State of Maine
 Health Inspection Reports Jan. 2007
   

GORHAM HIGH SCHOOL

GORHAM MIDDLE SCHOOL

VILLAGE ELEMENTARY

NARRAGANSETT ELEM.

WHITE ROCK ELEM.

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All students have the option to purchases breakfast, lunch, and milk. Elementary menus are printed monthly and sent home the last week of each month.  Middle and Gorham High Menus are posted daily.  Breakfast is the same each week.  All menus must meet US Department of Agriculture standards, be highly acceptable for all students, be tasty, be served with a smile, and be prepared in a safe manner.

Students are given choices for entrees at breakfast and lunch.  Teachers take a count each morning to see who’s eating lunch, not to see who wants which meal.  This way, students are free to choose any entree at mealtime.  There is a full salad bar with fruits, vegetables, and condiments.  Milk is offered with all meals - 1% white, skim, and 1% chocolate (at lunch only).

Free and Reduced School Meals

Families may apply for free & reduced school meals at any time.  Applications must be completed each year and are now processed in the Nutrition Office.  Applications are sent home with students the first week of school, mailed, and are also available in every school office any time during the school year in case family finances change.   Download application here (PDF Format) 

As students take a meal, their name or PIN will be recorded and their account charged.  Each purchase must be tracked by federal regulations.  No child ever needs to reveal whether they are free/reduced/paid.  This is confidential information. 

Pre-Pay Nutrition Account

All students and staff have a PRE-PAY Nutrition account.   Parents are expected to pay each Monday for the meals your child will eat during the week. The account is only charged if they take the meal or item.  If they don’t eat, there’s no charge.

Deposits to the account

Deposits to the account should be made by check with the student name, PIN, and teacher in the memo area by 9 AM.  Checks should be made payable to:  GSNP.  All cash deposits must be in deposit envelopes with the same information.  All returned checks are charged a fee of $15.00 from the students account.

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As students take a meal, their name or PIN will be recorded and their account charged.  Each purchase must be tracked by federal regulations.  No child ever needs to reveal whether they are free/reduced/paid.  This is confidential information.

K-5 School Meal Payments

Students at Narragansett and White Rock Schools are limited to $10.00 in charges (6 meals) before they will be limited to a sandwich and milk meal.  Village charges are limited to $4.50 (3 meals).  Students are told verbally when the account is low and each Friday, statements are sent home with any student with a low balance.  Village students get statements each Wednesday and Friday.  All families should receive a statement the last week of the month showing the current balance. Parents may call any school day to find out this balance:  Village - 839-5050, Narragansett - 222-1259, White Rock - 222-1050.

2006 MEAL PRICES FOR Grades K-5

Eligibility:            Full            Reduced   

Breakfast -         $1.00            FREE       

Lunch -             $1.75            $.30  

Extra 1%White or Skim Milk - $.50            1%Chocolate Milk - $.50

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Staff & Visitors: 

$3.50, (adult portion)
AM Kindergarten Snack Milk:          $.25 daily
PM Kindergarten Snack Milk:           FREE

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GHS & GMS Menus/Prices

Students at the Middle School may charge up to 2 Value Meals before they will be limited to a sandwich and milk meal.  No ALA CARTE ITEMS MAY BE CHARGED.

There is NO CHARGING in the High School.

Menus at these schools are posted daily and include 6 o 10 entree choices.  The best deal is a Value Meal.  It includes up to  items:  choice of entree, PLUS fresh vegetable, PLUS fruit, PLUS dessert when available, AND an 8oz. milk, (10oz at GHS).  Purchased separately, the cost is much higher!

MEAL PRICES for Gorham Middle School (grades 6-8)

Eligibility:            Full            Reduced

Breakfast            $1.00             FREE       

Lunch                 $1.75           $0.30  

Extra 1%White or Skim Milk - $.50            1%Chocolate Milk - $.50

MEAL PRICES for Gorham High School

Eligibility:            Full            Reduced 

Breakfast -             $1.00          FREE

Lunch -                  $2.00            $.30

Extra 1%White or Skim Milk - $.50            1%Chocolate Milk - $.50

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STAFF AND VISITORS:  $3.50, (adult portion)

A la carte Pricing

A la carte pricing will be available on the School Nutrition Web Site.

CLICK HERE FOR THE 2007 PRICE LIST IN ADOBE ACROBAT FORMAT (pdf)
                                                                                          

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Prepayment Discounts

STOP THE MONDAY MORNING LUNCH MONEY MADNESS!!

Prepay for the week or longer, by sending a check with your students name and number.  If you send cash, it must be in a sealed envelope with the students name, number, teacher, and amount.

Deposit $75 in any one account and receive a free Meal!  ANy balances left in June will be rolled into the next school year.  Refunds will be made only for families leaving the district or upon graduation.

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Menu Planning

All menus and foods served in Gorham School Nutrition are regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture, the Maine Department of Education, and Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

The goal of GSNP is to provide healthy, highly accepted, affordable meals to students, staff, and the community.  By Federal regulations, the average meal eaten over a week, must meet certain guidelines that are printed on the menu each month.  Approved software takes into account the ingredients, the recipes, the serving size, and determines what the average serving contains. The guidelines are determined by the age of the students in each school.  

