Dear Kent Elementary Families
We had a wonderful week of parent and family interaction. Thank you for all the families who connected with our faculty over parent teacher conferences. If you still have any questions or comments about your child’s education here at KES, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can contact the classroom teacher, our social worker Mrs. Carillo, Mr. Kenny, our school psychologist, or the main office. Thank you again for partnering with us in your child's education. Please read below, as we have a busy calendar for this upcoming month with many events that may be of interest to you.
KES GARDEN INITIATIVE:
It is with great excitement that we announce the plans for a student garden and outdoor teaching space on campus at Kent Elementary School! This initiative has been spearheaded by a lovely Kindergarten parent and has gained immense support from administration, faculty, staff, & your KEPTO Executive Board! Volunteers are needed to help get this project off the ground! Please volunteer if you can!! KES parents, grandparents, families, & friends are all welcome to help!!
PJ PARTY WITH SANTA:
Friday, 12/9 at 6:30PM - PJ Party with Santa!! Snow date is Friday, 12/16. Join us for a night of fun~pictures & stories with Santa, crafts, & fun surprises!! Participate in our Gingerbread House Contest!! Create your masterpiece and bring it to the event. All houses will be displayed and voted on! Winners will get great prizes!!
FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS:
We are still accepting donations thru 12/22 for the Putnam CAP Food Pantry. The food pantry is currently most in need of rice, tuna, cereal, grocery store gift cards, toiletries, diapers, coffee, tea, & macaroni and cheese. There is a donation receptacle in the front vestibule of KES.
WINTER WORKSHOP:
We realize that the holiday season can be stressful financially and we wanted to provide our children with the opportunity to give to their friends and family without the worry of having to pay for it. So, in lieu of our traditional Snowflake Gift Shop, KEPTO will be hosting a Winter Workshop for the children. The workshop will run for 1 week in December and the students will attend for 1 day instead of going to recess. They will choose from several different craft stations to create gifts for their friends and family. If you are able to give, we are asking for optional donations toward this event. Donations can be sent into school in a sealed envelope marked "KEPTO-Holiday Donation". A HUGE THANK YOU TO THOSE THAT HAVE ALREADY SENT IN DONATIONS-WE ARE OVERWHELMED WITH GRATITUDE!!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED PLEASE!:
The KEPTO is always looking for volunteers to help at our events! Please sign up if you can help! We are most in need of volunteers for our upcoming Winter Workshop! Without enough volunteers, we will not be able to run this event. Please help if you can! KES parents, grandparents, families, & friends are all welcome to help.
KEPTO - Save the Dates:
12/9: PJ Party with Santa, 6:30PM
12/12 - 12/16: KEPTO's 1st Winter Workshop
12/15: Virtual PTO Meeting, 7PM, zoom link on the KEPTO website
REMINDERS AND NOTABLE INFORMATION
This is a reminder that Parent Pick up begins at 3:15 pm. If you need to excuse your child from school before the end of the day, please make sure you do so before 2:50pm. We will not allow pick-ups between 2:50 pm and 3:15 pm. If your student needs to leave school early, please send in a note to their teacher and ensure you arrive at our school before 2:50 pm.
When picking up students from school, please do not take your children into other classrooms or other locations in the building. Once children are signed out, they should be supervised by their parents, and you should exit the building promptly.
SCHOOL CALENDAR UPDATES:
Tuesday, January 3, 2023 – Staff Professional Development Day (no students grades K-6 only)
FROM CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL:
KIDS DAY IS BACK! Come and join the fun at the CHS gymnasium on Sunday, December 11, 2022 from 12-3PM. This is a day of fun for kids ten and under with crafts, games and even a visit from the North Pole! To share in the holiday cheer, please bring a non-perishable item for admittance.
We appreciate your continued support and active partnership in learning! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our main office at 845-225-5029.
Sincerely,
Mike Setaro
Kent Elementary Principal
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:
The following are six good practices for parents by the U.S. Department of Education:
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.
It was a star-spangled festive music class for fourth-grade students at Kent Elementary School. To celebrate our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, music teacher Nina Madison shared the history of the anthem using an illustrated picture book of the lyrics. The students took turns reading the lyrics to the song while Madison translated and explained the words in age-appropriate terms. See a video of our students signing the national anthem.
For fourth-grade students at Kent Elementary, music was a gateway to the world this year. Throughout the year, students prepared for their final music concert as Kent Elementary students with songs from around the world. This year’s concert was a celebration of culture, language and music and featured songs from six different countries and in five different languages. See photos and a video from the Kent Elementary Grade 4 Music Celebration.
Our Kent Elementary School students didn't just get Field Day this year, they got a Field Week! Over the course of last week, our students had the opportunity to play water games, run an inflatable obstacle course, master hula hoop tossing, hop in potato sacks, enjoy tasty snacks and more. Check out photos from the Kent Elementary Field Week.
At the May 24 Board of Education meeting, fourth-grade music enrichment students from Kent Elementary performed for the community. The students opt to participate in the music enrichment program in lieu of their recess period once a week.
"They worked so hard all year and put on an AMAZING show!" said Nina Madison, KES music teacher. "I am so proud of them and grateful to everyone who came out to support us!
Who knew dirt could be so delicious? Dirt pudding cups that is! First- and fourth-grade buddy pairs at Kent Elementary School celebrated the recent Earth Day by creating a yummy nature-inspired treat using chocolate pudding, crushed Oreo cookies and gummy worms. See more photos of our students working together on their dirt cup desserts.
Do animals and plants change our environment? Kindergarten students at Kent Elementary School jumped into the roles of scientists during a recent lesson presented by the Center for Environmental Education at PNW BOCES. The students were asked if they believed that animals and plants could change other plants, animals, water or even rocks in the environment around us. In the name of research, the students studied facts about three different living things in the environment: beavers, kudzu vines and turtles. Read full story on the environmental change lesson.
First-grade students at Kent Elementary School recently had a special guest reader in class, Assemblyman Kevin Byrne, to continue our Read Across America celebrations. See photos from the Assemblyman's visit.
Kent Elementary kindergarten and first-grade students practiced jumping, leaping and hopping from hoop to hoop while playing Pac-Man tag in the gym! See a video of our students in action.
While the local area prepared for some winter weather, it was already snowy in the front hallway at Kent Elementary School thanks to our kindergarten students in Caroline Thaler's class! See our students' snowflake designs.
Kent Elementary second-grade student Gianna Cautillo was chosen as one of the school's weekly Carmel 6C good behavior winners. The prize awaiting her: her dad, just returning home from a 10-month military deployment! Read full story on their reunion.
Students can shop for holiday gifts during their lunch hours.
