Parents: Be sure to check out the accommodations in the Parents’ Quarters, complete with hot coffee & sophisticated snacks.

Kids: Wear your pirate gear and you’ll be entered to win a special prize.  Gar!

Drop by and say hello!

Earlier this summer, Karen Hendricks was confirmed as Assistant Superintendent, Human Resources and Desiree Dominguez joined as a manager in the HR department.

Duncan is also expected to announce the finalists in the second round of the Race to the Top. California is expected to be among those finalists.

President Obama is expected to address education reform in a speech to the National Urban League on Thursday.

More information here.

Locally, work continues to improve the quality and appeal of school meals under the leadership of Food Services Manager Jamie Smith. At the SCCS Board of Trustees meeting on July 28, [ Editor's Note: This report has been moved to August 11. ] Smith is expected to report on plans to increase participation in both paid and free meals served at breakfast and lunch.  In a report presented last month, participation numbers for the 2009/10 school year showed a large drop over previous years.  Though the quality of food has improved, the transition to before-school breakfast and a lack of outreach publicizing changes to school meals and timing contributed to fewer students taking meals at school. Under Smith’s guidance, Food Services accelerated a transition to in-house scratch-cooked meals in March; from August-February, meals at the elementary and middle schools were provided by Revolution Foods, an Oakland-based company offering largely organic, kid-approved meals.

Members of the SCCS Wellness Committee and Santa Cruz Education Foundation recently attended a food policy discussion with USDA Under Secretary Janey Thornton, Rep. Sam Farr and Assemblymember Bill Monning.  Work to improve the quality of school meals and increase access for Santa Cruz County students has continued throughout the summer months through the collaborative alliance, Fixing School Food. A renewed focus on Universal Classroom Breakfast from the California Department of Education, the Federal School Lunch program and local advocates may drive a new effort in Santa Cruz schools to reactivate plans for in-classroom breakfasts – a program that was ready to pilot in two of our schools last fall.

The text of the full House announcement:

“If we allow our children’s health to suffer, if we allow more children to go hungry by not taking swift action with this legislation, we fail our children, their families and the future of this country,” said U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee and original co-sponsor of this legislation. “This legislation gives us a real opportunity to make dramatic reforms to help prevent hunger, to improve children’s health and increase access to healthy meals. The health and academic success of an entire generation of children is at stake.”

“Given the serious fiscal challenges facing our country, we must ensure that we devote our limited resources to our nation’s most urgent priorities,” said Congressman Todd Platts (R-PA), original co-sponsor of the legislation. “Providing nutritious meals and improving health standards for our nation’s children, especially those most in need, are such priorities. I am pleased to be working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move this important legislation forward.”

“I am pleased that this legislation calls for common sense action, to protect the health of our children. This bill addresses the need to work with children of all ages, from infants to high school age, to help them form healthy habits” said U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), chair of the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities and original co-sponsor of the legislation. “From provisions to encourage mothers to breast feed to infants, to addressing the need to begin working with preschoolers on forming healthy habits and promoting physical activity and quality recess time, this legislation takes a comprehensive approach to improving the health of our children. Simply, this bill emphasizes healthy food and healthy habits, which will make healthy children.”

In addition to other amendments offered by committee Members, the committee voted on a managers amendment, offered by Miller, that would bolster the legislation and help achieve President Obama’s goal of enhancing and improving the federal child nutrition programs. The amendment would expand the national afterschool meals program so more children in afterschool programs can have an additional snack or meal. Among other provisions, it would improve nutrition education and make further enhancements to food safety and food quality.

The managers amendment also strengthens the science-based foundation that ensures the WIC program best meets the nutrition needs of participants by enhancing the Secretary of Agriculture’s existing authority to conduct scientific reviews and ensures that the review considers the modern food environment, including innovations in the marketplace that may enhance WIC foods to better meet nutritional needs.

More information about the bill and amendments offered during the hearing.

In May, a lawsuit was filed (Robles-Wong v. California) in partnership with the state PTA, School Boards Association, Association of School Administrators and others to force the issue.  We encourage our readers to learn more about the issues, the suit and the need for school finance reform.

You can learn more about the movement here, at FixSchoolFinance.org and sign on to show your support.

Healthy school food advocates have sought an additional $1.00 per meal, effectively doubling the amount available to schools to spend on food costs.  Currently, for every $2.68 schools receive in reimbursement, only $1 goes to food.  The movement to shift to healthy, fresh and local foods seeks more funds to spend on food. Both the Senate and House bills include the additional $.06, the first increase, supporters point out, in decades.

First Lady Michelle Obama has been a high-profile supporter of healthy school food.  With the recent launch of the Let’s Move campaign, the White House has thrown its support into both improving school nutrition and stemming childhood obesity through increased physical activity.

You can help improve school food by contacting your representatives today to urge them to support the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act on July 1st.

Contact Information:

Representative Sam Farr

Representative Anna Eshoo

Representative George Miller

Speaker Nancy Pelosi

The hearing begins Thursday at 10 am EST.  Watch a live webcast here.

Through its “No Junk” campaign, Chipotle Mexican Grill is asking everyone to forward their junk email to nojunk@chipotlejunk.com.  For every junk email they receive, they will donate to the Lunch Box, a cooperative program between celebrity lunch lady Ann Cooper and Whole Foods Markets.  The Lunch Box is a resource for schools seeking to improve the quality of their school meals programs.  Chef Cooper provides “school-tested” recipes and formulas for kid-friendly meals that meet the federal standards for school lunches, but far exceed the quality and appeal of standard lunchroom fare.

The “No Junk” campaign runs from June 25 through August, or until 500,000 emails are received.  The donation goal is $50,000.

Students from Santa Cruz High created the following short clip for the Save our Shores contest as part of a campaign to raise awareness about the impact of plastic bags on our ocean environment.  Contest winners will receive a video camera and see their clip circulated widely.

Hey Hey Goodbye