these meals if you are a child 1-18 and come to pick up meals, you come to pick
up meals, you give us your name, your age, we will serve you in the line if you are present
in the car.
If you are not present in the car you have to be a parent, a legal guardian or a sibling
(07:07):
and we will ask your name and your relationship at pick up and then the names and ages of
the students you are picking up for.
Because we want to keep our program integrity intact and make sure this food is truly going
to kids we do have to ask those questions and make sure that we are following all the
(07:30):
rules and regulations that the federal government divvies out.
Absolutely.
So to just give an example, so if a parent comes with a seven year old but then has two
siblings that are not in the car they can gather meals for them as well for that week.
Correct.
As long as they are 1-18 we will ask their names, their ages, the relationship of the
(07:52):
person who is picking up the meals.
That's perfect.
Pretty convenient for families to be able to do that for all of the kids and that kind
of stuff.
People can just show up but there is also a sign up available.
Correct.
So on our website we have asked families to pre-register for these meals.
(08:12):
So if you go on to Circle Public Schools and click on the daily menu tab right on our homepage
there is a spot for you to sign up for these meals and it ensures that we order enough
food to serve everyone who wants to come get meals.
You don't have to pre-register but we really encourage you to do so.
(08:33):
And then if you come and pick up that week we will ask you if you would like us to sign
you up for the next week.
So we will only be serving these meals on Thursdays from noon to 2 and 4 to 6 p.m.
And you don't need a computer to sign up.
You can get on your iPad, you can get on a phone, all of that stuff which makes it really
convenient weekly to make sure that they sign up.
(08:56):
How far in advance do they need to sign up for ordering?
I know usually talk about that I guess before I say something that I don't know about but
it the orders are a little lagged so they need to sign up the previous week for the
following week.
Correct.
So we're live right now for meals starting on Thursday June 6th.
(09:19):
So if you want to go on our website right now and pre-register for June 6th we are live
ready to go.
Awesome.
And then the Thursday so it'll close that sign up will close on Wednesday June 5th that
evening for the 6th.
And then we are kind of going to use our numbers from the first week of serving to see how
(09:42):
much to order for the next week.
And so if we have really good attendance on June 6th we might need to up our counts a
little bit.
Very good.
And if you don't make the cutoff you can still come.
Oh absolutely yeah.
It just helps the ordering numbers right?
Yes it gives us a baseline of how many to expect.
(10:03):
Okay.
So if we have a hundred families interested that really helps me when I go to place and
order I'm not going to order for 500 if I only have a hundred sign up.
But if I have 500 sign up well yeah I'm going to order 600 or 700.
And not only is it for ordering it's also for us to be able to staff to efficiently
(10:26):
work with that many whatever numbers of parents show up.
And there's also signs in all of the school pick up lines and throughout our communities
for the lunch program and there's QR codes that you can scan and it will take you right
to the website where you can get that form also right.
So if you're in the school pick up line you can go ahead and just scan that QR code to
(10:49):
take you there also.
A little bit easier too.
So you mentioned pick up on Thursday.
What are the hours to that to let people know through the podcast here?
When can they pick them up?
They can pick up any time from noon to 6 p.m.
We really have to be strict in our time frame now.
(11:10):
So you really need to make sure you are in line prior to 6 p.m.
Due to the federal guidelines.
Due to the federal guidelines.
So as long as you're in line we will serve you but we are going to mark that last person
in line just to make sure we you know comply with all the red tape.
Very good.
And if you do have a student that comes to pick up food I've seen pictures of this food.
(11:35):
Now it is a multi-day meal pack with half gallons of liquid.
So make sure if you are sending a student to pick up food it's quite a bit of food.
It'll be tough if they ride their bike up and picking up for two or three kids.
They may need to pull a wagon.
Yeah I mean it's a substantial amount of food for one student.
(11:57):
Definitely.
And that's kind of why.
Not to discourage but.
We were going to send you know kids leaving summer academy.
And then it's like whoa picture a first grader carrying a bag of frozen food a bag of fresh
fruits and vegetables and a half gallon of milk plus their backpack.
(12:17):
I watch kids carry lunch trays and lunchrooms almost every day and that's a struggle.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Well one of the things that I want to say and I know you and Mr. Jansen collaborated
on this quite a bit and collaborate about our nutrition program.
So I want to thank you both for your work on this because I think it's out of the ordinary
(12:38):
for a district to be able to offer this.
So I appreciate you guys doing that and I appreciate you joining us today to talk to
us about the nutrition services for the summertime.
