KES 2026 August Newsletter 😎

We hope you have been enjoying the summer and finding plenty of time to relax, recharge, and make special memories with family and friends. We are so excited to welcome our students back to school on Tuesday, September 8!

The KES team has been busy throughout the summer preparing for an exciting new school year. We are looking forward to “Building a Community of Belonging” together by getting to know our students, learning and growing alongside one another, and creating a welcoming, affirming school environment filled with joyful learning experiences.

Preparing KES for the New School Year

There has been a great deal of activity at KES this summer as we prepared the building for our students. The kindergarten wing received a refresh with new ceiling tiles and LED lighting, several areas of the school were painted, and all learning spaces were thoroughly cleaned and polished.

We are also excited to share the tremendous progress that has been made on our Geothermal system. We anticipate that the system will be fully operational soon!

Our grounds are also receiving their seasonal care and attention. The upper field is fully accessible, and ongoing maintenance—including seeding and watering—will continue throughout the season to improve the quality and durability of the turf.

Staying Connected

At the beginning of each month, families will receive a KES Newsletter featuring current information about our programs, curriculum, and school community. A Calendar of Events (see above) will also be included so that you can easily stay informed about upcoming meetings, activities, celebrations, and other exciting opportunities for our students and families.

Please be on the lookout for our first newsletter of the school year on September 11.

The purpose of this communication is to provide important information to help your family prepare for a smooth and successful start to the school year.

IMPORTANT: Absences and Dismissal

Please be sure to read the section below regarding our district’s system for reporting absences and dismissal changes. Any student who is not registered in the system will be sent home on the bus as the default dismissal setting.

We Are Here to Help!

Our Main Office team is always happy to support our families and answer any questions you may have. You can reach the Main Office at 763-7700.

Our office staff members include:

• Mrs. Tara Duffy, Secretary to the Principal — 7702
• Mrs. Maria Horton, Office Assistant — 7709

We are so looking forward to a wonderful year ahead and to welcoming our students and families back to KES. Here’s to a year of connection, belonging, learning, and joy!

(Please make sure to get all the way to the bottom of the newsletter where there

is important information from the PTO!!!)

Curriculum Night is an opportunity for you to meet your child’s classroom teachers and learn about the routines, practices, expectations and academic program. This year, we will be holding Curriculum Night for grades K-5 on Wednesday, September 16.

The schedule is as follows:

6:40 3-5 Classroom Doors Open

6:45-7:25 Grades 3-5 Classroom Presentations

7:25-7:40 (15-minute transition)

7:35 K-2 Classroom Doors Open

7:40-8:20 Grades K-2 Classroom Presentations

These evenings are planned for parents/caregivers only. PARKING may be challenging. If possible, please plan to carpool or walk. If you are only attending the 3-5 portion of the evening, we respectfully ask that you leave the event promptly so that parents arriving for the K-2 presentations have available parking.

Please complete all Campus Parent and Final Forms updates ASAP- past due!!!

Final Forms

• If you do not yet have a Final Forms account, you should have received an invitation email from Final Forms, with instructions for creating an account. The email would have come from mailman@finalforms.com or notifications@finalforms.com.
• If you already have a Final Forms account, you should have received a reminder email, and you can log into your existing account. Please use the “Forgot Your Password” or “Forgot Your Username” prompts if needed, at Final Forms.

• If you need assistance logging in, please contact support@finalforms.com

• In addition to the annual district agreements, you will be asked to enter all information regarding emergency contacts, medical contacts, and medical-related issues for your child into Final Forms. If you had a student in the system already, this information will be pre-filled. This information will be saved in Final Forms for all students for use in future years.

Campus Parent Reminder

As has been the case in previous years, please also continue to submit any changes to your household, demographic and emergency information via Campus Parent. If your family is new to the district, you will receive a communication from the District regarding your Campus Parent account.

Safety is our top priority, and therefore, we must ensure that each student is accounted for at the ending of each day in accordance with what you have planned.

Our system for reporting absences and dismissal is VISITOR AWARE. This is also where you will set your default dismissal plans (Monday-Friday) and make any change of your daily dismissal plan on any given day that your child's dismissal is different from the default.

