New Breakfast Programs to start at Elliott, Davis, Farine, Townley, and Barton
New for the 2008-2009 school year, Elliott, Davis, Farine and Townley elementary schools become the latest to provide the “Breakfast in the Classroom” program to their students.  Under this wonderful program, all students eat breakfast at no charge – regardless of their economic status (based on free/reduced meal applications).  Food Service employees, as well as volunteers, deliver breakfasts to each classroom before the start of the school day.  Upon arriving at their respective classrooms, students enjoy healthy, delicious breakfasts.

Irving ISD Releases Free/Reduced Lunch Policy
Irving Independent School District has announced its policy for providing free and reduced price meals for children served under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program. The IISD Food Service Office has a copy of the policy, which may be reviewed by any interested party.

Meals Prices Announced for 2008-2009
Only minor changes for some student meals, and for adult meals, will occur for 2008-2009, the IISD Food Service Department announced today.  Even with these minor price increases, the Irving ISD offers some of the lowest meal prices in the greater D/FW area, as the table below clearly illustrates.  This means that students, and their families, will have extremely nutritious and healthy meals available at bargain prices.

Local Meal Programs Supply Nutrition, Fun to Youngsters
(By Jess Paniszczyn) Summer brings its own set of challenges to parents. As soon as he school is over, parents become part-time chefs and social secretaries constantly providing kids with healthy snacks and meals as well as entertainment. Luckily two local programs offer kids nutritious meals and opportunities to gather with friends, while giving the parents’ wallets a much needed break.  During the week, IISD Food Service Department provides free breakfasts and lunches to kids 18 and under.  “The Irving school district participates in the Seamless Summer Feeding Program, which is offered by the USDA and administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture,” Michael Rosenberger, IISD Food Service’s Director, said. “It allows us to provide meals at no charge for students.

Obesity Epidemic in US Kids May Have Peaked
(MSNBC Article)  The percentage of American children who are overweight or obese appears to have leveled off after a 25-year increase, according to new figures that offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dismal battle. "That is a first encouraging finding in what has been unremittingly bad news,'' said Dr. David Ludwig, director of an obesity clinic at Children's Hospital Boston. "But it's too soon to know if this really means we're beginning to make meaningful inroads into this epidemic. It may simply be a statistical fluke''...

Fuel, Food Costs Soar
As fuel and food costs soar, area school districts are taking various steps to minimize the impact on students and district patrons.  See the attached article for more information.

March Employee of the Month
Norma Garcia, Food Service technician and a head cook at Nimitz High School’s cafeteria, was recently honored as the March 2008 Employee of the Month.  During the award ceremony at the March 10 Board of Trustees meeting, Ms. Garcia’s hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm were recognized and celebrated. 

Fruit Cups Stamped with Production Date
The Dole peach and strawberry cups currently being served by the Food Service Department are stamped with a date on the bottom of the cup.  This is a production date, not an expiration date.  Millions of Americans each year enjoy Dole fruit products.  Irving ISD students and staff can now enjoy these Dole fruit cups, featuring fruit picked at the peak of ripeness, as part of their breakfast and/or lunch meals. 

Britain, Brown to Test New Lunch Menu
It’s no April Fools Joke, but starting April 1, 2008, both Britain and Brown elementary schools will be testing a new lunch menu.  The new lunch menu is an innovative “Grab n Go” lunch, similar in concept to the popular Lunchables found in grocery stores.  The “Grab n Go” lunches at these two schools, however, offer a larger variety of foods than the traditional Lunchables, are nutritionally balanced and healthy meals, and are available at a much lower price than Lunchables! 

Stipes Elementary to Start NEW Breakfast Program
On Monday, March 31, Stipes will begin the Universal Breakfast program, under which all students eat breakfast for FREE!!!  Students at Stipes will still report to the cafeteria for breakfast and will still go through the cafeteria lines, but they will receive their breakfasts at no charge, regardless of their meal status (i.e. free, reduced-price, or paid).  Stipes becomes the fifth elementary school this school year to adopt the Universal Breakfast program. 

