Kent Primary School

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Kindness is Contagious at Kent Primary School

Every day this month at Kent Primary School started with a dose of kindness.  
When they see a classmate being kind, students of all grades submit kindness “Snippets” to a “Kindness Jar” across from the school office. Each day, Principal Vincent Fino picks a few snippets – or notes that describe the good deeds they’ve witnessed-- to read during morning announcements.  
On a recent day, Fino told the students about these good deeds:  
“I saw Joey show kindness today by letting me play with him.”  
“I saw Riley show kindness today by giving me a tissue when I was crying.” 
I saw Michael show kindness by helping Arthur up when he fell.”  
This is not just a Thanksgiving holiday effort. It is part of the district’s philosophy of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, or PBIS. Administrators celebrate students when they show good character or kindness. It is a strategy they use to make good behavior contagious, and it's an essential part of the Carmel 6 Cs. 
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A Spooky Way to Learn

For the week before Halloween, the Kent Primary School gymnasium becomes a Spooky Obstacle Course. The gym is set up with inflatable monsters, Minions, tunnels, ghosts and more.
With all the laughter and excitement in the gym, it might have been hard to tell that there was real skill-building going on. But learning while having fun was just the point.
“The students learned to navigate the obstacle course using physical skills like over, under through, in and out,” said Physical Education Teacher Rochelle Lhotan. “It also helps them learn to follow rules. They know to take one swing and stop, climb in and out of the donut and crawl like a puppy dog through the tunnel.”
It’s hard to beat the feeling of flying through the air.
“I liked the Lava Jump,” said Cooper, a kindergartner in Jennifer Byrd’s class. “It’s so fun. When I landed on the mattress, I did a flip.
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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.
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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 Opens in a new browser tab 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.
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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.” 
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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.”
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Third Grade Medical Students

As a thrilling finale to their third CKLA Unit on Human Body Systems, students embraced the challenge of stepping into the shoes of first-year medical students in Aimee Pagano's 3rd grade classroom. They embarked on an exciting journey through six “medical rotations” set up throughout the classroom, which was transformed into a bustling hospital environment.   
Dressed in isolation gowns and equipped with personal protective equipment (PPE), the students were fully immersed in their roles, carefully avoiding contamination of their work areas and the “patients” they attended to. Each activity was thoughtfully designed to deepen their understanding of human anatomy and physiology.
 
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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.  
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Kindness is Contagious at Kent Primary School

Every day this month at Kent Primary School started with a dose of kindness.  
When they see a classmate being kind, students of all grades submit kindness “Snippets” to a “Kindness Jar” across from the school office. Each day, Principal Vincent Fino picks a few snippets – or notes that describe the good deeds they’ve witnessed-- to read during morning announcements.  
On a recent day, Fino told the students about these good deeds:  
“I saw Joey show kindness today by letting me play with him.”  
“I saw Riley show kindness today by giving me a tissue when I was crying.” 
I saw Michael show kindness by helping Arthur up when he fell.”  
This is not just a Thanksgiving holiday effort. It is part of the district’s philosophy of Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, or PBIS. Administrators celebrate students when they show good character or kindness. It is a strategy they use to make good behavior contagious, and it's an essential part of the Carmel 6 Cs. 
Read more and see more photos Opens in a new browser tab
Kent Primary School News
read more
A Spooky Way to Learn

For the week before Halloween, the Kent Primary School gymnasium becomes a Spooky Obstacle Course. The gym is set up with inflatable monsters, Minions, tunnels, ghosts and more.
With all the laughter and excitement in the gym, it might have been hard to tell that there was real skill-building going on. But learning while having fun was just the point.
“The students learned to navigate the obstacle course using physical skills like over, under through, in and out,” said Physical Education Teacher Rochelle Lhotan. “It also helps them learn to follow rules. They know to take one swing and stop, climb in and out of the donut and crawl like a puppy dog through the tunnel.”
It’s hard to beat the feeling of flying through the air.
“I liked the Lava Jump,” said Cooper, a kindergartner in Jennifer Byrd’s class. “It’s so fun. When I landed on the mattress, I did a flip.
Read more and see more photos Opens in a new browser tab
Kent Primary School News
read more
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 Opens in a new browser tab
District News
read more
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 Opens in a new browser tab 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
read more
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