Welcome to the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School!
Kristen Reno, Principal
Renee Morgan, Support Teacher
We are fondly known as the "MED" and are very excited to take
advantage of this technology to communicate with our parents and the community.
As a kindergarten through fourth grade school, we receive many compliments
from our parents about the warm, caring atmosphere in our school. The staff
at MED values each child as an individual, working with parents to help
their children grow as confident and independent learners. We invite the
public to join us in building a partnership of community, parents, and school
preparing citizens of tomorrow.
As we grow with technology, you will be able to see the components of our
instructional program and how our program builds on skills and knowledge
in prior years. We are committed to realizing the New York State Learning
Standards and want no child left behind.
We look forward to your being able to access our curriculum, see student
work, view projects and further your knowledge of what happens in a child's
day at MED. We combine our warmth and caring with academic rigor and high
expectations.
First Issue of M.E.D. Newsletter Now Available
The November/December 2009 edition of the newsletter can be downloaded by clicking on the link in the menu in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
Third-Graders Find Second Home in Venice
For the fifth year in a row, the third-grade curriculum is focused on Venice, a project initiated and supported by the Spencertown Academy. Every Monday, the Academy's Tom Lee comes in to lead workshops in all four classes about some aspect of Venice. Recently, he talked about the Commedia del'Arte, and brought in masks of Harlequin, Pantalone and El Capitan.
LEFT: Mr. Lee introduces Harlequin to Mrs. Mulica's class.
BELOW LEFT: El Capitano learns a hard lesson from a resourceful third-grader.
BELOW RIGHT: El Capitano tries to ingratiate himself.
This activity was funded in part by a grant from the Chatham Education Foundation.
Parnas Sisters Bring Venetian Orphanage to Life
As part of the Venice Project, the musical Parnas sisters came to MED for the third year in a row Nov. 2. Residents of Stephentown, at the ages of 18 and 16 respectively Madalyn and Cicely Parnas are respected musicians -- Madalyn on the violin and Cicely on the cello -- who perform widely with famous pianists like Peter Serkin and Lincoln Mayorga in venues like Tannery Pond and the New School.
In their performance for the third-graders, the sisters pretended to be orphans from the ospedalo, an orphanage in which the children received the best musical training in Europe. Madalyn was Magdalena del Violin, and Cicely was Cecilia del Cello. They talked about their lives in the orphanage and played selections of music by Vivaldi. The third-graders have been studying Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," and enthusiastically raised their hands when asked if they recognized the sections played. The Parnas sisters are granddaughters of the internationally known cello virtuoso Leslie Parnas, who was a founding member of the Chamber Society at Lincoln Center.
Fire Safety Lessons From Those Who Know Best
Volunteer firefighters from three local fire companies, Chatham, Spencertown and Ghent, took part in an annual event when they paid a visit to Mary E. Dardess Elementary School Friday, Oct. 16 for Fire Safety Day, along with two fire trucks. They spent the morning with first through fourth-graders, helping them learn the practical rules of fire safety.
LEFT: Principal Kristen Reno successfully dons turnout gear
The event began in front of the school with an MED tradition, as Principal Kristen Reno donned a firefighter’s uniform, including gloves, boots and helmet in addition to jacket and pants, so students could see firsthand the protection required to battle a fire.
RIGHT: Firefighter talks to crowd through respirator.
Firefighters spoke individually to the assembled students through their masks to give them an idea of how communication is carried on during a fire event. Next, firefighters observed the students in a fire drill and offered suggestions for improvement. This drill included another MED tradition, when the fourth-graders exited the building through their emergency windows, assisted by the firefighters.
LEFT: A firefighter assists fourth-graders in leaving their classroom through the emergency window.
The emergency responders then spent the rest of the morning going from classroom to classroom, meeting the students and giving them tips on fire safety. Some then had lunch with the students in the cafeteria. National Fire Prevention Week is Oct. 4 through Oct. 10, but many departments observe it all month long. On Thursday, firefighters will visit Chatham Middle School.