Montana School Nutrition Association

“Food is Medicine” has become a really common phrase, but how seriously are we supposed to take this mantra? Join Luke and Linda Black Elk for a discussion about common “Edible medicinals” - plants that heal us as they nourish us. Participants will also have the opportunity to make their own all-indigenous spice blend to take home! 

More cattle than people — so why isn’t Montana beef on every school menu? In this energizing session, you’ll discover four proven approaches other schools are using right now to add Montana beef to their school meal programs. Plus, you'll hear about two new approaches being piloted-tested by Central Montana Schools. These are real-life stories from Montana schools making Montana Beef for Montana Kids happen — from partnering directly with a local rancher for a full animal donation (including processing!), to working with Montana CattleWomen, to working with restaurants, to forward contracting calves, to launching creative fundraising models that build strong school and community support to keep Montana beef in their school long term. If you’ve ever thought serving Montana beef sounded expensive, difficult, complicated, or out of reach, this session will give you six ideas for adding Montana beef to your program that are cost-effective, simple, easy, and already working for schools. Walk away with practical ideas, partnership strategies, and a path that might work for your school.

Work can be stressful! It's often difficult to maintain positivity, productive collaboration and professionalism when we're feeling stressed, overwhelmed or anxious. "Navigating Stress in the Workplace" will normalize your experiences of stress, contextualize them to the reality of Montana schools, and provide tangible strategies to move yourself from a place of reactive overwhelm to a place of conscious engagement and connection. You are already an asset to your school communities, and this presentation will help you navigate workplace stress and engage your leadership role with intention and understanding for yourself and others.