And I really know that this is going to be a benefit for our kids and families throughout
the summer.
Thank you for doing it.
Before we wrap up I just want to point something out because I have a 16 year old at home and
(13:02):
he eats all day long and the summers.
So do I.
It's just yeah but the summertime it's like all I can do to keep food in our house.
I'm going to Tawanda Elementary and I am getting a meal pack for my 16 year old so that he
has the hamburgers and the milk and the juice so that I can keep more food in my house.
(13:23):
Right.
You're exactly right.
Absolutely.
There is no meal benefits application needed for this.
It does not matter if you are paid, reduced or free.
This is for everyone and this is a service to our community and to really help with that
grocery bill this summer.
And if your kids are here in Tawanda on Thursdays, if they're out of practice or at a weights
(13:48):
camp or doing a summer activity or at the rec center or close by at a park tell them
to come on over and we'll get them some meals for the week and even if it's just a little
something for them to snack on.
Like absolutely.
It's good food.
Yeah and that's one of the things.
We really want to encourage people to participate in this and help us make this a big success
(14:14):
for this program since it is something new.
We want it to be an ongoing year after year type of thing and so that's why we're here
today trying to kick this off and make it a big success.
And continue to grow and offer it longer because how long is it this summer?
I guess we didn't talk about that.
How long are the meals offered?
So we are just offering this during June but you know envisioning this we do have this
(14:40):
designation for five years.
So as long as it's successful we can you know continue this and maybe do July next year
or maybe offer a wider variety of menu items.
We just need it to be successful in order to justify doing some cooler things with the
(15:00):
menu.
Well I was wrapping it up.
We had a little bit more information and I appreciate you guys sharing that.
That's awesome.
Well to stay up to date of what's going on with Circle Public Schools make sure to follow
us on Facebook at Circle USD 375 and visit our webpage at USD375.org.
If you're a parent or guardian also make sure to check out information sent to you through
(15:24):
Parent Square.
If you have a question about today's episode or a suggestion for another episode make sure
you email us at media at USD375.org.
We would always love to hear from you.
Thanks for joining us for the episode 6 of T-Bird Talk.
See you later and as always thrive in 375.
Hello everybody, welcome to episode 6 of T-Bird Talk.
(00:07):
Join us as we explore the world of Circle Public Schools, sharing inspiring stories,
delving into the inner workings of our district, exploring innovative education and celebrating
the achievements of our students and educators.
Whether you're a student, parent, educator or just passionate about education, T-Bird
Talk is your go-to source for community conversations and behind-the-scenes insights.
(00:30):
Get ready for a journey into the heart of Circle Public Schools where excellence meets
innovation.
I'm Superintendent Don Potter.
And I'm Sarah Potter, Director of Community Relations and Development.
Today we're here with Circle Public Schools Director of Nutrition Services, Marguerite
Hutchinson and Assistant Superintendent of Circle Public Schools, Michael Janssen.
Marguerite and Mr. Janssen, welcome to your episode of T-Bird Talk.
(00:56):
Thanks for having us.
Alright.
Well we're going to jump right into this.
Marguerite joined us this past winter.
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, your experience, your qualifications?
Yeah, so I joined Circle Public Schools in January of this year.
For the last 10 years I've been working in food service.
I graduated Kansas State University with a degree in nutrition and public health in 2015.
(01:22):
And since that time I've worked for a contract food service company, Sodexo, and I've worked
for the Wesley Hospital system.
I've done a little bit of banquet and catering sales.
And then for the last five years I was with Wichita Public Schools as one of their supervisors.
Alright.
Well we're here to talk about food service today.
(01:43):
And I'm going to ask Mr. Janssen to talk to us a little bit about the history of offering
summer meals in 375.
Okay, we've offered meals to a lot of our students in the summertime for quite a few
years.
The difference this year that we will have is that in the past the meals had to be congregate,
(02:06):
meaning that the students had to eat them in the school system itself.
Unfortunately those meals were serviced by our summer school kids and very few people
would come in for breakfast and then come back for lunch on a daily basis.
So the community really didn't benefit that much.
This year we did get qualified as non-congregate, meaning that the meals can be taken and eaten
(02:32):
elsewhere because of our district layout.
We are a very large district that goes from Wichita to El Dorado and expecting those families
to drive out to get a breakfast and then drive back out for a lunch is just something that
isn't convenient or efficient for a family.
So I think this will be a real benefit how we are able to do that this year.
(02:57):
Marguerite, can you talk about, well a couple things.