Key Features:

• Share dismissal preferences: Set your child's dismissal preferences for specific days (e.g., Mondays, Tuesdays, etc.).

• Report changes in dismissal: Notify the school of early pick-ups or changes for the day. Changes must be reported by 12pm.

• Report absence reasons: Easily report the reasons for your child's absence.

What Do Families Need to Do:

• Log in: Log in to Visitor Aware via your email (the email we have listed in your Infinite Campus Account. You will receive a magic link via email to login.

• Report preferences: Report your child's dismissal preferences for each day of the week.

• Save the site: Bookmark the site to access it in the future for attendance reporting and dismissal changes:

• There is no app for Visitor Aware, but you can bookmark the website on your device:

• iPhone: Safari/Chrome > Share (square with arrow) > Add to Home Screen

• Android: Chrome > Settings (three dots) > Add to Home Screen)

Clarification of Dismissal Types:

If you choose to pick up your child at the end of the day, see the following clarification of dismissal types:

· Carline: For families picking up children at regular dismissal. This option allows us additional features to streamlined dismissal.

• Parent Pickup: For early pick-ups during the school day (no pick-ups between 3:10-3:25pm for K-5 families).

Please note: For carline and parent pickup dismissal, parents/guardians must park and report to the designated location on campus to pick up their children.

Please register your child(ren) using the VISITOR AWARE DISMISSAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM by MONDAY, AUGUST 24.

ANY STUDENT WHO IS NOT REGISTERED IN THE SYSTEM WILL BE SENT HOME ON THE BUS AS THE DEFAULT DISMISSAL SETTING. PLEASE CONTACT THE MAIN OFFICE WITH ANY QUESTIONS- WE ARE HAPPY TO HELP!!

• Ms. Jillian Cannata as Permanent Substitute
• Mr. Ryan Conroy as our greeter
• Mr. Raul Hernandez to the custodial team
• Ms. Ali Leff to the 4th Grade ICT collaborating team
• Ms. Sarah McNulty as part time art and Permanent Substitute
• Paul Roberts to the music department (pending BOE Approval)

Wishing Ashley Leitmann and Kristin Polera well at their assignments in Increase Miller.

Congratulations to Melissa Richardson on her retirement.

On August 28 at 4pm your child’s teacher assignment will be posted on your Campus Parent Account on Infinite Campus. You will receive a district email communication asking you to check your account when the information becomes available.

Please see your Parent Portal Account on Infinite Campus for pick-up and drop-off times at the designated bus stops. Please call Transportation Department directly with any questions regarding bus stop locations and times. 763-7237. We strongly encourage all children to take the bus to and from school.

Arrival on the 1st Day of School:

Whether your child is arriving by bus, car or walking, our staff will be outside and inside the school building waiting to greet and help your child find their classroom and meet their classroom teacher!

· Kindergarten and all new students (grades 1-5) will be met at the lower sidewalk entrance, busses and cars and escorted directly to their teachers on the Lower Plaza or classrooms. Kindergarteners and new students should wear their Name/Bus Tags for the first two weeks of school.

· 1st grade students will meet their teachers on the Lower Plaza. Staff members will assist all 1st graders in connecting with their teachers.

· 2nd grade students will meet their teachers on the Playground Blacktop (Kickball). Staff members will direct all 2nd graders to this location.

· 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students will go directly into the building via the Lower Plaza doors and to their classrooms. Staff members will be assisting students to the second floor of the building and directing them to their classrooms.

Parents/Caregivers walking their student to school will be greeted at the sidewalk entrances by members of our staff. From that point, students only will be escorted or directed to their teacher or classroom. For the safety of all our students, parents/caregivers will not be permitted on campus during arrival.

The building opens for students beginning at 9:08 a.m. Students enter through the Lower Plaza doors. The Lower Plaza doors lock at 9:15 a.m. Students who arrive after 9:10 a.m. should enter at the Main Entrance and stop in the Main Office to receive a late pass to bring to their classroom teacher.

