Carmel Central School District

Cultivating Opportunities for All

• Second Grader Inspires a Relay for Life Team

  When Lucas, a second grader at Matthew Paterson Elementary School, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, the impact on his family was tremendous.

  “Lucas was six months old at the time,” his mother Ashley Martinez said. “He is a twin, we were so worried that his twin brother, Oliver, would develop cancer, too. Our oldest son, Adrian, was just three. It was a very scary time.”

  Lucas is cancer-free now. Since his recovery, the family has helped raise money in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life to help find a cure. Lucas has been involved in the Relay since he was two years old, walking and raising money for cancer research.

  This year, the Relay for Life of Eastern Putnam will be held at Brewster High School on Saturday, May 31 from 2 to 10 p.m.

  The Martinez family will be there along with a team of about 20 family members and friends who call themselves “The Lukey-Dukes.”

  “We welcome all friends, families and CCSD staff to join us,” Mrs. Martinez said. “Our team raises money specifically for childhood cancer. At the Relay, we do a dinosaur lap with inflatable costumes. We just try to bring attention to childhood cancer.”

  Read more

  Matthew Paterson Elementary School News

• Don't Miss the 41st Annual Student Art Show

  Carmel High School’s 41st Annual Student Art Show will have special evening hours on Thursday, April 10 from 6 - 8 p.m. The show, which features work from about 450 students, will run through Friday, April 11 at noon.  

  “This year’s show features more hands-on displays for graphics classes,” said Art Teacher Danielle Marino. “Ms. Kenny has been focused on product and packaging design with her classes and she has created beautiful notebooks, bags and gift boxes which can be picked up and examined.”     

  But that’s not all that’s new this year. 

  “Several Carmel students participated in the Garrison Art Center's student exhibit,” Ms. Marino said. “The show was last week, and we set up a separate display area for our students to show off their work based on the theme "Exploring Identity.” 

  Carmel High School News

• Core Knowledge in the Real World

  On two warm fall days, third graders from Matthew Paterson Elementary School walked across the road to the Patterson Environmental Park.

  The park includes part of the Great Swamp, one of the largest freshwater wetlands in New York State and home to many species of wildlife. The students’ visit would allow them to see its ecological diversity up close.

  “We finished the unit on animal classification in our reading program, Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA), so we added a trip to the Great Swamp for a hands-on extension,” Teacher Gina Boalt said. “I love this reading program; it is so rich in content.”

  Judging from their enthusiasm, the students were excited to put their new knowledge to the test

  Matthew Paterson Elementary School News

• Matthew Paterson Third Graders Celebrate History

  The Third-Grade Harvest Festival at Matthew Paterson Elementary School is an event that brings students, teachers, staff and families together to celebrate an American tradition. 

  Parents dressed as Pilgrims and helped the third graders with activities, including grinding apples to make applesauce. The apples were donated by Fishkill Farms in East Fishkill and Wilkins Fruit & Fir Farm in Yorktown  

  “This is a great tradition,” said Dan Minieri, who dressed as a Pilgrim for the event. Mineri’s son, Dan, is in the third grade.   

  The lack of rain this fall led to a burn ban throughout Putnam County, so the tradition of cooking applesauce over an open flame was replaced by a safer inflatable campfire toy with a smoke machine.  

  “It was still great fun,” said Third Grade Teacher Michelle Belasco.  “This event encompasses our Carmel 6 Cs, and it is something we look forward to each year.”

  Matthew Paterson Elementary School News

• Fourth Graders Explore the Middle Ages

  As the students rotated through the four fourth-grade classrooms at Matthew Paterson Elementary School, they made coats of arms, stained glass, illuminated letters and castles – some with modern-day twists.

  In Michael Dwyer’s classroom, the students used K’NEX building toys to create castles that would do any royal family proud.  One group of builders even put their castle on wheels.

  “Castles don’t use wheels,” nine-year-old Chace said to his teammates. “That’s castle-ing 101.” 

