Menus - April 2025
Welcome to Food Services
Dear families:
The Carmel Central School District offers healthy meals every school day. Since December 2023, we have participated in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program, which allows us to offer school meals at no charge to all students. The program is funded by state and federal grants.
All students are eligible to receive one FREE healthy breakfast and one FREE nutritious lunch on every full day of school at no charge to your household. Families do not need to fill out an application for their student to gain eligibility for breakfast and lunch at no cost. We public monthly menus on our website to make it easy for you to know what your child will be eating in school.
We are happy to provide children in our schools with healthy choices every day.
Sincerely,
Patrick Rodia
Director of Food Services
CONTACT
Patrick Rodia
Director of Food Services
(845) 878-2094, ext. 254
Fax (845) 878-2568
prodia@carmelschools.org
My School Bucks
MySchoolBucks online payment service provides a quick and easy way to add money to your student's meal account using a credit/debit card. Create your free MySchoolBucks account to conveniently and securely add money to your student's meal account online or with the mobile app. With MySchoolBucks, you'll be able to view cafeteria purchases, check your student's balance, receive low balance alerts, and pay for school meals from anywhere!
MySchoolBucks provides:
- Convenience - Available 24/7 on the web or with the Mobile App for your iPhone, Android or Windows phone!
- Efficiency - Make payments for all your students, even if they attend different schools within the district. Eliminate the need for your students to take money to school.
- Control - Set low balance alerts, view account activity, recurring/automatic payments & more!
- Flexibility - Make payments using credit/debit cards.
- Security – MySchoolBucks adheres to the highest security standards, including PCI and CISP.
Enrollment is easy:
- Go to www.MySchoolBucks.com and register for a free account.
- You will receive a confirmation email with a link to activate your account.
- Add your students using their school name and student ID.
- Make a payment to your students’ accounts with your credit/debit card.
- Set up automatic payments and never forget to send in lunch money again
A program fee will apply for each transaction. You will have the opportunity to review any fees and cancel if you choose, before you are charged.
If you need assistance with your account, you can find helpful how-to-videos and answers to commonly asked questions by visiting myschoolbucks.com. Or you can contact MySchoolBucks directly by logging into your account to start a chat conversation or give them a call at (855) 832-5226.
- To add lunch account restrictions, submit a Lunch Account Restriction Form.
Student Food Service Accounts
Free School Meals No Application Needed
Meal Modifications Process
The Carmel Central School District Food Service Department participates in a federally funded Child Nutrition Program and any meals, milk, and snacks served must meet program requirements. Reasonable meal accommodations will be made when the accommodation requested is due to a disability or impairment. If you are requesting a meal accommodation for a food allergy, diet restriction, or substitution, please send a doctor's note to the school nurse. The school nurse will inform the cafeteria staff, and a note will be placed on your student's cafeteria account. CCSD partners with parents of children with food allergies to assist in ensuring children feel comfortable eating in the cafeterias.
Food allergies have become a growing public health concern in the United States. With the incidence of food allergies doubling in the US over the last 10 years, procedures are being established in schools around the country to help keep children safe.
If you have any questions about the foods served in our cafeterias, please contact Patrick Rodia at 845-878-2094, extension 254.
If you would like information on how to manage your child's food allergy in our schools, please contact Food Services at (845) 878-2094, ext. 255. Are you a member of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN)? FAAN is a non-profit organization dedicated to becoming a world leader in Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis awareness. For more information, visit the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network.
A Note from Food Services
Children need healthy meals to learn. The Carmel Central School District offers healthy meals every school day. We are pleased to inform you that the Carmel Central School District (CCSD) has implemented a meal certification option available to schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs effective December 1, 2023. This implementation is a result of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) expanding access to the federal Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP allows eligible schools to offer school meals at no charge to all students.
All students enrolled are eligible to receive one FREE healthy breakfast and one FREE nutritious lunch on every full day of school at no charge to your household effective December 1, 2023. No further action is required of you. Families do not need to fill out an application for their student to gain eligibility for breakfast and lunch at no cost. Monthly menus for our schools are published on the CCSD Food Services webpage.
Breakfast helps to ensure that all children are prepared to face classroom challenges. Carmel Central School District offers breakfast in each school building at the beginning of each school day at no cost to students. A complete breakfast consists of at least four components: two grains (main entree), one cup of fruit/juice or vegetable, and one cup of milk. Students must choose three of the four components offered with one of those components being a fruit/juice or vegetable.
School lunch provides students with access to a variety of healthy whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, lean meats, and low-fat dairy items. A healthy lunch always consists of five components: a protein, grain, fruit, vegetable, and milk. To be considered a full lunch, students must choose at least three components, including at least one serving of a fruit or vegetable.
Snacks and a la carte items (including milk) are available. However, students will need cash or funds in their prepaid accounts to make these purchases or to pay for a second breakfast or lunch. In addition, parents may send in a check or cash to be added to the student's prepaid account. Please make checks payable to CCSD Cafeteria Account and include your student's name and PIN number on the check.
If you have any questions, please contact the CCSD Food Services Department at carmelfoodservices@carmelschools.org.
School Delays
When a decision is made to call a two-hour or a three-hour delayed opening of school, breakfast will not be served at our schools. Lunch will still be served, however, the lunch periods will be shortened. Please contact your child's school for more information.
Substitute Food Services Cafeteria Workers Needed
For more information, please contact carmelfoodservices@carmelschools.org
Dietary Guidelines
Carmel Central School District proudly participates in the National School Lunch Program. The USDA (Department of Agriculture) has established new dietary guidelines that moderate calories while increasing whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
Breakfast includes:
2 servings of whole grains (cereal, bagels, muffins, breakfast bars, cereal bars),
1 cup of fresh, canned, dried, or frozen fruit (apple, applesauce, banana, orange, peaches, pears, raisins, strawberries)
8 fluid ounces of milk (1% or Fat Free)
Lunch includes:
2 oz. of meat/meat alternative
1 cup fruit serving
3/4 cup vegetable serving (1 cup high school)
2 servings of whole grains
8 fluid ounces of milk (1% or Fat Free)
Students must select a minimum of three items and one MUST be a fruit or vegetable serving to be charged the lunch price.
Additional items are offered a la carte for an additional charge.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to call the Food Services Department at (845) 878-2094, ext. 255. Thank you for your interest and support of the School Lunch Program.