A.M. Drop-Off:

A car drop-off point has been established on the school driveway to ensure the safe arrival of all children at school. After turning into the school driveway, please pull forward to the designated drop-off location near the Lower Plaza area. Staff members will be at the location to greet students.

· There is no parking for any reason in the main circle driveway during arrival.

· Parents should remain in their cars and students should exit curbside.

Walkers: Students should walk (enter campus) from the lower sidewalk to the building without parent escort; parents should remain at the entry to lower sidewalk area.

P.M. Parent Pick-Up Location:

When picking up children at dismissal time, park in the lot across the street from the school or on Huntville Road in the designated spots and walk to the “Art Room A” entrance (double doors closest to Huntville Road). Doors will be open from 3:30-3:40 p.m.

Early Pick-Ups:

Children picked up early from school will dismiss from the Main Office; you may not pick-up your child between 3:10-3:25 p.m.

Walkers:

Walkers are those students who are not assigned to a school bus and/or live within reasonable distance (1 mile) from school. These children are dismissed between 3:25-3:30 p.m. at the lower sidewalk.

Each September, we take the time to teach and practice daily routines. To help students learn their daily dismissal plan and routine, which includes helping students get to know their bus number and bus drivers, student bus riders may only ride their assigned bus during the month of September.

We will begin honoring individual playdates (riding a different bus) in October. Students riding a bus home other than their assigned bus will require a bus note. If the bus is over capacity, bus notes for playdates cannot be honored.

If you have a special circumstance (childcare needs), please contact Maria Horton in our main office 763-7709.

Beginning in the fall, New York State is implementing a universal free school meals program, providing one free breakfast and one free lunch to all students in public schools, regardless of eligibility.

Breakfast Program

We will continue implementing our breakfast program for elementary students.

• Students who participate will enter the building during arrival time (beginning at 9:10 am) .
• “Grab and Go” breakfast bags will be available. Sample items include a bagel, muffin, or breakfast bar along with a fruit with a choice of milk.
• Students will eat their “Grab and Go” breakfast in the classroom during the morning routine.
• Monthly Menus are available on the website.
• If you would like your child to participate in the 'Grab and Go' Breakfast, please click the link below and complete the online form by August 27 so our food services department can prepare in advance. If you choose to participate in the future, please let Maria Horton in our main office know.

Lunch Program

The KES cafeteria has a lunch program that provides a healthy entree, a vegetable, fruit, and a drink (low fat or skim milk that is antibiotic and hormone free or juice). Students may choose one hot or cold lunch.

• Single items (Ala carte items) are not free.
• There needs to be funds in the students’ account, or they must have cash to purchase these ala carte items.
• KES students may purchase snacks through our automated meal pay system.
• You can find information about our Food Services, including Menus and MyPaymentsPlus (to set up an account/manage account) by visiting our website Food Services.

School supply lists can be found using this link: 26.27 KES School Supply List

Additionally, students will need headphones. Please see picture below for support in selecting the correct type of headphone.

• If you plan on visiting or volunteering at KES, please schedule an appointment with our main office or classroom teacher.
• Upon arrival, please be prepared to show photo ID to our school greeter.
• The greeter will enter your information into our security system (if not already in our system).
• Each time you volunteer, please wear your visitor’s badge provided by our school greeter.
• The badge should be worn during your volunteer activities to identify you to all KES staff and students.
• If you need to drop off an item for your child, you may leave it in the vestibule area. Please label the item with the child’s name for delivery to classroom.

We will be practicing evacuation/fire and lockdown drills at the beginning of the school year. Teachers will prepare their class in advance for the drills. We will notify families each time we conduct a drill. Please join us at the PTO General Member Meeting on Monday, September 28 at 7:00pm to learn more about the school's safety procedures.

In the beginning of the year, students are issued a school iPad. iPads are for school use only.

Classroom teachers will communicate expectations regarding student use.

In the summer mailing, you were asked to read and agree to the Acceptable Use Policy. Your agreement indicated that your family understands the guidelines related to the use of technology in our school.

