Department of Nutrition and Food Service 106 Weeks Road Gorham ME 04038 Phone: (207)222-1375 FAX: (207) 839-4092 |
Food Service Director |
Michael Sanborn Phone:(207)222-1231
Melissa Wilson Administrative Assistant Phone: (207)222-1375 |
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Come work for the Gorham School Nutrition Program! Work while your children or grandchildren are in school and be home before they get off the bus. We are currently looking for substitutes district-wide. Please complete an application (available in the “Employment Opportunities” page at www.gorhamschools.org) and submit directly to:
Rhonda Warren
Gorham School Department
75 South Street, Suite 2
Gorham, ME 04038
 Gorham School Nutrition Program
The Gorham School Nutrition Program is self-supporting, meaning it operates without local funds. However, due to the rising cost of everything from food to health insurance, it becomes more challenging every year to raise sufficient income from the sale of meals, ala carte items and subsidy from the state and federal government to balance a budget which is over $1,000,000.00! We continue to seek ways to maximize revenues and minimize expenses through sound fiscal management and the procurement without sacrificing quality meals for our students.
The School Nutrition Program employs eighteen people, including a director. Every day we offer a nutritious breakfast and delicious lunch to our students. Our meals exceed the nutrient standards set by the Federal Government. Menus are sent home with all elementary students and are also posted on the website.
The Gorham School Nutrition Program serves healthy, nutritious meals to students, staff, and visitors in 5 locations. Each day over 2000 meals are served. All school menus meet USDA requirements for Calories, Fat, Protein, Calcium, Iron, Vitamins A and D. Calories are based upon the age group of the school while fat is limited to 30% of all calories coming from fat. The nutrient content is reflective of what the average student selects and not what any one student chooses. It is still very important to review meal selections with your students/children and work toward a balance on a weekly basis.
All students have the option to purchase breakfast, lunch, and milk. Elementary breakfast and lunch menus are printed monthly and sent home the last week of each month. Menus include choice of 1 entree, fresh vegetable, fruit, and 8 oz. milk. Middle and High School menus are posted daily. All menus must meet US Department of Agriculture standards, be highly acceptable for all students, be tasty, be prepared in a safe manner, and be served with a smile. Students are given choices for entrees at breakfast and lunch. At our Elementary schools, teachers take a count each morning to see who is 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).
Breakfast is available to students each morning for $1.25 at all schools and includes milk. You must PRE-PAY to cover the week or more. For Elementary School students, please send in a note to allow your student to get breakfast. Breakfast is now FREE for both reduced and free families.
Please call the kitchen manager at your child's school to check account balances during: 9-11:30am, 12:30-2pm
 Free and Reduced Meals Information
Applications for free and reduced meals must be completed each year by September 25th, and are 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 and on the school district website any time during the school year in case family finances change. The free/reduced meals benefit applies to breakfast and lunch meals only, not snack milk, a la carte foods, vending, etc.
As students take a meal, their 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.
 Snack Milk (Kindergarten only)
Snack milk is the traditional, low-fat white or chocolate. Federal regulations do not allow schools that have free and reduced lunch programs to participate in a free *milk* program. Please note that due to increased costs to the nutrition program, there was a change in snack milk pricing as of FY12. Snack milk is now $35 per year for all kindergarten students. PLEASE NOTE: Students may not receive milk until payment *in full* of $35 has been received.
Pay on-line with NO ADDED CHARGE at www.paypams.com, or pay by check made out to GSNP for $35.00 and your student will receive snack milk every school day.
Please pay by September 29th. PLEASE NOTE: Students may not receive milk until payment *in full* of $35 has been received. Be sure to include your child’s name and PIN in the memo area if paying by check.
All students and staff have a PRE-PAY Nutrition Account. Students use a PIN for the Point of Sale System and their pre-pay account. This system speeds up the lines, maintains confidentiality of Meal Benefits and provides better accounting. 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. When 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 year's number will not work if they change locations. PIN numbers will be 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.
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.
Students eligible for free or reduced priced meals will also have to enter their PIN and will be provided with a meal at the proper charge and without identifying them as being free or reduced.
Parents are responsible for the PRE-PAY account – charging is limited for Grades K-5 to $10. Students are told when their account is below $2.00. Parents may check all balances on-line for free (www.paypams.com) or call the kitchens for the information.