So, what did you have to do in order to make this work for our district with USDA and the
applications and that kind of stuff and kind of describe a little bit how it's different
than Mr. Jansen said the congregate and those kind of things.
(03:19):
Give us a little bit of insight of what that's going to look like for parents and students
picking up their meals and stuff this year, this summer.
So, kind of like Michael said, we have this new rural designation and what that means
is we get to serve meals curbside to go.
(03:40):
You do not have to be in a school to eat these meals and with any federal program there's
always all this red tape and rules and regulations and convincing why our families and our community
deserves to be rural.
(04:00):
We really had to dive into how can our families, how is there access to fresh fruits and vegetables
and for many of our families that's 10 plus miles.
If you live in Benton, you know your closest place is the Andover Dillons and if you're
in a rural part of Tawanda you're going you know 8, 10 miles to the Walmart in El Dorado
(04:27):
and so really that not having that access is why we have this designation and by offering
these summer meals we give kids and families these access to fresh fruits and vegetables
and milk and high quality food that isn't readily available in our area.
(04:49):
And due to that designation you know part of that is just like Marguerite was saying
the distance to a local food store is why we are able to do this in our district.
The only location really in our district that qualifies however is Tawanda Elementary and
so that is where we will be serving the meals this summer.
That is the only spot that qualifies.
(05:11):
Okay that's definitely good to know.
So when we talk about the meals and they can come in and get five meals at a time both
breakfast and lunch correct?
So when we were planning the summer meal program we wanted to give kids and families something
(05:32):
quick and easy.
So if I am running off to summer academy or if I am with grandma and grandpa or wherever
I am this summer I can grab a breakfast and have it ready to eat.
So a lot of our menu items are cereals, pop tarts, but we always have that fresh fruit
component I think that is super important.
(05:54):
And then at lunch we did things like hamburgers and chicken sandwiches, thaw and serve PB&Js.
A lot of this stuff is going to come frozen with heating instructions or thawing and serving
instructions but we are always going to have that fresh fruit or fresh vegetable component
and then we are going to give families a half gallon of milk as well to meet the components
(06:19):
required.
And juice is always included with that too correct?
Yes, 100% juice with no added sugars.
Love it.
This is a great opportunity for parents and especially kids 1-18.
Can those students come on their own or do they need accompanied by a parent to get the
(06:43):
five breakfasts and five lunches?
So with these meals if you are a child 1-18 and come to pick up meals, you come to pick
up meals, you give us your name, your age, we will serve you in the line if you are present
in the car.
If you are not present in the car you have to be a parent, a legal guardian or a sibling
(07:07):
and we will ask your name and your relationship at pick up and then the names and ages of
the students you are picking up for.
Because we want to keep our program integrity intact and make sure this food is truly going
to kids we do have to ask those questions and make sure that we are following all the
(07:30):
rules and regulations that the federal government divvies out.
Absolutely.
So to just give an example, so if a parent comes with a seven year old but then has two
siblings that are not in the car they can gather meals for them as well for that week.
Correct.
As long as they are 1-18 we will ask their names, their ages, the relationship of the
(07:52):
person who is picking up the meals.
That's perfect.
Pretty convenient for families to be able to do that for all of the kids and that kind
of stuff.
People can just show up but there is also a sign up available.
Correct.
So on our website we have asked families to pre-register for these meals.
(08:12):
So if you go on to Circle Public Schools and click on the daily menu tab right on our homepage
there is a spot for you to sign up for these meals and it ensures that we order enough
food to serve everyone who wants to come get meals.
You don't have to pre-register but we really encourage you to do so.
(08:33):
And then if you come and pick up that week we will ask you if you would like us to sign
you up for the next week.
So we will only be serving these meals on Thursdays from noon to 2 and 4 to 6 p.m.
And you don't need a computer to sign up.
You can get on your iPad, you can get on a phone, all of that stuff which makes it really
convenient weekly to make sure that they sign up.
(08:56):
How far in advance do they need to sign up for ordering?
I know usually talk about that I guess before I say something that I don't know about but
it the orders are a little lagged so they need to sign up the previous week for the
following week.
Correct.
So we're live right now for meals starting on Thursday June 6th.
(09:19):
So if you want to go on our website right now and pre-register for June 6th we are live
ready to go.
Awesome.
And then the Thursday so it'll close that sign up will close on Wednesday June 5th that
evening for the 6th.
And then we are kind of going to use our numbers from the first week of serving to see how
(09:42):
much to order for the next week.
