GSNA Georgia Gems Spring 2024

2023-2024 GSNA Executive Committee

President

Cathy Johnson - Richmond County

President-Elect

Kimberly Kiker - Calhoun City

Secretary

Dee Mathis - Hall County

Treasurer

Sandra Thrift - Ware County

Chair of District Presidents

Dr. Dana Bing - Columbia County

School Level Section Chair

Amber Martin - Butts County

System Level Section Chair

April Cox - Hall County

Advisor to the President

Cheryl Jones - Hall County

State Staff Advisor

Dr. Linette Dodson - GADOE

Georgia School Nutrition Association

Executive Director

Laura Lynn

Exhibits/Marketing & Communications Coordinator

Patrice Cayce

Financial/Membership & Meetings Coordinator

Daphne Webb

GSNA Instagram @georgiasna

GSNA YouTube

GeorgiaSNA

GSNA Office

2372 Main Street Tucker, Georgia 30084

Phone: 770-934-8890

or 1-877-221-8733

Fax: 770-934-8917

www.georgiaschoolnutrition.com

GSNA Facebook

www.facebook.com/GeorgiaSNA

GSNA Twitter

@GA SNA

From the President

Greetings GSNA members!

It is such an exciting time of year for our association and its members as we stay Mission Minded GSNA started 2024 off right with Equipment Academy - two and a half days of learning and networking with our amazing industry partners. EA is one of my favorite events because it affords me the opportunity to initiate intimate conversations with our industry personnel about not only the needs of GSNA but the needs of my own district Their expertise and willingness to assist ensures that I make the best decisions for my program.

This year, the maintenance track was expanded and, thanks to Michael Rooks, Matt Rigdon, and Claudia Harry, we received phenomenal feed-

back from the participants at the show Alex Hanson did a wonderful job with the culinary side of things. Bruce Marlette, Emily Hanlin, David Pearson, Sally Davis, Tessany Lockhart, Laura Lynn, Daphne Webb, and Patrice Cayce, I cannot thank you all enough for being the best EA committee ever and putting together this event.

February brought opportunities for professional growth with our first ever Executive Leadership Workshop facilitated by Professor Evelyn Williams from Georgetown University

The two-day session focused on meeting the challenges of crisis and change and critical conversations Nutrition assistants from across the state were able to attend one of three SNAP sessions focusing on such topics as personalities in the kitchen, food and allergen safety, developing new and exciting flavors, the importance of measuring and mise en place, and growing in the profession

Thank you to all the presenters who helped make this year a success and to the participants who were engaged and excited A special thanks to Hall County, Laurens County, and Tift County for hosting the sessions.

Next, I want to take a moment to talk about advocacy Advocacy goes to the heart of being Mission Minded What better way to advance the acceptance of our nutrition programs than by speaking directly with the individuals who help shape the policies and regulations that guide us? We must continue to share our stories of both successes and challenges What we do each day is so important in preparing children for a lifetime of learning and good health. In late February over 60 nutrition professionals came together in Atlanta to meet with Georgia state representatives and to share our 2024 GSNA Position Paper Based on feedback from those who attended, the meetings were very positive and there was great support from many of our senators and representatives. As I write this letter to you, I am sitting in our nation's capital for SNA's 2024 Legislative Action Conference, preparing to join 28 other Georgia members and industry partners when we head to the capital on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 to meet with Georgia's House and Senate leaders. There we will share the SNA 2024 Position Paper and advocate for the students we serve each day I want to share my sincere appreciation to Dee Mathis, my PPL Chair, who has done a wonderful job organizing these two events. I am forever grateful for you and your attention to detail.

Finally, I want you to start thinking about this year ' s conference where we will Tee Off in Augusta! We have so many amazing sessions planned that are sure to inspire you, increase your knowledge of school nutrition, simplify your day, and help you grow your program And did I mention that our Closing General Session will feature the Keynote Address of the FABULOUS Chef Vanessa Hayes? That alone, my friends, is worth the cost of admission

Cathy Johnson

2023-2024 GSNA President

JohnsCa@BOE.Richmond.K12.GA.US

Equipment Procurement 101 for School Nutrition Directors

Beth Thompson, MS, RDN, LD Pickens County School Nutrition Director

Have you ever thought about how many hats a school nutrition director wears? To an observer outside our “world”, it might appear the main job responsibility of a director is meal preparation and service. However, school nutrition directors juggle so much more than meal service. In fact, everything, including the kitchen sink. School nutrition directors are tasked to oversee financial management, accountability, personnel management, training, procurement, inventory management, customer service and safety and sanitation.

