Food Services

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online on the USDA’s website, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410

or fax:

(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442

or email:

Program.Intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Designed like a debit account, the Meal Magic Student Account System is simple, convenient, and eliminates the need for students to carry cash to school by allowing you to deposit money to a student account for use on any day. Meal magic improves the speed of our lunch lines,

How do students receive meals?

At the elementary schools, students will sign up for hot lunch at the beginning of the day. At the serving line during lunch, they will receive their selection and proceed to the cashier. On the computer screen, student photos will be displayed by classroom. The cashier will touch the photo on the screen to debit the meal from the account.

At the middle and high schools, students will enter the last six digits of their Student ID on a pin pad at the cashier to access their accounts. Student photos will appear on the screen to prevent students from being misidentified.

What if my student receives free or reduced meals?

Students receiving free or reduced-price meals use the same procedure, and there will be no indication on the screen that the student is receiving a free or reduced-price lunch protecting the identity and privacy of students receiving meal benefits.

Provided by Meal Magic Corporation, hollandchristian.familyportal.cloud (formerly sendmoneytoschool.com) is used in many school districts in Michigan and other states. It provides a safe, secure and convenient way to make deposits to student meal accounts.

You may make deposits online through hollandchristian.familyportal.cloud, or send a check or money order to school with your student. There is no fee for check or cash deposits made at school or by mail toward your student’s lunch account. AND–good news!– there is no extra charge for deposits made with a credit/debit card through hollandchristian.family portal.cloud (like there was with our previous online lunch system, sendmoneytoschool.com.)

To create an account:

Go to hollandchristian.familyportal.cloud and follow the steps provided. Search for Holland Christian Schools when asked for your school district. Here are more detailed instructions on how to create a Meal Magic Family Portal account. 

To make a deposit:

Login to your account at hollandchristian.familyportal.cloud, click the “Deposit” button, and enter the amount you would like to deposit into each student’s account. Please be sure that your payment information is entered accurately. Deposits are typically processed and available to spend within 15 minutes. There is no need to indicate which days your student will be eating.

Absolutely! Meal deposits may be sent to school with your student in an envelope. Please label the envelope to Food Services and include the student’s first and last name, teacher’s name, and building. Envelopes may be dropped off in the school office. At the Middle & High Schools, checks can be accepted at the cash register. If you prefer to mail in your deposit send your check to:

Holland Christian Food Services
950 Ottawa Ave.
Holland, MI 49423

Checks payable to Holland Christian Schools are accepted. Please include your student’s first and last name on the check. A $10 fee will be assessed for all returned checks. We have the ability to make family deposits; however all students accounts are individual, so please indicate how much you want deposited to each student account.

Generally checks received before 9:30 am are credited to the account on the day they are received. Checks received in line at the middle and high schools are credited immediately.

You can monitor accounts online at hollandchristianfamilyportal.cloud. After creating an account and receiving your password, you can log on and view account balances and history. There is no charge to view your student’s account history or balance.

If you do not have access to the internet we are happy to assist you in maintaining your student’s account. For elementary students, please contact the school and we will place you on a list to receive reminder slips to be sent home with your student. Once per week the reminder slips will be sent home if the account reaches a balance of $6 or less. At the middle and high schools, cashiers will make every effort to alert students when account balances are getting low. Students may also check their balances as they make their purchases.

You may also call 616.820.2934 or contact your individual school cafeteria to get your student’s balance. As our priority is student service, we may not be able to take your call during lunch. Please leave a voicemail and your call will be returned as soon as possible.

No. Due to the federally regulated child nutrition program, balances are not allowed to be transferred to other students.

We cannot provide credit. However, we will allow a 3-meal grace period if a student account is otherwise in good standing. Only a qualifying federal meal will be provided and the price will be deducted from the account. If we do not receive a deposit during the grace period, an alternate meal may be provided.

Unfortunately, we do not refund hot lunch balances. We are happy to transfer funds between your children’s accounts. All lunch balances are carried over to the following school year. We urge all families and senior year students to monitor their lunch balances beginning in April to avoid leaving an excess balance on their account. There is no fee to register at hollandchristian.familyportal.cloud to access your child’s account usage and balances, and there is no fee to load money through hollandchristian.familyportal.cloud.

At least once every three years the Michigan Department of Education is required to conduct a nutrition review to determine that the school district is meeting the nutrition standards set by the USDA. Our menus are designed to meet or exceed the nutrient standards for calories, calcium, iron, Vitamin A & C, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and dietary fiber.

Smart Snacks in School is a USDA-published practical, science-based nutrition standards for snack foods & beverages sold to children at school during the school day.

The USDA regulates the school meal patterns and specifies the size of each portion. A school lunch must include five components as determined by the federal regulations. The five lunch components include a meat/meat alternative, one serving of bread/grain, vegetable, fruit, and fluid milk. At least 11 bread/grain servings must be offered each school week.

Offer vs. Serve is a concept that was adopted by Congress in 1975 to permit students a choice in selecting the food they prefer, and reducing food waste in schools. Under this concept, a student is offered all five meal components for lunch, but must choose at least three quality choices, one being a fruit and/or vegetable.

A meat alternative is a non-meat complete protein, such as cheese, yogurt, nuts, or soybean products.

Holland Christian Schools is committed to creating a healthy school environment that enhances the development of lifelong wellness practices to promote healthy eating and physical activities that support student achievements.

Nutrition Education

Every year, all students K-12 shall receive nutrition education that is aligned with Michigan Health Education Content Standards and Benchmarks. Nutrition education that teaches the knowledge, skills and values needed to adopt healthy lifestyles shall be integrated into the curriculum. Education shall be offered throughout the school district including dining areas, classrooms, and PE classes

Nutrition Standards

HCS shall follow and comply with the National School Lunch Program meal patterns and standards established by the USDA and regulated by the MDE. HCS shall encourage students to make food choices based on the most current Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Foods and beverages that compete with HCS policy of promoting a healthy school environment shall be discouraged. See the outline of HungerFree/Healthy Kids Act at the HCS food service website.

Physical Education

A comprehensive physical education program shall be provided for students in K-12 in accordance with the standards and benchmarks established by the State. Physical education classes shall provide students with opportunities to learn, practice and be assessed on developmentally appropriate motor skills and social skills, as well as knowledge. Planned instruction in physical education shall promote participation in physical activity outside the regular school day.

Other School-Based Activities Designed to Promote Student Wellness

The Holland Christian community holds the K-6 Walkathon fundraiser which promoted activity and replaces selling candy bars. Holland Christian holds family fun nights and school field day activities for each school.

For our HC staff we have Priority Health which oversees our district wellness program which all full-time and part-time staff are encouraged to participate.

Every month our hot lunch program hosts a nutrition newsletter on our website, along with the lunch menu which has wellness tips.

Implementation and Measurement

All employees of the Holland Christian District are encouraged to be a positive healthy lifestyle role model for students. Students can learn healthy lifestyle habits by observing the food and physical activity patterns of school personnel and other adults who serve as role models in their lives. In order to send consistent messages to students, all adults in the school environment are encouraged to make healthy food choices and engage in physical activity. The District shall work through its School Wellness Team and building level staff to find cost effective ways to encourage staff wellness.

Members of Wellness Committee:

• Nancy McCarthy
• Dave DeBoer
• Miska Rynsburger