First Day of School Welcome
Dear Chester Elementary School Families,
We can’t wait to see you! The first day of the 2025–2026 school year is right around the corner, Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025, and we are so excited to welcome our students back to CES. We hope your summer has been filled with fun, relaxation, and plenty of smiles, and that everyone is feeling ready for another amazing year of learning and growing together.
All summer long, our team has been busy getting CES ready for a happy, healthy, and safe school year. This letter is packed with important information you’ll need for the first days of school, including schedules, protocols, and arrival/dismissal procedures, so be sure to keep it handy.
Mark your calendars! On Wednesday, August 27th, from 12:00–3:00 PM, the building will be open for self-guided tours and student materials drop-off. The CES PTA will also be hosting their annual Ice Cream Social at the same time! 🍦 It’s the perfect chance to see the school, meet friends, and enjoy a sweet treat before the big first day.
If you can’t make it, don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of friendly faces on hand the first day to help students find their classrooms. And remember, there’s no need to send all school supplies on Day 1. Feel free to send them in gradually over the first few days.
If you have any questions before we get started, give us a call at (845) 469-2178. We are here to help! Our teachers and staff have been working hard all summer to make sure this year will be our best one yet.
Let’s make 2025–2026 an unforgettable year at Chester Elementary!
Sincerely,
Mary Kate Boesch
Chester Elementary School Principal
DAILY SCHEDULE
|
Arrival Begins |
Bus Transportation |
Parent Drop Off |
|---|---|---|
|
8:30 a.m. Staggered Entry/ Breakfast |
8:35 a.m. Staggered Entry/ Breakfast |
|
|
Instruction Begins |
9 a.m. |
|
|
Dismissal Begins |
Bus Transportation |
Parent Pick Up |
|
3:15 p.m. - 3:25 p.m. (staggered dismissal) Busses scheduled to depart by 3:25 p.m. |
3:25 p.m. - 3:40 p.m. Students will be called in the order of vehicle line up in the lower lot. Student pick up closes at 3:40 p.m., please make alternate transportation arrangements for your child if you’re unable to arrive by 3:40 p.m. |
|
* The YMCA Club Kid Program will continue to be offered at CES.
ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL PROCEDURES: BUSES
* The YMCA Club Kid Program will continue to be offered at CES.
ARRIVAL/DISMISSAL PROCEDURES: BUSES
★ Students arriving on the bus will enter the building one bus at a time, after all Pre K and Kindergarten students are walked into the building and into their classrooms by our staff.
★ Breakfast will be available in the cafeteria for students from 8:30 to 8:50am. They will eat in the cafeteria.
★ At dismissal, buses will be loaded starting at 3:15 pm and leave the school at approximately 3:25 pm each day.
PARENT/GUARDIAN DROP OFF 8:35 A.M - 8:55 A.M.
★ Parents/Guardians will drive around the lower lot and while buses are unloading you can drop your child off to a staff member to walk up the path to the building. Please do not let your child out of the car to approach the building until a staff member tells you to do so.
★ After bus departure, drop off will continue around to the upper lot, lining up in front of the building as noted in the traffic flow diagram below.
★ There will be several staff members stationed outside to direct vehicles/traffic flow.
★ Pre K and Kindergarten students will be walked into the building with a staff member who will help them locate their classroom. Staff members will be available in the lobby to help direct students to their classrooms as well.
★ PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE MAIN OFFICE AND LET THEM KNOW IF YOUR CHILD WILL BE DROPPED OFF AND/OR PICKED UP EACH DAY.
★ PLEASE NOTE CES DOES NOT PROVIDE SUPERVISION FOR CHILDREN PRIOR TO THE DESIGNATED ARRIVAL TIME.
★ PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE YMCA BEFORE/AFTER CARE PROGRAM SHOULD YOUR CHILD NEED SUPERVISION PRIOR TO OR AFTER SCHOOL HOURS (This program is located at CES).
PARENT/GUARDIAN PICK UP- 3:25 P.M. - 3:40 P.M
★ If you are planning to pick up your child from school on a regular basis, please contact the Main Office prior to school beginning. You will be issued a student placard to place in the front windshield of your car for pick up. If you are changing your child's dismissal procedure for a day or short period please send your child in with a note, or call the school by 2:00pm the day of the change.
★ YOU MUST HAVE YOUR STUDENT PLACARD IN THE WINDOW OF YOUR CAR ALONG WITH PHOTO IDENTIFICATION EACH DAY FOR PICK UP.
★ You will drive around the lower lot and while buses are loading you will wait in line for pick up dismissal.
★ Once buses depart, the cars in the loop will be signaled to pull around and up to the top parking lot following the pattern in the map below. Students will then be dismissed to the car with the appropriate placard from the entrance of the building.
★ PLEASE NOTE CES DOES NOT PROVIDE SUPERVISION FOR CHILDREN AFTER THE DESIGNATED DISMISSAL TIME.