Among all the everyday tasks performed by school food services directors, procurement of equipment is one of the essential functions most school nutrition directors are actively involved in. However, many directors haven’t received any formal training in equipment purchasing. It can be intimidating if you don’t know what you should purchase. How do you know what is the best product for your kitchen when there are so many different brands and models to choose from? Purchasing foodservice equipment and planning new and renovated school nutrition facilities can be one of the most challenging projects a school nutrition director does.

Where to Start

1. The first step is to fully understand the needs of your school nutrition program and each kitchen. Everything from the menu, to the volume of meals, to the training of your staff.

2. Assess the age of equipment, the dependability and the maintenance records of repairs, when determining what equipment needs to be replaced. You should also visit with your kitchen maintenance staff to consider their ability to service the equipment.

3. Talk with your front-line staff to get their input and feedback about any issues they have with equipment and what features they like most.

4. Don’t forget to factor in your budget.

Resources are Available

When the decision is made to replace a large equipment item there are many resources available to get you on your journey.

1. Word of Mouth: Talk to other school nutrition directors to find out what equipment they use and how they like it. Ask to visit another district’s kitchens to see the equipment in use and talk to the staff using it.

2. Equipment Manufacturer Reps: Visit manufacturer websites, refer to equipment trade magazines, read through equipment cut sheets and reach out to the equipment

manufacturer representatives. They are our partners and can help ensure we order equipment that not only fits our needs, but that it fits through the door and that the correct infrastructure with utilities, drains and mechanical are in place.

3. Equipment Academy: Those directors lucky enough to have attended the GSNA Equipment Academy were offered the opportunity to see, touch and learn various features, benefits and functionality on several brands, makes and models of kitchen equipment. Staffs from dealers and manufacturer representatives throughout Georgia were on hand to provide the training and build relationships. Georgia is fortunate to have the vast network of equipment distributors and manufacturer representatives that respect the market place and are devoted to K12 schools; all which makes Equipment Academy so unique.

After doing your homework and gaining knowledge and confidence to make informed decisions on what you want, it is time to commence the procurement process. This starts with the specifications. Writing accurate specifications is critical to procurement outcome (getting what you want) and it is possibly the hardest part of purchasing equipment.

The aim is to keep specifications simple, but exact, easily identifiable with common terms, reasonable, capable of being met by several bidders, clear and understandable. Within the specifications, include for the bidder to itemize out the cost of the equipment separate from any accessories. The specification is also a good place to get itemized pricing on things like extended warranties, installation and set-up, clearing away of debris and if applicable, hauling away of old equipment. This way you can compare quotes from all bidders fairly.

Refer to the procedures in your School Food Authority Procurement Plan to carry out the correct procurement method for the equipment that you intend to purchase. When considering where to send bids or requests for quotes, factor in the value associated with purchasing from local equipment dealers. Buying locally brings added service benefits and ensures the manufacturer representative that provides support before, during and after the sale receives the commission. That service is invaluable.

Once the new equipment arrives, have a process in place to properly maintain that investment. Schedule a start up demonstration, confirm what is covered under warranty, set up a preventive maintenance schedule and train the staff on proper use and care. When the equipment needs service, find out if it is still under warranty and proceed to contact the dealer or the manufacturer’s representative to schedule a service call with an authorized service dealer. This is yet again, another advantage to buying locally from a trusted company you can depend on for support.

Large equipment is an investment in your program that should not be taken lightly. Schools often are the “biggest” restaurant in their community preparing and serving more customers and in a shorter period of time than most restaurants could pull off. You need to select equipment you can depend on to keep pace with preparing meals efficiently to keep up with tight serving schedules and providing our students with a great meal experience.

What Drives Equipment and Supply Prices…

Warren Goldsmith

Vice President, Premier Foodservice Group

There are so many things to consider when purchasing equipment and supplies, none more important than controlling costs. After 39 years as a manufacturer representative, I can say one thing that is consistent year in and year out is that equipment and supply prices have increased annually. It’s safe to say that equipment has easily doubled in cost over the last decade. During normal times, average increases tend to be around three to five percent annually. Some years, during economically stressed years prices can rise much higher. It can be helpful to understand what drives price increases for foodservice manufacturers and what can be done to control prices for your program.