And so if we have really good attendance on June 6th we might need to up our counts a
little bit.
Very good.
And if you don't make the cutoff you can still come.
Oh absolutely yeah.
It just helps the ordering numbers right?
Yes it gives us a baseline of how many to expect.
(10:03):
Okay.
So if we have a hundred families interested that really helps me when I go to place and
order I'm not going to order for 500 if I only have a hundred sign up.
But if I have 500 sign up well yeah I'm going to order 600 or 700.
And not only is it for ordering it's also for us to be able to staff to efficiently
(10:26):
work with that many whatever numbers of parents show up.
And there's also signs in all of the school pick up lines and throughout our communities
for the lunch program and there's QR codes that you can scan and it will take you right
to the website where you can get that form also right.
So if you're in the school pick up line you can go ahead and just scan that QR code to
(10:49):
take you there also.
A little bit easier too.
So you mentioned pick up on Thursday.
What are the hours to that to let people know through the podcast here?
When can they pick them up?
They can pick up any time from noon to 6 p.m.
We really have to be strict in our time frame now.
(11:10):
So you really need to make sure you are in line prior to 6 p.m.
Due to the federal guidelines.
Due to the federal guidelines.
So as long as you're in line we will serve you but we are going to mark that last person
in line just to make sure we you know comply with all the red tape.
Very good.
And if you do have a student that comes to pick up food I've seen pictures of this food.
(11:35):
Now it is a multi-day meal pack with half gallons of liquid.
So make sure if you are sending a student to pick up food it's quite a bit of food.
It'll be tough if they ride their bike up and picking up for two or three kids.
They may need to pull a wagon.
Yeah I mean it's a substantial amount of food for one student.
(11:57):
Definitely.
And that's kind of why.
Not to discourage but.
We were going to send you know kids leaving summer academy.
And then it's like whoa picture a first grader carrying a bag of frozen food a bag of fresh
fruits and vegetables and a half gallon of milk plus their backpack.
(12:17):
I watch kids carry lunch trays and lunchrooms almost every day and that's a struggle.
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Well one of the things that I want to say and I know you and Mr. Jansen collaborated
on this quite a bit and collaborate about our nutrition program.
So I want to thank you both for your work on this because I think it's out of the ordinary
(12:38):
for a district to be able to offer this.
So I appreciate you guys doing that and I appreciate you joining us today to talk to
us about the nutrition services for the summertime.
And I really know that this is going to be a benefit for our kids and families throughout
the summer.
Thank you for doing it.
Before we wrap up I just want to point something out because I have a 16 year old at home and
(13:02):
he eats all day long and the summers.
So do I.
It's just yeah but the summertime it's like all I can do to keep food in our house.
I'm going to Tawanda Elementary and I am getting a meal pack for my 16 year old so that he
has the hamburgers and the milk and the juice so that I can keep more food in my house.
(13:23):
Right.
You're exactly right.
Absolutely.
There is no meal benefits application needed for this.
It does not matter if you are paid, reduced or free.
This is for everyone and this is a service to our community and to really help with that
grocery bill this summer.
And if your kids are here in Tawanda on Thursdays, if they're out of practice or at a weights
(13:48):
camp or doing a summer activity or at the rec center or close by at a park tell them
to come on over and we'll get them some meals for the week and even if it's just a little
something for them to snack on.
Like absolutely.
It's good food.
Yeah and that's one of the things.
We really want to encourage people to participate in this and help us make this a big success
(14:14):
for this program since it is something new.
We want it to be an ongoing year after year type of thing and so that's why we're here
today trying to kick this off and make it a big success.
And continue to grow and offer it longer because how long is it this summer?
I guess we didn't talk about that.
How long are the meals offered?
So we are just offering this during June but you know envisioning this we do have this
(14:40):
designation for five years.
So as long as it's successful we can you know continue this and maybe do July next year
or maybe offer a wider variety of menu items.
We just need it to be successful in order to justify doing some cooler things with the
(15:00):
menu.
Well I was wrapping it up.
We had a little bit more information and I appreciate you guys sharing that.
That's awesome.
Well to stay up to date of what's going on with Circle Public Schools make sure to follow
us on Facebook at Circle USD 375 and visit our webpage at USD375.org.
If you're a parent or guardian also make sure to check out information sent to you through
(15:24):
Parent Square.
If you have a question about today's episode or a suggestion for another episode make sure
you email us at media at USD375.org.
We would always love to hear from you.
Thanks for joining us for the episode 6 of T-Bird Talk.
See you later and as always thrive in 375.
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