Nominations for the 2021 SNA Member Awards are due Monday, March 1, 2021. You can nominate an employee, manager or director. Simply being nominated for an SNA Award is an honor for a school nutrition professional, particularly in the midst of this challenging school year, as last year’s honorees can tell you. Learn More
 
There’s Still Time: Register for #LAC21!
This year may be the only opportunity you’ll ever have to virtually attend SNA’s Legislative Action Conference (LAC) and have a front row seat for some exciting sessions, including this year’s keynotes, which will not be recorded! A new president, Administration and Congress means the time is now to make your voice heard for school meals and meet with your legislators. Register now.
 
SNA Election Closes February 28—It’s Time to Vote!
Cast your vote for the 2021 SNA Election happening now through Sunday, February 28. Visit our website to get to know the candidates, including the two vying for Vice President on SNA’s Board of Directors. Use your unique voting validation number (required to vote) located in an email from SNA’s election vendor, Election Services Corp. (ESC), sent on February 15. After voting, you will receive a “Thank You for Voting” email from ESC as confirmation. Learn More
NSBW Contest Closing Soon! 
Briefly tell us about your plans to celebrate #NSBW21: Score Big with School Breakfast by answering three quick questions to automatically be entered in the NSBW contest for a chance to win a $50 SNA Shop gift certificate! The deadline to enter is Sunday, February 28. Enter Now 

It’s Not Too Late to Score Big with NSBW Gear 
There’s still time to order fun promo merchandise from the SNA NSBW Shop! Download the brochure to see the full selection and use the order form for purchase orders, or order online today. 

24 Ideas to Engage Students at Home or In School 
The NSBW toolkit has 24 ideas for how you can engage students in NSBW—whether they are learning from home, in the cafeteria or classroom—from lucky giveaways to spirit days, as well as ideas to engage parents. NSBW Activity Sheets can also be utilized in different ways depending on how students are learning. 

Alert the Media 
Let your local media know that NSBW is a newsworthy story with our fully customizable media release Simply add your district’s information and send out to reporters and bloggers prior to NSBW, and be sure to work with your district’s communication office to leverage any relationships they have with the media. Find more tips on working with the media and local legislators in the Toolkit!  

12

The number of “Score Big with School Breakfast” items in the SNA NSBW Shop! There’s still time to order fun promo merchandise to make your celebration a big hit! Twelve is also the number of days remaining until National School Breakfast Week 2021 kicks off on March 8! Be sure to use the #NSBW21 hashtag when posting on social media—we may share your content!
#LAC21 Resources
Attending LAC? Check out SNA’s #LAC21 resources and conference tips to prepare for the conference and make the most of it.
 
CDC Publishes New School Nutrition Resources
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published updated standards for safely reopening schools, including new school nutrition program guidance.
Now Live: New LEAD to Succeed™ Training from the School Nutrition Foundation
Register now for “LEARN to Master Difficult Conversations,” the first of four training modules in the Communication for Impact series. This module is a 3-hour, self-paced training created specifically for school nutrition professionals. Training materials are available at no cost to all school nutrition professionals, regardless of SNA membership. Learn More

Late-Breaking Deadline for ANC 2021 Research and Best Practices Poster Showcase
The School Nutrition Association is providing a late-breaking deadline to submit poster proposals for the School Nutrition Research and Best Practices Showcase that will take place during SNA's 2021 Annual National Conference (ANC) in Chicago. Learn More
Meditate for Bonus STEPS
Try any of the three in-app meditation sessions for your daily mindfulness practice. (Be sure to upgrade to the latest Strive to Thrive app version!) Put on your headset, find a quiet location that suits you best and use any or all of the meditation modules in the Challenge app to go through the 7-minute meditation sessions. During any active Challenge period, you will automatically receive 500 bonus steps for each meditation session you complete (limit of one bonus grant per session a day). Learn More
Find a Job Through the SNA Career Center
Visit the SNA Career Center to check out job postings in school nutrition. This week’s featured jobs: Senior School Lunch Director in New York, Coordinator 1 in Florida, Area Manager in South Carolina and Nutrition Specialist in Virginia.
Too often overlooked, African cuisine has made—and continues to make—meaningful contributions to American food culture. “Out of Africa,” by Kelsey Casselbury, looks back at how the Atlantic Slave Trade brought now-staple foods to American shores, the impact of Soul Food, and more (plus, five regulation-compliant African-inspired recipes!)
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