What makes up a Meal?
There are 5 components that must be offered for the lunch program: Proteins, Grains, Fruits, Vegetables & Dairy/Milk. For a lunch meal to be considered a complete meal and charged $3.50, a student must choose 3 different components and at least one of those choices must include a Fruit or Vegetable.
At CVU, with any entrée we offer (at least 20 different choices offered each day) the student can get the garden bar, fruits, vegetables and milk. We also try to include all needed components (at least 3 including the fruit or veggie) in every entree we serve, but we highly encourage the students to choose extra
Fruits and Vegetables with their entree choice so that they are receiving the best,
well-balanced meal possible at the lowest cost.
What is included for a student who has Free or Reduced priced Meal benefits?
Free or Reduced status students are eligible for 1 free breakfast Meal and 1 free lunch Meal each day. Just like all students, a student in the Free or Reduced meal benefit program must have money in their account if they wish to purchase more than one meal, an extra entree or any other item that is not included in a Meal such as Extra Cost Snacks and/or Beverages.
Why might an entree taken alone be more expensive than a Meal?
If a student chooses just an entree, and the entree does not include 3 of the 5 components listed above
(1 component being a fruit or vegetable) then the entree cannot be considered a Meal and counted as "Reimbursable".
School kitchens participating in the Child Nutrition Program receive compensation in both monetary & food value from State & Federal governments for every "Reimbursable Meal" sold. These reimbursements help schools to reduce food costs substantially. If the food item sold does not constitute a "Reimbursable Meal" according to the Child Nutrition Program, then the school cafeteria does not receive any compensation for those items and therefore needs to charge extra to compensate for lost revenue.
What if my student has special needs or allergies?
If your student has special dietary needs such as allergies, please visit the Food & Nutrition Tab on this web site to view the Allergen list of our daily Menu items. The cafe will make every reasonable effort possible to accommodate students with special diets.
The Cafe offers many alternatives such as lactose Free or Gluten Free items.
If there are other special needs that your student has, please call Student Services at 482-7115
What is considered an “Extra Cost” item?
An Extra Cost item is any item sold which is NOT part of the above mentioned Meal; Items such as snacks & beverages other than a 8 oz milk are considered an Extra Cost item and all students mush have money in their accounts to purchase these items. Extra entrees or second meals are considered "Extra Cost" Items.
What if I Don’t Have Money in My Account?
It is policy of CVU that no student will be denied a Reimbursable Meal due to their account being in the negative & No student will be served an alternate meal due to their account being in the negative. However, if the family has been mailed letters informing them of the account being in the negative and the account is at least (-$10.00) in debt, then any Extra Cost items that are not part of a Reimbursable Meal may not be purchased and the student may be placed on the obligation list. Students on the school obligation list may not be allowed to participate in sports activities and 11th & 12th grade students may be denied parking privileges. At the end of the year, seniors are not allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony if they owe money to the Cafe. The cashier will attempt to let the student know if they have a zero or low balance, However, it is the student's responsibility to keep track of their account balance. Every week negative balance emails will be sent automatically for accounts (-$5.00) or more in the negative. If you should receive an email or a letter in the mail, please make a deposit promptly to avoid students not being allowed to make a purchase or to avoid being placed on "School Obligations".
How does the cashier bring up my account when I make a purchase?
The cashier enters the student's personal ID number. A picture and other information comes up on the cashier's screen to verify this is the correct student.
What If I Didn’t Get an ID card?
Students who did not sit for a photograph in September will not receive an ID card immediately and will need to be photographed before they can receive an ID Card. Students should go to their House Office, while faculty, staff, and support personnel should go to the Main Office for assistance.
What if I Lose My ID card?
Students should go to their House Office, while faculty, staff and support personnel should go to the Main Office. Your new card will be delivered to you through your House Office or during Advisory. All students need an ID card for various reasons at the school; If you lose your card you must obtain another.
How Do I Make A Deposit?
