Otisville Elementary School

BASEBALL SUMMER CAMP BEGINS JUNE 30! REGISTER NOW so you don't miss out! Click here for details: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17maPASCQQQ368vgQWKSLDqX3D0d2LuCg/edit

MORE WEATHER CHALLENGES? Not a problem! Otisville hosted Part 2 of its annual Field Day festivities today, June 18. with staff and volunteers seamlessly pivoting to bring Field Day indoors! And, our youngest students had a wonderful time! Take a peek; and again... a huge --huge--huge THANK YOU to everyone involved for making the day a great one! We appreciate all of you! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD

Otisville hosted its annual Field Day today, June 17. and despite Mother Nature's lack of cooperation, the day was a hit and a fun filled one for all! Staff and volunteers seamlessly pivoted and brought Field Day indoors! Take a peek; and a huge --huge--huge THANK YOU to everyone involved for making the day a great one! We appreciate all of you! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD

The Otisville Fifth-Grade Celebration Dance was certainly Oscar-worthy! Take a peek at the evening's fun....and glamour! Thank you to Otisville PTO and all the volunteers who played an important role in its success! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD

Otisville fifth-graders recently had a fun, wet and very important field trip to the High School’s natatorium for a Water Safety Day! Physical Education teachers Tom Uhrig and Stephanie Giufre and third-grade teacher Holly Pason led the activities with help from high school lifeguards. Students learned how to fit a lifejacket correctly, demonstrate and understand a huddle and H.E.L.P (Heat Escape Lesson Position). They learned about changing body positions in the water if they needed go; and what to do if someone is drowning or having difficulty in the water. Ask them about this! There was also time for water fun, too, as everyone got to play shallow water games called “Popsicle,” “Mr. Wolf/Mr. Shark,” “Sharks and Minnows” and “Kickboard Relay.” Thank you to all involved for making this trip fun and important!

Tomorrow, June 14, is Flag Day! Today, Otisville Elementary held an all-school outdoor assembly to talk about the importance of this day, to be reminded of a few facts about the U.S. flag and to sing a few songs. It's a great civics lesson! Don't our little students look adorable with their specially made "flag hats?" Fifth-grader Leah Galligan spoke about Flag Day, and provided history on how the day is celebrated in various places. Third-grader Zephyr Welsh shared fun facts about the flag. Selected fifth-grade flutists played "Yankee Doodle Dandy," led Band Teacher Maria Fenfert: Elizabeth Claus Adelyn Carroll Mickayla Brink Natalia Sierra Amelia McCarey Zahra Mechkour Ailani Fermin-Gonzalez Paislee Dragone Alayna Reynolds Iliana Rivera Sofia Raigoza And, Chorus Teacher Skyler Klein led the entire school in singing: "You're a Grand Old Flag," "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner." Flag Day, celebrated annually on June 14, is a national observance that commemorates the adoption of the American flag by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. It's a day to honor and show respect for the U.S. flag and what it represents.

BRAVO! BRAVO! Kudos to the 21 singers and musicians who performed at last evening's Otisville Elementary Band/Chorus Recital! (And to teachers Syler Klein and Maria Fenfert who prepared them their performances!) It was a wonderful evening! The plan was to have an outdoor recital, but the gathering was brought indoors when dark clouds arrived. Everyone quickly pivoted and student performances continued as planned! Thank you to everyone for their flexibility!

CONGRATULATIONS to the Otisville and Intermediate School Girls on the Run (GOTR) teams, who competed with grit at this past weekend's 5K Race at LEGOLAND New York! We know they had a wonderful time and represented the district with distinction! Thank you to everyone at both schools who made our students' GOTR experiences so memorable!

Otisville second-graders recently had a wonderful and SUNNY field trip to the Orange County Arboretum in Montgomery, where they had a fun outing filled with learning courtesy of the Arboretum’s GEM Program! The Orange County Arboretum's GEM (Garden Exploration with Master Gardeners) program is an environmental education program for elementary school groups (grades K-3). It's offered during May and June where Master Gardeners teach students about topics like beekeeping, composting, vermiculture, recycling, and good vs. bad bugs. Students also learn about plant identification and get to pot a plant to take home.

Kudos to students at Otisville Elementary and the Intermediate School on the success of their recent health and wellness collection efforts which will benefit Minisink Cares! At Otisville Elementary, the Kiwanis K-Kids Program spearheaded the effort to collect personal hygiene items donated by students, faculty and staff. Their Intermediate School Kiwanis K-Kids peers joined in on this initiative with equal success! Together, both schools collected 1,180 personal hygiene items! That's amazing! THANK YOU to everyone who was a part of this important effort to support our community!

