For Dining Services questions, please call (231) 995-8454 or email dining@gtacs.org
IMPORTANT LINKS
- Dining Services Back-to-School Newsletter 2026-2027
- Fund Your 6th-12th Grade Student’s Lunch Account via the Meal Magic Family Portal
- Free & Reduced-Price Lunch Application (paper)
- Free & Reduced-Price Lunch Application (online)
- Lunch Pricing
- Power-Up Cafe Breakfast Pricing (St. Francis High School only)
- St. Francis High School Beverage Pricing
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Middle School Beverage Pricing
- Meal Charge Policy
LUNCH MENUS
Lunch menus for each school can be found on the GTACS website as well as in the GTACS newsletters. Most days students have three entrée choices: a hot entrée, deli sandwich, or sunflower butter and jelly sandwich. Along with the entrée, students will also receive a vegetable, fresh fruit, and milk.
FUNDING LUNCH ACCOUNTS
GTACS uses a Point of Sale (POS) software system called Meal Magic to manage student meal payments. The Meal Magic Family Portal is where parents can make deposits, transfer funds, check balances, view purchase histories, apply for free and reduced-price lunches, and perform other account-related activities.
Lunches for preschool students are billed as part of their monthly tuition statements, and lunches for pre-kindergarten through 5th grade students are included in tuition. Families of students in these grades do not need to fund a Meal Magic lunch account.
Students in 6th through 12th grade can pay for food items either with cash or a funded Meal Magic account. Meal Magic accounts can be funded by dropping off a check (made payable to GTACS) at any kitchen or by electronically depositing money via the Meal Magic Family Portal. Please note that Meal Magic users will be charged a processing fee, typically ranging from $1.50-$2.95, for each transaction.
When making the initial electronic deposit to your student’s Meal Magic account, you will need to input their name and student ID number. Both the name and student ID number should match what is shown in the FACTS Family Portal. To find your student’s name and ID number in the FACTS Family Portal, please follow these instructions:
- Log in to the FACTS Family Portal Login page, using GTV-MI as the district code.
- On the left-hand side of the screen, select Family.
- In the middle of the screen, select your child’s name from the drop-down menu.
- Your child’s ID Number will be listed after their name.
CAR LINE CATERING
Take a night off from cooking!
Let GTACS Dining Services and our community partners handle dinner for you. On select Thursdays, grab a delicious pre-packaged meal or easy-to-prepare meal kit (pick-up locations vary).
Here’s how it works:
- Order and pay by noon the prior Friday
- Click this link to browse upcoming menus and place your order
- Pick up your meal (or kit) on Thursday — reheating instructions included, so dinner’s a breeze!
And here’s the best part: proceeds from every Car Line Catering order help support GTACS operations. So you get a night off, and the community wins too!
FREE & REDUCED-PRICE LUNCHES
To apply for free and reduced-price lunches, please submit an application either online via the Meal Magic Family Portal or by mailing a paper application to GTACS Dining Services, 123 E. 11th St., Traverse City, MI 49684.
Students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunches will be offered an entrée, sides, and a carton of white milk daily.
For more information, please read this frequently asked questions document. For detailed instructions on how to complete an application, please reference this document.
ALLERGEN & SPECIAL DIETS ACCOMMODATIONS
If your student has dietary restrictions, please complete one of the following forms and send it to Betsy Zimmer (bzimmer@gtacs.org or GTACS Dining Services, 123 E. 11th St., Traverse City, MI 49684). If you’ve previously submitted a form, you do not need to submit another one unless the restrictions have changed.
- Complete this form if the restriction is a medical necessity. This form requires a medical professional’s signature.
- Complete this form if the restriction is a preference.
WELLNESS POLICY
The Grand Traverse Area Catholic Schools has a wellness committee, as per the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, to establish goals for and oversee school health policies and programs, including development, implementation, and periodic review and update of the wellness policy. The committee will represent all school building levels (elementary and secondary schools) and include to the extent possible parents and caregivers, representatives of the schovol nutrition program, teachers, school administrators, and the general public.
The current wellness policy, as of February 2025, can be found by clicking here.
SUMMER MEALS
Eligible families can find the location of free meals for students during the summer months by following the instructions below:
Summer Meal Information – USDA
Other options for families:
2-1-1
Call 211 and find out where the closest Summer Food Service Program site is to your location
8-7-7
Text food to 877-877 and respond to the text with your location and you will receive a text with the closest Summer Food Service Program sites.
IMPORTANT LINKS
Dining Services Back-to-School Newsletter 2025/26
Funding Your Lunch Account
Free and Reduced Lunch application (online)
Free and Reduced Lunch application (printable)
Meal Charge policy
Power Up Cafe (high school only)
USDA NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
- Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or - Fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or - Email:
Program.Intake@usda.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.