  Pretty soon, though, Chace went along with his group’s idea and started adding wheels. When the group rolled its castle up and down the aisles, their classmates all laughed.

  Middle Ages Day was the culminating activity of the reading unit that fourth graders had just completed in the district’s Core Knowledge Language Arts, or CKLA, reading program.  The unit had them reading, writing and learning the vocabulary of medieval times.

  “They learned all about the Middle Ages, so everything they are creating now is building on their prior knowledge,” Teacher Anastasia Amelio said. “It’s more than just ‘Oh, this is cool.’ These are activities that tie it all together.

  Matthew Paterson Elementary School News

• Students Write, Design and Publish Books

  They used to say you had to know someone to get a book published.  

  Not anymore.  

  Fourth grade reading students at Matthew Paterson Elementary School published their own books using Book Creator, the online publishing software. 

  Reading Teacher Janine Avitabile recently gave her students the chance to each present their books to their class.    

  “Our focus was winter holiday traditions that ranged from Christmas, Ramadan and ended with our New Year's resolutions,” Avitabile said. “They each got to tell the story of their own family traditions.”  

  The students wrote the story and chose the photos. They even created the design, picking their own fonts and adjusting the sizing and layout of their images. 

  Matthew Paterson Elementary School News

• Art Student Wins Prestigious Award

  Carmel High School Senior Jasmine Hall won a Silver Key Award in Illustration for our region in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards competition. The nationwide arts competition is among the most prestigious recognition programs for creative teens. 

  Jasmine entered her drawing of “Fish of the United States,” which she drew in colored pencil on an actual map of the United States.   

  “It’s only 47 fish because three states don’t have state fish,” Jasmine said. “I did a lot of research, and I spent a lot of time on it, but I didn’t expect to win anything. I hadn’t yet checked my email that day, so it was a complete surprise. My teacher put the digital version of the certificate on the screen, and I saw it when I came to class.” 

  Jasmine started drawing in 7th grade and got more serious when she entered high school. She has taken seven art classes at Carmel High School. She’s currently in Advanced Placement Drawing and Portfolio Preparation, a class that is for students who intend to pursue careers in art. 

  Carmel High School News

• A Visit From Baby Goats

  Some visitors to Matthew Paterson Elementary School recently brought out the nurturing instinct in students from kindergarten through fourth grade, not to mention their teachers and administrators.  

  Nearly everyone who got to see the three baby goats that visited from Ridge Ranch in Patterson started cooing.  

  “Oh, they are so cute,” they cried. “Can we pet them?”  

  The district’s Special Education PTO, or CCSD SEPTO, sponsored three goats this year at Ridge Ranch, an educational farm run by Arielle and Dan Honovich that specializes in “Animal Experiences.”  

  Matthew Paterson Elementary School News

• A Holiday Sing-Along

  The excitement of Matthew Paterson Elementary School’s holiday sing-along started even before the first note was sung. 

  “Look, there’s Santa signing in,” a kindergartner said as his class walked by the front door. “Holy Moly!” 

  “Do you think it’s the real one?” a classmate asked.   

  It wasn’t, but the MPES PTO members dressed as Santa, Frosty the Snowman, the MPES Panda and lots of elves provided some extra entertainment as music teacher Syndey Gaspar played all the greatest holiday hits on the piano.  

  Matthew Paterson Elementary School News

• Athletes Inspire Next Generation at Kent Primary

   

  More than three dozen female athletes from Carmel High School visited the district’s three elementary schools on National Girls and Women in Sports Day on February 7 to show the youngsters the value of sports.  

  First graders from Daina Sinclair and Corinne Phillips classes rushed to have the athletes guide them through the gymnastics course that was set up in the gym. 

  “The athletes who came all volunteered,” Carmel’s Athletic Director Christopher Salumn said. “It is a chance to bring awareness to female sports and all the opportunities they will have to participate when they get older.”  

  Ayva Rivard, a golfer, said she was happy to work with the youngsters. 