Parents are expected to pay each Monday for the meals the child will eat during the week. The account is only charged if they take the meal or item. If they don’t eat, there is no charge. Any funds left over at the end of the year roll-over for the next year.
Please do not send money daily – it wastes valuable classroom time for everyone.
PREFERRED PAYMENT METHOD: FREE ON-LINE PAYMENT OPTION:
All parents can view account balances, make deposits, see menus, view lunch purchases, even sign up for Automatic E-mail Alerts for low balances, and/or make automatic payments with any personal computer through the www.paypams.com web site.
 PayPAMS is now FREE; on-line payments can now be made at no charge!
 STOP the Monday Morning Lunch Money Madness!!
Deposit $75.00 in any one account via Paypams 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.
Prepaying for meals by PayPAMS online is highly recommended Students may also drop off prepayments by cash or check in the school café any morning by 9:00 a.m. Payments can be made by check, payable to GSNP, with the student name and PIN in the memo area. All cash deposits must be in deposit envelopes with the same information. Students may also prepay in cash at the register during lunch only at Gorham Middle and Gorham High.
All returned checks are charged a fee of $20.00 from the student’s account. A letter is mailed home. The check amount and the fee are automatically deducted from the student account in 7 days.
 Value Meals
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.
Lunch for students in grades K-8 will cost $ 2.50 per day and grade 9-12 will cost $ 2.75. Students who qualify for reduced meal status pay 40 cents per day for lunch. Elementary students will now be offered two entrée choices each day when practical. Middle and High School students are offered many options every day. Ala carte items are available for purchase to students in grades 6-12.
The best deal is a Value Meal. A Value Meal consists of an entree, fruit, vegetable, grain, and an 8 oz. milk. Students must choose *at least three* of these components, and one of these MUST be a fruit or a vegetable choice.
 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL MEAL PAYMENTS
Students are told verbally when the account is low and once a week statements are sent home with any student with a low balance. Parents may call any school day to find out this balance: Village – 222-1316, Narragansett – 222-1259, Great Falls – 222-1200
Prices for September, 2012, Grades K-5
Eligibility: Full Reduced
Breakfast - $1.25 FREE
Lunch - $2.50 $.40
1%White or Skim Milk - $.50 1%Chocolate Milk - $.50
Kindergarten Snack Milk: $35 PER YEAR (Please pay by September 29th)
PLEASE NOTE: Students may not receive milk until payment *in full* of $35 has been received.
STAFF AND VISITORS: $1.50 Breakfast, $4.00 Lunch (adult portion)
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.
The best deal is a Value Meal. A Value Meal consists of an entree, fruit, vegetable, grain, and an 8 oz. milk. Students must choose *at least three* of these components, and one of these MUST be a fruit or a vegetable choice.
MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL MEAL PAYMENTS
**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 to 10 entrée choices. 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.
The best deal is a Value Meal. A Value Meal consists of an entree, fruit, vegetable, grain, and an 8 oz. milk. Students must choose *at least three* of these components, and one of these MUST be a fruit or a vegetable choice.
Prices for September, 2012, GORHAM MIDDLE, Grades 6-8
Eligibility: Full Reduced
Breakfast: $1.25 FREE
Lunch - $2.50 $.40
Extra 1%White or Skim Milk - $.50 1%Chocolate Milk - $.50
STAFF AND VISITORS: $1.50 Breakfast, $4.00 Lunch (adult portion)
Prices for September, 2012, GORHAM HIGH, Grades 9-12
Eligibility: Full Reduced
Breakfast - $1.25 FREE
Lunch - $2.75 $.40
Extra 1%White or Skim Milk - $.75 1%Chocolate Milk - $.75
STAFF AND VISITORS: $1.50 Breakfast, $4.00 Lunch (adult portion)
A la carte Pricing is posted at all schools.
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.
Gorham School Nutrition Contact List FY13 |
Michael Sanborn |
Director 222-1375 |
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Sara Kourinos |
Gorham High 222-1196 |
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Lynn Erickson |
GMS 222-1217 |
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Cindy Arsenault |
Village 222-1316 |
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Diana Blanchard |
Narragansett 222-1259 |
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Nancy Aceto |
Great Falls 222-1200 |
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Melissa Wilson |
Admin.Asst. 222-1375 |
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