You can make a deposit one of 2 ways:
1.) Cash or Checks (payable to CVU Cafe):
- Complete a Prepayment deposit slip clearly indicating your student’s ID number, name & amount of deposit (printable on this site)
- The student can drop it off at school from 7:30 – 10:30am in the cafeteria for same day credit
- The student can drop it off at their house office (Advisory) before 10:30 am for same-day credit
2.) Paying on-line using a Credit Card, Debit Card or Checking Account:
Log onto www.myschoolbucks.com and set up your account
Money is not accepted in the lunch lines so please make deposits before 10:30 on any given day.
Is there a charge for credit card processing at Myschoolbucks.Com?
Myschoolbucks web service charges per transaction to the card used for making a payment through this service. For this reason it is to the card holder's benefit to make larger deposits to the student's account to avoid multiple charges. Please make sure that you follow complete instructions through myschoolbucks.com
If you add money to more than one student at the same school in the same transaction, then this is counted as just one transaction and will be charged just once. Please note that any financial charges that the school incurs from a bank through charge-backs on credit cards may be passed on to the household from which the transaction transpired.
Can I Make One Payment For Two or More Students?
Yes – That will simplify the process for us and for you! Send the prepayment slip with the multiple Student IDs listed, as well as the breakdown of the deposit amount for each account.
Can I Still Use Cash at the cashiers station at lunch time?
No. The cafeteria is not equipped to make change and will accept only student ID cards as payment. Remember this is a DEBIT system and not a CREDIT system, so please make sure that the student has money in their account prior to a purchase. Cash and check deposits will not be accepted through the lunch lines, but can be handed in before 10:30.
Money must be available in the student's account PRIOR to coming through the lines to make a purchase.
How Do I Find Out My Available Balance?
You can find your balance any of two ways:
1.When you go through the cafeteria and purchase food simply ask the Cafeteria cashier for
your available balance.
2. Sign up with Myschoolbucks.Com and your balance and purchase history will be available to you.
How Can A Visitor Buy Lunch?
All visitors must check in at the Main Office. Those who want to buy lunch will receive a temporary ID Card and can arrange for lunch payment at that time.
Can someone else use my card?
When someone comes through the cafeteria line, the software brings up a photograph of the individual so that the cashier can make a visual confirmation that the person in line is the same person as the account charged. We do not allow someone to use another customer's account to make a purchase unless both customers are present.
What happens to any money left on my Senior's account at the end of the school year?
If the senior has a returning sibling that is known, including 8th grade students transferring to CVU from other schools in CVSD, the balance will be transferred to that student. Any account balance $10.00 or more left over on all other senior accounts will be refunded back to the family automatically. Any balance less than $10.00 will be donated on your behalf to the School Student Support fund to benefit future CVU student accounts that cannot pay. It is important to manage your senior's account to make sure that there are no large deposits towards the end of the school year.
If you were using the automatic payment plan through www.myschoolbucks.com, to make deposits into your senior’s account, please be aware that this option will be disabled in May to avoid large debits from your credit card. Because of the process involved, some balances may continue to show on a past student's account on the Web site myschoolbucks. In reality, there will be NO balances left on a senior's account after we transfer to a sibling, make refunds or donate to the Student Support Fund.
Please Note: If a student or adult withdraws from CVU we will transfer both a positive or a negative account balance to any sibling at CVU if known. Any positive balance under $10 with no known siblings will be donated to the Student Support Fund at CVU for students in need. Any positive balance $10 or more with no known siblings will be refunded if we can confirm an address.
Any student ending the year with a negative balance of (-$8.00) or more will be on the School Obligation List. Students on Obligations are not allowed to participate in school sports and are denied parking privileges. Please make final payments so this does not occur. The obligation list is posted so students have this information and are aware of the procedures. If you are paying off an obligation after the third week of June, please contact Sue Jipner in the main office to have the student removed from obligations. All balances will be carried over from year to year.
Please note that myschoolbucks will be disabled towards the end of June for year end procedures.
It will be enabled again in mid July
Other Questions?
Please contact CVU’s Food Service Director, Leo LaForce at llaforce@cvsdvt.org for more information.
CVU Cafe does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability