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.
MED Celebrates Flag Day with Assemblyman Molinaro
NYS Assemblyman Marcus Molinaro joined MED students at their Flag Day celebration held in the gym. The school invited the state lawmaker to talk with children about the American flag and what it represents. During the assembly, Mr. Molinaro spoke about the freedom and opportunity Americans enjoy, and why the students should cherish and respect that freedom. “In this country, you can choose to become whatever you want,” he told the students. “A lot of people in other countries don’t have that choice. Here, it’s up to you, and that’s important.”
Flag Day commemorates the official adoption of the United States flag on June 14, 1777 and is celebrated nationally on that day.
This was Assemblyman Molinaro’s second visit to MED on Flag Day. He joined the students in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and in singing “This Land is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie.
Mr. Molinaro represents the 103rd District of the NYS Assembly, which includes parts of Columbia and Dutchess counties.
Arbor Day
Arbor Day celebrations have been a long standing tradition in Chatham schools. On June 4, students celebrated Arbor Day at MED by planting flowers, learning about the history of Arbor Day in Chatham, and performing the traditional Maypole Dance.
Each year on Arbor Day the fourth grade helps plant a tree on school grounds to honor the teachers who will retiree at the end of the school year. This year’s tree, a flowering crab apple, was planted near the playground in honor of retiring second grade teacher Patricia Wharton and teaching assistant Jean McCagg.
The MED PTA helped make the Arbor Day events possible.
Trout in the Classroom
In late May, fourth graders released scores of brown trout into the Kinderhook Creek. Students began raising the fish in October, to coincide with the natural spawning season of trout in this area. The students raised the trout from eggs in 55 gallon aquariums located in each fourth grade classroom. Throughout the school year, students monitored water quality, learned about stream habitats and ecosystems, and watched the trout grow. At the conclusion of the program, students transported the trout to the town of Kinderhook, where they used nets to release the tiny fish into the wild.
The Trout in the Classroom program is sponsored by Trout Unlimited and works to connect students with nature and their environment, and helps to build an appreciation for our water resources. The school obtained permits from the DEC to raise and release the trout.
Parents as Reading Partners
Books, authors, mystery readers, and Mrs. Reno in her prom dress…What!?
Yes, MED Principal Mrs. Reno wore her prom dress to school, but only after striking a deal with MED students. If there was 100 percent participation in the school’s Parents as Reading Partners (PARP) program, she would wear her prom dress to work.
PARP is a PTA sponsored event that gets kids reading. For two weeks in April, students were given reading exercises and encouraged to read at home for at least fifteen minutes a day, keeping a log on what they read. During school, mystery readers from the community and family members stopped by to read to students. Children’s author and illustrator Daniel J. Mahoney visited the school to show students his process for writing and illustrating his books.
At the end of April the log books were in and all the students had participated! So Mrs. Reno kept her word and showed up to school in her original 1980’s prom dress, much to the delight of the students.
Insects as Art
Mr. Botsford’s students were pleased to welcome artist and M.E.D parent Mrs. Bartlett into their classroom for two days in April. With the coming of spring and the class' exploration of nature, Mrs. Bartlett introduced the students to some very unusual and fascinating insects from around the world, and helped students create their own bugs on paper.
The idea was for students to tune in with their eyes and study the insects, then try to describe the shapes they saw, the reasons why an insect might have 'thorns' along its body, the different and multi-colored parts of the insect, etc. They shared their observations with each other and began the process of making their own imaginary bugs.
Using black ink and straws, students blew ink along paper creating wildly abstract 'splotches' to make insect bodies. After the ink dried, they made mixed-media bug collages using an array of materials like crayons, glitter and fuzz balls to create their own abstract insects that mirrored the amazingly unpredictable, surprising world of nature.
Student Wins Book for MED Library
Fourth grader Miranda Ward entered author Jan Brett's online contest and won a copy of Brett's latest book The Easter Egg for the MED Library. Miranda is shown here holding her congratulatory note from the author, along with Ann Gainer, MED Librarian