  “We are excited to be here and to give back to the schools,” Ayva said. “It’s a great opportunity to show girls here that they can be equal to boys in sports.”  

  Katie Ross, a junior who plays lacrosse, tried to convince a group of first graders – boys and girls – that they should take up her sport. 

  Kent Primary School News

• Fourth Graders Get a Taste of Middle School

  The fourth graders lined up and marched into George Fischer Middle School earlier this month, eager to see what the next step in their education might be like.  

  “This is your first visit to the middle school,” said Dr. Merica Neufville, the middle school principal. “We are going to show you some of the things you can choose to do when you come here.”  

  First stop for the soon-to-be graduates of Carmel Central School District’s three elementary schools was an introduction to the middle school music department. The youngsters also learned that they would have some choice in their middle school education.  

  “I know that a lot of you are in chorus this year,” said Meghan Cabral, the district’s music department chair. “I hope many of you choose chorus in middle school, too. When you are in middle school, you will have the opportunity to do band and chorus or orchestra and chorus, but you do not have to choose any of them. All students will take general music.” 

  George Fischer Middle School News

• Librarians Learn from One Another

  CHS librarian Karissa O'Reilly hosted school librarians and library support staff from Briarcliff, Chappaqua, Dover, Fox Lane, Hendrick Hudson, Ossining, and Somers.  The Library Intervisitation Series is organized by Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES’ School Library Systems.

  "Each of us who host have a theme to focus on for the visits," O'Reilly said. "Mine was 'Building Community through Collaborative Spaces' and I shared ideas for how we can design spaces and programs that establish our libraries as a thriving community hub for the school. After taking a tour of the library and seeing the ways the space encourages students to interact and use their voice, we tried an interactive message board of our own. "

  Carmel High School News

• Little Shop of Horrors is Spring Musical

  The stage is set for an unforgettable evening as Carmel High School’s Music Production Workshop presents the spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors. After months of hard work and dedication, the production will come to life on Friday, March 21 and Saturday, March 22, with tickets available online at chsperform.booktix.com. 

  With nearly 75 students involved, from the talented cast and crew to the pit musicians, this musical promises to be a vibrant showcase of Carmel’s artistry. One of the standout features of the show is Audrey 2, the iconic man-eating plant. This incredible puppet requires both a crew member and an actor to bring it to life.

  Carmel High School News

• P.A.C.E. Students Help Animals

  Students in the P.A.C.E. (Personal Academic and Community Experience) Program at Carmel High School have been busy making healthy dog biscuits and collecting items for the Putnam Humane Society.

  Speech-Language Pathologist Laura Blaha said teaching pre-vocational skills helps P.A.C.E. students prepare for life after high school.

  “We are always looking for ways for our students to learn vocational skills,” Blaha said. “Making dog biscuits teaches skills like following a recipe and directions, identifying items in a kitchen, working with others and vital communication skills.”

  Occupational Therapist April DeFrancesco also pitched in and helped the students learn rolling, measuring, pouring and cutting skills.

  The students rolled out the biscuit dough and cut it into shapes like bowties and hearts using cookie cutters. Unlike cookie dough, however, the dog biscuit dough was kind of tough.

  Carmel High School News

• Science Research Symposium

  At the Carmel Research Symposium on April 3, ten Carmel High School seniors presented projects that were the culmination of three years’ worth of high-level work.  

  Students begin the Carmel Science Research class, which is taught by Dr. Nicole Griffin, in tenth grade and quickly set about identifying an area of interest in the physical, natural or social sciences. Then they work to find a mentor in their field who is willing to help guide them in their studies. While conducting their original research, they get experience in presenting at competitions like the Regeneron Science Talent Search and Westchester Science and Engineering Fair, among others. 

  The Senior Student Research Presentations included:  

  Halina White - Analyzing Awareness and Interest in Different Sustainability Methods in Putnam County  

  Noah Hartglass - Verifying The Link Between Execution Time and Energy Efficiency in Python  

  Daniella Morales Vanegas - Opioids vs Naloxone in the New York State Counties and New York City Boroughs   

  Maia Thompson - Is there a relationship between the Presence or Knowledge of a Seal of Biliteracy Program and an Individual’s Motivation to Learn a Second Language?   

  Gabriella Sinclair - The Effects of Nonstandard Work Schedules on Sleep Quality in Full-Time Unionized and Nonunionized Nurses    

  Emily Furu - The Statistically Significant Difference in the Study Habits and Productivity of High School Students with Aromatherapy     

  Kaitlin Furu - An Analysis of the Relationship Between Coyote (Canis latrans) and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) Occupancy Patterns in Urban to Suburban Landscapes     

  Emma Sullivan - Is there a correlation between Ptau and Abeta levels in Alzheimer’s patients?     

  Dylan Badolato- Correlation of the Distribution of Syrian and Ukrainian Refugees in Europe   

  Lucas Tseng - The Perception of the Global South’s ‘Outliers’ 

  Carmel High School News

• Disabilities Awareness Month

  March is Disability Awareness Month and the Carmel Central School District has a lot of informative, helpful and interesting activities planned. Please take a look at the attached schedule. We look forward to seeing you.

  Disabilities Awareness Month Activities

  District News

• Happy Birthday, George Fischer!

  George Fischer Middle School celebrated George Fischer's 129th birthday with a pep rally! 

  See the video

  George Fischer Middle School News

• Snuggle Up to Read Across America

  Heather Carlson’s second grade class at Kent Primary School LOVES to read! So, what better way to spend a windy, cold day than snuggled up with a good book! The class came to school in comfy clothes or pajamas and brought a favorite stuffed animal and a blanket from home. The students worked together to make forts, grabbed some flashlights and books and spent a large portion of the afternoon reading in their creations for Read Across America Week. They brought books from home and utilized the classroom library, sharing the joy of reading with each other. The teachers even brought their books and joined the class in their forts to read.

  See more photos

  Kent Primary School News

• This Sixth Grader is a Published Poet

  Many middle schoolers dream of travel, but Joseph Rocco Goldberg put his dreams down in a poem that was so good it got published in a local magazine. 

  Joseph, a George Fischer Middle School sixth grader, had his poem “To Travel” published in Chronogram Magazine, a monthly journal of arts and culture in the Hudson Valley.    

  Joseph wrote the poem last year, when he was in Michelle Lynch’s fifth grade English class.   

  “I started writing poetry in fifth grade,” Joseph said. “Writing didn’t always come easy to me, but I found poetry super fun. We were able to speak or write about anything we wanted.” 

  Joseph’s poem begins with this stanza:  

  To travel  
  Is to find a home. 
  Or complete a goal. 
  Maybe just for fun 
  Because traveling is for everyone.  

  See more

  George Fischer Middle School News

• Tax Breaks for Volunteer First Responders

  Carmel Central School District residents who volunteer with fire departments or ambulance corps will see a 10 percent reduction in their school taxes in return for their service.  

  The Carmel Board of Education voted February 25 to give volunteers with at least two years of service a 10 percent cut in the property tax assessment of their primary residence. The vote was unanimous. 

  “For example, the impact in the Town of Kent would result in an $800 savings for each person receiving the exemption,” Assistant Superintendent of Business Ken Silver said.  

  The reduction would cost the remaining taxpayers 1.2 cents on every thousand dollars of assessment. 

   “If your home is assessed at $400,000, the property owner would be paying $4.80 in addition each year for the volunteers who are risking their lives,” Silver said. 

  More than 35 volunteers attended the board meeting and School Board President Melissa Orser thanked them for keeping the community safe.  

  “We are giving you a little bit back for giving us a lot,” she said. 

  The volunteer tax break will help the entire community in the long run.  

  “Anything we can do to assist with local fire companies’ recruitment and retention benefits the entire community,” said Trustee John C. Curzio II. “If we ever had to go to a paid fire service, town taxes would increase as much as 50 percent, which would result in a huge burden on our community.” 

  District News