Foodservice manufacturers, like other industries and school nutrition programs for that matter, base pricing on labor, materials, and various other overhead costs. There are a few key things for foodservice manufacturers that really drive pricing such as steel costs and fuel costs. Steel is the key ingredient, particularly stainless steel, in this industry. During 2020 and 2021, steel prices increased more than double due in large part to skyrocketing steel costs. During this same time shipping costs more than doubled.

The good news is that costs have stabilized over the last 18 months, the bad news is that pricing is not going back to previous lower levels. Just to give you a quick example: a single convection oven was $3,500.00 in 2019. Today, that same oven costs approximately $6,500.00.

One other interesting fact that greatly influences how distributor pricing works, is seen in distributor and manufacturer buying groups. A Buying Group is a group of distributors that have joined together to increase their buying power and create a stronger negotiating position. These “buying groups” are not unlike the Georgia Equipment Co-op. This enables the distributor to negotiate better pricing and the manufacturer to sell more products. All the major manufacturers offer these programs, and they can greatly influence what the distributors sell.

Mystery Explained?

Considering all of this, how does this impact your purchasing? First let’s look at several School Nutrition purchasing habits that prevent them from leveraging their buying power.

1. Schools often buy small quantities that do not allow them to negotiate better pricing and save on shipping costs.

2. Schools often have specific manufacturer models that they prefer to use and pay a premium for those items.

3. Schools often do not leverage good competitive habits by comparing pricing from multiple, similar brands of equipment.

4. Schools are usually locked into a bid system model and cannot take advantage of special programs that manufacturers have with their distributors to stock or inventory equipment at deeply discounted prices.

One additional point related to the list above, distributors leverage the volume of equipment that they purchase for schools to get better pricing and increase their profit margins. School systems are not able to do this because of the fractured nature of the way that they purchase.

So, how does the school nutrition program get back some of their purchasing power? Following are a few things that you can do:

1. When buying a particular piece of equipment, list several similar brands when possible. This will create competition at the manufacturers’ level and result in better pricing.

2. Educate yourselves on what distributors keep in stock or inventory. These items are purchased in larger quantities at special buys and can potentially be much less expensive than buying one item at a time. If your small purchase threshold is large enough, you might ask several distributors in advance for models and brands that they stock that could meet your specifications and save money. This will also help mitigate freight costs as well.

3. Keep a spreadsheet or a log on what you are paying for your equipment so that you can track price increases on items that you buy over and over. If you see a spike in costs of certain items, you can ask questions.

4. Relative to the last point, you may need to ask if you’re getting your best price. This can be difficult within the bid process, but these conversations can be had prior to bids going out. With everything on your plate, managing your equipment and supply purchasing could be down your list of priorities. Armed with a little knowledge and common sense there are a lot of dollars that can be saved that can be used for more exciting ideas that you have for your programs.

EQUIPMENT ACADEMY

January 10-12, 2024

Georgia National Fairgrounds

Perry, Georgia

Executive Leadership Workshop

February 6-7, 2024

Courtyard Marriott - Decatur, Ga

Day One: Design Thinking & Creativity

The purpose of this session was to give participants an opportunity to expand their creative thinking and problem-solving ability. The intent was to change the way leaders think about problems, opportunities, and themself. Participants were able to learn the foundational building blocks of Design Thinking and then designed their own first rapid prototype.

Day Two:

Influence without Authority

This workshop explored influence strategies that help leaders get things done with others. This session provided participants with reliable, time-tested plans for getting cooperation from those who command the resources, information, or support of SN programs.

Professor Evelyn Williams, McDonough School of Business Teaching

Georgia Legislative

Februar Atlan

All we can say is “Thank You” to everyone who came to GA LAC on February 20th at the Decatur Marriott. It was an amazing event that highlighted the GSNA 2024 Position Paper and how to present it to our representative. The round table discussions were informative covering everything from the GSNA Position Paper, how to give an elevator speech to the follow up skit of the Do’s and Don’ts on how to present yourself. Our guest speakers; Dr. Dodson, State Director of School Nutrition; Executive Director Laura Lynn; and Laura Bracci of the American Heart Association were very knowledgeable about the needs of our programs. Then onto the capital the next day for each association’s personal meetings and of course group photo. If you were not able to attend this year’s event, you missed a wonderful opportunity to fellowship with other school nutrition professionals, be to put it calendar for next year.

