Important Lunch and Breakfast Information for 2026-2027

New Lunch Program with Ordo

We’re excited to welcome Ordo as LCMSD’s new meal provider! Ordo will deliver fresh meals daily, with three options available:

• A hot meat option
• A hot vegetarian option
• A cold gluten-free/dairy free option for students with documented allergies - (The kitchen confirmed that there is no cross-contamination; however, gluten-containing ingredients are still used in the kitchen for other meals they prepare)

A Change to School Lunch Ordering

Beginning Monday, September 28, 2026, families will no longer place lunch orders in advance. The District will order meals for each school, and any student who wants a school lunch will receive one, every day, whether or not anything was submitted ahead of time.

School meals remain free for every student under California Universal Meals. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to pay.

TL;DR

• The District will not be moving to App-based ordering.
• There is no more ordering ahead. The lunch order form goes away.
• Look at the menu with your child and decide together whether they will get a school lunch.
• Every child who comes through the lunch line is served, at no cost.
• Some days a child's first choice will run out, but every child gets a meal.
• Children with documented allergies or dietary needs still have a meal set aside for them every day.

What changes for you

The lunch order form goes away. You will not need to submit selections for the coming weeks, and there is no deadline to remember. Menus will continue to be posted on the District website so you and your child can see what is being served, and students will choose between a meat entree and a vegetarian entree at the serving line.

At Neil Cummins and The Cove, to get a school lunch, your child will pick up a laminated lunch ID card, from a rack at school or, in kindergarten through second grade, from their classroom, and hand it to nutrition services staff at the line. If your child has documented dietary accommodations, a meal option will be available to them every day.

At Hall Middle, students will continue to line up at the cafeteria line and give their name to the point of service.  Students have the option to choose either a meat or non meat option. Students with documented dietary accommodations will have a meal option set aside and available to them every day.

Why we are not using an ordering app

Ordo, our meal vendor, offers a Beta-version of an online ordering app. We looked at it and have decided not to turn it on. An app would still ask families to submit a choice for every student for every day, with a deadline to meet, so it solves the paperwork but not the problem. A child whose order was missed still arrives at lunch without one. It would also mean an account, a password, and a device for every family, which leaves some families out. Since meals are free for all students and participation has been steady enough for us to order accurately by school and grade, we would rather remove the ordering step than move it to a phone.

What we need from you

Until now, the lunch order and the classroom ticket told your child, and the adults with them, that a school lunch was waiting for them. Without them, that cue now comes from home. This matters most for our youngest students, who often do not remember what is in their backpack by the time lunch arrives.

In kindergarten through second grade, the classroom will have a name card for each student who wants a school lunch. Students take their card to the serving line and the cards come back to the classroom afterward, so a child who is unsure still has a way to get a meal.

Please talk with your child each morning about whether they have a lunch from home or will be picking up a school lunch, and give them a way to remember the answer. Families tell us a few things help:

A note in the backpack. A small card or note your child can check, or that a teacher can check with them.

Label snacks as snacks. If you send snacks along with a school lunch day, marking them clearly keeps a child from mistaking a snack for their lunch.

Keep a routine. If your child packs on the same days each week, they learn the pattern quickly.

Tell the teacher if plans change. A quick note on a day that is different from the usual is enough.

What will not change

No student is turned away from a school lunch. A student who brought food from home and still wants a school meal may take one. A student who is not sure whether they packed should go ahead and get a school lunch. We would far rather have a child have a meal in front of them than go without while the question is sorted out.

Allergies and dietary needs

We will share the food allergies and dietary needs already in your child's Aeries student record with our meal vendor and lunch staff. If your child's information is missing or has changed, please contact Lara Dillon, Child Nutrition Services Technician, LDillon@lcmschools.org so we can update it.

Questions

Please reach out to Lara Dillon, Child Nutrition Services Technician, LDillon@lcmschools.org  with any questions about the meal program. We appreciate your partnership as we make this change, and we expect the first few weeks to take some getting used to for all of us.

Breakfast will be available 15 minutes before the morning bell, a staff member will wheel around a cart with breakfast items, keep a look out for their location.

