A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL...

Dear Kent Elementary Families,  

 

Dear Kent Elementary Families,  

School Calendar Updates for Elementary Students that Families should note: 

Friday, March 15th = Superintendent Conference Day, No school for students  

Friday, March 29th = Good Friday, Spring Break begins: all schools closed until Monday, April 8th  

Celebrating the joy of reading during “Read Across America” Week 

This week, we celebrated all the growth our students have made in literacy this year with two assemblies focusing on the joy of reading. Our Kindergarten and First graders assembled in the cafeteria this past Friday to hear a story read by Mr. Setaro, “The Koala Who Could” and then enjoyed some of their very own Drop Everything and Read time. Our Second, Third, and Fourth graders came together as well to celebrate their own growth as we approached the last trimester of school. Our team of teachers read “The Popcorn Dragon” to the three grades before students enjoyed their own independent reading books.  

A reminder from our local library 

Getting a Library Card and Check Out Policies – Kent Public Library 

Safety Update 

This week, KES practice additional safety drills, including a fire drill. We will continue to practice these drills and review safety procedures throughout the spring.  

Academic Update 

Enrichment 

This spring, we are excited to share that our students will begin working with Intelino Smart Train models as they are introduced to computer coding. These systems are programmable robotic trains that create access points for all students, no matter their level of learning. Our first graders will be the initial group to work with these trains and we will move from grade to grade to ensure that every student is given the chance to gain experience and learn computer science with these multi-sensory tools.  

Breakfast and Lunch Information 

Breakfast and Lunch are now free for all students. They simply have to go through the cafeteria line, just was they would when they were purchasing lunch. If your student rides the bus and will receive breakfast, they will now be let off the bus earlier to provide more time in the cafeteria before the school day begins at 9am.  

Bus Card Update 

Please be on the lookout for new Bus Passes, which are called Zonar Passes. Students who did not previously have these passes will be receiving them in the coming school days. These passes should be worn by the student when getting on the bus. If you do not receive your card by the end of this month, please call the Transportation office.  

SMART Devices and Toys 

If your child has a SMART watch, please do not allow them to bring it to school. These watches can be a distraction to the learning environment and can also capture video and audio of other people’s children, which is not appropriate. Numerous students are also bringing toys to school in their backpacks. These handheld toys can also be a distraction and draw students' attention away from learning. We thank you for your help and support at home in reinforcing every student’s number one goal: to learn.  

Dismissal Update 

Throughout the next few months we will begin piloting a new way to organize our student pick up in the afternoon. It will be with a program called School Dismissal Manager. More information will come on this next month. Be on the lookout! 

Parent Pick Up Notes sent in with your child are still a requirement. Emails and phone calls are not advised, as there is always a possibility that they may not be received due to a staff absence or phone issues. Let us continue to work together to ensure your child's safety. 

Having trouble with busing? Please call transportation prior to calling the main office. They can be reached at (845) 225-3200. If you require additional assistance or have difficulty, please call the KES main office. 

We are fully live with our Parent Square App. If you need any assistance using this communication pathway, please call our main office at 845-225-5029.  

PTO NEWS:

Cycle Day Calendar: The cycle day calendar for March can be found on KEPTO.net, on Facebook @KentElementaryPTO, or on Twitter @KEPTO_6Cs. 

 Volunteers Needed: KEPTO is ALWAYS looking for volunteers!! Please sign up here if you can help!! 

 4th Grade Parent Committee: We are seeking 4th grade parents/guardians to join our 4th grade committee!! This committee to ensure that our 4th grade students have an amazing last year of elementary school! Sign up here! 

  Yearbook Committee: We are seeking parents/guardians to help us create our 2023-2024 yearbook!! If you are interested in helping, sign up here! 

Sincerely, 

Mike Setaro
Kent Elementary Principal 

Kindergarten Orientation

Please click on the Link below to view the 2023-2024 Kindergarten Orientation presentation to parents on September 5, 2023.

 KES Kindergarten Orientation 2023-24.pptx 

 

Tips for a GREAT school year!

There is no doubt that peer relationships begin to increase the importance and influence during the early years of elementary school. Parents must provide their influence as role models and sources of advice for their child during the elementary years.

The following suggestions are provided to assist your efforts to be an active KES parent:

  1. Contact your child’s teachers if you have class-related concerns. Open communication between home and school is an important vehicle for solving problems.
  2. Assist you child in making appropriate decisions and to accept responsibility for his/her own actions. A review of school and classrooms procedures is a practical way to assist this effort.
  3. Check your child’s homework daily for important assignments and communications. Provide time and a quiet place at home for homework and study to be completed. Students always have an assignment to write, read or study.
  4. If you have family or school issues that may be impacting school performance or are causing concern, please contact the KES Social Worker, Kirsten Carillo, ext. 312, School Psychologist, Dan Kenny, ext. 309 for assistance. These professionals will make appropriate suggestions and will work with your child and his/her teachers.

