Staff
Director of Food Service
High School Food Service Manager
Cook Manager, Cleveland Steward
Cook Manager, Evergreen
Cook Manager, Ramsey
Food Service Department Administrative Assistant
GMS Food Service Manager
Cook Manager, University Park
Food Services
The Gateway Food and Nutrition Services is committed to providing its students with high-quality and well-balanced nutritious meals in accordance with government regulations through exceptional customer service practices.
At the Gateway School District, all student are eligible for FREE MEALS through the implementation of the Federally-funded Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Program. This Universal Free Lunch & School Breakfast Program will provide a single complete reimbursable breakfast & lunch each school day to all students at no charge, regardless of their respective eligibility status. In order to qualify as a “free meal,” students must take a “complete reimbursable meal.”
Students should be familiar with the Offer vs. Serve (OVS) “reimbursable meal” basics to ensure that they are getting a “free meal” and not being charged a la carte pricing for each of their selected meal items. All charges of this sort will be applied to each student’s respective food service account. Please click here for more information:
The Gateway School District has been repetively recognized as Child Hunger Hero award winner from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. This honor is given to schools and community partners who go above and beyond in feeding kids in our community. We are proud of the hard work of our food service staff and community volunteers who operate the District’s “pop-up” food pantry.
Gateway School District participates in both the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. In accordance with the 2010 Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act (HHFKA), A USDA Meal Regulations require all participating districts to serve healthier and more nourishing meals to your children and adhere to the following: .
- Must choose at least one fruit or vegetable serving with both breakfast and lunch.
- Greater selection and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables- 1 cup of each offered for lunch on a daily basis and a minimum of 2 fruit/ veggie offerings for breakfast
- The average of all grains offered must be whole grain rich meaning that it’s made up at least of 80% whole grains including pizza crusts.
- Only low-fat milk and fat-free flavored milk without high fructose corn syrup and added BGH may be offered.
- Continuing the gradual reduction of the sodium content in the foods being served
Statistics show that well-nourished children do better in school. Research also suggests that eating a healthy breakfast at school will positively effect a child’s performance in the classroom, as follows:
- Eating breakfast improves test scores
- Breakfast eaters make fewer mistakes
- Kids who eat breakfast have improved attention spans and show improved behavior
Breakfast eaters are also less likely to become overweight.
Resources
Gateway School District offers "mySchoolBucks", a convenient and secure online payment and parent information portal! With "mySchoolBucks" you can deposit money into one or more student accounts, track purchase history, create low-balance reminders and even set-up an automatically recurring payment. A link to the site's homepage is included below.
https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/getmain?requestAction=home
Myschoolbucks Parent Guide
The Gateway Department of Food & Nutrition Services is seeking both permanent part-time and substitute employees throughout the District. This may be the perfect job for you or somebody you know. You may see the kids off to school and return home before they do while also enjoying summers, weekends, and nights off.
Permanent employees also are entitled to a retirement benefit per Pennsylvania Commonwealth Law of which currently is more than 35% of earnings. This translates into an additional $4.60 per hour in retirement earnings that will accrue interest over the duration of your school food service career until you are eligible for retirement benefits.
The District's current food service substitute pay rate is $14.00 per hour.
Please contact Administrative Assistant, Sharon Meekins at smeekins@gatewayk12.org or (412) 373-5777 for additional information.
Click here for a flyer with more information.
INTRODUCTION
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) was established to ensure that low-income children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is not in session. Free meals, that meet Federal nutrition guidelines, are provided to all children at approved SFSP sites in areas with significant concentrations of low-income children.
The SFSP operates during school vacations, primarily in the summer months – from May through September. It also may provide meals during vacation breaks where schools are operated on a year-round basis or a continuous school calendar, or during emergency school closures from October through April.
Who Administers the Program?
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) administers the SFSP at the national level. Within each State, the Program is administered by the State department of education, or in our case the PDE.
Important Note:
Sponsors may allow a child to take one (1) fruit, vegetable, or grain item offsite to eat later without prior State agency approval. The fruit, vegetable, or grain item taken offsite must be from the child’s own meal.
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School Wellness Policy
School districts are required to participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs and develop local school wellness policies that address student nutrition and physical activity (Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004).
The 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act requires schools to:
- Permit parents to participate in the development of local school wellness policies.