State PPL Chair Dee awesome job organizing and orchestrating this very important event!

and join our members on their Hill visits. Their presence along side of us makes such a huge difference!

This conference is a unique opportunity to meet with legislators to advocate for our students and fight for #nokidhungry in Georgia schools! See the SNA Position Paper for more on the issues that affect school nutrition programs across the country.

You can find the 2024 SNA Position Paper at this link: 4-position-paper

Our very own Bradley Patterson from Monroe High School in Albany, GA is the Southeast Region Representative on the SNA PPL Committee.

Georgetown University’s Executive Leadership training is held on the Saturday before SNA LAC. This program helps build school nutrition leaders from across the country, including several GSNA members. Congratulations to all of the program’s participants and thank you, GSNA members, for bringing these ideas back to share with your fellow GSNA members!

School Nutrition Assistant’s Program

February 26, 2024 Hall County

February 29, 2024 Laurens County

Article by Amber Martin, School Level Chair

This was my first SNAP training ever. In 10 years of school nutrition, I had never attended SNAP training. I am so thankful that I was able to assist with the sessions. As a manager, I think SNAP is wonderful and it gives food assistants an opportunity to be involved and engaged. Our assistants are so important and vital to the running of our kitchens. Cathy did a great job with her training sessions and everyone who helped did a fabulous job.

Our groups were SO engaged and lively. There was a lot of laughter and a lot of honest questions. We had assistants that had been with school nutrition from 3 months, all the way to 10 years. What stood out to me was the LOVE and PASSION that almost everyone had. It is those two things that we need in school nutrition the most and it was evident in every single training session.

I want to thank our GSNA SNAP speakers who traveled across the state to bring a great training opportunity to our school nutrition assistants this week: President Cathy Johnson, Richmond Co., Tessany Lockhart, Houston Co., Jessica Brooks, Hall Co., Ellen Steinberg, GADOE, Bruce Marlette, Master Marketing, and Peggy Lawrence, CGA. Also, we appreciate our host school systems that went over and beyond to make each day perfect! Hall County, April Cox, Assistant Director, Laurens County, Donna Sapp, Director and Tift County, Vanessa Hayes, Director.

March 1, 2024 Tift County

School Nutrition Assistant’s Program (continued)

National School Breakfast Week

March 4 - 8, 2024

Camden County has Celebrity Server

For National School Breakfast Week in the Camden County Schools, they had breakfast for lunch on the menu.

Mamie Lou Gross and Woodbine Elementary Schools put Todd from radio station K-Bay 106.3 to work serving lunch to the students and faculty at both schools. Even the adults were starstruck by their guest celebrity.

WAYNE COUNTY

BALDWIN COUNTY

BIBB COUNTY

COFFEE COUNTY

GLYNN COUNTY

CHEROKEE COUNTY

FORSYTH COUNTY

THOMASTONUPSON

DUBLIN CITY

BUTTS COUNTY

COBB COUNTY

BRANTLEY COUNTY

FULTON COUNTY

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE MONTHDECEMBER

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE MONTHJANUARY

SCHOOL DISTRICT OF THE MONTHFEBRUARY

AROUND THE STATE

For Black History Month, Chef James Jabbarr from Clayton County, came up with his own special blend called Mo’Rockin’ Seasoning that was used on the chicken lunch entrée

Coffee County Schools GA Board member Leola Johnson visited Eastside Elementary during their Read Across America festivities. She sat down for lunch with Eagle Café Manager Misty Henderson Blair and four students. They were excited to share with Mrs. Johnson what they had been learning in their classes, and everything they know about Dr. Seuss!

Chef Nicole James visited HMS and JHS (Butts County) special needs classes for their monthly cooking class. Each month, she creates lesson plans and recipes and goes into the classroom and teaches the students how to prepare the recipes. The students really enjoy Chef Nicole and learning to cook with her!

What a better way to celebrate the 100th Day of School than for it also to fall on a "Lucky Tray" day!! Awesome student engagement at Clearview Elementary (Troup County)!

