Contracted Food Service Management Company at YPS

This blog has copied/pasted info from the York News-Times article that Steve Moseley published on August 28, 2014. Pklease visit www.yorknewstimes.com for more info.

Lunch is going to have a different flavor this year for York students.

The school board has gotten out of the food service business and handed those duties in their entirety over to LunchTime Solutions, a private contractor. The first was chosen for its proposal about how and what to feed students at the elementary, middle school and high school buildings. “York Public Schools is very excited about our new partnership with LunchTime Solutions, who now handles all of our food service needs,” said Superintendent Dr. Mike Lucas this week. “This is something we’ve looked into for almost three years. We wanted to pursue contracted school meal service through a food service management company because it saves money, increases the quantity of food that students can eat, and can also help improve food quality in some instances.”

He said districts such as Hastings, Holdrege, McCook, Ralston and others have been very pleased with their partnerships with contracted food service companies. School district food service programs have undergone numerous changes and restrictions in the past few years and the York board felt that bringing in a professional organization like LunchTime Solutions was the best thing to do for York students.

“One of the biggest complaints we always received was that our students weren’t getting enough to eat,” Lucas said. “With LunchTime Solutions, our students can now get unlimited fruits and vegetables every day to help fill them up and/or they can also purchase another main course if they wish to.”

Students also receive up to five entrée choices a day at YMS/YHS while YES offers two to three choices. “Many of our students and staff have already been very excited about the wonderful salads available in all buildings.”

YPS always had dedicated food service staff that did a good job with the numerous restrictions they had to follow, he said. Now with a food service management company like LunchTime Solutions that staff can get the professional development, support and training they need.

“Most of our former food service staff continues to work in YPS kitchens but they now do so as an employee of LunchTime Solutions,” Lucas explained.
“We visited Hastings High in 2013 and really liked how LunchTime Solutions helped improve their school meal program. The “grab and go” lunch program at YHS, also known as “Cruising Café,” will start up in September and will feature bacon cheeseburgers, chicken strips and lots of other popular items for our high school students.”

York is an Amazing Community

Our first "Back to School Celebration" and "Community Pep Rally" was a success this past Tuesday night. We've already got some ideas on how to make the 2015 version even better. It was so awesome to see such a large crowd come out and support the awesome kids we have in our public and parochial schools. York is a special place and it will continue to get even better.

We appreciate the York News-Times for their wonderful coverage. Please read their article below.

http://www.yorknewstimes.com/news/community-pep-rally-brings-over-a-thousand-to-east-hill/article_a45cddfc-28d4-11e4-b4bb-0019bb2963f4.html

And We're Off and Running....

All is right in the world again. Our students are back in the buildings and we've begun the 2014-15 school year. Make no mistake, it is fully our intention to make 2014-15 the BEST school year in the distinguished history of York Public Schools. We have amazing students, supportive parents and patrons, a dedicated and talented staff, and a very proactive board of education.

We're excited about our new Agronomy Academy, our new school meal program through LunchTime Solutions, and our continued infusion of educational technology across the PreK-12th curriculum. We hope to see you at a concert, play, game, match, or in one of our buildings often this year.

GO DUKES!

Back-to-School Celebration and Community Pep Rally on August 19th at East Hill Park

We are excited about our upcoming Celebration and Community Pep Rally on Tuesday, August 19th at East Hill Park. Below is a rough draft idea of what this event is looking like as of now. We are hoping for a big crowd. Please spread the word.

Back-to-School Celebration & Community Pep Rally
Tuesday, August 19th at East Hill Park/Levitt Stadium

6:30-8:00 PM
• Ice Cream Social hosted by the York Public Schools Foundation (free-will donation)
• Inflatable bounce houses and games
• Music

The following booths and tables will also be set up around the park from 6:30-8:00:
• YHS Band Booster Club – stop by and join the Band Boosters
o YHS Flag Team will be selling items
• YHS Fine Arts Booster Club – stop by and join the Fine Arts Boosters
• YHS Athletic Booster Club – stop by and join the Athletic Boosters
• Let’s Move York – stop by and learn about this important initiative for wellness
• York Duke Apparel – stop by and purchase some new York Duke clothing
• Sam & Louie’s Pizza – $3 per slice (cheese, pepperoni, or beef)…10% of sales donated to YPS
• York Youth Soccer Association – stop by and drop off registration forms for this fall
• Renee Mattox – York Duke and Decorative Seasonal Door Signs
• York Promotional Products – stop by and purchase some York Duke and Husker attire
• Thirty-One Products – stop by to purchase purses, totes, and storage solutions (Kat at 363-1373)
• LunchTime Solutions – stop by and learn about the new food service provider for YPS
• Kirby's School of Dance and Kirtsey Dancewear and Gifts
• Junior Dukes Band – stop by and learn about instrumental music opportunities
• Scentsy – stop by and pick up great smelling wickless candles
• Lil’ Zyns Custom Hair Bows – stop by to purchase some custom hair bows and tutus
• YHS Activity Passes will be on sale
• Usborne Books - come check out the "food" to fuel the curious mind!
• York Chamber of Commerce – stop by and sign up for YorkFest 2014 activities!
• NPPD – stop by and learn about energy efficiency programming and ideas
• Country Styles Salon - stop by to get temporary and washable colored hair spray for kids as well as up-dos and braids for girls
• Fellowship of Christian Athletes – stop by and learn about this organization

