Student Meals

No, our frozen desserts are a popular brand, but they are modified for schools. Portion sizes are small. The milk is non fat, low fat or reduced fat milk, not cream. Some are made from juice or yogurt. All items meet “Smart Snacks in Schools” regulations.

In an effort to reduce the sodium content of our meals and to be in compliance with the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act sodium targets, we no longer provide salt shakers or salt packets to season our menu items. Our café teams have received training about seasoning with fresh and dried herbs, fresh vegetables, and other alternatives.

We make an effort to source Virginia Grown produce, supporting our local farms and farmers. You will see “Locally Grown Veggie” on the lunch menus, and this varies seasonally. We have also been able to offer locally grown fruit, such as apples and melons. Free samples are often offered in the cafeteria so “make today a try day!” WJCC has some successful school and community gardens that are able to contribute herbs and produce to school cafeterias. Agricultural literacy is a goal of our farm to school program. Students take great pride in knowing some of the food comes from their own garden, where they have learned, tended, and harvested.

Each Thursday, they offer an array of fresh, seasonal, raw veggies for students to choose from, with a variety of dipping sauces. Surveys show younger kids prefer raw over cooked veggies and they like to dip their food!

Yes, the Fresh Veggie Bars are also offered at middle schools so that our new 6th graders who enjoyed them in elementary school may also enjoy them in middle school.

High school breakfast participation has increased with our carts, which offer another point of sale more convenient to students. The carts offer popular breakfast items, including smoothies, coffee and tea, for high school students on their way to class. There are meal and a la carte options.

Fruit and Yogurt Smoothies are very popular as a high school breakfast meal when served with a grain or breakfast bread choice. Your student may add a milk to complete that meal, if they would like. Some other schools offer Fruit and Yogurt Parfaits as a breakfast meal choice. Your student may add another fruit and a milk to complete that meal, if they would like. The Parfaits and Smoothies are also sold a la carte at lunch, while supplies last.

Some high schools offer freshly made, custom made deli subs. Students choose from a whole grain sub roll, flatbread or tortilla and then choose their meat and cheese and then load it up with veggies, topping it off with their choice of homemade dressings. This is available at their usual free, reduced, or paid meal price.

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Yes, all our schools serve breakfast! The menu is available in the top left corner of the lunch menu. Complete meals, yogurt parfaits, fruit smoothies, and grab and go options are available. Some schools have “Breakfast in the Classroom” and mobile café carts. In addition to some “old school” breakfast favorites, your student may choose from cereal, baked goods, yogurt, fresh fruit & more. Your student may be eligible for a free or reduced price breakfast. Contact the Child Nutrition Services office at 565-3838.

Every day at every school, we have fresh fruits, and/or fresh side salad or fresh vegetable choices. Many entrees have fresh ingredients added for flavor and good nutrition. We often source fresh Virginia Grown produce from local farms. We pride ourselves on having “something fresh every day”!

Check the printed lunch menu which clearly shows what and how many a student may choose. Side grains, such as brown rice or whole grain pasta are offered if the entrée does not contain a grain. Side fruits that are fresh, canned, dried or frozen are available daily and elementary and middle school students may choose one serving; high school students may choose two. Side veggies are available daily and all students at all grades may choose two.

A variety of snacks and treats – all Wellness Policy compliant – are available for purchase. Your student may also purchase milk, yogurt, fresh raw veggies with dip, fresh fruit, a cheese stick, or other items that are often tricky to keep adequately cold in a packed lunch.

The menu is available on the school division’s website home page. Scroll down and click on “Student Meals”.

Just like families might have certain days where they have certain customs, students can count on one of their favorite foods being offered on certain days. We offer school pizza, Domino’s, Uno’s, and at some schools, Papa Murphy’s pizza. We have great participation on these days, and students are guaranteed a healthy lunch when they come to school.

Americans suffer from portion distortion. We are used to eating too much, too many, too often. The National School Lunch Program specifies portions that are in line with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020. Children are receiving a healthy portion of all 5 food groups when they participate in the school meal program.

Most of our foods are, in fact, healthy due to manufacturing and preparation modifications. For example, all breaded products are baked in our convection ovens, not fried. All grains are whole grains. We want students, staff and families to consider the whole meal when evaluating the healthfulness of school food. Taking an entrée with the fruit, vegetables, grain or bread, and milk components of a school lunch or breakfast creates a balanced, healthy meal. Over the course of a week, our menus meet nutrition standards for trans- fat, saturated fat, sodium, and calories. We are trying to teach children that all foods can fit in a healthy, balanced diet. Balance is a key to a healthy diet. In moderation, another key to a healthy diet, you can eat all foods that you enjoy.

More good news – all of our potato “fries” are actually oven baked. Potatoes are a favorite vegetable choice for many of our students. Over 10 years ago, a grant from the Williamsburg Health Foundation allowed us to put state of the art convection ovens in our schools that did not have them. We even have tasty sweet potato “fries”, rich in fiber and Vitamin A.

Our new Dutch Waffle replaces the former very popular Funnel Cake as a healthier option. This is not the waffle you get at the state fair – Dutch Waffles are baked not fried and they are a small 5-inch serving. They are made with whole grains, are trans-fat free, and have less sugar than a muffin & cereal. They are offered just once a week and we have our best school breakfast participation rates on Dutch Waffle day!

Over the course of a week, we have to offer certain numbers of servings from five different vegetable subgroups: dark green, red/orange, legumes, starchy and “other”. This variety is another key to a healthy diet. By offering the wide variety of veggies prepared in a variety of ways, kids are exposed to new vegetables they might be willing to try. Students in ALL grades may choose two servings of veggies every day as part of a complete meal.

Each week, there are a variety of freshly prepared entrée salads in the elementary and middle schools. We offer Chef, Asian Chicken, Taco, Chicken Strip, Southwest Chicken, and Strawberry Spinach Chicken entrée salads. Each entrée salad meal includes bread or grain (such as whole grain crackers or the bread of the day) and milk. At some schools, due to cold holding limitations, your student may have to ask the server for the salad if it is not on display on the serving line. Just ask!

Salad bars were offered at all three high schools starting in March 2009, thanks to a generous grant from the Williamsburg Health Foundation. The salad bars offer a wide variety of fresh ingredients, to include locally grown produce. The salad bars are self-serve and monitored by a Child Nutrition Services staff member. To-go packaging is also available. The student salad bar meal meets the USDA meal pattern and is available to all free, reduced and paid lunch customers at their usual lunch meal price. Each Thursday is Taco Salad day in the high schools. Watch for special salad bar promotions such as Frequent Shopper Cards and Free Soup with Salad deals.

Yes, we serve thousands of meals a day and need food that is safe. Take a look at the resource “Do You Have Questions about Food Safety?” on the School Nutrition Resources page.

Students may choose a healthy meal of low fat yogurt combos along with one fruit and two veggies and milk. This has been a very popular option for elementary school students.

The good news is those classic entrees are all specially chosen and specially prepared for our students. For example, the hot dogs are turkey dogs, all grains are whole grains, and the grilled cheese sandwich is reduced fat cheese on whole grain bread. Preparation is modified too. Unlike many fast foods, we bake our entrees in convection ovens. Participation is key to the success of the school lunch program. We are able to serve foods that kids like, but that are also healthy.