Bibb County members enjoyed their experience and gained insight into how to make our entries in the Culinary Contest turn out to be winners! Look out Butts County, Bibb is regrouping! Thank you Michael Ponder for all of your hard work and sharing your culinary skills with us.

Dr. Seuss Week at Beaverdale Elementary School in Whitfield County!

Matt Arthur Elementary

#NoOneEatsAloneDay, encourages inclusion and conversation at lunchtime. Coffee County Middle was happy that our CMS Trojan Café could be part of this.

Celebrating the 100th Day of School at GO Bailey in Tift County and having a blast!

Students at Woodland Middle School in Bartow County, prepped their Harvest of the Month Collard Greens and Cabbage recipe for school lunch! The lessons were over proper food prep temperatures and different methods of processing the vegetables! They were full of questions and excitement to come back and cook again!

Gordon County SN staff showed some love with their awesome t shirts and heart corndogs.... what a neat idea!

Coffee County School Nutrition Director Dawn Lewis was a guest reader in Lauren Mobley's kindergarten class yesterday as part of the Eastside Elementary Read Across America Week celebration.

Tift County CNO Vanessa Hayes, Software Analyst Rocio Ruelas, and SNP staff member Sara Smith spent the day interacting with kids and telling them about all things peppers! The theme was Pepper Palooza and they shared fun facts about peppers and allowed students to taste test fresh peppers with ranch dressing.

AROUND THE STATE

Leslie Hill,

at

&

for 8 students to tour

to see behind scenes. Christian Jewell Shoemake

fresh fruit with the students, the process of washing, cutting, & cupping them up with the correct serving size.

Houston County staff celebrating 100th Day of School with cool shirts!

Wayne County High School. From field to table!

The Pre-K classes at Hahira Elementary in Lowndes County made butter with the lunchroom ladies! The students danced, jumped, and shook their cups of whipping cream until it turned into butter. Then they were able to taste their butter on bread!

Kicking off Dr.Seuss Celebration with elementary schools serving Green Eggs & Ham for lunch!

Thomaston-Upson School Nutrition Department collected baby and toddler items to be donated to the Heritage Women’s Resource Center as a community service project. The center helps educate, empower, and encourage men and women to build and protect strong healthy families through awareness and education.

Cool Green Eggs and Ham bulletin board at MBE in Lowndes County

Houston County was cheesin’ all week long as they enjoyed National Pizza

Whitfield County: Valley Point Elementary students enjoyed Green Eggs for breakfast and Dug Gap Elementary staff got in on the celebration by wearing cool tshirts and hats for

Career Day

Bowdon Elementary Cafe in Carroll County! Staff

Manager

arranged

the Cafe

discussed

SHOUT OUT to Brunswick High School Nutrition Manager, Doris Cain and her team for winning "Most Unique Chili" at the annual Rotary Club Chili Cook-off. Additionally, Glynn County Director of School Nutrition, Shelley Daniel, was proud to also bring home for GCSS SNP "Most Enthusiastic and Loud Booth" award!

Students at Howard E. Ivester Early College - Hall County Schools harvested a beautiful array of lettuce in their classroom garden.

Members of Dublin City School Nutrition Department attended the GSNA District 1 meeting held on January 18th in Metter, Georgia. District 1 includes 23 counties, including Dublin City Schools. Along with regular agenda items, members received updates from GSNA President Cathy Johnson and ended the evening with a delicious supper and drawings for prizes.

These Thomaston-Upson Pre-K students are celebrating two special events - National School Breakfast Week & Red Across America.

The SN team, at Little River Elementary in Cherokee County, partnered with their principal & teachers to have students make Valentine's Day cards for 4 assisted living communities in the area.

AROUND THE STATE

Manning Oaks Elementary in Fulton County says, “Happy Valentine’s Day” from all the staff, including Director, Alyssia Wright.

Celebrating 100 Days of School at St. Simons Elementary (Glynn County) with an Asian delight, Teriyaki Chicken w/Yum Yum Sauce, Fresh Oven Roasted Zucchini, and Crisp Fresh Honey Dew and Blueberries. Such a treat!!

Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, visited engaging in a dynamic roundtable discussion on child nutrition. Seen here is School Nutrition Director, Alyssia Fulton.

Way to go Bartow County Schools! They participated in a wellness event that provided much needed winter items for the kids at The Boys & Girls Club of Cartersville! Top contributors were AHS,MRES,CCES,WHS,HCES, and TES!

