Because of the school days cancelled due to weather in November and February, our first two weather reserve days - April 12 and April 22, 2019 - are now regular school days.
For information about the 2019-2020 School Calendar, please click here.
Click here for the District's current e-newsletter.
Please see the Superintendent's letter for further information.
Dear Meadow Pond Families,
In order to insure the safety of all our students as they travel to and from school, efficient, sustainable bus routes have been established. However, if for some reason you need to drive your child to school, or pick your child up from school, please familiarize yourself with our procedures, drop-off loop, pick-up location and parking areas.
The drop-off and dismissal procedures shared here were developed collaboratively. Please read carefully as we have made some changes based on parent feedback.
If you are dropping off your child for school, proceed up the driveway and make the first right. Stay to the far right and then loop to your left to pull close to the sidewalk of the drop-off loop. Cars must remain in a single file and the child must exit on the passenger side only. Your child should be ready to exit your car when you are in one of the two spaces at the loop. Please do not get out of your car. Once your child has exited onto the sidewalk, please move forward toward the driveway exit so that others can move into the drop-off loop. (If you need to get out of the car to assist your child, please park in the designated parking areas and walk your child to the sidewalk.)
If you are coming to pick up your child at dismissal, drive straight up the driveway into the parking lot. Do not turn right when you first enter as cars are not permitted to drive behind buses. You may park in the spaces on the right side of the lane as you are driving straight in. You can also continue until you reach the far end of the parking lot where you will turn right and then turn left into the parking area adjacent to the gymnasium. Parking is available there, as well as behind the gym, for families picking up their child or children. You may not park in the spaces that are directly behind the buses or in the spaces on the side of the school adjacent to Rte.123.
Adults will be admitted to the building through the gymnasium door beginning at 3:35 p.m. Once there, you will be asked to sign a dismissal pick-up sheet. You may also be asked to show identification. You will then walk through the gym, pair up with your child/children and continue toward the back exit of the gym where you will be greeted by another staff member who will check off your child/children’s names. Then, you will exit the building from the rear gym door and return to your car. Following this process will insure that all our students are safely dismissed. Your cooperation is very much appreciated.
Remember that a written note must be brought into school by the student in order to change from bus to pick-up and vice-versa. The PTA has a handy form letter available for your convenience. Phone calls will not be accepted. In emergency cases, a letter/note must be faxed to the school indicating the change.
If students need to be picked up earlier in the day, they must have a note and must be picked up in the main office before 3:15 p.m. Otherwise, they will remain in school until the regular dismissal. Again, your cooperation is necessary and very much appreciated.
For the safety of all students, families, staff and visitors, we respectfully request that you refrain from speaking on cellphones, even hands free while dropping off or picking up your child/children. Please drive slowly and cautiously while on school grounds.
If you have any questions, please contact the main office.
Sincerely,
Carolann Castellano Dawn Pomeroy Monica DiMatteo
Principal Assistant Principal PTA President
The KLSD mobile app makes the latest news, schedules, and school information easy to find and all in one place. More information here.
To report an absent student, please call the attendance office at (914) 763-7950. Remember to send a note upon your child's return to school.
This meeting will include a discussion about school start times/end times with the Superintendent - ALL parents are welcome to attend.
7:00 p.m. - Anticipated Executive Session
7:30 p.m. - Public Session
John Jay High School, Library
BOE Subcommittee
8:45 a.m.
District Office, Conference Room
8:30 a.m. - Public Session
John Jay High School, Library
This meeting will include a discussion about school start times/end times with the Superintendent - ALL parents are welcome to attend.
BOE Subcommittee
7:30 p.m.
District Office, Conference Room
Jonathan Sprout taught second and fourth-graders about American heroes through songs. MORE.
Second graders discover the art and science of mixing paint. More.
Students create a W (wonderful) O (original) W (works of art) and share them with table buddies.
A "Mystery Reader" for the kindergarteners!
Second graders dance through the Nutcracker with ballerina Joy Engel--in preparation for seeing a performance. More.
Visiting poetry-educator Ted Scheu talks favorite books and authors over lunch with second graders.
Differences Day builds empathy! More.
Student Ambassadors interview Mr. Ronnie, the school greeter, in the Town Meeting. More.
February 7, 2019
Dear Meadow Pond Families,
I’m writing to make you aware of and invite your partnership in our ongoing work in the areas of Character Education and Social and Emotional Learning.
At Meadow Pond, we work daily to help our students make good decisions and handle a variety of social situations. Our mental health professionals, including our School Psychologist and School Social Worker, teach lessons that help students understand and embrace differences. These lessons include videos, discussions, scenarios and role-playing designed to help students develop empathy. As part of these lessons, our mental health professionals meet with students in small groups and classroom groups to share these ideas and practices. Our classroom teachers and other staff members support these lessons with continued class conversations.
When our students occasionally make poor decisions or use words that are inappropriate, we use individual, small group and classroom conversations as opportunities for learning. We use both the building-level “Be Your Best” Code of Conduct and the District Code of Conduct as we try to engender an empathetic understanding for others. We ask our students to treat others with dignity at all times.
Additionally, we work with our School Team, including our School Psychologist, School Social Worker, School Nurse, Assistant Principal and Principal as well as our PTA, to support special activities and/or presentations. At a recent Town Meeting, our Fifth Grade Student Ambassadors shared the word “Empathy” and what it means to us. We also shared a beautiful song and visual display about how we can change the world together through understanding, kindness and acceptance. These activities are arranged to support our Character Education Themes and Social Emotional Learning as well as our School Motto: “Be Kind, Be Responsible, Be Respectful and Be Safe.”
We hope that you will expand our efforts by having conversations at home with your children around important topics such as using appropriate language, being kind, being respectful, being responsible, and being safe. You may want to ask your children about a recent discussion they had with their class about a video they saw on Meadow Pond Live. The scenario depicted was one in which students made a choice to be kind after a challenging incident in a cafeteria at a school.
We thank you for partnering with us as we work to support our children in the journey to becoming responsible and compassionate adults.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me or any member of our School Team referenced above.
Sincerely,
Carolann Castellano
