Dear Students, Parents, Caregivers and Staff, 

As we approach the end of another remarkable school year, I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each member of our school community. This year has been filled with incredible achievements, personal growth, and memorable experiences that we will all cherish. 

To our students: You have worked hard, shown resilience, and demonstrated a commitment to learning that inspires us all. Whether you are moving up a grade, transitioning to a new school, or graduating, know that we are proud of you and excited for the bright future that lies ahead. Take this summer to rest, recharge, and pursue your passions. Keep reading, exploring, and staying curious. 

To our parents and guardians: Your unwavering support and partnership have been instrumental in the success of our students and the school. Thank you for your involvement, encouragement, and trust. We look forward to continuing our collaboration in the upcoming year. 

To our dedicated staff: Your dedication, creativity, and hard work have made this year a success. You have gone above and beyond to ensure our students receive the best education and support possible. Enjoy your well-deserved break and return refreshed for another great year. 

As we head into the summer months, I encourage everyone to stay safe, make wonderful memories, and take time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. I look forward to seeing you all again in the fall, ready to embark on another fantastic year together. 

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and enjoyable summer! 

As we enter the summer break, I want to encourage you to take advantage of this time to continue supporting your children’s learning in fun and engaging ways. Keeping up with math and literacy skills over the summer can help prevent the "summer slide" and ensure that students are ready to hit the ground running in the fall. Here are some suggestions for incorporating math and literacy activities into your summer plans: 

Math Activities: 

  1. Everyday Math: Incorporate math into daily activities. Have your child help with cooking to practice measurements or calculate distances and travel times for trips. 

  1. Math Games: Play board games and card games that involve counting, strategy, and logical thinking, such as Monopoly, Uno, or Chess. 

  1. Online Resources: Use educational websites and apps like Khan Academy, Prodigy, or Cool Math Games to keep math skills sharp. 

  1. Shopping Math: Involve your child in budgeting and shopping. Have them compare prices, calculate discounts, and tally the total cost. 

  1. Nature Math: Explore nature and use it as an opportunity to discuss patterns, symmetry, and geometry found in plants, flowers, and landscapes. 

Literacy Activities: 

  1. Summer Reading: Visit your local library and participate in summer reading programs. Set reading goals and explore a variety of genres and authors. 

  1. Writing Projects: Encourage your child to keep a summer journal, write letters or emails to family and friends, or create their own stories and books. 

  1. Family Reading Time: Set aside time each day to read together as a family. Discuss the books, ask questions, and share your thoughts. 

  1. Educational Websites and Apps: Utilize resources like Storyline Online, ABCmouse, or Epic! to find engaging reading materials and literacy games. 

  1. Word Games: Play word games such as Scrabble, Boggle, or crossword puzzles to build vocabulary and spelling skills. 

Combined Math and Literacy Activities: 

  1. Math Story Problems: Create story problems that involve math challenges for your child to solve. 

  1. Educational Field Trips: Visit museums, zoos, and science centers. These outings often have educational materials that incorporate both math and literacy. 

  1. Recipe Reading and Baking: Follow recipes together, which involves reading instructions and measuring ingredients. 

Remember, the goal is to make learning enjoyable and integrated into your everyday life. By engaging in these activities, you can help your child retain important skills while having fun and spending quality time together. 

Fondly,

Jenn Darling
Proud Principal of MPES

Latest MPES Headlines

  • Welcoming New Principals

    New principals have been hired this summer at Kent Primary School and Kent Elementary School.  

    Vincent Fino, who served as Assistant Principal at Carmel High School is the new principal at Kent Primary School. He replaces Dan Brown, who retired at the end of the school year.   

    At Kent Elementary School, new Principal John Fratto is replacing Michael Setaro, who took a position at Southern Westchester BOCES. Mr. Fratto also served as an Assistant Principal at Carmel High School.  

    With such great leadership in place, Kent Elementary and Kent Primary will be well prepared for a great 2024-25 school year.  

     

    District News
  • Introducing Carmel's New Superintendent of Schools

    On July 1, Erin Meehan-Fairben, Ed.D.  will take over as the Carmel Central School District's new Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Fairben, who brings a wealth of experience, a proven track record of educational leadership and a deep commitment to student success, was appointed by the Board of Education in February.

