If you would like to join the District-wide Health/Wellness Team, please contact Mary Booth (boothm@link75.org). 

Mary Booth, MS RD/LD

District Health Coordinator

MSAD 75

We continue to strive to order as many Maine and local regional products as possible. We place an emphasis on this during Harvest Week in September and another during the Farm to School week in October. We do our best to order Maine produce and products as often as the market and the price will bear. This process is getting easier to do throughout the entire school year since so many different partners are working well together!!

Free/Reduced Status:
Please note that the lunch status of your household carries over into the first 30 days of the next school year. What this means: if you currently have a free/reduced status household your children will start next September with free/reduced status for the first 30 days. 
We will send free/reduced lunch forms home with students at the beginning of the school year. If you have more than one child in our district,you only need to fill out ONE form, please DO NOT fill out a form for each child. If the teacher is requesting the forms back as a system of checks and balances for themselves you can just put a line through the others and write "already completed" across the front. Please, only fill out one form per household.
If you receive a letter from the MSAD 75 Food Services before the start of the school year stating that your child(ren) will be receiving free lunch due to direct certification from the state, you DO NOT need to fill out a free/reduced application. Please just send it back to the teacher with a line though it stating "already completed".
Also, you can apply at anytime during the school year, so if you don't need the benefit at the start of the year, but have a change in income or family structure, you can apply whenever there is a change.
Lunch Balances:
Please take a few moments to check your student’s lunch balance. Be sure that you pay off any charges that may have occurred during the year; all lunch charges need to be paid off by the end of the school year. Balances, positive and negative, carry over from one school year to another and are subject to the charging procedures set by the school board. If you have a graduating student, please disable the MySchoolBucks account at the end of this year. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your kitchen manager or the food service director for help.

All MSAD 75 schools are 5, 2, 1, 0 Let's Go! partners. The Let's Go! program supports increased physical activity and healthy eating for children and youth. The numbers stand for:

5 – fruits and veggies
2 – hours or less of recreational screen time
1 – hour or more of physical activity
0 – sugary drinks, more water

If you are interested in knowing more about this program please click here:http://www.letsgo.org/

MSAD 75 has followed a coordinated approach to school health since 2001. Our District is the only one in Maine to receive Exemplary Recognition Awards from the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Bureau of Health for our work in all eight areas of health shown in the above diagram!

We are extremely proud of the efforts our staff, students, parents, and community members make every day to ensure all areas of health are working together. The District Health Leadership Team reviews data, assesses need and provides feedback on priority health efforts for both students and staff. Two key areas currently being addressed are: review of the health education and the physical education curricula; analysis of best practices under the District Wellness Policy.

Establishing healthy behaviors during childhood is easier and more effective than trying to change unhealthy behaviors during adulthood. Schools play a critical role in promoting the health and safety of young people and helping them establish lifelong healthy behavior patterns. Also, research shows there is a link between the health outcomes of young people and their academic success.

If you would like to be a part of the District Heath Leadership team please get in touch with Mary Booth, MSAD 75 District Coordinator:
boothm@link75.org or 729-9961 ext 254

For any food sold during the school day we are required to ensure that they meet the standards set by the National School Lunch Program and the new rules within the Healthy Hunger Free Kid's Act. We run all of our snacks and drinks through a product calculator to make sure we are meeting these standards. The guidelines are very specific and it can be difficult to know if a product meets the standards when dealing with a pre-made product. This calculator is a wonderful tool to use when trying to ensure that the foods and drinks sold in school meet the nutritional guidelines. If you would like to test any of the snacks or other items you have in your home, give it a try... you might be surprised by what you find.
Click here for more information

Free and reduced lunch forms can be filled out at anytime during the year. Just because a household did not fill one out at the start of the year does not mean they have missed any deadlines. If there is a change in income or family structure and you feel you may qualify for free or reduced lunch benefits you can apply anytime. Forms can be found in the link above, or picked up in any school office.