Food Services

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed a program called the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grant, which will provide students at the elementary schools with additional fruits and vegetables between breakfast and lunch.

Mohonasen has been awarded the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grant through USDA for the 2024- 2025 school year.

About Mohonasen meals

Did you know that students who are well-nourished are shown to have increased problem-solving abilities, memory, verbal fluency and creativity? Still, the challenge is to make nutritious foods that kids will eat. Variety and choice are key.

Nutritional standards for school meals have changed in recent years because of the Federal Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. School meals are low in fat and provide half of the recommended dietary allowances for calories, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium.

If you have any questions, please contact the Food Service Department at (518) 356-8225.

Breakfast and Lunch Menus

January Elementary Menus

January Draper Breakfast Menu

January Draper/MHS/CAT Lunch Menus

Free Meals

We are pleased to inform you that the Rotterdam-Mohonasen Central School District will be implementing a meal certification option available to schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for the 2024-25 school year.

All students enrolled at all Rotterdam-Mohonasen Schools are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge to your household each day of the 2024-25 school year. No further action is required of you. Your child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit an application.

However, to assist the school district in retaining the free program for your child(ren), families are encouraged to complete the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) Household Income Eligibility Form. This form is also used to determine eligibility for additional State and Federal program benefits that your child(ren) may qualify for.

CEP Form

CEP Spanish Version

Mohonasen Food Allergy and Intolerance Policy

In response to increasing food allergies and intolerances, the school district has updated the policy and procedures pertaining to food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances.

Food Allergy Action Plan Sheet
Mohonasen Central School District Food Allergy Policy and Procedures
Updated Food Allergy and Intolerance Roles and Responsibility Policy

PayPAMS Mobile App for smartphones

Parents can upload money on their PayPAMS account so their student(s) can purchase extra food options, beverages and snack a la carte items.

Download the app by searching for PayPAMS on your phone’s App Store and log in with your PayPAMS username and password. Once the app is installed, you will be able to make payments, and view meal account balances, cafeteria purchases and the last three payments on your child’s meal account all on your phone.

Questions about PayPAMS? call the food service office at 518.356.8225 or visit https://wwwpaypams.com.

If you have any trouble accessing the documents linked from this page, please contact the Communications Office at 356-8250. The FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded here.

School Meals FAQs

Just how healthy are school meals?

All meals are lower in fat and provide balanced servings from each food group. School lunches provide half of the recommended allowances for calories, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. In recent years, Mohonasen has increased its use of whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables. And nothing is fried; everything is baked – even the fries!

Why does the Federal Government require students to take a fruit or vegetable?

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act is based on recommendations from the 2009 Institute of Medicine Report called “School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children.” One important recommendation for improving childhood and adult nutrition is to increase the amount and the variety of fruits and vegetables in our diet. As it applies to school lunches, the theory is that by requiring students to choose a fruit or vegetable for lunch, eating this healthy food will eventually become a habit.

How does my student get breakfast?

Students will be asked on the bus if they are getting breakfast. If they are getting breakfast the student will exit the bus and go to the cafeteria. They will scan their tag or input their school lunch pin number at the register exactly the same as at lunch.

Breakfast is served from 8 to 8:35 a.m. at our elementary schools and the food service staff will wait if they know a bus hasn’t arrived yet. At the middle school, breakfast is served from 7 to 7:35 a.m. At the high school level, students have access to breakfast from 7 to 7:30 a.m. in Cafeteria B, while seniors and study hall students can eat breakfast until 9:15 a.m.

FYI, on two-hour snow day delays, breakfast will not be available at the elementary schools (Bradt and Pinewood).

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 by clicking here, 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:

1. Mail:

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or

2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov