Kent Primary School

The third-grade team at Kent Primary School proudly hosted their first Science Day of the year, an event brimming with excitement and discovery.

Science Day featured four captivating experiments, each intricately designed around the themes of Forces and Interactions. Every third-grade teacher crafted an engaging and interactive lesson, immersing students in hands-on activities that sparked curiosity and fostered a deeper understanding of scientific principles.

The atmosphere buzzed with enthusiasm as students eagerly participated in each experiment, making learning an exhilarating adventure.

The first graders at Kent Primary School brought the magic of the season to life with a charming, pint-sized version of New York City’s famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

To kick off their project, students read Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade by Melissa Sweet. Then they watched a video showing how Macy’s designs its massive balloons and features a new balloon every year. 

With excitement bubbling, the students headed to art class, where they cut out and colored animal shapes, which they attached to their own balloons.  Their imaginations soared: Elena transformed her balloon into a bright pink cat.  

“I love cats so much,” she said.  

Gabriel turned his balloon into a dog, complete with flashing lights for extra flair. 

The celebration ended with a march outside, where families lined up to cheer on the young parade-makers. 

Students in Corinne Phillips and Julie Ann Burton's first grade class at Kent Primary School put on lab coats and stethoscopes and became doctors for a day.  

The students put together puzzles of skeletons, wore aprons decorated with internal organs, and listened to each other's hearts with a stethoscope.  

Carmel Central School District's reading program Core Knowledge Language Arts, or CKLA, is a science of reading-based program that emphasizes skills like phonics, decoding and blending sounds.  

“The reading program introduces young readers to a wide vocabulary while building on topics like science and social studies,” said Dr. Jeff Gorman, Assistant Superintendent for Instruction.  

When the first graders finished their unit on the body, Mrs. Phillips let them dress up and act like doctors as a way to reinforce some of the vocabulary and topics they had read about.  

"We had a memory game with germs, a food pyramid sort and some playdough body systems," Ms. Phillips said. "The class enjoyed rotating through each station They enjoyed calling each other Dr. and then their last name, as well as using the vocabulary we have learned." 

The New York State School Boards Association named October 13-18 as School Board Recognition Week, a time to promote awareness and understanding of the important work performed by local school boards.  

Since the Carmel Board of Education did not have a meeting that week, new Superintendent of Schools Michael Plotkin took the opportunity to extend the district’s thanks to the Board during the Tuesday, Oct. 21 meeting. It also happened to be Mr. Plotkin’s first meeting as Superintendent of Schools.  

“We pause to honor the extraordinary dedication of the Carmel Central School District Board of Education,” Mr. Plotkin said. “Each of you give countless hours, often behind the scenes, to ensure that every decision you make supports the success, safety and well-being of our Carmel students. Your leadership guides our vision and anchors our community in shared purpose. The progress we celebrate, which includes strong schools, innovative programs and caring classrooms, stands as a direct reflection of your commitment. For all of that, we want to say ‘Thank you.’” 

The district thanked the board members with a certificate of appreciation, drawings from elementary school students, tissue paper flowers made by art students and the gift of one service from the Carmel High School auto shop, where oil changes, tire rotations and detailing are all part of the curriculum.

The Board members, President Melissa Orser, Vice President John Curzio, II, Trustee Jordi Douglas, Trustee Frank Grasso, Trustee Nicholas Magliano, Trustee Michael Torpey and Trustee James Wise, all serve as volunteers in the unpaid Board positions. 

Michael Plotkin’s first day as Carmel’s Superintendent of Schools started out with a tour of George Fischer Middle School, where he seemed to already know just about everyone.  

That’s because Mr. Plotkin has been an active parent in the Carmel Central School District for decades.   

His walk through the middle school hallways was punctuated with hugs and handshakes as he rekindled old relationships and quickly made new ones.  

Fifth grade teacher Deanna Belascio reached out in greeting. 

“I had all of his daughters,” she said. “They grew up, but I stayed the same age; I have only taught here for 26 years.”  

Further down the hallway, Assistant Principal for fifth grade Joe Keenan offered a bear hug. 

“Thanks for taking this on,” Mr. Keenan said. “This is a big job, but you’re going to do really well here.”   

Up in the sixth-grade wing, even students called out to him.  

“Do you remember me?” sixth grader Giuliana asked. “I’m Kevin’s daughter.”  

“Of course, I remember you,” the new superintendent said. “Let’s take a selfie so I can send it to your father.” 

Her father served as the D.A.R.E. officer in Mr. Plotkin’s previous district, Croton-Harmon. 

Since it was a Friday, several middle school Carmel Rams Football fans were wearing their jerseys.  

“Are you going to the game?” Mr. Plotkin asked as he slid into a booth in the school library where a group was working on an independent study project. 

“Yes, my brother is on the team,” said a boy named Henry.  

“My son, Ben, is on the team,” Mr. Plotkin said. “I’ll tell him to say hi to your brother.”  

Then it was on to the building’s lowest level, where he spoke with the cafeteria manager about the day’s lunch (Taco Pizza), stopped to talk to the kids learning coding in the technology classroom, and checked into Head Custodian Terrence McQuade’s office to see the equipment that keeps the building humming.  

