Our amazing 4th graders met Principal Dr. Merica Neufville today during a middle school orientation.  Students were introduced to the bell schedule, learned how to earn R.O.C.K tickets for being respectful, organized, cooperative and keeping safe.  Clubs and activities were a hot topic.  They are very interested in joining the Drama Club!  After the orientation students asked great questions about homework, how to join the clubs and music programs.  They are very excited to meet the other 4th graders at the 5th grade mixer and back to school Ramily events. Thank you for visiting our school and getting our fourth graders ready for middle school!   

Upcoming Events

Friday, March 15-No school for students 

Saturday, March 16-National Panda Day  

Tuesday, March 19-Spring Picture Day  

Field trips have long been a staple of the educational experience, providing students with opportunities to explore and engage with the world outside of the classroom.  One the most significant benefits of field trips is their ability to make learning more engaging and memorable.  Students are more likely to retain information when they can see, touch, and experience the subject matter firsthand.  Field trips develop social skills, emotional intelligence, build stronger student-teacher relationships, and boost academic performance and motivation.  I am excited to share that all our classroom teachers have planned field trips for the spring.  These trips are connected to our new literacy program, or science or social studies. Kindergarten will visit the post office and New Pond Farm.  First grade is planning to visit the Mid-Hudson Discovery Musuem, and the Patterson Library.  The second-grade team will go to the Trevor Zoo, third graders are going to the Norwalk Aquarium, and fourth grade is planning a trip to New Windsor Cantonment.  I am looking forward to the annual 4th grade Canoe Trip on the Great Swamp. 

​Monday, March 11 is day 5 in our special cycle.Fondly,Jennifer Darling

Upcoming Events, 

Latest MPES 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
  • Matthew Paterson is More Than a Building

    Each school day, Matthew Paterson Elementary School Principal Jennifer Darling stands near the front door and greets the students as they come to school.  

    “Good morning,” she says. “Welcome to school. Have a great day.”  

    Some children stop to chat, some smile in reply, and others simply rush on to their friends and teachers. 

    To Principal Darling, the important thing is that the children sense that school is a supportive, nurturing community where they are cared for and safe.  

    So, she set out to read the book “School Is More Than a Building,” by Kelley Donner, to every class in every grade at Matthew Paterson Elementary. The picture book, written by the popular children’s book author when her children returned to school after being at home during the pandemic, shows the importance of social connection.   

    Darling started reading the picture book to the fourth grade and is working her way down through the other grades. On a recent morning, she visited Michele Love’s third grade class.  

    Read more and see more photos

    Matthew Paterson 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
  • Mixing it Up with Kindness at Matthew Paterson Elementary

    Sariah picked a question from a pack of conversation starter cards and could not believe her good luck. It was about sports, her favorite subject.  

    “Who is your favorite sports player?” Sariah, a third grader in Michele Love’s class, asked the children at her lunch table.  

    “Mine is Brianna Stewart of the New York Liberty,” she said, starting off the conversation with a group of children she did not usually sit with at lunch. “She is a superstar. I love basketball.”   

    The activity was part of Mix It Up Day at Matthew Paterson Elementary School, one of the events in the school’s Kindness Week.  

    “Our PBIS study group developed and implemented a Kindness Week, starting with World Kindness Day and culminating in a Schoolwide Kindness Bingo, said Karen Wrobel, the school psychologist and chair for PBIS, or positive behavioral interventions and support.

    Read more and see more photos

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
  • A Veteran's Day Visit

    To learn about what it means to be a Veteran, Catherine DeToma’s third grade class at Matthew Paterson Elementary had a visit from a Vietnam Veteran. John Claudet,  who happened to be Lucas's grandfather, told the class about life in the military.  The students had many questions and Mr. Claudet was happy to answer them. Mr. Claudet, who joined the Army when he was 20 years old and served in Vietnam, talked about basic training and exercise. He even told the class how helpful it was to exchange letters with his then girlfriend, now wife, AnnCarol Claudet.  
     
     
    Matthew Paterson 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 MPES Principal Jennifer Darling Brings a Wealth of Experience

    A funny thing happened when Jennifer Darling began as principal at Matthew Paterson Elementary School this summer; she kept meeting people who were Carmel Central School District alumni.  

    “I would meet teachers who work in the district, or local parents, and they would say ‘I went to school here, and I’m so glad my children go to school here,’” Darling said. “It seems that people who know it take great pride in the Carmel school district. It says a lot about a school community when you see that people want to keep coming back.” 

    Darling, whose background is in literacy, came to Carmel schools with a wealth of experience running a school and creating a positive school culture that encourages children and offers them all sorts of opportunities. A principal at Concord Elementary School in Ardsley for four years and a school administrator for 11 years, Darling holds a master’s degree in literacy from Hunter College of the City University of New York and a second master's in leadership for educational change from the Principal’s Institute at Bank Street College 

    Read more

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School 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
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Upcoming Events

  • MPES - SPRING PICTURE DAY

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • MPES - SCHOOL STORE OPEN

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • MPES - SPIRIT DAY

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • Spring Recess

    Schools & Administrative Office Closed

    Carmel Central School District
  • Spring Recess

    Schools Closed

    Carmel Central School District
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