    Dr. Fairben has been an educator for 32 years. She has taught at elementary, middle and high school as well as college-level courses for aspiring educators at SUNY Brockport, St. John Fisher, and Hobart and William Smith colleges.  She has held various leadership roles at both the building and district level including Assistant Principal, Principal, Director of Pupil Personnel Services and Special Programs, Superintendent of the NYS School for the Blind, Director of P16, Assistant Superintendent and most recently as an Associate Superintendent at the Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES. Throughout her career, Dr. Fairben has worked tirelessly to support all students and has expanded educational opportunities for students through collaboration, effective communication, and visionary leadership.  Dr. Fairben brings with her decades of leadership experience in building strong relationships with her staff and community.   

    Read more

    District News
  • Passport Day Takes Third Graders Around the World

    Third graders at Matthew Patterson Elementary School traveled around the world on Passport Day.   

    “I loved passport day this year,” said Damian, a third grader in Catherine DeToma’s class. “One of the things I liked was that our parents came. Another thing I liked was that it was so fun making my diorama. Also, it was so fun traveling from country to country.” 

    Parents, teachers and community members crowded into the hallways and classrooms that were decorated with flags from around the world.  

    “Passport Day is a day dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity and global awareness through the lens of different continents,” said third-grade teacher Michelle Belasco. “Each third-grade class immerses themselves in the study of a specific continent, researching countries, landmarks, and cultural aspects. The culmination of their efforts is showcased through dioramas and presentations, allowing students to share their newfound knowledge with families and caregivers.”    

    Read more and see more photos

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
  • Recognizing Musical Talent

    At its May 7 meeting, the Carmel Board of Education recognized music students throughout the district who were selected for the All County and Honors ensembles. The Carmel Central School District Music Department has so much to be proud of each year. 

    “This year, we had over 50 students perform in Area All State,” said Music Department Chair Meghan Cabral. “We also had students perform with New York State School Music Association's All State festival and the New York State Band Directors' Association honor bands. Our George Fischer Middle School students stood out at the Putnam County Music Educators' Association all county festivals, too. This year we had over 70 students accepted! Each year we also have students earn Excellent and Outstanding ratings at the NYSSMA solo festival.”   
     
    Carmel Schools have been recognized as one of the best communities for music education by the National Association of Music Merchants’ (NaMM) for seven years running.   

    Read more

    District News
  • Read All About It: Earth Day News

    Earth Day may be celebrated just one day a year but the fourth graders in Janine Avitabile’s reading class at Matthew Paterson Elementary School find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle all year long.  

    For Earth Day they made magazine covers – on a digital platform, not wasteful paper -- to show how small acts can have a big impact on the planet.  

    Layla made a magazine cover called “Saving the Earth” which featured a story about her magic cup.   

    “Whenever we are going to water the plants, we grab the magic cup,” she said. “We use the same cup every time, so we don’t have to throw it out or wash it.” 

    Alessia, who is known for creating projects for her room, said her mission was making art out of plastic bottles.  

    Addison made a special “Stop the Littering” issue of her magazine. The magazine noted that Addison’s mission is picking up litter at a local park.  

    Read more

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
  • An Art Lesson That's Catnip for Students

    Art Teacher Alex Lombardo’s project for Matthew Paterson Elementary School fourth graders was catnip to the students.   

    The assignment called for students to create portraits of cats posing as humans and dressed up in fancy clothes. It was in the style of digital artist Galina Bugaevskaya, who reimagines traditional portraits, but with cats dressed up as royalty.  

    “I guide the students in how to draw the cats in human pose,” Lombardo said. “They are welcome to change their clothes and accessorize the cat.” 

    The students in Katherine Allen’s fourth grade class could not have been more excited to add to the artist’s Cat Universe. 

    Read more and see more photos

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
  • Reading the Words Around Us

    The second grade teachers at Matthew Paterson Elementary School decided that one way to teach reading would be to work with the words all around us. What could be more fun than to have students read the words and phrases that decorate each other's T-shirts?  

    On T-shirt Day the lesson in Catherine DeGloria’s class was on phonemes – the sounds of speech. While there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, there are 44 phonemes, which include the sounds made by “ph,” “oo,” “qu” and many other pairings.  

    “We are learning phonemes and we’re going to be reading words by pieces – or phonemes,” DeGloria said. “We are going to take a look at the words on our shirts.”

    Read more

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School News
  • 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
View More Posts

Upcoming Events

  • MPES - Kindergarten Playdate

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • MPES - Kindergarten Orientation

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • MPES - Fall Spirit Wear Campaign

    MPES Fall Spirit Wear Campaign runs until September 27

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • MPES - Curriculum Night - ENL

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
  • MPES - FALL PICTURE DAY

    Matthew Paterson Elementary School
View Monthly Calendar