8:00 PM
• Community Pep Rally begins inside Levitt Stadium with YHS Band and Cheerleaders
• Numerous Student Groups to be Recognized and Walk Across the Field
o St. Joseph’s Catholic School, Emmanuel Faith Lutheran School, YES, and YMS
o YHS Fall Teams
o Celebrity Joust Pit Challenges
 “Media Mayhem” - Mark Jensen vs. Greg Awtry
 Brent Enninga, Chris Payne, Matt Perry, and Ryan Lambert from YGH (7-30 email)
 Dr. Hotovy, Brian Tonniges, and Marty Winters
o Preview of Hub Foster Press Box Project
 Won’t quite be done yet so this will not be a formal dedication later this fall

Sub Teacher Meeting - August 11th at 6:00 PM

Substitute teachers/staff members are important people. In an average year, YPS will spend over $165,000 on substitute teachers and support staff. These folks are given the task of working with our students and it's important that we support them and provide them with the tools they need to be successful.

With that in mind, we are once again having a "Substitute Teacher Meeting" on Monday, August 11th at 6:00 PM at York MIDDLE School. We highly encourage anyone that wants to be a sub teacher in 2014-15 to attend this meeting. Our administration and payroll office will go over a multitude of topics to include effective classroom management ideas, lesson planning, school safety, discipline expectations, and more.

ALL sub teachers are encouraged to participate in this meeting that typically takes about 45-minutes. As a reminder, our sub teacher pay rate increases to $105 per day in 2014-15.

Go Dukes!

THANKFUL to be a DUKE

There is NO PLACE I'd rather be than York, Nebraska! As we prepare for the 2014-15 school year, I'm so excited about the tremendous staff, students, parents, community members, and school board that I get to interact with on a regular basis. York is a special place. It's just that plain and simple!

I'm thankful for our teachers and staff that work so hard to meet the needs of our students. I'm thankful for our students that represent themselves, their families, our school, and community in such a positive way. I'm thankful for all of the supportive parents we have. I'm thankful for the community members that attend our school events and show their Duke Pride on a daily basis. I'm thankful for our school board for their commitment to the young people of our community.

York Public Schools has a tremendous past full of rich traditions and worthy accomplishments. I'm thankful that we continue to build upon that as we move forward. Buckle up York Duke Nation because our best is yet to come!

We are....YORK DUKES!

York Youth Football

The York Duke Youth Football organization will once again make Pee Wee tackle football available to all boys in grades 4th-6th in the 2014-15 school year. The York Duke Pee Wee tackle football team will be a competitive youth football team that will compete in the Blue Valley Football League.

Registration forms are due by August 8th and can be found on the YPS website at www.yorkpublic.org.

Even though this is a competitive league, a strong emphasis will be placed on player safety, FUN, and character development. The main goal that our coaches have is to help each child develop a love of football and make them want to play again next year. This team will also be using the same schemes that the York high school and middle school teams run, so it will prepare them for the future.

Character development will be stressed on a daily basis and your sons will be taught themes such as loyalty, work ethic, integrity, and manners. These are themes that we take very seriously, and feel they are just as important as football lessons and techniques that they will acquire.

Your child will be taking part in a competitive environment, working hard, and learning valuable life lessons in a safe environment. This WILL BE A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR SON! Every player will play in every game, but the playing time may not be equal.

In an effort to increase playing time on our 4th/5th grade team; it is our intent to split up into grade level teams if we have enough kids that sign up. A 5th grade only team would play our league schedule while our 4th grade only team would have 2-3 intra-squad scrimmages to ensure everyone is playing against other kids of similar age/size and skill set. Both squads would practice together each week.

Pad Check out will be Sunday, August 10th at 6:00 PM at the high school practice field by the track. The first practice will be Thursday, August 14th at the YMS practice field. Practice will always be from 6:00-7:30 or 8:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays at YMS. Games are always on Sunday afternoons. We will have a parents meeting on Sunday, August 10th at the high school practice field after pad check out to discuss the season.

Go Dukes!