Cafeterias Prepare for School Opening On September 4, school cafeterias will begin serving breakfast and lunch to Virginia Beach students and school employees. The school system follows the guidelines of the United States Department of Agriculture in creating balanced menus. Lunch supplies one-third of the recommended daily nutritional requirements of children of various ages. Virginia Beach school cafeterias use an "offer versus serve" approach in their lunch program, allowing students to choose three items from the five items offered and to skip foods they don't like. This program reduces waste and increases student participation in the lunch program. Prices for school meals have been raised for the first time in five years because of increases in labor and food costs. The new prices are listed below: Elementary lunch   $1.40 Secondary lunch    $1.50 Student breakfast   $1.00 Applications and eligibility guidelines for free and reduced price meals will be distributed to all students in the first days of school and are available all year in each school's office. Breakfast and lunch menus are submitted for publication in the Sunday editions of the Beacon and sent home with elementary students each month. These menus are also available on the school division's Web site and can be accessed at www.vbschools.com under "Our Schools." Then, select "S" for school lunch menus. For more information, please contact the Office of Food Services at 563-1218. ###