Each month, we have been spotlighting one of the 6 C’s, and this month, our focus is on communication. Communication is a fundamental skill that empowers students to actively listen, articulate their thoughts, and engage responsibly in both face-to-face and digital interactions. It plays a crucial role in building strong relationships, fostering understanding, and promoting teamwork.
In fourth grade, students have been exploring what effective communication looks and sounds like during the morning announcements. Their insights have been both thoughtful and inspiring. Additionally, our shoutout board in the lobby is brimming with examples of students demonstrating strong communication skills. 
This week, fourth graders took their learning a step further by partnering with second graders to collaborate on the morning announcements. This activity provided a valuable opportunity for students to practice listening, sharing ideas, and working together to create something meaningful. It’s wonderful to see how communication continues to build connections and strengthen our school community!

Upcoming Events: 

Wednesday, January 15-School store will be open during all the lunch periods.  If you are interested in volunteering please visit the PTO website at mpespto.org

Monday, January 20-School Closed-Martin Luther King Day

Matthew Patterson Elementary School is excited to offer the Mindfulness Lunch Bunch program! This engaging and supportive initiative provides students with the opportunity to meet in small groups during their lunch period to build essential life skills such as relationship-building, self-awareness, and self-regulation.


The Mindfulness Lunch Bunch is a play-based program designed to make learning fun and interactive. Through games, discussions, mini-meditations, breathing exercises, and hands-on activities, students will explore tools and techniques that help them manage stress, improve focus, and enhance emotional well-being.
This program not only supports social-emotional growth but also creates a positive and inclusive environment where students can connect with their peers in meaningful ways. By developing these mindfulness skills, students can carry these practices into their daily lives, both in and out of the classroom.


If you are interested in having your child participate in the Mindfulness Lunch Bunch, please contact Jennifer Darling at jdarling@carmelschools.org


Monday, January 13 is day 2 in our special cycle.  

Please make sure your child is dressed for outdoor recess!

Fondly,

Jennifer Darling 

Latest MPES Headlines

  • A Great Start for Carmel's New Universal Pre-Kindergarten

    One group of four-year-olds served their teacher a make-believe breakfast while another played with building blocks and a third practiced cutting out pictures.

    It was a busy day in Carmel Central School District’s first Universal Pre-Kindergarten program, which started on Monday, January 6. 

    “We want to teach them everything they need to know before kindergarten, but we do it in a fun way,” said Theresa McCaffrey, Executive Director of Little Leaf preschool in Carmel.   

    Little Leaf is one of three preschool programs chosen to provide services to the 75 students who enrolled in Carmel’s first semester of universal pre-kindergarten. Creative Kids and Kids Cottage preschools are also hosting the program.

    School Superintendent Erin Meehan-Fairben made starting Universal Pre-Kindergarten one of her first goals for the district. The program, which is funded through state and federal grants, is provided at no cost to district families.

    “The benefits of early childhood education are clear, and include improved school readiness, better academic performance and a reduced achievement gap,” said Dr. Fairben, who took over as Carmel’s School Superintendent in July and got to work right away to ensure that all of Carmel’s students would have access to good preschool education. “It is an investment that lasts a lifetime.”

    Read more and see more photos

    District 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.”

    Read more and see more photos

    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.  

    Read more and see more photos

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
  • Fair Street Construction Project Update

    If you’ve driven to Carmel High School recently, you’ve likely noticed the construction on Fair Street.  

    The $30 million road improvement project, which will significantly improve safety, traffic flow and infrastructure in the area, will widen Fair Street from Simpson Road to Route 52. It will also add sidewalks and streetlights from Hill and Dale Road to Route 52, fix drainage and create an additional lane for easier turning into and out of the high school parking lot. Construction started in September after years of delays and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2026. 

    Carmel High School Principal Brian Piazza said that the construction would make the road safer in the end.  

    “The construction will create challenges traffic-wise, but at its completion, the sidewalks and an additional turning lane will greatly benefit our school and community, especially in terms of student safety,” Piazza said.  

    Michael Klenotiz, Carmel Central School District’s Supervisor of Transportation, said that good communication will go a long way toward keeping school bus traffic on schedule.  

    Read more

    District 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,”

    Read more and see more photos

    Matthew Paterson Elementary 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.

    Read more

    Matthew Paterson Elementary 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.”   

    Read more

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
  • Thankful for Senior Citizens

    The Senior Thanksgiving Luncheon sponsored by The Carmel Teachers’ Association was a big success with the guests praising the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, vegetables and, of course, pumpkin pie.  

    Most of all, however, the senior citizens who came to Carmel High School, George Fischer Middle School and Matthew Paterson Elementary School were glad to return to schools that many of their children (and some of them) attended and to see friends from the throughout the community. 

    “We love our seniors,” said Alice Holzmann, the Family and Consumer Science teacher at George Fischer Middle School. “And they love this event.” 

    Read more and see more photos

    District News
  • A Thank You to the Board of Education

    The week of October 14 is School Board Recognition Week, but Superintendent of Schools Dr. Erin Meehan-Fairben thanked the Board of Education for their service a few days early, during the Board of Ed meeting on Octobert 8th. 
    "I know we are a little early, but I just wanted to take the chance to thank you for all you do," Dr. Fairben said. 
    Then she showed a surprise video that was created by students in Tim Raney’s Video Production class at Carmel High School, who included children from all five school buildings.    
    CHS Senior Kasey Carboy led the project. She wrote the outline, filmed and edited the video, which was her first project as lead.
    Seniors Ivy Kolovik and Dan Fanceschi assisted Kasey with filming at the various school buildings. 
     
    District News
  • Fire Department Visits Matthew Paterson

    For National Fire Prevention Week, the Patterson Fire Department No. 1 visited Matthew Paterson Elementary School to teach kids about fire safety and help familiarize them with emergency equipment so they could be less anxious in case of an actual emergency.  

    EMT Foreman Susan McLaughlin, who came to Matthew Paterson in an ambulance, asked students in Jessica Curran’s first grade class when it might be appropriate to call 911.  

    “If someone is bleeding or hurt,” one student said.  

    “If there is a car accident or a fire,’ another added.  

    Then McLaughlin pulled the stretcher out of the ambulance, asked first grader Abigail to climb aboard and called upon classmate Hunter to act as the doctor.  

    “Ok, Dr. Hunter, you need to check your patient’s heart rate,” McLaughlin said, as she put the stethoscope on Abigail’s forehead.  

    The class all laughed and yelled “No, that’s not where it goes.” McLaughlin scratched her head and put the stethoscope on Abigail’s foot to an even louder outcry from the first graders. Finally, she handed it over to Dr. Hunter, who placed the stethoscope on Abigail’s heart.  

    Read more and see more photos

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
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Upcoming Events

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day

    Martin Luther King Jr. Day

    Schools and Offices Closed

    Carmel Central School District
  • MPES - General PTO Meeting

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • MPES - Valentine Gram Sales

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • Asian Lunar New Year

    Asian Lunar New Year

    Schools and Offices Closed

    Carmel Central School District
  • MPES - Spirit Day

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
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