Category Archives: Nutrition Services

Nutrition Services partners with HISD transition programs to help students with disabilities

Leticia Resendiz spends her weekdays at Seguin Elementary School, carefully preparing and serving wholesome meals to eager students.  

A dedicated employee, she carefully reviews the instructions of every recipe and always remembers to follow health and safety regulations. 

“I’m happy with this job,” Resendiz said. “I love giving the kids their breakfast and lunch. Everyone is so nice to me.” 

Resendiz is one of four food service attendants hired by Nutrition Services in partnership with two transition programs — HISD-HCC Lifeskills and HISD/HEART (Housing, Entrepreneurship, and Readiness Training).  

The programs are designed to help HISD special education students who have met all academic and course requirements for graduation but require transition services to complete their Individualized Education Program.  

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Three HISD schools recognized among America’s healthiest

Three HISD schools have been recognized as some of the country’s healthiest schools by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.  

Baylor College of Medicine Biotech Academy at Rusk, Piney Point Elementary School, and Rucker Elementary School all were honored with bronze-level designations for the schools’ impact on children’s health.  

The schools are among 355 schools from 23 states selected for the recognition.  

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HISD students to eat all meals at no charge this school year

As parents prepare for the upcoming school year, Nutrition Services has taken one key responsibility off their plates — providing students with breakfast, lunch, and dinner free of charge for the second year in a row. 

All HISD schools are once again qualified to operate under the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Community Eligibility Provision, which provides students with access to three healthy meals each day — at no cost to them and without having to fill out a free and reduced-price meal application. 

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HISD asking parents to complete socioeconomic form for the 2019-2020 school year

The Houston Independent School District will provide free breakfast and lunch to students for the 2019-2020 school year, but parents will need to fill out a new form to ensure Title I funding for HISD schools. 

All HISD schools are qualified to operate under the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service Community Eligibility Provision, which allows HISD to provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner at no charge to all students, eliminating the need for free and reduced-price meal applications. 

While parents will not need to complete and return a free and reduced-price meal application, they will need to complete a socioeconomic form (see below), known as the blue form. 

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HISD Business Operations launches new brand focused on students

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With more than 7,000 employees, Business Operations is the largest division in HISD. But what exactly do we do?

Before students can ever file into their classrooms, bus drivers and crossing guards must get them safely to school. Cafeteria workers must make them a nutritious breakfast. Custodians, police officers, and construction crews must make sure they have new, clean, safe spaces in which to learn.

The breadth of our work touches all facets of the district, and support is at the heart of everything we do. We help lay the foundation for student success — most of the time behind the scenes.

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HISD to offer no-cost summer meals at more than 250 schools

HISD Nutrition Services will be kicking off its Summer Meals Program June 5 at more than 250 area schools. Children ages 1 to 18 can enjoy a healthy breakfast and lunch at no charge through July 3.  

Children do not need to be enrolled in summer school to participate in the program, and no paperwork, registration, or proof of income is required. Adults can also participate by purchasing breakfast for $2.75 and lunch for $4. 

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HISD campuses celebrate Nutrition Services staff with 7th Annual School Lunch Hero Day

Cheers echoed down the hall as Bruce Elementary School students and staff gathered Friday in Room 137 to surprise their beloved cafeteria staff with an ice cream bar and certificates of appreciation.  

The party was held in honor of School Lunch Hero Day, a nationwide celebration that honors school nutrition professionals for the valuable work they do each day. The annual celebration stems from author Jarrett Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady, a graphic novel series featuring a crime-fighting Lunch Lady whose mission is to serve up justice while serving up lunch.

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HISD ranked as a top five food delivery district in Texas

A child research and advocacy organization has recognized Nutrition Services as a top five food delivery district in the state of Texas.

Children at Risk ranked HISD fourth among large school districts in the state based on its record of providing daily meals to children in need, especially its school breakfast program, which allows schools to serve students breakfast in their classroom before starting the school day.

The organization measured the participation rate of school nutrition programs across districts based on data provided by the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Education Agency.

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7th Annual School Lunch Hero Day to be celebrated on May 3

Students and school faculty will soon have the opportunity to show their appreciation to cafeteria staff during School Lunch Hero Day.

On May 3, Nutrition Services will celebrate School Lunch Hero Day, a nationwide celebration that honors school nutrition professionals for the valuable work they do each day. The observance will allow students and school staff to celebrate their campus’ cafeteria team.

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Family-style lunch a success at Garden Oaks Montessori

When it’s time for lunch, Garden Oaks teacher Terah Kuhnen’s pre-kindergarten students take out their blue and white placemats and begin setting the table around the floral centerpieces.

She walks about the classroom, filling their trays with the lunch for the day. Once the children are seated, she begins to eat her own meal — usually the same food her class is enjoying.

This is family-style lunch, a program that was launched at the start of this school year in Garden Oaks Montessori’s Children’s House classrooms, where 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds work and learn together.

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