Fall 2002 - Volume 1

• Welcome to the NuNews™ publication
• Nutrition news you can use, in an easily shareable format
• Getting the message across: make facts meaningful for parents
• Getting kids in on the act, too
• The Smart Nutrition Partner: Schwan's presents SmartPizza™ brand products by Tony's®
• Downloadable Parents' Newsletter

Sharing information is one tool that can help you get this initiative off the ground, and get more kids engaged in a proper nutritional lifestyle. This newsletter, published quarterly, will provide you with everything you need to share this information effectively.

The NuNews™ publication is made up of two components: an e-mail newsletter with information that school foodservice directors can use, and, available via web site, a parents' version of NuNews™ that directors can e-mail or print out and send home to parents. The parents' version will be written from your perspective, positioning you as a nutrition resource for parents.

The version created for you will focus on nutrition education, and feature national news, trends, and tips on topics like creating healthier lunches and increasing participation. It will also provide links to sites that cover how to be a better nutrition resource. And you'll get practical menu ideas and information relating to Schwan's products like SmartPizza™ brand products by Tony's®, and how these products fit into healthier nutritional approaches.

The parents' version will help you communicate with parents in your district, share general nutritional tips, act as a resource to help parents create a healthier home environment, and keep them up to date on in-school programs and initiatives. While many parents may not know you by name, they're very open to hearing from you, according to Schwan's Food Service research (4). More than 77 percent of parents surveyed said they'd be happy to receive regular communications about nutritional issues from the school foodservice director.

The parents' newsletter will be accessible via the Schwan's Food Service web site. You can print out the parents' newsletter to send home with students, which is preferable for the first few issues. This gives you time to build a database of parent e-mail addresses. Eventually, you can get parents to sign up to receive subsequent issues of the parents' version electronically.

Here are some suggestions for offering the newsletter to parents:

• send requests home with students
• to enroll parents, collect e-mail addresses during PTA meetings
• have parents sign up during special events held at the school, like a nutrition fair, fundraiser, or career day
• in each case, be sure to let parents know the reason for collecting their e-mail addresses

When your issue of the NuNews™ publication is e-mailed each quarter, you'll be reminded that the parents' newsletter is available via the Schwan's Food Service web site, ready for you to send.

Sources: Click Here