Dear Barton Hills Families,

My name is Stephen Nichols and I am the Cafeteria Manager here at Barton Hills Elementary.  I am reaching out to share some school meal updates and invite your student to dine with us. 

About school meals at Barton Hills: Our menus feature foods that are cooked and prepared by staff in our school kitchen. The healthy meals we serve meet or exceed the federal nutrition guidelines that we are required to follow. We strive to offer a balance of healthy versions of student favorites mixed with scratch-prepared recipes, plant-based dishes, and global flavors.  Austin ISD menus feature local, sustainably sourced, and clean label foods.  

Menus: You can view daily breakfast and lunch menus for our school, as well as allergens, nutritional information, and ingredients at www.SchoolCafe.com/AustinISD, or by downloading the School Cafe mobile app. 

Breakfast: Our breakfast menus are packed with a variety of healthy, tasty options including whole grain pancakes, French toast sticks, muffins, bagels, and in-house prepared favorites like smoothies, parfaits, kolaches, breakfast sandwiches, and tacos.  In addition to the featured entree, we also offer multiple varieties of cereal each morning.  

Lunch: We are introducing some exciting new dishes this fall including orange chicken, locally sourced chicken tamales, vegetable and chicken egg rolls and potstickers.  We also feature many plant-based options such as our Rebellyous (vegan) Kickin’ Tenders and Veggie burgers.  Our daily salad options rotate themes weekly between Chef, Fiesta, Asian, and Mediterranean.

Cafeteria Process: It’s easy and convenient to dine at school.  No registration or documentation is needed for any student to dine at school.  Students may simply walk through the serving line on any day and select their meal components during designated breakfast and lunch times. We will ask the student’s name and/or ID number and debit their account based on their meal status (free, reduced-price, or paid).  We are always happy to help any new or returning student diners. 

Paying for School Meals: No funds are needed for students with a free meal status, unless they would like to purchase à la carte items.  Students dining with a reduced-price or paid status may purchase meals using cash or funds added online to their School Café account.  We also accept cash in the café daily from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. You can view our full price list here. 

Food Allergies & Special Diets: We can accommodate food allergies and special dietary needs with a completed Request for Dietary Accommodation Form.  We also offer reasonable accommodations within federal guidelines for dietary preference, i.e. milk alternatives and vegan accommodations.  You can email me for any dietary preference requests, and I will review with our district dietitian.

Good to know: We encourage all students to dine at school, regardless of their economic status.  We receive funding for each meal served to students; the more meals we serve, the more funds available to invest in our employees and food.  When families choose school meals, they are helping to provide a living wage for Austin ISD cafeteria staff, supporting the local economy, and bringing better food to all students across the district.

You can see photos of the foods we serve and learn more about school meals at Austin ISD by following us on social media @AustinISDFood on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

We look forward to welcoming your students to the cafeteria!  If you have any questions, you can contact me through email or at 512-841-3853.

Stephen Nichols
Cafeteria Manager

stephen.nichols@austinisd.org| 512-414-2013

Mr. Nichols has been the cafeteria manager at Barton Hills for nine years.  He feels that the staff make the campus a very fun place work.  Mr. Nichols is proud of the work he does at Barton Hills Elementary and enjoys preparing meals and serving the students of the community.  Mr. Nichols and his wife, Shana, belong to Central Texas Dachshund Rescue and are on the call list of several other rescues. They also have a pet sitting business which they hope to do full time someday. Their kids, Charlie and Lakin both attended Barton Hills and are in high school. Charlie is a junior and Lakin is a sophomore.

Maria 'Nelly' Martinez
Cafeteria Cook

maria.martinez@austinisd.org| 512-414-2013

Mrs. Martinez has been preparing breakfast and lunch for the students of Barton Hills for over 20 years! Her calm demeanor and constant presence have been a joy to the Barton Hills community.  Mrs. Martinez loves spending time with her six grandkids, gardening and going on walks.  She also loves to try many flavors of tea and all kinds of spices.  (Mr. Nichols also asks to add that Mrs. Nelly needs a cumin intervention.  ha ha)

Yolanda Barrera
Cafeteria Cook

yolanda.barrera@austinisd.org| 512-414-731

Mrs. Barrera has been working in the cafeteria at Barton Hills for three years.  Along with Mrs. Martinez, she prepares breakfast and lunch daily and also serves the students and staff.  She enjoys walking, traveling and spending time with her grandchild.  She is also an excellent cook and loves to learn to cook new things.