Meals & Snacks

Meal & Snack Guidelines

Free Breakfast — New for 2026–2027!

Free breakfast is available to all Juniper Ridge students Monday–Thursday at 7:45 a.m. at the picnic tables near the drop-off horseshoe.

Students have about 15 minutes to eat before class, so please arrive on time to avoid a tardy.

We encourage families to start the day with a nourishing, protein-rich breakfast to support a full day of learning.

Snack & Lunch

Students have a mid-morning snack break and a mid-day lunch break. Students eat in their classrooms with their teachers.

Please send your child to school each day with a nutrient-rich snack and nourishing lunch. Candy and sugar-filled snacks are best saved for home.

Juniper Ridge does not have facilities to refrigerate or prepare student lunches. Please send lunches that are ready to eat and do not require heating. Hot water is available for instant soups.

As children grow, their appetites can change quickly. If your child regularly comes home with an empty lunch bag, consider sending more food.

If your child packs their own lunch, please check periodically to make sure they are bringing enough food and making nutritious choices.

Food Allergies & Dietary Restrictions- Please make sure your child's teacher knows about all food allergies, intolerances, and dietary restrictions.

Children are naturally curious about their classmates' food, so please remind your child not to share or trade food.

Lunch Lizard

Juniper Ridge participates in the D51 Lunch Lizard program, providing free school lunches Monday–Thursday to all students through state funding.

Free meals do not include à la carte items such as extra milk.

Please Complete MySchoolApps

We ask every Juniper Ridge family to complete the MySchoolApps application, even if you don't think you will qualify. This information helps determine community need and secure funding for free school meals.

Complete MySchoolApps Information

Juniper Ridge Lunch Lizard Menu

Setting Up Your Lunch Lizard Account

All students need an account to participate.

1. Get your child's student ID.
Call the Juniper Ridge office at 970-986-8219. Please do not call the School District office.

2. Create or access your My Payments Plus account.
My Payments Plus

3. Add your student.
Select Manage Account → Manage Students, then choose:

State: Colorado
Institution: Mesa County Valley School District
Enter your child's student ID and last name

If you have used My Payments Plus at another school, your existing login should still work.

DIRECTIONS FOR CREATING A LUNCH LIZARD ACCOUNT:

All children must have an account in order to take advantage of this program.

To participate in the Lunch Lizard program, please set up online payments for your student’s meals through the My Payments Plus online system (www.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome).

To set up an account and online payments, parents will need their child’s student ID number. To obtain this number, please call the JRCS office at 970-986-8219.

** Please do not call the School District office for this information **

If you are new to mypaymentsplus.com, you will need to create a login by clicking “Register Now”. If you have used My Payments Plus previously (at a different school) your login should still work.

Once you have either logged in or created an account, click:

“Manage Account” then “Manage Students”. Then choose CO for the state and “Mesa County Valley School District” for the Institution. Then enter your child’s student ID and last name.