11 Irving ISD Schools Earn Silver Awards
Eleven Irving elementary schools recently earned one of the nation’s highest school nutrition awards: the HealthierUS Challenge Silver School award.  These eleven schools, together, become only the second group of schools in Texas to earn this prestigious recognition.

Innovative Nutrition Programs Bring Health, Awards to Irving Schools
(Article by by Jess Paniszczyn)
Generations of school children have viewed cafeteria lunches with suspicion  ... Today’s Irving ISD Food Services offers carefully planned breakfasts, lunches and snacks while teachers work to make students more nutrition savvy ...

T.J. Lee Elementary School  Declared a National “Best Fat Fighter”
The January 2008 edition of Scholastic Administrator’s magazine has recognized T.J. Lee Elementary School for their accomplishments in helping students make healthy eating and lifestyle choices.  In their annual “Best and Worst” column...

Lee First Texas School to Receive USDA Gold School Award
Lee Elementary School was the first Texas school to receive the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Gold School Award during a special celebration on Thursday, November 15th in the Lee Elementary school gym.  USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Nancy Montanez Johner presented the nation’s highest school nutrition award to ...

Johnston, Hanes & Farine to start NEW Breakfast Programs
Just in time for the New Year 2008, Johnston, Hanes, and Farine elementary schools will start NEW school breakfast programs.  On January 7, 2008, Hanes and Farine Elementary Schools will begin the Universal Breakfast program, under which all students eat breakfast for FREE ... Meanwhile, Johnstone Elementary School will, on January 23, 2008 (at the end of the semester), start the “Breakfast in the Classroom” program. 

IISD Brings Home the Gold
IISD Food Service and T.J. Lee Elementary School earn first “Gold School” designation in Texas.  On Wednesday, September 5^th, the Food Service Department and T.J. Lee Elementary school were jointly awarded the nation’s highest school nutrition award by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).  The HealthierUS School Challenge program, administered by the USDA, offers two levels of certification...

Good Nutrition at Elementary Block Parties
Brown and T.J. Lee elementary schools both held their annual block parties in September of 2007.  These block parties serve to offer a fun, safe evening for students and parents alike at their neighborhood schools, and help to forge and strengthen community ties.

IISD Food Service: A Nation-Wide Leader in School Nutrition
According to the results of a recent national survey of food service directors, Irving ISD Food Service Department offers some of the healthiest, lowest cost meals in the country.  The School Nutrition Association’s (SNA) “School Nutrition Operations Report: The State of School Nutrition 2007” was accumulated from a survey of 1200 school nutrition directors nationwide.  The report serves to establish benchmarks for child nutrition programs...

IISD Food Service A Low-Cost Leader
Students and adults who eat Irving ISD school meals are smart shoppers – based on a recent survey of area school district meal prices, Irving ISD school cafeteria customers save an average of 15%−25% with every meal they purchase!  The start of the 2007-2008 school year marks the third consecutive year that Irving ISD meal prices have not increased for students! 

Food Service Accepts Grant
Michael Rosenberger (left), director of food service, recently accepted $6,000 in grant funds over the summer from DairyMax representative Roseann Rawls to fund Breakfast in the Classroom programs for Brandenburg, Lee and Thomas Haley elementary schools and Clifton, Kinkeade and Pierce early childhood schools.

New for 2007-2008: Nutrition Links
Want the latest news on good health and nutrition?  Simply click on our newest attraction – Nutrition Links – and cruise through our links to a number of outstanding Web sites, chock full of news you can use to improve your health.  Start the new school year with a new resolution: eat better in 07-08! 

Seven Schools Offer New Breakfast Programs
Seven IISD schools will offer new breakfast programs in 2007-2008 providing students with free breakfasts!  Irving ISD will expand their "Breakfast in the Classroom" program to six more schools and add one new school the the "Universal Breakfast Program" ...

Looking for a Family Friendly Job?
Irving ISD Food Service Department is seeking dedicated personnel for the following positions:

      Food Service Manager Trainees

      Food Service inventory Clerk