Food and Nutrition Services / What is a "Type A" Meal - A.K.A. The High School Cafeteria S

High School

Cafeteria Survival Guide

Going through the lunch line for freshmen can be both confusing and frustrating if they are not prepared to handle the experience. Here are some helpful tips to hopefully make it a more enjoyable event!

The first item we need to cover is:
“What is a "Type A" meal”?

"Type A" meals are offered for $ 2.35 and are listed on the menu every day. These are referred to as reimbursable meals. Reimbursable meals provide funds from the State and Federal Government for providing complete meals that meet the guidelines established by the USDA. These funds help defer the costs associated with providing a meal.

"Type A" meals consist of up to five components: meat/meat alternate, bread/bread alternate, fruit, vegetable, and a milk. Three of the five components must be taken for the meal to qualify as a "Type A" meal. One of the items must be a fruit or a vegetable.

This is important for students who take advantage of the free or reduced meal program.

Entrées are typically considered as the meat/bread component, such as a Chicken Patty, Bosco Sticks, or General Tso’s Chicken. Fruits and vegetables are separate components with a total offering of 8 ounces per component.

There is no substitute for a carton of milk, but any flavor will fill the requirement.

Here are some examples of a "Type A" lunch with all five components:

Example #1:

Chicken Patty on a Bun - meat/meat alternate & bread/bread alternate

4 oz Cup of Green Beans - fruit/vegetable

4 oz Cup of Corn - fruit/vegetable

4 oz Cup of Peaches - fruit/vegetable

4 oz Cup of Pears - fruits/vegetable

Milk – Once again, there is no substitute for milk

Example #2:
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce - meat/meat alternate & bread/bread alternate
4 oz Cup of Tossed Salad - fruit/vegetable
4 oz Orange cut up into smiles - fruit/vegetable

4 oz Cup Brussel Sprouts - fruit/vegetable

Milk - Once again, there is no substitute for milk

Example #3:

Grilled Cheese Sandwich - meat/meat alternate & bread/bread alternate
8 oz Cup Steamed broccoli - fruit/vegetable

4 oz Cup Mixed Fruit - fruit/vegetable

Milk - Once again, there is no substitute for milk

Here are some examples of a "Type A" lunch with less than five components:

Remember that a student only needs 3 of the five offered components to receive the discounted price.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the program and take all items they are entitled to:

Example #1:
Cheeseburger - meat/meat alternate & bread/bread alternate
4 oz Carton of Juice - fruit/vegetable

Example #2:
Norwin Hoagie - meat/meat alternate & bread/bread alternate
4 oz Cup of Applesauce - fruit/vegetable

All examples cost $ 2.35 and are reimbursable meals. Clearly it is not only a better financial decision to take all five components, but the lunch is more filling and nutritious.

Please take advantage of the additional offerings of fruits and vegetables

Paying for Meals

There is a District ‘no charge’ policy at the High School and can be viewed on the District webpage. Students who do not have money in their account or cash to purchase a meal, will be denied a lunch. They will be permitted to call a parent/guardian to bring in funds or to make a deposit thru Family Access and the RevTrak system. It is the student’s responsibility to know their account balance on a daily basis. Deposits should be made in check form, not cash. The cancelled check will serve as your receipt of deposit. Family Access is a great tool for parents/guardians to monitor deposits, what their children are purchasing, and account balances as well as depositing additional funds into their accounts. Information on Family Access can be obtained from the District webpage or calling the main office. If you have any questions about your child's account, please contact:

Ms Marchelle DePalma, High School Kitchen Manager at 724-861-3005 x3400 (mdepalma@norwinsd.org)

or Mr Rod Stewart, Director of Food & Nutrition Serviceat 724-515-3038 (rstewart@norwinsd.org).

Ala Carte Items (Not "Type A")

There are items that are served on a daily basis that are not considered to be components of the "Type A" meal. These items will be ala carte purchases all of the time and will not be included in the $2.35 "Type A" meal price.

Some of these items are: Soup of the Day, Soft Pretzels, Bottles of Water, and Baked Bagged Snacks.

ID Badges

All students are to use their picture ID badge to access their lunch account. If a student does not have their ID badge when entering the cafeteria, they will be asked to go to the end of the line. This is so the line can continue to flow smoothly for students that follow the rules and use their ID badges. Students without badges will need to manually enter their numbers into a keypad which causes delays in the lunch line. With the start of the 2011-2012 school year, families with multiple children in the District will be able to share funds. Lunch accounts are now set up as families and not individual students. This was done in order to reduce the transaction fees for credit card deposits.

The cafeteria ladies are there to help and assist students with all aspects of the lunch program.
Please do not hesitate to ask them questions.

Rod Stewart
Director of Food and Nutrition Services
724-515-3038
rstewart@norwinsd.org

Last Modified on January 30, 2013