April 28, 2008
Dear Parents/Guardians: 

As you may have heard from your student(s) over the past few days, the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District has implemented a new computerized point-of-sale (POS) system in our school cafeterias.  The purpose of this letter is to give you some additional information about the system, update you on the first couple of days of implementation, and provide some suggestions on making the system as effective and efficient as possible.

NUTRIkids (www.nutrikids.com), is a cafeteria management system which utilizes touch screen monitors, similar to those used in restaurants, for managing transactions.  All student monetary balances and transaction data are recorded and stored electronically.  Each student has his/her own personal cafeteria account and has been assigned a 4-digit pin number. Each student is required to enter the number into a pin pad at the register.  This pin number will not change as the student progresses through the district.

Throughout the course of the first few days of implementation, the students have been expectedly fantastic.  They have been patient and respectful as our cafeteria staff learns the ropes of a new lunch system, and they have done an excellent job of remembering their pin numbers and entering them accurately. The serving lines have been moving a little slower than normal as we acclimate ourselves to a new system, but as the cashiers gain a better understanding of the program, and as the students build pre-paid balances, the lunch lines will move significantly faster than they did prior to this needed change.  The increase in serving line efficiency will allow the students more time to enjoy their meals and social conversations during their lunchtime break from classes.

As we begin to get more comfortable with the usage of the NUTRIkids system, there are a few important items of note which will help make the system work best for students and the food service staff. 

• Pre-Payment – The Broadalbin-Perth food service program is accepting meal pre-payments in the form of cash or check.  Students are allowed to use their pre-paid balances for breakfast/lunch as well as for a la carte items.  If you would like your student’s balance restricted to breakfast/lunch only, please contact Mr. George Hanstein, Food Service Director.  We encourage prepayment, as it significantly speeds up the serving lines, eliminating concerns regarding student(s) carrying cash for lunch each day.  If a student’s balance gets low, we will contact the parent/guardian to request replenishment.  Please make all checks payable to ‘Broadalbin-Perth Central School District’, and be sure to put the student’s pin number on the check to help avoid error.
• Free/Reduced Lunch – Student(s) eligible for free or reduced lunches enter their pin numbers in the same manner as full-priced lunch students, so there is no way of others in line knowing whether or not a student receives lunch free or at a reduced price.  We strongly encourage all parents/guardians that are eligible for the free and reduced lunch program to submit the necessary form so their students can receive the aid to which they are entitled.
• Food Allergies/Restrictions – Please notify Mr. Hanstein of any food allergies or any other food restrictions that your student(s) may have.  The NUTRIkids system allows an alert note for the cashier notifying them of any restrictions placed upon the student at the register.

Prior to the start of the 2008-2009 school year in September, the Broadalbin-Perth food service program plans to implement an important additional piece to the NUTRIkids system, called mynutrikids.com.   The mynutrikids.com website allows for secure online meal prepayments (via credit card or Pay Pal) and student transaction tracking, so parents can stay abreast of what their students are purchasing with their cafeteria balances.  Mynutrikids.com also provides a low balance email notification, so the parents/guardians can be aware of when additional lunch funds for their students are needed.   If you have any additional questions or comments, please feel free to contact Mr. Hanstein by email at hansteing@bpcsd.org or Mr. Zumbolo at zumbolom@bpcsd.org.  We are also available by telephone at 954-2500. We appreciate your continued support of the students and programs at Broadalbin-Perth. Thank you.

Marco Zumbolo
Assistant Superintendent

George Hanstein
Food Service Director