Talk It Out Tuesday in Bartow County Schools - No one eats alone! Students are given colored wristbands. At lunch, they sit at the color coordinated lunch table. Conversation cards guide new discussions.

Wayne County’s Odum Elementary garden is producing vegetables! Thanks to these two students for doing an excellent job taking care of the garden!

GSNA 2024 Annual Conference

April 18-20, 2024

Augusta Convention Center

Get ready to swing into action as the Georgia School Nutrition Association (GSNA) invites you to join us in Augusta from April 18th to April 20th for an unforgettable celebration of school nutrition!

Mark your calendars and prepare for an experience on par with the GSNA conferences of the past. Our 2024 Annual Conference promises to be a hole-in-one with a lineup of dynamic speakers, informative educational sessions, and a wide variety of exhibits to explore.

Plus, we're bringing the fun factor with plenty of exciting surprises in store!

Join us in Augusta for an event that's sure to be a blast! We can't wait to see you there.

Registration is Now Open!

For more info on how to join us visit: GSNA 2024 Annual Conference

“PAR-TEE-TIME”

GSN Foundation

2024 Golf Tournament

Wednesday, April 17th

Bartram Trail Golf Club

470 Bartram Trail Club Drive, Evans, GA 30809

It's “Par-Tee -Time!” on the golf course at the 2024 Georgia School Nutrition Foundation Golf Tournament

We are going with a RETRO VIBE for the 2024 Golf Tournament and want you to come dressed in your retro golf gear.

The GSN Foundation Golf tournament is a chance to make new connections and friends or catch up with your old ones!

You can register as a team or individually.

To register CLICK HERE: 2024 GSN Foundation Golf Tournament

GSNA Conference

Augusta Convention Center April 18-20, 2024

GENERAL SESSIONS

Friday, April 19th @ 2:15 PM

At our opening General Session we will shout out our 2023-24 Executive Board, Industry Advisory Board & our 2023-24 sponsors and feature the following:

LEADERSHIP ACADEMY GRADUATES

Our Leadership Academy graduates will get their time in the spotlight as we applaud the accomplishments as they take the stage to mark the culmination of their transformative journey.

CULINARY ARTS AWARDS

We will honor the creativity, skill, and passion of culinary artisans with our prestigious Culinary Arts awards. These individuals exemplify excellence in their craft, inspiring us all with their culinary mastery

SCHOLARSHIP & GRANT-IN-AID

The GSN Foundation will award our Spring 2024 scholarships and grants-in-aid and recognize the Fall and Winter recipients

NAC AWARDS

We will also recognize student's participation in school nutrition with the NAC of the Year award and NAC Art awards

AWARDS GENERAL SESSION

Saturday, April 20th @ 8:30 AM

At our Awards General Session we will honor the members that worked to excel in their profession and make a difference every day.

The following awards will be presented at this session:

Beyond the Plate

Central Office Support

Director of the Year

Employee of the Year

Josephine Martin Award of Excellence

Manager of the Year

Media Award

AWARDS GENERAL SESSION

Saturday, April 20th @ 3:00 PM

You Came, You Saw, You Listened, You Learned...

Now YOU ARE LEAVING: How to Keep your Perfect Swing on not so Perfect Greens. Keynote Address by our own Chef Vanessa Hayes

sponsored by Ingenious Culinary Concepts

This Keynote leave you with invaluable insight, and real world implementation applications to take what you have gleaned from conference and put it to work immediately when you return to your districts.

This session will be filled with laugh out loud moments, deep intentional discussions, wrapped around numerous self inventory opportunities to grow and evolve into amazing school nutrition professionals.

This will be an uplifting, engaging, spirited look at who we really are, who we think we are, and who others see we are. Hang on because this will be a swing of a lifetime.

You will leave ready to take on your roles as Keepers of the Greens!

AWARDS:

A.L.I.R.T. Awards

Malcolm Quillen School Nutrition Hero Award President’s Awards

Scroll Awards

TENTATIVE EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

As always we strive to give our attendees what they are asking for and we hope that you will find an educational sessions to fit your needs.

Here is a tentative list of sessions that we will offer during the conference

Emergency Meal Service

Employee Off Par?

