Mt. Diablo Unified’s Community Speaker Series opens October 23 with wellness & nutrition seminar

 
WHAT:  Mt. Diablo Unified School District’s Community Speakers Series
 
WHEN:  Wednesday, October 23, 2019, from 6-8 p.m.
 
WHERE:  Foothill Middle School, 2775 Cedro Lane, Walnut Creek, 94598 (Get directions)
 
BACKGROUND:   MDUSD‘s Community Speakers Series is provided to families as an activity to support goals of the district’s Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP).  As part of the key goal for Parent/Family & Community Engagement, parents, families and community members will be informed, engaged, and empowered as partners with MDUSD to support student learning. 
 
The community is invited to join us for the first in this year’s series – “Wellness and Nutrition in Mt. Diablo Unified.” – with chef and MDUSD Food Services Director, Dominic Machi, to learn about the District’s innovative student nutrition program and menus, pending initiatives, and how we are improving upon federal school lunch standards. These include:

• Pending work to become EatREAL Certified, demonstrating through a third party that MDUSD has exemplary health and sustainability practices, including eliminating 85 preservatives and other ingredients from our menus in order to improve the quality and nutrition of our meals
• Eliminating foods from our menu that include added sugars
• Increasing the amount of made-from-scratch meals
• Increasing the use of bakery, produce, and meats from local and organic local farms and distributors
• Increasing the availability of plant-based, vegetarian, and vegan menu options
• Serving 100% whole-grain items daily
• Serving non-fat and low-fat milk daily

 
Currently, MDUSD prepares bread dough daily, including for its iconic “Mt. Diablo Famous Zombie” breakfast biscuit, cinnamon buns, scones, and cheesy bread. Fresh pastas and soups are also prepared on-site for daily  menus.  Organic produce is harvested from school-based gardens and brought in from local farmers daily as well.
 
Upcoming Community Speaker Series events include:
Wednesday, December 11, 2019 – Vaping/Tobacco Use Prevention
Wednesday, January 22, 2020 – Social Media Effects and Challenges
 
Students, parents, and staff are welcome at all events. Translation services will be provided.  For more information, please call (925) 682-8000, ext. 4016.
 
This media advisory is available online - click here.


About Mt. Diablo Unified
Mt. Diablo Unified, located in Contra Costa County, is honored to serve nearly 32,000 students at one of more than 50 school sites in the cities of Clayton, Concord, Pleasant Hill; portions of Martinez, Pittsburg and Walnut Creek; and the unincorporated communities of Bay Point, Lafayette, and Pacheco. As part of a richly diverse community, MDUSD families represent numerous ethnic communities, speaking nearly 50 different languages and dialects. We offer award-winning innovative programs in Career Technical Education (CTE); Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); extensive visual and performing arts programs; and rich foreign language and dual immersion offerings. MDUSD is pleased to have the only International Baccalaureate (IB) program in Contra Costa County at Ygnacio Valley High School; Oak Grove Middle School is an approved candidate for the IB Middle Years Programme. MDUSD has one of only three middle college programs regionally, our College Now program, enabling high school juniors and seniors to earn college credits while also meeting high school graduation requirements. MDUSD also has implemented the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program across the district, K-12.  Learn more at http://www.mdusd.org/.