Mary E. Dardess Elementary School

The MED Halloween Parade returns Friday, October 28, 9:30a.m. at the track/football field behind the school! Parents can watch the parade from the bleachers or around the outside of the fence. Please note that parents will not be allowed inside the building. In the event of inclement weather, we will hold the parade inside and will provide a live stream from our gymnasium for parents to watch.

The MED PTA is kicking off Homecoming Weekend with a Back-to-School Picnic September 30 from 4-7pm at MED. Come for the picnic, stay for the game! There will be the Moon Dog food truck, Kona Ice, games, spirit wear & music!

MED's 4-5 Open House is September 19 from 6-7pm. Our Open House will look a little different this year. We want your children to have the opportunity to show you around their school! Teachers will have curriculum information for you and will be available to answer general classroom questions. You are free to roam around the building and meet all the staff. We want your children to be able to “show off” our great school! So yes… KIDS ARE INVITED! We cannot wait to see you!

MED's PreK-3 Open House is September 14, 2022 from 6-7pm. Our Open House will look a little different this year. We want your children to have the opportunity to show you around their school! Teachers will have curriculum information for you and will be available to answer general classroom questions. You are free to roam around the building and meet all the staff. We want your children to be able to “show off” our great school! So yes… KIDS ARE INVITED! We cannot wait to see you!

Welcome back! Our first day of classes is Wednesday, September 7th!

Chatham CSD buildings and offices will be closed Monday, September 5 in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Are you excited about the start of a new school year? We are too! Parents/guardians, join our tradition of celebrating Chatham's first day of classes by emailing your first-day student photos on September 7th to charbonneaua@chatham.k12.ny.us - we'll post them here on our Facebook page and on our District's website! Be sure to include your student’s name and what grade he or she is entering. We love to see those smiling faces!

Apply for Free & Reduced Meals! During the pandemic, the USDA ensured that all schools were able to offer free meals to all students. However, this universal reimbursement expired on June 30, 2022. Chatham CSD will return to charging for meals and offering an opportunity for families to apply for free or reduced meals for our students. The application is available on our Food Services page at https://www.chathamcentralschools.com/page/free-and-reduced-price-school-meals and we request that all families fill out and return, regardless of free/reduced status. Information from all households aids in the District’s opportunity to apply for more federal/state funding to provide your child the tools they need for their education. Here are a few things to know about filling out the free/reduced meal application: 1) They are kept completely confidential! No one but the Food Service Supervisor sees the application and they are kept in a locked cabinet in a locked office. 2) They are available all year long and can be filled out at any time. Once approved you are approved for the whole school year. 3) On the serving lines we don’t use the words free or reduced. We treat all students as if they are a paying student. No student is singled out. 4) The more free/reduced students we have in the District, the more federal and state reimbursement we receive, which helps us to keep the program running. The biggest reason to apply is that it helps you, the families. It allows you to not worry about the rising cost of food and gas, going to the store to buy lunch items, and the time it takes to make meals. Let us do that for you!

The MED PTA invites all incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten Parents/Guardians to celebrate your child entering school with a Boo Hoo or Yahoo Breakfast. Whether you shout a "YAHOO!!!" or dry your tears with kleenex, you are invited to gather in MED's outdoor courtyard on Wednesday, September 7th from 7:45-8:15 or Thursday, September 8th from 7:45-8:15 (dependant upon your child's first day). You will be treated to pastries and beverages and given the opportunity to snap a polaroid photo for staff to give to your child during the day!! Please have ID ready at the front door. Two parents or guardians per child will be permitted. *Please note* If you are unable to attend, but would like your child to receive a family photo, please drop a photo at the school any day between 7:15am and 3pm.

Our Kindergarten & Pre-K Classroom Visit and Supply Drop-off is Tuesday, September 6, 2022 at MED. The Kindergarten and Pre-k teachers are pleased to invite you to visit the classrooms and drop off school supplies. See schedule at https://5il.co/1erbj

Chatham Panthers Softball Camp July 5– 8, 2022 for ages 7–12. Learn the fundamentals of softball from Chatham Panthers coaches & players. For more information and to register, follow this link: https://5il.co/1cn28

Calendar Update: All CCSD schools and offices will be closed on Friday, May 27, 2022. We are modifying the calendar because we do not anticipate needing all of the emergency closing days that were planned for the 2021-2022 school year. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your child’s school office. Please be sure to update your calendars with this change!

Calendar update: MED Picture Retake Day has been scheduled for Monday, April 11, 2022 in the morning. The PTA was able to schedule this one-time picture retake for our families who missed our spring picture day or who want new photos. You can order online at https://my.lifetouch.com/mylifetouch/#/ with your student’s school ID or picture day ID: EVT6CCPR6

Dear Parents, this Tuesday and Wednesday, March 29th and March 30th, we will be administering the State Assessments in English Language Arts (ELA) in grades 3-8. We want to share how we use this data in school. As part of our Academic Intervention Service (AIS) process at Chatham, we use multiple measures to identify if a student should receive AIS services. These measures include diagnostic testing, state test results, and teacher input. The state test results help us look at gaps in instruction over time and show how our students are doing on particular standards. We analyze these results and make necessary academic changes where needed. The state assessment scores are not tied to teacher APPR or used as a determination of whether your child moves on to the next grade. If you do choose to opt your child out of state assessments they are still required to come to school as they would on a regular school day. Students who choose to opt-out will go to an opt room in their respective building and silently read or work on other ELA and math activities. Please feel free to reach out to one of us with any questions or concerns regarding state assessments. Thank you. Sincerely, Kristen Reno - MED Principal

All CCSD after-school activities are canceled for today, Wednesday, March 9, 2022, due to the winter weather.

March 8, 2022: Out of an abundance of caution, all Chatham Central schools are exercising a lockout for the remainder of the school day. There is no threat and students were never in any danger. The lockout is due to an empty shell casing found on the MED playground this afternoon. Police have investigated and found no credible threat. As a precaution, outside activities are suspended until time of dismissal, indoor activities will continue as normal. After-school activities will be held as normal.

Enjoy the Winter Break! Classes resume Monday, February 28.

Chatham Central School District will be closed Friday, February 4 due to the winter storm.

Calling all cooks and bakers! The MED PTA is assembling its first ever cookbook as its next fundraising event and they need your help to make it great! ALL RECIPES MUST BE RECEIVED BY TUES FEB 8th! More info at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JM4pe7kqUKDqL5DsOvJi2p-iYz2iyA3Oc5OGlBtscj4/edit Google order form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rskUNVrwGeFPy5GM-sW6s6ulAW8mKxUCRrtyuhyiN98/viewform?edit_requested=true

MED families, please note that Monday, February 28, 2022 has been changed from a full day of school to an early-dismissal day for Mary E. Dardess Elementary School. The early dismissal is for MED only. Students will be dismissed at 12:00 p.m., student pickups will begin at 11:45 a.m. Lunches will be served. The change is being made to accommodate an important professional development session. Please be sure to mark your calendars!