The following are six good practices for parents by the U.S. Department of Education:

  1. Take a time inventory to find the extra time you need so the family can learn together. Commit yourself to learning something with your child.
  2. Set high expectations for your child.
  3. Challenge then in every way possible to reach their full potential.
  4. Limit television and phone usage on a school night.
  5. Read together. Reading is the starting point of all learning.
  6. Make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and comes to school every day.

Elementary education is a wonderful experience for all members of the school community. It should effectively serve as a link between home and school while meeting the needs of our emerging children. Please be encouraged to become an active KES parent and to share fully in this educational experience with your child and school staff.

Latest KES Headlines

  • See Student Art Throughout the Community

    Art created by Carmel Central School District students will be on display at multiple locations around the community during Youth Art Month in March. The Annual Youth Art Month Student Exhibit is sponsored by the Carmel/Kent Chamber of Commerce. 

    “We have about 120 students represented this year,” said Christine Wisniewski, the district’s Art Department chair. “They have created work in ceramics, graphics, drawing, painting and mixed media.”  

    The student work is on display at Kent Town Hall, Patterson Town Hall, Carmel Town Hall, Putnam Hospital, Meadowlands of Carmel, Kent Public Library, Patterson Library and more. The Chamber of Commerce will judge the show and announce awards in April.  

    Read more

    District News
  • See Video of Carmel Schools' New Reading Program, CKLA

    The Carmel Central School District implemented a new reading program districtwide in the 2023-2024 school year. Watch this video to hear what students and teachers have to say about the Core Knowledge Language Arts, or CKLA, reading program. 

    See Video Here 

    District News
  • A Snowy Day in Art Class

    Kent Elementary School art teacher Rachel Berry picked the perfect week for her lesson on perspective. 

    On a day between snowstorms, she asked the first graders to create a picture of someone walking through the snow and leaving footprints, just like the classic illustrations in “The Snowy Day,” by Ezra Jack Keats.  

    “Look at the footprints,” Berry said. “What is happening to the size of them? As they get smaller, they look farther away.”  

    Berry showed the youngsters from Rissa Cutler’s class how to use simple shapes to make people. Then she showed them how to make the line of shrinking footsteps in the snow.  

    “Just make ovals for the footprints, and make them smaller as you go,” Berry said.  

    Read more and see more photos

    Kent Elementary School News
  • One Word Project

    As an English teacher, Mallory Gray knows the importance of choosing the right word.  

     A member of the district’s Equity Committee, Gray helped her seventh-grade students think about the impact of words as part of the school district’s One Word Project. Then she guided the students as they turned their words into works of art.  

    The same process played out in each of Carmel Central School District’s five schools, where impactful words line the hallways.   

    "We did it during homeroom," said Gray, who teaches English at both George Fischer Middle School and Carmel High School. "The students thought it was cool. Our hope is that their one word is what they will turn to and keep in mind when they face hard times."  

    The Carmel Central School District Equity Committee’s goals for the 2023-24 school year included creating an affirming environment for our students, said committee member Michele Love, who teaches third grade at Matthew Paterson Elementary School. 

    The committee decided on the One Word Project, in which students choose one word to serve as inspiration for the year ahead. Students turned their One Word into a piece of art. Now the artwork is displayed in the hallways at every school and the words inspire students in every grade. 

     

    Read more and see more photos

    District News
  • Storytelling by the Rules at Kent Elementary

    It is not easy to tell a story. Besides coming up with a good tale and learning to organize a lot of information, there are writing skills that are easy to miss until a teacher points them out.  

    Teacher Nancy Faccilonga explained some of the rules of good storytelling recently when her fourth-grade students revised a personal narrative about a child who had polio.  

    “We go over a lot of foundational skills,” Faccilonga said. “We do a lesson on sensory words, a lesson on dialogue, a lesson on vital verbs. Then they put all the pieces together.” 

    The lesson was part of the curriculum of Core Knowledge Language Arts, or CKLA. The Carmel Central School District instituted CKLA as its districtwide reading and language arts program this year in kindergarten through sixth grades. The approach is based on research into the science of reading, which has shown that students have greater success when rules for phonics, decoding and writing are explicitly spelled out, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Lauren Santabarbara said.   

    Read more and see more photos 

    Kent Elementary School News
  • Kent Elementary School Teaches Compassion on Giving Tuesday

    On Giving Tuesday, the fourth graders at Kent Elementary School each picked out bottles of shampoo and conditioner, containers of toothpaste and toothbrushes, bars of soap and other essentials, and packed them neatly into bags to give to complete strangers.   

    “I hope you think that this is helpful,” Emma, a student in Chris Livulpi’s class, wrote on a card that she made to accompany the bag of hygiene supplies.   

    “We don’t know who will be getting the bags,” Emma said. “They are just going to people who need them.”  

    For nearly a decade now, sharing with the less fortunate on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – known as Giving Tuesday – has been part of the fourth-grade curriculum at Kent Elementary.  

    See more photos and read more

    Kent Elementary School News
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Upcoming Events

  • Spring Recess

    Schools & Administrative Office Closed

    Carmel Central School District
  • Spring Recess

    Schools Closed

    Carmel Central School District
  • KES School Spirit Day

    Kent Elementary School
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