Communicating with Your Staff

Customer Service

The Why's of Pre-Preparation

Slay the AR

Wellness Policy and Special Diets

Forecasting

How to write a Replacement Plan

What I want my Director to know about Maintenance

What I want my Manager/Assistant to know about Maintenance

PRE CONFERENCE SESSIONS

Kickoff your 2024 GSNA conference experience with a pre-conference session. Go on a "Farm Crawl", learn how to improve your meal participation with dairy, or join other New Directors for an informative session. We have it ALL!

All pre-conference sessions will be on Thursday, April 18th.

The Dairy Alliance Academy

$50 per person

Maximum 30 Attendees

Do you want to improve student and staff health? Do you want to improve your meal participation? The Dairy Academy is for school nutrition staff (directors, cafeteria managers, cafeteria staff) to learn about the nutritional and health benefits of including dairy products as part of a balanced diet

Participants will learn about Lactose Intolerance vs. Milk Allergies. Why Chocolate Milk? Participants will learn ways to promote dairy nutrition and enhance school menu options. Recipes for school cafeterias will be demonstrated School nutrition peers will present best practices. Participants will leave with recipes and resources Learn about available funding for dairy-focused meal enhancements, too!

Join us to Re-Discover Dairy at the Dairy Academy!

Farm Crawl

$75 per person - Includes transportation & lunch

Maximum 30 Attendees

Join us for a farm tour like no other!

Augusta is rich in agricultural life and culture. Join us as we tour three farms around the Augusta area that are working together to feed our students. All these farms are a part of the Historic Minority-Owned Farms whose mission is to educate minority farmers in sustainability, organic growing, and business. These farms also provide fruit and vegetables to several farmers' markets in the area and several school districts. This tour is part history, part agriculture, and all fun.

This Pre-Conference session will help you understand where our food comes from, why it is important to buy local and support our farmers, and the health benefits of fresh produce in our school menus.

Fueling Success: Navigating the Role of School Nutrition Director

$50.00 per person

Maximum 30 Attendees

Embarking on a journey into school nutrition in Georgia requires a solid understanding of various key areas. Seasoned directors will provide guidance and support on your journey into school nutrition, as well as also sharing the tips and tricks of the trade to make your everyday a little more manageable.

These seasoned directors have many years of experience managing successful meal service programs and are passionate about nutrition education, staff development, and fostering a positive food service environment. They are eager to share their expertise and insights to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of your new role.

Join us and see why Georgia nutrition administrators are known as some of the best in the country.

ServSafe Re-certification Test

$25 plus online exam fees

Participants will register and purchase the online exam prior to session

This session will include a ServSafe review, question & answer session, and Testing Proctor Session will be held at the Augusta Convention Center

2024 CONFERENCE T-SHIRTS

Rep your GSNA District with your conference t-shirt Each district will have matching colored t-shirts to wear at the Saturday, April 20th Awards General Session T-shirts are included with each conference registration Registrations received after March 31st cannot be guaranteed to include a Conference T-shirt

DISTRICT T-SHIRT COLORS

District 1 (Blue)

District 2 (Red)

District 3 (Purple)

District 4/5 (White)

District 6 (Lavender)

District 7 (Yellow)

District 8 (Orange)

District 9 (Light Blue)

District 10 (Black)

Industry Partners (Gray)

ROLLIN ON THE RIVER RETRO CELEBRATION

Friday, April 19th 7:00 PM

Step back in time and join us for a night of nostalgic fun at our Retro Celebration!

Dust off your bell-bottoms, grab your neon leg warmers, and get ready to groove to the beats of the past.

So get ready to strut your stuff on the dance floor as our DJ spins the biggest hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. From funky soul tunes to classic rock anthems and everything in between, there's something for everyone to boogie down to.

And there will be PRIZES!

We will pick the BEST costume from each decade!

2024 CONFERENCE KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Ingenious Culinary Concepts

2024 CONFERENCE PAST PRESIDENT’S LUNCHEON COLDSELL Coolers

2024 CONFERENCE APP Mobile Fixtures

2024 CONFERENCE TOTE BAG & NAME BADGE/LANYARD

Ingenious Culinary Concepts

2024 CONFERENCE DIRECTOR’S NETWORKING BREAKFAST

General Mills

2024 CONFERENCE DIRECTOR’S LOUNGE COLDSELL Coolers

Red Gold

National Food Group

REGISTRATION GOODY BAG

Royal Foodservice