McNamara Update - August 29, 2025

Posted Date: 8/29/25 (9:34 AM)

McNamara Elementary School

August 29, 2025

Dear McNamara Families,

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! The McNamara staff cannot wait to welcome all of our students on the first day of school. A special welcome to our new McNamara students. We are excited to have your families join our community!

Please join me in welcoming our new McNamara staff members:

Ms. Bridgit Ayen - Lunch Monitor
Mrs. Melanie Andrews - RTI Reading Teacher
Ms. Caitlin Besio - Grade 3 Teacher
Mrs. Samantha Cangro - Social Worker
Mrs. Katrina Kahl - Band
Mrs. Christina Lamirande - Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Kelly Michaels - UPK Teaching Assistant
Mrs. Jen Pellett - UPK Teacher
Mrs. Lisa Seeley - RTI Math Teacher
Ms. Maureen Thayer - Special Education Teacher
Mrs. Danielle Zareski - Music Teacher (year long substitute for Ms. O'Reilly's maternity leave)

Please see information below regarding the start of the school year. Be sure to check out the "Save the Date" section for upcoming events.

Thank you to the PTA for throwing a Back to School Bash on Friday - we hope to see you all there!

Mindy Howard

Principal - McNamara Elementary School

Electronic Devices

As you have likely seen, New York State passed legislation that will restrict the use of cell phones and other electronic devices by students beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. At McNamara, this has already been the expectation for students.

That being said, smart watches have caused a distraction to students at all grade levels. Oftentimes when students are receiving messages, they come from parents/family members regarding changes to dismissal, items being dropped off, etc. I would like to encourage all parents/guardians to refrain from messaging students during the school day, and instead call the main office with these types of messages. We will always follow up with students and their teachers. We would also recommend checking parental control features to limit or restrict messaging during school hours.

Thank you for your help in keeping our students focused on learning!

2025-2026 Arrival and Dismissal

Early Student Drop-off - 8:00-8:25

Student Arrival - 8:35-8:45

Parent/Guardian Pick-Up - 3:25

Bus/Walkers Dismissal - 3:25

Buses Depart - 3:30

Early Drop-Off

Families have the opportunity to drop students off early between 8:00-8:25. Students will be supervised in the cafeteria, and released to their classrooms at 8:35. Please complete the form below if you would like to sign up for early drop-off.

Early Drop-Off Request

Student Pick-Up and Car Tags

McNamara will continue to run a car pick-up system at dismissal time. Please view the link below to learn about the car pick-up procedures.

If you plan to pick up your student(s) daily or on a regular basis, please click the link below to share student pick-up information with our main office. Once we receive this information, we will issue your family a car tag number. Families need to submit this information even if they used a car tag last year as we need to re-verify student pick-up information each year. New car tags will be issued so that we ensure we have all updated information.

McNamara Car Pick-Up Procedures

Student Pick-Up Information Form

Report Card Update

Pre-K through Grade 5 will be transitioning from quarterly report cards to a trimester reporting system. Please click the link below to view an update from the district regarding this change:

Report Card Update