COVINGTON, Ga. - To recognize the National School Lunch Program, serving 30 million children each day, Newton County School System will celebrate National School Lunch Week from Oct. 14-18. 

The theme, “School Lunch: What’s on Your Playlist,” spotlights how today’s school cafeterias are serving up healthy menu items that kids want to eat, with increased choice and customization.

NSLW will highlight the nutritious foods available daily at all Newton County Schools. 

“School lunches offer students fruits and vegetables, whole grains and milk, and meet federal nutrition standards limiting fat, calories and sodium,” said School Nutrition Director Abdul Lindsay. “National School Lunch Week helps us educate parents and students about all the benefits of our lunch program and the appealing variety of choices in our cafés.”

Some of our planned 2019 NSLW activities include the following: 

• Guest or celebrity servers - identified with theme aprons
• Random giveaways of NSLW theme pencils, stickers, ear buds, T-shirts and/or water bottles
• Grand prize giveaways of Fitbit and Beats headphones at Indian Creek Middle and Eastside High Schools, respectively

District Chef Tanesha Baker and Registered Dietitian Donna Vella-Brown have planned taste testing and surveys for the following new food items: Spicy fish sandwiches, breaded okra, personal pan pizzas, Buffalo wings, seasoned crinkle-cut fries and Georgia’s Student Chef Competition award-winning recipe for Southwest chicken wraps. 

The federally-funded National School Lunch Program has been fueling students for success for more than 70 years. 

Newton County School Nutrition Program provides wholesome federally reimbursable meals at all grade levels for children. Pre-K and Elementary School students can enjoy the convenience of a healthy school lunch for just $2 elementary, $2.20 middle and high school. 

Some students may qualify for Free or Reduced price meals. Please contact Mitch Bradford at (678) 342-5607 for information regarding applying online: https://newton.strataapps.com.

The nonprofit School Nutrition Association makes the “School Lunch Playlist” campaign possible. Parents and students can follow the fun using hashtags #NSLW19, #SchoolLunchPlaylist and #SchoolLunch. 

For more information on National School Lunch Week, visit us at www.newtonschoolnutrition.org.

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.