As featured in the Dietary Guidelines, the terms GOOD or BAD foods are no longer used. There is the recognition that the amount consumed and frequency is the foremost issue.  Therefore, it is still possible to offer a chicken nugget or hot dog as long as other choices are lower fat choices that bring the menu into balance.  This indicator relies on the group average and not necessarily an individual’s choice on a given day.

New, innovative meal choices keep the program interesting for students, introduce new foods, and insure that all students participate in the program.  Otherwise, the program would tend to only serve the free and reduced students.  This is overt identification of lower income students, a violation of Federal Discrimination Policies. 

No matter how healthy a choice, if it isn't eaten, it doesn't do anyone any good.  Unless there is a demand for certain items through exposure at school and home, the waste goes up and cost goes up.   There are also constraints as to what can be served - many of the commodity items the USDA sends to schools are still the traditional high fat meats and nuts.  It can be hard to make these into a healthy meal.  With classroom support, modeling from staff and parents, newer, healthier items can be brought into the cafe with a higher success rate. 

Conversations with the staff and parents will give all parties the understanding of our nutrition goals and program constraints and hopefully provide positive changes for the future.

As part of meeting the demands of the Maine Learning Results, the Nutrition program and the Community Health Advisory Committee offer support and resources to classroom staff.  In a community transitioning from rural to suburban, there is a great need to keep the students linked to farms as the source of their food.  This can be through seed sprouting in classes or other similar projects, a school garden, guest visits by local farmers, and field trips to the kitchen, the dairy, and the farm so kids know where food starts and why farms are an important part of our community.

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Point of Sale System (POS)

When students enroll in any Gorham school, they are assigned a 4-5 digit Personal Identification Number.  It is important that each student memorize their PIN as this number will be used daily.  The PIN is confidential.  Therefore the number should not be given to other students.  Safeguards are built into the system to eliminate guessing numbers or using someone else's PIN.  Using someone else's PIN is the same as stealing their lunch ticket and must be discouraged.  If your child transfers to a new school within our district, a new PIN will be issued at that school.  

Student information will go home the first day of school for students moving into new buildings.  The PIN will be different at each building, last years number will not work if they change locations.  PIN numbers handed out during homeroom.  Students will be responsible to memorize the PIN and keep track of their account balance.  The PIN is printed on a slip. This can be kept in a safe place or destroyed once the number is memorized.

THE SYSTEM

The computer system will record and store all information about the student and staff meals.  All enrolled students and staff will be issued a 4-5 digit Personal Identification Number and a corresponding meal account.

At the cashier, they enter their PIN on the keypad, and pay with money from their prepay account, with cash or both.  Students may have their names checked from a classroom roster instead of entering their PIN if needed. If students have enough money in their account, the price of the meal will be automatically deducted from the balance. 

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Charging

Students at Narragansett and White Rock Schools are limited to $10.00 in charges before they will be limited to a sandwich and milk.  Village charges are limited to $5.25.  Students are told verbally when the account is low and each Friday, bills are sent home with any student with a low balance.  Village students get statements each Wednesday and Friday.  Parents may call any school day to find out this balance:  Village - 839-5050, Narragansett - 222-1259, White Rock - 222-1050.

Students at the Middle School may charge up to 2 Value Meals before they will be limited to a sandwich and milk meal.  No ALA CARTE ITEMS MAY BE CHARGED.

There is NO CHARGING in the High School.

Students are told their account balance after every transaction at the register.  You may also use the ON-LINE PAYMENT SYSTEM to check balances for free!

Students eligible for free or reduced riced meals will also have to enter their PIN and will be provided a meal at no charge without identifying them as being free.

HOW’S THE MONEY HANDLED?

Students should drop off prepayments in the school café any morning.  Prepaying for meals by check is highly recommended.  Checks must be made payable to GSNP and include the students name and PIN.  No change will be given to students. 

Returned check fees are currently $15.00.

Any Cash prepayment must be put in a deposit envelope with the student name, PIN, and amount.  Students may also prepay in cash at the register during lunch only at Gorham Middle School and Gorham High School.

Money left at the end of the year will be carried into the next year.  Refunds will be made for students leaving the district. 

VALUE MEALS AND PREPAYMENTS

In order to speed up service in the café, it is encouraged to prepay each Monday for meals to be eaten during the week or longer. The account is only charged if a student takes a meal.

A Value meal is as follows:

One entree (GMS offers 6 daily, GHS offers 10 daily)

Choose one:
Vegetable Sticks or Salad

Choose one:
Fruit:  Fresh, Canned, or 4 oz Juice

Choose one IF available:
Dessert

Choose one Milk:
half pint of 1% white, 1%chocolate, or skim.

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Limits on Student Accounts  

Parents may request limits on student accounts with the form below.  Please sign and return this to the kitchens or the Director.

GORHAM SCHOOL NUTRITION PROGRAM
POINT OF SALE ACCOUNT LIMITS

Student Name:  __________________               PIN:  _____

Write in amounts you wish to limit your student to spend in the following areas from their prepayment accounts.  Students may still spend cash above these limits, but will not be able to use money you intend for a value meal to be used for snacks, for example. 

breakfast:  $_________                   lunch:  $_________                 

 maximum daily spending:  $______

Signed:  _______________________________ 
Date:  _____/ ______/________

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Gorham School Nutrition Contact List