George Fischer Middle School

Latest GFMS Headlines

• A Halloween Math Lesson

  Fifth Graders in Jennifer Coughlin’s class at George Fischer Middle School celebrated Halloween with some Pumpkin Math. They estimated weight and predicted which pumpkin was the heaviest.   Then they used string, a tape measure and a scale to find the circumference, height and weight. The students recorded their findings and sketched their pumpkins. The students were all excited about Halloween, so Ms. Coughlin found a way to work the holiday into the lesson. 

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• Schools Host Senior Citizens for Thanksgiving Luncheon

  Senior citizens throughout the Carmel Central School District community were treated to an early Thanksgiving Luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at schools across the district.

  “Our community really wraps their arms around our seniors,” said Alice Holzmann, the family and consumer science teacher at George Fischer Middle School. “In each of our schools the students serve the seniors, make crafts for them, sing and entertain them and just spend time talking with the seniors. It is a real treat for our seniors and for our students.”

  The Carmel Teachers Association sponsored the luncheon. Holzmann, who has organized the Thanksgiving Luncheon for 39 years, said the Putnam County Office of the Aging helped coordinate the event, and that the hard work of the schools’ cafeteria staff made the feast a huge success.

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• Getting to "One Carmel"

  More than 30 parents, students, teachers and administrators came to the Unity in Our Community event at Carmel High School on Wednesday, Oct. 25, to discuss ways to end divisions within the schools and bring Carmel Central School District residents together as “One Carmel.”  

  “Clearly, we are in a place where we are ripe for change,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Joseph McGrath said. “Just coming together like this makes our community stronger. Now, it is up to us to convert ideas into a strategic action plan.”  

  Led by Matt Latimer, the lead conciliation specialist for the U.S. Department of Justice, Community Relations Service, the event featured discussions about Carmel’s progress over the past few months.  

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• Babysitters, Zombies and Cooking at the PTA Book Fair

  Dimitri, a fifth grader, flipped through the pages of “My Pokemon Cookbook” and said this was the book he wanted to buy at the book fair at George Fischer Middle School.   

  “I want to learn how to cook with this,” Dimitri said. “The Swalot Ube Flan is, to me, the most appetizing thing. That is the first thing I am going to make.”  

  The flan is purple just like the Pokemon character it is named for.  

  Fifth grader Charlotte lined up for a Babysitter’s Club book. Classmate Vin headed straight toward the Zombie Season display and picked up “The Last Kids on Earth,” the first in a series of best-selling children’s novels by Max Brallier.  

  The George Fischer Middle School PTA sponsored the book fair, which raises money to support programs in the school throughout the year, PTA Treasurer Debbie Sinnott said. 

  "The PTA uses funds raised to support our children and many activities at GFMS such as the PTA Reflections arts contest, the Science Fair, author visits, assemblies, Honor Roll breakfasts and financial aid for field trips," said Robyn Steinberg, President of the GFMS PTA.  

  George Fischer Middle School News

• New Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services

  Elizabeth A. Kennedy, Ed.D., who took over as Carmel Central School District’s new Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services in October, has hit the ground running.  

  Though she has only been in the district a few weeks, Dr. Kennedy has already attended SEPTO, or Special Ed PTO, meetings and started building relationships in the community.  

  “I am very excited to be joining this excellent school district community,” Dr. Kennedy said. “I know that the Carmel schools are dedicated to providing the best opportunities for children with special needs. I am also happy to have the chance to directly support our English as a New Language and Nursing Departments through this leadership role.”   

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• Staff, Students and Community Work Together for Safety

  There are AED devices that can save a life placed strategically throughout the Carmel Schools so that if someone is suffering a heart attack in any of the buildings, there will be help close by.  

  But last year, after the cardiac incident with Damar Hamlin on the Buffalo Bills, Lisa Palmieri, a physical education teacher at Matthew Paterson Elementary noticed that the athletic field at the George Fischer Middle School was so far from the building that it might be difficult to get quick access to an AED, or automated external defibrillator, should there be a need.  

  “As a CPR/AED instructor I truly understand that every second counts so, I reached out to see how we could get an AED on the GFMS fields since the nearest ones were inside of the buildings,” Palmieri said.  

  She brought her concern to the district’s Safety Committee and John Fink, the Assistant Superintendent of Business who is chair of the committee, got to work to solve the problem.  

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• Learning Independence at the Library

  It was fifth grader Kayla's first trip to the George Fischer Middle School library, and she was amazed by the selection of books.  

  “I used to have a big collection of books in my room, but then I realized they were all from when I was in first grade,” Kayla said. “I got rid of them, so I’m really glad to see there are so many good books here in the library to read.”  

  Her friend Olivia agreed. But the one book Olivia really wanted, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han, was already checked out.  

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  George Fischer Middle School News

• Translating Carmel's Many Languages

  From Polish to Albanian, Chinese to Spanish, the Carmel Schools are a melting pot of languages. Dozens of languages are spoken in the homes of students in the Carmel Central School District every day. 

  “It used to be hard for school districts to communicate with parents and caregivers who speak so many different languages,” said Interim School Superintendent Joe McGrath. “Thanks to technology, however, it’s now as easy as a push of a button.”   

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• Art Develops Character at George Fischer Middle School

  SpongeBob SquarePants is one of sixth grader Eugene’s favorite cartoons, so when he was asked to draw any character, Eugene just had to draw SpongeBob.  

  “Our teacher said to make a banner with a character behind it,” Eugene, 11, said. “That is SpongeBob looking out in the back. My shield has a dragon on it.” 

  The banner and shield are part of the Coat of Arms, the first art project of the year for the sixth graders at George Fischer Middle School. The project teaches the students drawing skills and reinforces curriculum themes that will come up later in the year when they study medieval history, art teacher Sandra Swarm said.  

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  George Fischer Middle School News

• New Teacher Orientation

  Even before the 2023-24 school year started, Carmel’s newest teachers gathered for a new staff orientation at George Fischer Middle School.  

  During the summer, Interim Superintendent Joe McGrath hired 25 new teachers to fill openings in schools throughout the district.  

  “While students and parents were enjoying the summer, we were busy making sure our schools would be fully staffed when students returned,” Superintendent McGrath said.  “In a district like Carmel, we are very lucky. We have our choice of excellent teacher candidates.” 

  During the workshop the new teachers got classroom tips from their more-experienced mentors, heard from district administrators and learned about Carmel’s instructional technology, among many other subjects.   

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