ATAES will provide opportunities for all students to have breakfast. Upon arrival, students may come to the cafeteria to get their breakfast.  Students are encouraged to buy the school lunch, as it is a well-balanced meal. To help you plan, a menu is posted monthly online.  Students are allowed to bring boxed or bag lunches to the cafeteria; however, glass bottles are not permitted, coffee is not permitted, and soft drinks are not permitted.  Students are not permitted to use the microwave or bring in personal heating devices (crock pots, plug in warmers, etc...) to warm lunches from home.

• Milk is offered with all meals. Juices, extra milk, and bottled water are for sale. “Smart Snacks” (a la carte approved snacks that meet nutritional guidelines) do not come with the daily lunch; however, they may be purchased daily.

All students must pay for their meals when received, unless the student qualifies for free meals.  You may pay for lunches daily, weekly, monthly or by the semester. Each student has an account in the cafeteria to record all purchases. You may send a check or cash to the cafeteria to be deposited in that account. You may also add money to their account online via LINQ Connect.  When sending a check, be sure to write your child’s name, grade level and telephone number on the check. Free and reduced-priced lunches are available for families who qualify. A new lunch application must be completed every school year to determine if a student qualifies for meal benefits. Benefits are activated from the day the application is approved. Benefits are not retroactive. For more information, please contact the cafeteria manager. A free and reduced-lunch form is available on the Cabarrus County website or click on the following link https://linqconnect.com/. 

Students will not be allowed to charge meals in the cafeteria beyond a $5.00 deficit in their account.  Students who have a deficit in their account will not be allowed to purchase “smart snacks”.  Negative balance reminders will be sent via text and/ or email  from the cafeteria exceeding the $5.00 limit. If a parent does not provide an email, the letters will be placed in the teacher’s mailbox. The letters will be sent home with the student. Parents will be notified weekly through Parent Square if their child’s account has a balance.

Visitors may eat lunch with their Cardinal and will need to complete the following steps:

• ensure your name is on the yellow check out sheet in the front office(only parents & or guardians can edit this sheet)

• arrive ten minutes before your child’s scheduled lunch time

• ring the front doorbell to be allowed into the building

• check in to our visitor monitoring system, with your driver’s license or your passport, your identification WILL be checked, to ensure our Cardinals stay safe 🙂

• You will be directed to the cafeteria, remain in the cafeteria for your child’s lunch, and return to the front office to check out of our campus.

*** You may only eat with your Cardinal during lunch, friends will need to remain with their classes as you enjoy your meal with your child.***

CABARRUS COUNTY SCHOOLS FOOD POLICY: 

Parents are discouraged from bringing their child a lunch that includes soda, energy drinks, fast food items, or candy. Foods coming from fast food restaurants MUST be rewrapped in plain paper and drinks must be placed in plain paper cups. 

Any food that is sent to school must be store bought and labeled with the ingredients. Items purchased at bakeries must contain ingredient labels. Families will need to get PRIOR classroom teacher approval to bring in any food for celebrations.  This precautionary guideline assures the school staff that foods are sanitary. It provides school personnel with a “contents label” to protect students with specific food allergies. This policy applies to students only. Classrooms who have students with severe, life-threatening allergies may be prohibited from bringing in certain foods.