Food Service & Menus

picture of healthy foods in a school lunch

District lunch menus offer great variety and meet nutritional guidelines for children established by the Federal Government. There are more than 11 options for students to choose each day. Parents of children who have food allergies may request access to nutrition labels which are stored digitally, to identify items that their children need to avoid. Call Jane Blackburn, Director of Cafeteria Operations, at 678-7548, for questions and concerns related to food allergies.

The Oceanside Schools’ Food Service Department is pleased to offer a secure, family-friendly system for online pre-payments and nutrition education through our Nutrikids operating system. My SchoolBucks allows parents to deposit money into their child’s school meal plan, track purchases, and view their balance. We will send letters home before school opens to further explain and provide your child’s student ID# which is necessary to sign up.

Free & Reduced-Priced Meals

To apply for free and reduced price meals, complete an application (below) and submit it to your child's school. Parents/guardians are encouraged to apply even if you are not sure you qualify, since the application can impact other areas of funding. See image below.

Get your application for Free/Reduced Price Meals:

Free and Reduced Price Meals Application - English

Comidas gratis y a precio reducido

fill out a meal application for free/reduced meals, free/reduced SAT and college application fees, funding for access to wifi

About Allergies

Ways to Celebrate without Food

Celebrate without food: small toys, homemade gifts, special visitors, books.

We all know that birthdays are important to every child and that kids like to celebrate with their classmates. However, sending in a food treat to the classroom to celebrate can exclude those children who have food allergies, diabetes or other dietary restrictions. If you would like an alternative to food treats for your child’s birthday celebration at school, below are seven suggestions. Always check with your child’s teacher first to see what he/she finds acceptable for their classroom and be sure to provide advance notice to make sure that they can fit the birthday plans into their schedule.

Come into the classroom and read a book to the class.
Buy something for the classroom (book, games, music, etc.).
Send in supplies and directions for a craft for the kids to do instead of eating a snack. It is a bonus if the parent comes in to help with the craft.
Arrange for the kids to play a game instead of eating a snack. If you don’t have any ideas, talk to your child’s teacher. They are likely to know what the kids will enjoy and what will work well in the classroom setting. Again, it is a bonus if the parent comes in to play games with the kids.
Bring in a birthday card that all the kids can sign.
Ask the teacher if you can have a “show and tell” time for your child on their birthday. They can make a poster, bring in some of their favorite things, bring pictures, tell the kids about their favorite things or life at their house, etc.
Ask the teacher if you can send in a dance song, and have the whole class do the hokey pokey, or the chicken dance, whatever is your child’s favorite! Invite the Principal!

Nutrition Information and Resources

Nutrition Committee

The Oceanside UFSD Nutrition Committee is comprised of PTA representatives from each school building, District administration and faculty members . The committee meets 4-5 times per year to discuss federal & state regulations, menu offerings, and other pertinent and timely topics. The committee also performs lunch observations on a rotational basis at each school building.

If you are interested in learning more about the Nutrition Committee, please contact our food services director at (516) 678-7548.

Additional Nutrition Information

Free Meals For Kids When Schools are Closed

Healthy Snacking Cookbook

USDA Healthy Eating Website

Wellness Policy Review Checklist 2017

Farm to School NY Program

Children working with garden tools in planter box, supervised by teacher.

The New York State Farm to School Program was created to connect schools with local farms and food producers to strengthen local agriculture, improve student health, and promote regional food systems awareness. The Oceanside UFSD works with many vendors to supply needed food items for our food services operation. Due to the efforts of the District’s Nutrition Committee, we are happy to announce that effective with the 2016-17 school year we have partnered with Farm to Schools to serve as one of those providers! According to the USDA Farm to School Census, 298 school districts (43% of New York school districts) with 1,333 schools and 759,024 students participate in Farm to School.