LCMSD participates in the National School Lunch Program and California’s Universal Meals Program, which means that meals are provided to all students at no charge. However, the District still pays for every meal ordered. If you order lunch for your child, it is very important that your child picks it up. Otherwise, the District may lose up to $5.50 for each unclaimed meal.

You can find the monthly menu on our website, all school sites have the same monthly menu.

Questions about the Nutrition Program may be directed to Lara Dillon at ldillon@lcmsd.org

Please read ALL of this important breakfast and lunch information:

If your household income level is lower than the income eligibility guidelines attached, please consider completing an application.  Your student may receive benefits such as:  SUNBUCKS EBT card, scholarships for bus pass, PE uniform, yearbook, and Outdoor Education, school pictures, Chromebook insurance, and field trips.

Please email Nichole Urrea – nurrea@lcmschools.org with any questions about the meal program.

Once you complete the application, please email it to ldillon@lcmschools.org

or bring it into your school site office. All applications are kept confidential.

La financiación del distrito depende de que se completen las solicitudes de comida gratuita o con descuento. El desayuno y el almuerzo son gratuitos para todos los estudiantes este año escolar, pero sin una solicitud completa, sus estudiantes no calificarán para otros beneficios como: SUNBUCKS EBT, pase de autobús gratuito, uniforme de educación física, anuario y educación al aire libre.

También puede enviarme una copia de la solicitud completa por correo electrónico: nurrea@lcmschools.orgWe are excited to share an update about our new food service provider, Ordo Foods, and our updated meal ordering process for our upcoming school year.

District staff will bulk order lunches each day. Your student will be able to choose from 2 options - meat or vegetarian, along with a gluten free/dairy free meal for students with documented allergies.

As with any new program, there may be a few adjustments as we get started. Please know that the District staff is working closely with the Ordo team to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible. We are pleased to welcome Lara Dillon, a former LCMSD parent volunteer, as our new Child Nutrition Services Technician. Lara will work closely with the families, students, staff, and Ordo Foods to help ensure the continued success of our nutrition program.

If you have any questions, Lara can be reached at ldillon@lcmschools.org.

Parent Volunteers Needed

Parent volunteers are highly encouraged to assist during lunch service. Your support will help ensure a smooth and successful launch of our new meal program. Please watch for upcoming volunteer sigh-up opportunities.

New Meal Ordering Process

Parents will no longer order online. Rather than placing individual online meal orders each day, District staff will submit meal orders to Ordo based on historical data.

Breakfast

Free breakfast will be available each school day before the morning bell. This year, students will enjoy the convenience of a Grab & Go Breakfast Cart located on the blacktop before school begins. Students are encouraged to pick up a complete, nutritious breakfast and enjoy it before the bell rings or save it for morning recess snack or recess.

Each breakfast includes fresh fruit and a choice of milk, along with two daily entree options. Example of breakfast items may include:

• Healthy muffins
• Breakfast bars
• Bagels
• Cereal

Lunch Options

Each school day, students will have three lunch choices which include fruit, vegetables, and a choice of milk to provide a complete, balanced meal.

• One hot entree with meat
• One hot vegetarian entree
• One cold gluten free/dairy free meal option for students with documented allergies

Beginning in School Year (SY) 2022–23, California will become the first state to implement a statewide Universal Free Meals Program for all school children. Commencing in SY 2022–23, Education Code (EC) 49501.5 requires public school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools serving students in grades TK–12 to provide two meals free of charge (breakfast and lunch) during each school day to students requesting a meal, regardless of their free or reduced-price meal eligibility.

You can find more information on the California Department of Education website using this link, California Universal Meals.

No. Meals are offered every school day which students are required to attend school. Meals are NOT offered over Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Presidents’ Week Break, and Spring Break or Summer.

Lara Dillon, Child Nutrition Technician is available to answer your questions. Her email is ldillon@lcmschools.org.

Board Policy 5030, Student Wellness recognizes the link between student health and learning and desires to provide a comprehensive program promoting healthy eating and physical activity for district students. We coordinate and align district efforts to support wellness through health education, physical education and activity, health services, nutrition services, psychological and counseling services, and a safe and healthy school environment. We are committed to providing nutritious, healthy lunches that include fresh, locally sourced, organic, non-GMO foods to the extent possible. We work closely with The LunchMaster to provide our school lunches.