A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL...

Dear Kent Elementary Families,  

We want to take a moment to thank all of you for your continued support this fall. Educating children is truly a team effort and we could not do our jobs with your support. We hope that all our students and families have a restful and warm upcoming break. Please take note of the upcoming half days for students and Parent-Teacher conference days.  

School Calendar Updates for Elementary Students that Families should note: 

November 20th, Monday – ½ day for K-4 students Dismissal @ 12pm 

Professional Development for Staff 

November 21st, Tuesday- ½ day for K – 4 students @ 12pm 

Professional Development for Staff 

November 30th, Thursday ½ day for K-4 students @ 12pm 

Parent Teacher Conferences  

December 1st, Friday ½ day for K –4 students @ 12pm 

Parent Teacher Conferences  

Parent Teacher Conferences 

Parent-Teacher Conferences are upon us and although we understand that the virtual option may allow for greater flexibility for parents, we want to ensure that parents are aware that if there is a need, a parent can request that they meet with their child’s teacher in person. 

Your child's teacher will be reaching out so you can schedule your virtual conference directly with them. If there is a request to meet in person, please reach out directly to the teacher so that alternative arrangements can be made. We look forward to our continued partnership. 

Update from Our Kinder “Garden” 

As a culminating activity for the 1st grade Knowledge Unit - Human Body Unit, our classes talked about healthy bodies. One of the 5 key healthy habits is eating fruits and vegetables. This week, Mrs. LoCascio brought in zucchini and carrots from our KES garden as well as supplementing from a local organic farm to all of the First-Grade classes! A huge Shout Out and Thank You to Mrs. LoCascio for all her efforts! The Kinder “Garden” is not only her creation, she also volunteers regularly to bring our students' knowledge of nature and planting while preparing hands on learning by partnering with our teachers. 

SEPTO Update!

Calling all buddies!  CCSD SEPTO is looking for buddies for the children of SEPTO.  IF INTERESTED, please email ccsdsepto@carmelschools.org for more info.  Our first event is Sunday, November 19.  See attached flyer below!!!!  

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Marie Camacho CCSD SEPTO President 

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.  

We will be switching our newsletter delivery day to Fridays moving further. This way families can have the most up to date information going into the weekend. Please note you can choose to read the newsletter whenever you wish, so if you like reading the letter on Sunday evenings as you prepare for the work week, then please keep doing that.   

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 

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 October 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! 

 Thank you again for an amazing start to the new school year. We are looking forward to building wonderful relationships with you and your student(s) throughout this school year.  

Sincerely, 

Mike Setaro 
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

  • 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
  • Schools Host Senior Citizens for Thanksgiving Luncheon

    Senior citizens throughout the Carmel Central School District community were treated to an early Thanksgiving Luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at schools across the district.

    “Our community really wraps their arms around our seniors,” said Alice Holzmann, the family and consumer science teacher at George Fischer Middle School. “In each of our schools the students serve the seniors, make crafts for them, sing and entertain them and just spend time talking with the seniors. It is a real treat for our seniors and for our students.”

    The Carmel Teachers Association sponsored the luncheon. Holzmann, who has organized the Thanksgiving Luncheon for 39 years, said the Putnam County Office of the Aging helped coordinate the event, and that the hard work of the schools’ cafeteria staff made the feast a huge success.

    Read more

    District News
  • Getting to "One Carmel"

    More than 30 parents, students, teachers and administrators came to the Unity in Our Community event at Carmel High School on Wednesday, Oct. 25, to discuss ways to end divisions within the schools and bring Carmel Central School District residents together as “One Carmel.”  

    “Clearly, we are in a place where we are ripe for change,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Joseph McGrath said. “Just coming together like this makes our community stronger. Now, it is up to us to convert ideas into a strategic action plan.”  

    Led by Matt Latimer, the lead conciliation specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service, the event featured discussions about Carmel’s progress over the past few months.  

    Read More

    District News
  • New Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services

    Elizabeth A. Kennedy, Ed.D., who took over as Carmel Central School District’s new Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services in October, has hit the ground running.  

    Though she has only been in the district a few weeks, Dr. Kennedy has already attended SEPTO, or Special Ed PTO, meetings and started building relationships in the community.  

    “I am very excited to be joining this excellent school district community,” Dr. Kennedy said. “I know that the Carmel schools are dedicated to providing the best opportunities for children with special needs. I am also happy to have the chance to directly support our English as a New Language and Nursing Departments through this leadership role.”   

    Read more

    District News
  • Staff, Students and Community Work Together for Safety

    There are AED devices that can save a life placed strategically throughout the Carmel Schools so that if someone is suffering a heart attack in any of the buildings, there will be help close by.  

    But last year, after the cardiac incident with Damar Hamlin on the Buffalo Bills, Lisa Palmieri, a physical education teacher at Matthew Paterson Elementary noticed that the athletic field at the George Fischer Middle School was so far from the building that it might be difficult to get quick access to an AED, or automated external defibrillator, should there be a need.  

    “As a CPR/AED instructor I truly understand that every second counts so, I reached out to see how we could get an AED on the GFMS fields since the nearest ones were inside of the buildings,” Palmieri said.  

    She brought her concern to the district’s Safety Committee and John Fink, the Assistant Superintendent of Business who is chair of the committee, got to work to solve the problem.  

    Read more

    District News
  • Translating Carmel's Many Languages

    From Polish to Albanian, Chinese to Spanish, the Carmel Schools are a melting pot of languages. Dozens of languages are spoken in the homes of students in the Carmel Central School District every day. 

    “It used to be hard for school districts to communicate with parents and caregivers who speak so many different languages,” said Interim School Superintendent Joe McGrath. “Thanks to technology, however, it’s now as easy as a push of a button.”   

    Read More

    District News
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Upcoming Events

  • Early Dismissal (Elementary Only)

    Report Card Conferences

    Elementary Schools will dismiss at noon.

     

    Carmel Central School District
  • Early Dismissal (Elementary Only)

    Report Card Conferences

    Elementary Schools will dismiss at noon.

    Carmel Central School District
  • KES PJ Party with Santa, 6:30PM

    Kent Elementary School
View Monthly Calendar