Three of our Pisanick Partners, LLC team members were fortunate enough to take a trip down to Columbus, Ohio for the National School Lunch Program Fall Management Conference hosted by The Ohio Department of Education (ODE). The conference took place from Thursday, November 6th to Friday, November 7th.
Maureen Pisanick (pictured below) was ask to present on three different topics at the conference. The first of three presentations was a training held on Thursday all about Food Allergy Management in Schools. Maureen presented on behalf of The National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI). The training lasted six hours and was well attended by Food Service Directors and Dietitians from all across Ohio.
The second presentation that Maureen gave was all about The Healthier US Schools. We discussed some of the new application requirements and changes that have been made to the application process this year. Maureen & the Pisanick Partners team has been assisting schools across Ohio become awarded with the HUSSC distinction in recent years and has successfully awarded upwards of 20 schools.
Lastly, but certainly not least, Maureen presented on the facts surrounding the new sodium regulations in schools. She discussed the physiological aspects of sodium in the body, the effects of having a high sodium diet, the main sources of sodium in the diet, methods on cutting back on sodium levels, and discussed the new sodium regulations that took place in the 2014-2015 school year. This presentation was also paired with Jessica Shelly (Cincinnati Public Schools) on topics of how to flavor up foods in schools with less sodium & a cooking demo about using spices and herbs in schools by Chef Shannon Gersimchick.
In addition to all of Maureen’s presentations and training, the team received in site on upcoming CREs, what common issues reviewers were finding, Smarter Lunch Room information, Smart Snacks Regulations, Meal Pattern Regulations, and Free & Reduced Lunch Application info. Some of the main presenters we saw at the ODE Conference were Brigette Hires, Liz Solomon, Susan Patton, & Carol Marples just to name a few.
The conference came just before our Pisanick Partners B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Binders) Event for CRE Prep that will be hosted at Tallmadge High School. The training will cover all 35 Checkpoints of the CRE Checklist and other issues that reviewers have been finding. In addition to the training, we will help schools set up their own binders in the way that reviewers want to see them and provide the attendees with the resources that will help them set their binders up.
If you are attending our training on Wednesday, November 12th, please be sure to bring your binders and a flash drive (if you have one) so we can assist you in getting all the necessary resources you need to set up your binders. In addition to the CRE training, The DRC Mobile Test Facility will be there to demo cooking techniques for whole grain spaghetti and rotini in a combi oven!
We are eager to get everyone prepped and ready for their CREs and are excited to buckle down on all of the information that we have gathered from the conference!