Lisa Assaiante's Otisville K/1 students recently completed an adorable butterfly life cycle craft! They painted lady caterpillars which recently emerged into painted lady butterflies. They know a butterfly's life cycle is: Egg --- caterpillar --- chrysalis --- butterfly!

The Otisville Elementary Girls on the Run (GOTR) Program is also competing in the June 8 5K Race at LEGOLAND New York! We're so proud of their efforts! They, too, have working hard to be part of activities that build character development, self-confidence and team bonding along with a love for physical activity and, of course, running! GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Sherri Jennings’ and Jessica Kahn’s/Julia Ferguson’s Otisville kindergarteners were among the kindergarten classes completing recent lessons about the life of a butterfly! And as part of that, students knew they would ultimately be releasing their new butterfly friends outdoors to where they will continue to thrive. These little students loved this learning experience, made possible through the generosity of the Otisville PTO! Kindergarteners often study butterflies in science to introduce them to the concept of metamorphosis and the fascinating life cycle of insects. It's a visually engaging way to see how living things grow and change in this unique life cycle. In addition to this very fun and fascinating hands-on learning experience, seeing the butterfly’s life cycle of an egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly offers lessons in patience, responsibility, and the wonder of nature in addition to the important science component.

IS/ES/Otisville families: REMINDER: “Early Bird” registration is taking place for the Middletown YMCA’s “Club Kid” Program, which is again being offered at Minisink Valley for the 2025-26 school year. Don't miss out if interested! Club Kid provides safe, fun, and supervised care before and after school at Otisville Elementary and the Intermediate/Elementary schools and follows the district’s calendar. To learn more, CLICK HERE: https://www.minisink.com/o/oes/article/2152590

Otisville runners are really fast! Take a look at the May 27 Otisville Fastest Runner Race! These students are determined! Congratulations to these top finishers : GIRLS Adelyn Carroll, 3:11 Alayna Reynolds, 3:23 Juliana Medeiros, 3:26 BOYS Caleb Simpson, 3:08 Pierson Ferrantello, 3:11 Ronan Romero, 3:13

AMAZING! Rain and unseasaonably cold weather didn't stop the fun and fundraising at the 2025 Otisville Elementary Color Fun Run! Over 200 participants had a fabulous time, and...over $10,000 WAS RAISED to support the wonderful work of the Otisville PTO! Thank you to the Otisville PTO for organizing such a memorable and colorful day...and to all the sponsors, vendors and participants who came out! We appreciate you all! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD

Buddy reading is a fun and useful ELA activity! Just ask Elisabeth Harrison’s Otisville kindergarteners, who regularly read to a class buddy! That’s because reading to a peer further fosters a love of literacy, builds critical thinking skills, and enhances language development. Shared reading experiences also promote social-emotional development, improve memory, and increase children's understanding of the world.

Heather Iannucci of the Two by Two Animal Haven in Pleasant Valley visited Otisville K-2 students yesterday, May 28, with eight animal friends to talk to students about endangered species, their habitat and the importance of being kind and respectful to animals, Ms. Iannucci also talked about why some animals don’t make good pets and gave students while showing them a toad, alligator, parrot, tortoise, bearded dragon, chinchilla, ball python and kangaroo! This traveling animal program seeks to educate the public about animals, their welfare and conservation, while fostering kindness and empathy for all living things. Thank you to the Otisville PTO for sponsoring the visit!

Otisville Elementary’s Grade 3, 4 and 5 students were treated to a special visit by Bill Robinson of Robinson’s Wildlife Lectures of Saugerties on May 22! They met a turkey vulture, falcon and "other friends" during his "Birds of Prey" presentation! Mr. Robinson, the founder and past president of the New York State Falconry Association and a member of the state’s Falconry Advisory Board, brought some of his “birds of prey friends” and “other friends” to meet students. Mr. Robinson routinely gives talks to students of all grade levels about these creatures of the wild while also teaching field biology, ornithology and animal life courses at SUNY New Paltz. His presentation supports the district’s elementary science curriculum and was made possible through the generosity of the Otisville Elementary PTO! Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring this terrific enrichment program to support classroom instruction ! VERY COOL: Mr. Robinson and his birds and animals have appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The David Letterman Show; and his trained falcons have appeared in many movies, including “The Royal Tenenbaums!”

Please support the good work of the Minisink Valley PTO and purchase an ULTIMATE DISCOUNT CARD! This fundraiser concludes Saturday, June 7! Get all the details via this link: https://www.ultimatefundraisinginc.com/discount-card-store/physical