Fulmar Road Elementary School

Fulmar’s Kindergarten students participated in ABC Bootcamp by studying a letter a day for 26 days! To celebrate completion of ABC Bootcamp, the kindergartners created a fashion show donning their handmade, custom letter design

The Buddy Bench, a dedicated place at elementary school playgrounds where a student can sit if feeling lonely or bullied, has generated national attention in recent years and has even been the subject of a TED Talk.

About five years ago, the Buddy Bench concept originated with a boy named Christian Bucks who was reviewing brochures about potential new schools in Germany with his mother. They were preparing to move there for his father’s new job. He would be the new kid. He was just in first grade, but he understood what feeling lonely on a playground looks like. He’d seen it at his own elementary school in York, Pa.

However, one German school he and his mom looked at had a solution for this. It was called the Buddy Bench, and if a child was sitting on it alone, it was a signal to the other kids to ask him or her to play.

Although Christian’s family did not end up moving to Germany, the boy is credited with introducing Buddy Benches to the United States.

He brought the idea to his principal, Matthew Miller, and the two immediately set out to install a Buddy Bench in his school, Roundtown Elementary.

Their project was covered by the local newspaper and went viral.

Eighth-grader Becca Lomas decided to extend the Buddy Bench ideology as part of her bat mitzah by raising funds so benches can be in the Middle School – and Fulmar Road too!

It’s heartwarming to see the ‘Mahopac Way’ shine through students like Becca and be an inspiration to Fulmar students.  

Elementary Schools RUNNING Tradition

By fostering student athletes beginning at a young age, the #MahopacWay tradition lives on with the annual Mahopac Elementary Schools Cross Country and 5K races, which were held in October. Students begin to develop the basic running fundamentals and learn the health benefits training for these events. “Our aim is to create not just lifelong learners, but lifelong runners as well,” said Lauren Kittredge, Austin Road Physical Education teacher and organizer of the 5K event. In fact, high school students from the cross country and track teams return to their roots and help with the races.

The Cross Country race includes all students who run by age on the Lakeview grounds. The 5K is made up of 4th- and 5th-graders who’ve committed to train before school before race day at FDR Park. This year’s 5K was record-setting with all participants finishing under 41 minutes. 

 We are so proud of our first-place girls winner Ryan Hodge who   22:45

Along with schools across the country, the Mahopac Schools participated in a week-long celebration of making healthy choices and community connections with Red Ribbon Week.  By helping students build a foundation of mindfulness to themselves and their community, the risk of substance abuse is lessened.
“Substance abuse prevention starts with the promotion of good mental health in kids and teens,” said Valarie Nierman, MCSD Health Coordinator.  The District is committed to helping each individual student.  Read more.

The Mahopac Central School District is working diligently on developing a tax-neutral capital project that provides strong and safe schools. Strong relationships between schools and community fosters strong students and families that can contribute to long-term community success. Communities that have strong, positive relationships with schools have a solid workforce, higher job satisfaction, improved housing options and a flourishing economy. 

The bond supports an educational facility plan that serves as a clear reflection of our community’s commitment to high-quality schools, including security and safety initiatives, infrastructure needs, such as:

• Technology Improvements
• Site Improvements & Development
• Renovating Libraries to Multimedia Centers
• Music & Performance Upgrades
• Athletic Fields & Facilities
• Infrastructure & Energy Efficiency
• Security Improvements

“We are able to put forth a tax neutral capital project as a result of new debit replacing old debit being paid off. In other words, the capital project will not increase property taxes,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business Harvey Sotland.

The capital project will be the result of extensive research and planning by the District’s Administration and Building Committee, which is led by Sotland and Superintendent of Schools Anthony DiCarlo. The committee is comprised of Board of Education members, staff and administration representatives, and community members who have expertise in finance, construction, education and security. The committee is also supported by the architectural firm Tetra Tech Architects & Engineers and a construction manager.

“Together we will create scalable and cost-effective designs to provide for the best learning spaces for our students and staff. The bond will help meet the needs of today’s students and the students of the future by reinvesting in our schools and community,” DiCarlo said.

Stay informed and learn more.

Along with thousands of schools and youth organizations across the country, the Mahopac Central School District schools resolved to “Start with Hello” last week.  As an outcome the Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy, “Start with Hello” Week, Sept. 24-28, was conceived by the not-for-profit Sandy Hook Promise knowing that, in every school and in every community, there are young people who suffer silently because they feel left out, alone or invisible. 

Still new into the school year, the “Start with Hello” objective is to make all students immediately feel seen, accepted and safe. Social isolation is a growing epidemic in the United States and within schools, and it can be associated with violent and suicidal behavior. One study found that chronic loneliness increases the risk of an early death by 14%. Young people who are isolated can become victims of bullying, violence and/or depression, and as a result, many pull further away from society, struggle with learning and social development and/or choose to hurt themselves or others.

Fostering inclusion and community, the Mahopac elementary schools’ students and staff have committed to say “hello” when seeing someone who appears lonely, and then reaching out to help.  During the week the students participated in curriculum activities that help fuel the skills they need to create a culture of inclusion and connectedness.

The hope is practicing “Start with Hello” will translate to home and the community too. Some specific tactics the parents and guardians can do to help foster inclusiveness and connectedness are:

• Make an intentional effort to greet each other with hello and ask questions about each other’s day.

• Practice active listening.

• During car rides or at dinner challenge each other to use eye contact and truly listen.

• Model best practices for your child.

• Say hello to strangers on the street and make conversations at stores or restaurants.

• Tell your child a story about a time that you reached out to someone who was alone and in need. What happened? How did you feel afterwards?

• Talk about what your child can do if they ever feel lonely at school. Remind your child that you are always there for them if they need someone to talk to.

• Talk about good and bad kinds of being alone.

Keeping with the “Mahopac Way” the District will continue to engage students in programming and curriculum that encourages a culture of inclusiveness, compassion and kindness.