★ PLEASE REACH OUT TO THE YMCA BEFORE/AFTER CARE PROGRAM SHOULD YOUR CHILD NEED SUPERVISION PRIOR TO OR AFTER SCHOOL HOURS (This program is located at CES).
DAILY SCHEDULE/PROCEDURES
★ The daily schedule follows an 8 block day, inclusive of one 43 minute block of Specials (Art, Music or Phys. Ed) and one 43 minute block of a combined recess/lunch.
★ Students will be with their classroom teacher on a daily basis.
○ We will follow an A-D day schedule which aligns to grade level Specials.
○ Classroom teachers will share their specific daily schedules with families.
★ Specials(Art, Music & Phys Ed) will take place on a 4 day rotation (A-D day).
○ Students will walk with their classroom teacher, to their specials.
■ Phys Ed: Outside or in gymnasium
■ Art: Art Room
■ Music: Chorus Room
★ We will provide hands-on, interactive learning experiences throughout the day.
★ Lunch will be in the cafeteria. Students will have recess and then lunch according to the chart below.
|
Grade |
Recess/Lunch |
|
|
1st grade |
Recess 10:50-11:10 |
Lunch 11:13-11:33 |
|
UPK/Kindergarten |
Recess 11:15- 11:35 |
Lunch 11:38- 11:58 |
|
5th Grade |
Recess 11:40-12:00 |
Lunch 12:03-12:23 |
|
4th Grade |
Recess 12:05-12:25 |
Lunch 12:28- 12:48 |
|
3rd Grade |
Recess 12:30-12:50 |
Lunch 12:53- 1:13 |
|
2nd Grade |
Recess 12:55-1:15 |
Lunch 1:18- 1:38 |
○ Monitors/Aides are assigned to classes to supervise and support students during lunch and recess.
○ Students will have lunch and recess with their class/grade mates, within their scheduled block.
SEPTEMBER LUNCH MENU/PURCHASE OPTIONS
★ There will be no charge for Breakfast and Lunch this school year.
★ Families are still encouraged to fill out a free/reduced lunch application. It will be sent home on the first day of school and can be located on the school website.
★ The school lunch program utilizes MySchoolBucks to manage student accounts if they want to buy any additional snack items from the cafeteria. Money can be added to your child’s account two ways.
○ 1. Send in cash or a check for any amount to the school made out to Chester UFSD and that amount will be added to the MySchoolBucks account for your child. Please label the bag or envelope with your child’s name.
○ 2. You can upload money to your child's MySchoolBucks account using the website/app ( myschoolbucks.com) and be charged a fee from the company each time you upload money.
★ The September Lunch Menu will be sent out prior to school starting.
COMMUNICATION PLATFORM
Chester Schools uses ParentSquare for communication to families. ParentSquare is our primary messaging system. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to our technology department at techteam@chesterufsd.org
Synergy: New Student Information System |
We’re excited to announce that Chester Union Free School District is launching a new Student Information System called Synergy beginning Friday, August 1.
Synergy will be replacing both SchoolTool and FamilyID. This includes the Parent Portal on SchoolTool, which will now be replaced by ParentVUE, Synergy’s secure parent portal and mobile app. ParentVUE will serve as your primary access point for student information, including grades, attendance, schedules, and school communications.
As part of this transition, you received an email from noreply@chesterufsd.org on Friday, August 1 at 8:00 AM with instructions on how to activate your ParentVUE account. Upon creating your account, you will be asked to complete the “Verification/Registration” process for the 2025–2026 school year. This step ensures that we have accurate and up-to-date information for you and your child.
To access ParentVUE in the future, please visit and bookmark: https://NY-CUFSD-PSV.edupoint.com
CES Upcoming Dates to Remember: |
August 27th- Pre K and Kindergarten Orientation
- 9:30 am- Pre K Orientation
- 10:30 am- Kindergarten Orientation
August 27th- 12:00 pm-3:00 pm- Materials Drop Off and Self Guided Building Tours
- CES PTA SPONSORED ICE CREAM SOCIAL
○ Pre K -1st grade- 12:00-1:00pm
○ 2nd- 3rd - 1:00-2:00pm
○ 4th- 5th- 2:00-3:00pm
September 3rd- First Day of School!!
September 10th- 7:00 pm- CUFSD Board of Education Meeting
September 11th- 7:00 pm- CES PTA Meeting
September 12th - Pre K and K- PBIS Kickoff Assembly
September 17th- 7:00 pm- SEPTSA Meeting
September 18th- CES Open House
6:00pm- Pre K- 2nd grade
7:00pm- 3rd- 5th grade
September 19th- 1st-5th grade PBIS Kickoff Assembly
September 23rd- School Closed- Rosh Hashanah
September 24th- 7:00pm- CUFSD Board of Education Meeting
September 25th- 6:30pm- Family Instructional Academy
** SHOW YOUR CES SPIRIT- WEAR SCHOOL COLORS (BLUE and ORANGE) OR SPIRIT WEAR EVERY FRIDAY!!