First Day of School Welcome
Dear Chester Elementary School Families,
The start of a new school year is almost here! We are looking forward to welcoming our students back to Chester Elementary School on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026, and beginning another exciting year of learning, growth, and new experiences together. We hope your summer has been filled with time to relax, make memories, and enjoy family and friends.
Throughout the summer, our staff has been preparing classrooms, organizing materials, and getting every corner of CES ready to welcome students back. Inside this letter, you'll find important information about the opening of school, including schedules, arrival and dismissal procedures, and other helpful reminders to ensure a smooth start to the year.
Be sure to save the date! On Wednesday, August 26th, from 12:00–3:00 PM, families are invited to visit the building for self-guided tours and to drop off student supplies. The CES PTA will once again host its annual Ice Cream Social during that time. 
It's a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with friends, become familiar with the building, and celebrate the start of a new school year.
If you're unable to attend, there's no need to worry. Our staff will be ready to welcome and assist students on the first day of school. There's also no need to bring every school supply on the first day, students are welcome to bring items in over the first several days of school.
If you have any questions before the school year begins, please don't hesitate to call us at (845) 469-2178. We are always happy to help and look forward to partnering with you for a successful year.
We can't wait to welcome everyone back and make the 2026–2027 school year a fantastic one!
Sincerely,
Mary Kate Boesch
Chester Elementary School Principal
New Teacher Announcement 2026-27
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We have a couple new teachers joining the CES family. We are very excited to introduce them to you! |
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DAILY SCHEDULE
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Arrival Begins |
Bus Transportation |
Parent Drop Off |
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8:30 a.m. Staggered Entry/ Breakfast |
8:35 a.m. Staggered Entry/ Breakfast |
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Instruction Begins |
9 a.m. |
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Dismissal Begins |
Bus Transportation |
Parent Pick Up |
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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. |
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YMCA Club Kid Program |
The YMCA Club Kid Program will continue to be offered at CES.
★PLEASE NOTE CES DOES NOT PROVIDE SUPERVISION FOR CHILDREN PRIOR TO THE DESIGNATED ARRIVAL TIME OR AFTER THE DESIGNATED PICK UP 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).
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.
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Grade |
Recess/Lunch |
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1st grade |
Recess 10:50-11:10 |
Lunch 11:13-11:33 |
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UPK/Kindergarten |
Recess 11:15- 11:35 |
Lunch 11:38- 11:58 |
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5th Grade |
Recess 11:40-12:00 |
Lunch 12:03-12:23 |
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4th Grade |
Recess 12:05-12:25 |
Lunch 12:28- 12:48 |
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3rd Grade |
Recess 12:30-12:50 |
Lunch 12:53- 1:13 |
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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: Student Information System |
Chester Union Free School District utilizes Synergy as it's Student Information System. ParentVUE is Synergy’s secure parent portal and mobile app. ParentVUE serves as your primary access point for student information, including grades, attendance, schedules, and school communications.
Please login to your account prior to the new school year.
If you are new to the district or haven't done so, you will activate your ParentVUE account by going to the district website https://www.chesterufsd.org/
On the home page you'll click the parents tab and then go to student registration, where you will set up your account through the new student registration tab.
To access ParentVUE in the future, please visit and bookmark: https://NY-CUFSD-PSV.edupoint.com
CES Upcoming Dates to Remember: |
August 26th- Pre K and Kindergarten Orientation
- 9:30 am- Pre K Orientation
- 10:30 am- Kindergarten Orientation
August 26th- 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 2nd- First Day of School!!
September 7th- School Closed- Labor Day
September 9th- 7:00 pm- CUFSD Board of Education Meeting
September 10th- 7:00 pm- CES PTA Meeting
September 11th - Pre K and K- PBIS Kickoff Assembly
September 15th- 7:00 pm- SEPTSA Meeting
September 17th- CES Open House
6:00pm- Pre K- 2nd grade
7:00pm- 3rd- 5th grade
September 18th- 1st-5th grade PBIS Kickoff Assembly
September 21st- School Closed- Rosh Hashanah
September 23rd- 7:00pm- CUFSD Board of Education Meeting
September 24th- ENL family orientation
** SHOW YOUR CES SPIRIT- WEAR SCHOOL COLORS (BLUE and ORANGE) OR SPIRIT WEAR EVERY FRIDAY!!