In accordance with Education Law §2803 and in furtherance of KLSD’s commitment to creating conditions that foster learning and engagement, students are prohibited from non-instructional use of personal electronic/internet-enabled devices during the school day.

Please see the adopted KLSD Board of Education Policy 5695. BOE Policy Personal Devices

Students & Personal Internet-Enabled Devices

Policy at a Glance

• Device Access and Storage: Students are discouraged from bringing personal devices to school. If devices are brought to school, they must be powered off and stored in student backpacks.

• Internet-Enabled Devices: includes any smartphone, tablet, smartwatch or other device capable of connecting to the internet

• School Day: includes classes, homeroom periods, lunch, recess, study halls, and
  passing time during the school day

• School Grounds: means any building, playing field, playground, or school property,
  during the instructional school day

• The district is not responsible for stolen, lost or damaged personal electronic/internet enabled devices brought to school.

• Parents and guardians who wish to contact their children during the school day may call the school office or utilize the district-provided email address.

• There are exceptions for specific purposes. Please see BOE policy and contact school administration if you think your child meets these criteria.

We would like to take this opportunity to share with you the 2026-27 KES Family Handbook. (Link below)

We hope this helps you gain greater understanding of the policies, practices, procedures, and services that makes the school run smoothly and safely, and thus assist you in becoming an integral part of our school community. We trust that this handbook will provide you with answers to questions you might have or the resources necessary to find those answers. Please do not hesitate to call us if that is not the case.

At KES, we continue to search for ways to facilitate ongoing communication between the home and the school. This handbook will be updated yearly, so if you have any suggestions, corrections, or comments, please contact the school’s main office at 763-7700.

As a school community, we work toward establishing an atmosphere where children can learn and develop academically, socially, and emotionally. We embed social and emotional learning opportunities into the classroom and school-wide to help students build relationships, identify and manage emotions, and develop a growth mindset. Morning Meeting is a time where students come together as a class to learn, discuss, and practice these skills, while connecting with each other and their teachers. Through these and other approaches, such as monthly school-wide sharing assemblies, we teach and reinforce positive behavior.

KES' expectations derive from our KES PAWSome Pledge.

At KES we...

Practice Respect

Accept Responsibility

We Choose Kindness

Safety Comes First

KES is PAWSome!

Explicitly teaching these behaviors helps students to understand what is expected to create a positive environment. Our school expectation matrix linked below displays P.A.W.S. expectations across school settings. At the beginning of each school year, and throughout, classroom teachers facilitate the process of identifying respectful, responsible, kind and safe expectations with students. These expectations are reinforced with a classroom system to recognize positive behaviors as students demonstrate them. Similarly, expectations are taught, reviewed and positively reinforced in special classes, lunch and recess, and on the buses.

Communication from the classroom teacher will be sent home when a student is experiencing a particular challenge in meeting the expectations. We know that the home and school connection is critically important to supporting our students. Additionally, we believe in teaching students how to learn from their mistakes and use positive reinforcement to guide them in modifying their behavior.

Lunch and recess are intentionally less structured than our instructional settings. However, this time of day can bring up issues, so consistent routines and structures are necessary.

Please review the "Expected Behaviors" slides for lunch and recess with your children, linked below. We believe a strong partnership between home and school is crucial for communicating these expectations.

We will maintain predictable routines during lunch and recess. Each class will have designated sections in the cafeteria, and our incentive system will acknowledge expected behaviors.

Throughout the year, each grade level will have multiple opportunities to earn open seating and other rewards based on our K-5 behavioral point system. To ensure variety, table assignments will change periodically, allowing students to sit with different peers, just like in the classroom.

Lunch 1

Recess 1

DASA seeks to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students, free of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, taunting and bullying. If you are aware of an incident or have a concern, please contact one of us listed below. You will be asked to complete the BOE Incident Reporting Form (see "button" below for attachment).

Cristy Harris, Principal and KES Dignity Act Coordinator 763-7700 or charris@klschools.org

Kweon Stambaugh, Assistant Principal (designee) 763-7705 or kstambaugh@klschools.org

Jessica Fulton, Social Worker (designee) 763-7669 or jfulton@klschools.org.