MCS Newton Serving Solutions

Getting Started

Your MCS Software needs to have all the data necessary to serve for this school year, including having up-to-date student information, menus, and meal prices.

Student Information

Student Import
“Customers”, or Students, should be added to Newton through a Customer Import. The system will import a file from your Student Information system (SIS) that contains all of the students and their most up-to-date information, including names, grades, schools, addresses, guardian info, and contact information, to name a few. Student Imports are typically done at the beginning of the school year, and then they may automatically happen on a recurring basis throughout the rest of the year.
Perform a Customer Import

Update Student Pictures
Pictures are useful to have in Newton because they allow for cashiers to confirm the student’s identity. You can individually add a student’s picture, or you can mass-update all student pictures through the use of a photo import.
Information for individually adding a student photo can be found here.
Individually Add a Student Picture
Perform a Photo Import

Free and Reduced Information

You want to make sure that the Free and Reduced eligibilities for all of your students are correct. This allows for less confusion when serving and proper reimbursement for your district.
Free and Reduced information is handled through MCS Franklin.

Direct Certification Import
It’s import to complete a Direct Certification (DC) Import at the beginning of the year and periodically throughout the year.
State DC Import Instructions
District DC Import Instructions

Import Free and Reduced Applications
If you have an Online Free & Reduced software, you may run an import to upload those applications into MCS Franklin.
Application Import

Send Eligibility Letters
Once a student has been qualified as Free or Reduced, you can send out Eligibility Letters to notify their family of this update.
Mail Eligibility Letters
Email Eligibility Letters

Meal Prices

It’s important to make sure that your meal prices are up-to-date so that your district can collect proper payment.

Set or Update Meal Prices
You can enter meal prices and select the associated qualified state programs through the Price Categories function in Newton.
Update Price Categories

Menus

You may want to make sure your menu boards are up-to-date if you are still using terminals.
Menu Setup

Hardware and Software Setup

Heartland School Solutions offers a variety of options to help keep your serving lines hands-free.
Hardware Options

To configure a new device, visit the Device section in the Override Settings of your Serving Line Setup.
Software Configuration

We also offer detailed setup and usage instructions for each device.
Hardware Setup and Usage Instructions

Service in the Classroom

We understand that your School may be serving students in the classrooms. MCS Newton offers printable rosters and lists of students to help you track meals.

Printable Lists

Cafeteria-Level Student List
You can print a list of students who are connected to a specific cafeteria, called “POS Customers”. The list can be customized to include IDs, balances, eligibility statuses, grades, and homerooms.
Master POS Customer List

District-Level Customer List
You can print a general list of students in your School or entire District. The list can be customized to include IDs, balances, Schools, eligibility statuses, grades, and homerooms.
Master Customer List

Printable Rosters

You can print a list of students that includes a sheet to track meals by the days of the week. You can also choose to include barcodes on your roster.
Student Roster

Printable Barcodes

You can print pages of student barcodes for quick and easy scanning.
Barcode Labels

Portable Terminals

You can put your serving line software on a tablet for easy, portable use. See our Hardware Options to purchase tablets for your District.

Finding Students
This guide will walk you through finding customers and completing transactions when using a terminal.
POS Transaction Instructions

Fast Sale
When utilizing an input device at your serving line, Fast Sale gives you the option to complete a sale without selecting an item, receiving payments, allowing charges, or giving change. This is ideal for cafeterias in which meal numbers are counted and it does not matter to whom the meal is served. You can enable this option at the terminal by using Special Keys, or you can enable this option within the Serving Line Behavior Settings (Auto-Sale Mode drop-down menu) in Newton.
Special Keys
Auto-Sale Mode (Fast Sale)

Auto Sale
When enabled, Auto Sale will sell a designated item, which would likely be set as a reimbursable meal. You can enable this option within the Serving Line Behavior Settings (Auto-Sale Mode drop-down menu) in Newton. You may also select the system to prompt the cashier to sell that item.
Auto-Sale Mode (Auto Sale)
Prompt for Auto Sale

Completing a Transaction
This guide will walk you through finding customers and completing transactions when using a terminal.
POS Transaction Instructions

Prepayments/Refunds

You can make “Adjustments”, or enter payments, give refunds, and transfer money between accounts through Newton.
Adjustments