Of course, he knew Mr. McQuade from back in the day. 

“I used to do the youth wrestling program here, and he was instrumental in making sure that we didn’t kill ourselves,” Mr. Plotkin joked.  

Before he headed over to Carmel High School and the district’s three elementary schools, Mr. Plotkin stopped to hear the students in Erika Wahlers’ music class practice drumming to a Halloween song.  

“That teacher was friends with my daughter when they were in school,” he said.  

With his outgoing and friendly demeanor, it seems Mr. Plotkin will soon know everyone in the Carmel Central School District. 

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, English as a New Language Teachers Sarah Albrecht and Angeline Solimine read books to their students that sprinkled some Spanish words in with the English text.   

Albrecht read “Pepe and the Parade: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage” by Tracey Kyle to her first graders at Kent Primary School.  

In the book, Pepe goes to the city to see a Hispanic Heritage Parade that showcases clothes, foods and music that come from places like Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Colombia, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. “Todos Celebramos!” the grandfather/abuelo says.  

One line in the book says “Abuelo shakes maracas. People love the ‘chuk chuk’ sound.”  So, Albrecht had her students make maracas of their own. They filled plastic eggs with pinto beans and wrapped them in brightly colored tissue paper.  

“I like this,” said Gael, 6, shaking his maraca and giving a little wiggle.  

“I’m going to use a lot of colors,” said Mia, 6. “I’m going to make a rainbow.” 

Over in the Kent Primary School library, ENL Teacher Angeline Solimine read “Isabel and Her Colores Go to School” by Alexandra Alessandri to her kindergarten students.  

It is the story of a girl who is afraid to go to her first day of school because she does not speak English.  

“She was sad because she didn’t understand the language – yet,” Solimine said. “You are all learning English, too. Think of how much you have learned already.”  

While most English skills are taught in subject areas throughout the day, students who need extra help attend more intensive English language classes for one period a day.  

“There are a lot of good words to learn in this book,” Solimine told the class. “What are ‘corazones’ in English?”  

Elena, who is five, put her hand on her heart to show she understood.  

Upcoming Board of Education Committee Meetings:

Audit, Facilities & Operation:  January 6, 2026, Carmel High School, Library Lab, 5:30 p.m.
Special Education, Support & Wellness Committee:   January 27, 2026, Carmel High School, Library Lab, 5:30 p.m.
Policy Committee: January 7, 2026, Administrative Office, Executive Conference Room, 5:30 p.m.

The next Board of Education meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at the Carmel High School.  The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Community members who wish to speak during the public comment section of the Board meeting are asked to sign up in advance using our Public Comment Sign-up Form here: https://forms.office.com/r/SnQBCFWYy8

Board meetings will continue to be live streamed on this page.  Committee meetings are open to the public.

Dear Carmel Central School District Community:

As I begin my work leading the Carmel schools, I’m eager to listen and learn from our community. I invite you to read my Entry Plan, which outlines my goals for understanding our district’s strengths and challenges

Please also take a few minutes to complete our community survey. Your feedback will help shape priorities and ensure we continue building on what’s working while addressing areas for growth.

Read the Entry Plan
Take the Superintendent's Community Survey by December 1, 2025

Respectfully,

Michael Plotkin
Superintendent of Schools 

If you like something a CCSD staff member has done, tell us at compliments@carmelschools.org. Likewise, if there is an area you think needs improvement, send an email to complaints@carmelschools.org. Both email addresses will go directly to the superintendent of schools and to the president of the Board of Education. 

Community members can sign up for our Carmel Central School District News group through ParentSquare to stay up-to-date on district news and events. You will receive weekly e-newsletters as well as other updates with important district information. Current parents and staff are automatically subscribed to receive e-newsletters.

Sign-up now!

All parents should have received their credentials via email.  Please check your SPAM/Junk email if you have not.  If you still cannot find the email, please contact Mrs. Murray in the Main Office at 845-225-5025 X342.  We already began using this application for dismissal changes, and it is working beautifully.  Take advantage of this "soft launch!"  In the fall, use of this application will be mandatory for all students' dismissal changes.  

For an overview, please see The School Dismissal Manager Website

Community members who wish to speak during the public comment portion of a Board of Education meeting are asked to sign-up in advance using our Public Comment Sign-up Form or by contacting the District Clerk four (4) hours prior to the meeting at jstevens@carmelschools.org.  The sign-up form will also be available at the meeting for anyone who wishes to speak and did not sign up in advance.  

These individuals will be called upon during the scheduled public participation section on the agenda.  To facilitate follow-up, please provide your name, telephone number, email address, and mailing address, as well as the topic of your comments.  Speakers are limited to five (5) minutes each.  No district employee or student may be commented upon or identified by name or situation.

As part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing safety, communication and equity districtwide, Carmel Central School District has launched a new communication tool, Anonymous Alerts®. This tool enables students or parents to report urgent information to school officials quickly, easily and anonymously across all our school campuses. 

Access the Anonymous Alerts portal.

Recordings of Board of Education meetings and presentations from those meetings are available to the public.   

View recordings from Board of Education meetings.