- Update and inform parents about the policies’ content and implementation.
Parents often are unaware of their right to be involved with their school’s wellness committees and to have a say in the wellness policies related to nutrition and physical activity.
An effective, comprehensive school wellness policy includes:
- Nutrition education and physical activity goals
- Nutrition guidelines for all foods available on the school campus
- Ways for parents, students, school administrators, the school board, the school food authority and the general public to get involved in developing and evaluating the wellness policy
- Other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness
- Plans for evaluating the school wellness policy
As set forth by the Gateway School District Student Wellness Policy No. 246, the "District Health Council" shall have the primary focus to, "serve as an advisory committee regarding student health issues and shall be responsible for developing a Student Wellness Policy that complies with law to recommend to the Board for adoption."
If you are interested in becoming involved in the continued development of the updated “Student Wellness Policy No. 246,” you are encouraged to become an active member of the “Health Council.” You may do so by contacting Director of Food Service, Martin Lorenzo by email at mlorenzo@gatewayk12.org or phone at (412) 373-5776.
Gateway Student Wellness Policy
Nutrition is both a pure science and a social science.
- As a pure science it looks at how the body uses nutrients.
- As a social science it looks at the relationship between food and human behavior and the environment, or how and why people eat.
Food affects almost everything we do. It affects how we look, feel, and act. It even affects our abilities – how well we function every day.
Food has an impact on life because it supplies nutrients, which are substances in food that body needs to function properly such as in growing, in repairing itself, and in having supply of energy.
With this information in mind, it's easy to conclude the importance that food plays in the lives of school-aged children both at home and in the classroom. The "Nutrition 101" PowerPoint attached below provides a basic summary of Nutrition, its components, and how the information relates to the human body.
As indicated in the PowerPoint above:
Water is Most Essential to One's Health and Wellness.
Water is found in every cell, in the spaces around the cells, in the fluid tissues of the body, and in body cavities.
Water carries dissolved nutrients throughout our body and assists in all of its functions such as: digesting foods, removing wastes, regulating temperature, and cushioning sensitive parts of our body.
Each day we lose two to three quarts of water and if this water is not replaced the body can dehydrate.
While the human body can survive weeks without food, it can only sustain without water for a maximum of 3 to 4 days.
It is recommended that we consume 64 fluid ounces of water daily.
"BREAKFAST IS BRAIN POWER!"
Research and statistics show that well-nourished children do better in school. Research also supports the importance of eating a healthy breakfast at school with regards to a child’s performance in the classroom as follows:
- Eating breakfast improves test scores
- Breakfast eaters make fewer mistakes
- Kids who eat breakfast have improved attention spans and show improved behavior
Breakfast eaters are also less likely to become overweight.
"Get Going" with School Breakfast:
Gateway Breakfast Promotional Advertisement
"The Proof is in the Pudding!"
Scientific Research demonstrates the direct connection between proper nutrition and student success in the classroom. Robert Murray, MD outlines "The Learning Connection" within his presentation below:
Statistics point to an"ALTERNATIVE" Service Model as the best course of action when it comes to breakfast offerings.
Gateway takes advantage of all the different types of breakfast service models out there ranging from:
- "Grab 'N' Go"
- Breakfast in the Classroom (BIC)
- Second Chance Breakfast
"The Morning Fuel Kids Need to Learn…"
School Breakfast!
The District Health Council (DHC) is comprised of, but not necessarily limited to, at least one (1) of each of the following: School Board member, district administrator, district food service representative, student, parent/guardian, school health professional, physical education teacher and member of the public. It shall be the goal that council membership will include representatives from each school building and reflect the diversity of the community.[2]
The DHC shall serve as an advisory committee regarding student health issues and shall be responsible for developing, implementing and periodically reviewing and updating a School Wellness policy that complies with law to recommend to the Board for adoption.
The DHC shall review and consider evidence-based strategies and techniques in establishing goals for nutrition education and promotion, physical activity and other school based activities that promote student wellness as part of the policy development and revision process.
Click on the link below to view the District's Student Wellness Policy as published on "Board Docs."
Non-Discrimination Statement:
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email:
Program.Intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
How to File a Civil Rights Complaint
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD- 3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: Program.Intake@usda.gov
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.