Food Services

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Research reveals that students who eat breakfast perform better in school. Breakfast is served for a student cost of $1.75. Students having breakfast at school should arrive at 8:15. Bus riders having breakfast should go directly to the cafeteria upon disembarking from the bus.

Lunch is balanced to meet one-third of the daily food requirements of the child. The cost for a student lunch is $3.25.

Payment

You can pay for your student's lunch online at MySchoolBucks. The service is easy-to-use, private, and secure. There is a convenience fee. Once an account is established, parents can check the fund account anytime from their computer.

Students also can open a meal account (computerized debit card system) by bringing cash or a check made out to NSES Food Services to the cafeteria manager. Please specify if the money is to be used for the purchase of breakfasts, lunches, milk, or a la cart items, and include the child's full name and PIN. This system allows parents to purchase meals in advance on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. This also allows parents to provide an emergency fund should your child forget his/her lunch or lunch money.

With My School Bucks and the debit card system, students are issued a personalized pin number that is kept by the food services manager under their teacher’s name.

Parents can request that the money be used for meals only, with no a la carte snacks allowed. This information needs to be communicated to the cafeteria manager each time you send in money. When no preference is given, money is put into a cash account and can be used for all food items. Any remaining funds on your student's lunch account at the end of the school year will be transferred to the next school year.

When purchasing food in the cafeteria, students will make their food selections, carry it to the register, then enter their PIN into a keypad where the purchase is then deducted from their account. When the balance on the card reaches 4 lunches, the student will receive a reminder sticker to notify the parents of a low account balance. If the student has to borrow lunch money from the office, he/she must pay the office in CASH the next school day. This is separate from the student’s lunch account.

Free and Reduced Price Meals

Applications for free and reduced-price meals are sent to each student’s home during the summer. All requests are confidential and prescribed state guidelines are applied to each request. Time is critical. Please submit your application before the end of September every school year. Families need to reapply for this service each school year. Approval process takes about 2 weeks.

Cafeteria Rules

Students are given an adequate lunch period and are expected to eat lunch unless excused in writing by a parent. During religious observations, students fasting will be provided an alternative location to spend their lunch period.

Students should not bring canned or bottled drinks or soda to the cafeteria for lunch.

Lunch Guests

Parents, grandparents, and siblings are always invited to come and eat with a student. It is a special occasion for the entire class. Visitors typically either purchase lunch from the cafeteria or bring a bag lunch from home. It is nice for the students to see that grownups also eat nutritious lunches. We ask that you do not bring in soft drinks or “fast-food” lunches. The sale of soft drinks to students is prohibited in all Fairfax County Public Schools, from elementary through high school, during the school day. Encourage your child to make healthy lunch choices by visiting the federal government's Choose My Plate and an FCPS online resource for Food and Nutrition information.