Meadow Pond Elementary School

185 Smith Ridge Road, South Salem, NY 10590

Principal: Ms. Carolann Castellano Assistant Principal: Dawn Pomeroy
Phone: 914-763-7900
Fax: 914-763-7986

Announcements

A Message from the Health Office at John Jay High School

The High School has been informed that we have a confirmed case of Pertussis among our student population.  There is no cause for alarm, however the Board of Health has asked that we ask everyone to please review the Signs and Symptoms of Pertussis that are listed on our web pages under Health Services.  If you have any concerns please consult your healthcare provider.

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March Letter from the Principal

March 6, 2016

Dear Meadow Pond Families,

Not so long ago, while some of us were looking for the groundhogs from near and far to predict the upcoming weather, our kindergarten students were reading about groundhogs and making a groundhog and a burrow using a paper cup and popsicle stick. They are also working on a “How to” and “All About” books. Our first grade students celebrated the 100th day of school and shortly thereafter celebrated what would have been the 112th birthday of Dr. Seuss. Recently, our second and fourth grade students enjoyed a special presentation by Jonathan Sprout, who spoke and sang about American Heroes, courtesy of the PTA. Our third graders shared some of their work including research about animals, fun math games and Readers’ Theatre. Our fourth graders experienced Colonial Day which included candle making, music and dance. Meanwhile, our fifth grade students have been reading the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and learning how it impacts all of us. They have also been working on Above and Beyond projects. Students and teachers at Meadow Pond are learning new things every day.

As we have recently had an early dismissal, this may be an appropriate time to remind you that as a family you have submitted Emergency Plans which include how each child is to go home in case of an emergency.  There are only four possibilities:  ride assigned bus home; walk home; ride assigned bus, but exit to the care of another family; or go to CCC (prior CCC approval required). We respectfully ask that all parents abide by the plan they submitted at the beginning of the school year. Updates to the plan can always be made during the course of regular business hours throughout the year, but changes cannot be made on the very day of the unscheduled early closing/emergency dismissal. Last minute call-ins jam the office phones and we simply cannot handle making changes in an effective and safe manner. Please remember that BUS NOTES are NOT honored. Your plan is very important because there may be a time where we are dismissing students before you actually receive notification.

While we are on the topic of buses, please remind your children, as we do at school, that the bus is an extension of the school and that the expectations for behavior still follow our Be Your Best Code of Conduct. Students should remain seated and be respectful of each other and the bus driver at all times. Additionally, adults, other than school personnel, are not permitted to board school buses on their route to or from school. Remember that students are generally NOT permitted to bring electronic devices to school and/or onto the bus. We thank you for your cooperation and assistance with keeping all our children safe while on the bus.

As a reminder and in accordance with Board of Education policy and the Westchester County Department of Health recommendations, with the exception of service animals, no one is permitted to bring animals of any kind on school premises. Occasional exceptions may be made through advance planning when a nature center or animal specialist visits the classroom.

Our social worker, Mrs. Barbara Milone, has been implementing The Good Touches/Bad Touches   program which is part of our health curriculum in kindergarten, second and fourth grade. This program helps to educate our students about sexual abuse and abduction in an age appropriate manner and is tailored to the developmental needs of young children. Students are taught about the problem of abduction, how to identify and avoid risky situations, and what to do if they are faced with the possibility of abduction.  Safety and stranger safety skills are emphasized. This program is presented in compliance with New York State’s Department of Education’s requirement that schools educate students concerning issues of childhood sexual abuse as well as abduction prevention.

We kicked off our annual PARP program at a Town Meeting on Monday, February 29th. Students learned that PARP, a statewide PTA initiative, is now called Pick a Reading Partner (formerly Parents as Reading Partners).  Our students spent time that afternoon learning about their teams and reading with their buddies.  Please join us in encouraging our students to read for pleasure as well as for knowledge. Reading is an important part of learning as well as life.  Let’s support our students as they, Read, Read, Read!
 
Pasta Night was a resounding success! On Friday, March 4th, many members of the Meadow Pond Community enjoyed a wonderful night of food, music, books and fun with family and friends. Thanks to Co-chairs, Mrs. Lisa Maiuolo and Mrs. Gina Raimondo who, with a little help from a few of their PTA friends, worked hard to make this night happen. Special thanks to Michele Gioffre, Kristen Sussman and Colleen Ferrajina, who were amazing unofficial assistants.  A big thank you to Mrs. Diane Moller who volunteered to have an open library time for families to come to read together. Special recognition for several members of the extended Maiuolo family for volunteering their time and expertise and for cooking such a delicious meal. Thank you also to our incredible fifth grade students who were wonderful hosts/hostesses and wait staff. They really looked so grown up and went above and beyond in their roles.  Thank you to all who helped to make this happen!

As you plan your calendar for the upcoming weeks, please make note of the following dates. Also, please check the website for the latest updates.

As always, my door is open to you and your children.  If you have any questions, please contact the main office.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Carolann Castellano            
Principal

PARP Videos

Click Here

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Fifth-Grade Ambassadors Video

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Science Fair Videos

Click Here

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Buddy Bench Videos

Click Here

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Parent Teacher Conferences:

Click here for Step-by-Step Directions

Please note that making a reservation is a two-step process.

-First, you must choose your child's teacher and fill out the required information including your email address.
-Second, you must check your email Inbox for an email from @ptcfast.com.  When you click on the link inside that email, you will be taken directly to the teacher's conference schedule to choose a conference date and time.  If you do not receive this email within 5 minutes, check your Spam folder.  

Note: if you have a Hotmail.com email address, Hotmail users have reported the return email gets blocked as spam.  Therefore, it would be better for you to enter a non-Hotmail email address.  If, however, you only have a Hotmail email address, then add the following email address <[email protected]>, to your Hotmail address book to lessen the chance of the return email being blocked.

Only one parent in each household should make a parent teacher conference reservation.

Click here to be taken to Parent Teacher Conference online reservation site.

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Pick up Letter from the Principal

Click here for more information

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Meadow Pond ABC Presentation

Click Here

Math Curriculum

Click here

Type To Learn Online Home Access Directions

Click Here

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Typing Pal Online

http://school.typingpal.com/?KLUFMEAD

IXL Math

https://www.ixl.com/signin/klsd