Our Elementary School website is a work in progress. We would like it to become an important means of communication for parents. Hopefully you will find our website useful in keeping you informed about your child's education. If you have any suggestions about information that you would like to see included on the website, please let us know. We are committed to making the community proud of Mount Markham Elementary School.

There are many reasons to be proud of our school. We have a one of the strongest elementary staffs in the region. They are committed to continually improving the academic program. In addition to the academic program, we have many "extras" to enhance our students' elementary experience. With the guidance of one of our parents, Christine Merritt, we have built a community garden on the grounds of the school. Through this garden, students learn about plants, the growth cycle, health and wellness. We are pleased that, through the Rural Schools Conference, several of our students will be presenting information about our garden to the legislators in Albany.

Mount Markham Elementary School has one of the strongest technology programs in the region. For the past several years, our students have been selected to participate in the regional technology showcase put on by Model Schools. In addition, this year our students will also present their podcasting projects to elementary teachers from throughout the region. A new Mac lab has been installed in the Elementary School. Each year, some of the classes follow the Iditarod through various technological means such as the Internet, Videoconferencing, GPS, and Skype. More classes get involved in this project each year. In the after-school program, we have had fourth graders learn to use Lego Robotics. We hope to expand this offering to the third graders this school year. Many of our teachers have gotten taken part in Arts-in-Education. During the summer, the teachers attend arts training which makes them eligible to have their classes visited by a teaching artist who prepares the students for a culminating arts presentation. We have been fortunate enough to be awarded an Empire State Partnership grant. The grant gives us a substantial amount of money to pursue a more in depth arts experience for our students. We are still in the process of putting this project together. Literacy is a major focus of any elementary school. We have an after-school Love Literacy program through which students receive additional instruction to strengthen their reading skills. We are always looking for volunteers to work with the students. If you are interested, you may contact the Elementary School office. For the past two years, we have been involved in the Duffy Books program. The Duffy Books company will find matching grant money so that we may purchase books for the children in our building. Last year, through the generous donations from several local sponsors, and a matching gift from the Caro Trans company, we were able to give each child in the school seven books. We hope that you will agree that Mount Markham Elementary School is a wonderful place for the children in our community. It is our aim to provide the best possible education and a wide range of opportunities for the students of Mt. Markham. Thank you for your support in these endeavors.