Principal's Message
Principal's Message
Dear CHS Students & Parent/Guardians:
We hope that you are enjoying a great summer break with your family and friends!
Our staff is working hard to prepare for the beginning of a great school year at Carmel High School. We are looking forward to what will surely be a fun and enriching year for all our CHS students, starting with our first day of school on Wednesday, September 2nd!
Although the start of the school year is still a few weeks away, I wanted to share some important updates from Carmel High School as we prepare for the start of the 2026-2027 school year.
The message below includes information on the following topics:
- Parent Vue Access & CHS Schedule Release
- New Student Passwords
- Student ID's & Lanyards
- New York State Cell Phone Ban & Procedures
- Student Attendance Procedures and Requirements
- PLC Dates - 2026-2027
- New CHS Schedule
- Cycle Day Calendar - 2026-2027 School Year
- Student Schedule Organizer Tool
- Important Dates - September 2026
We are looking forward to a fantastic school year for our students. Enjoy the rest of your summer break!
Sincerely,
Brian Piazza
Principal
Carmel High School
CHS Schedule Release - August 26th
Parents and Students will be able to view their student's schedule for the 2026-2027 school year in Parent Vue & Student Vue beginning at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, August 26th.
If students have questions about their schedules, they can reach out to their School Counselors. Please note Faculty and School Counselors will not be returning to Carmel High School until Monday, August 31st. As a reminder, schedule changes cannot be made to accommodate requests for particular free periods or teachers.
New Student Passwords
All CHS students have new student passwords for the upcoming school year. The new passwords were sent to parents in a secure document via Parent Square on June 12, 2026.
In order to access the document, please use the steps below which were sent by our CCSD Technology Department in early August.
View from web browser
- Log in to your Parent Square account with your email address or phone number.
- From Home, select Secure Documents under Explore.
- Locate the document you want to view and click View Document to open the PDF.
- Sign in again to verify your identity and view the document. If you've signed in recently, you will not need to perform this step.
View Secure Document from the app
- Log in to your Parent Square account with your email address or phone number.
- On the bottom toolbar, tap More.
- Tap Secure Documents under Explore.
- Locate the document you want to view and click View Document. Secure Document notifications are marked by a page with lock icon.
5. Sign in again to securely view the selected document. If you've signed in recently, you will not need to perform this step.
I've attached a document shared from our Technology Department with instructions on how to view secure document in Parent Square. If you have any issues accessing this document, please feel free to enter a technology help desk ticket: Technology Help Desk Instructions
Student ID Cards & Lanyards
Carmel High School students are required to wear their Student ID and Lanyard to enter Carmel High School every day. Our students always do an excellent job following this protocol, and their adherence to this procedure keeps CHS a safe place.
Student ID Cards will be available for pick up in the cafeteria during the first week of school. We will make further announcements to students about this.
Once all students have received their Student ID's and Lanyards, students will be required to wear their Student ID and Lanyard to enter the building each day. Mr. Piazza will announce the date that this rule goes into effect and share additional details.
New York State Cell Phone Ban
Carmel Central School District is complying with New York State law in making all of our schools distraction free.
New York State law mandates a “bell-to-bell" ban on smart phones, smart watches, air pods and other non-school provided electronic devices throughout the school day. NYS law states that students will not be able to utilize smart phones and other electronic devices in the classroom, during hallway transitions, and in the cafeteria.
Our students did a nice job adjusting to the new state law during the 2025-2026 school year. We expect our students to continue to be mindful of following our policy and procedures regarding electronic devices.
The expectation is that CHS students will have their smart phones off and away throughout the school day. Students will place their smart phone and other electronic devices away in their book bag or locker before 1st period daily.
Carmel High School will utilize the following procedure if a student accesses their smart phone, air pod/earbud, or smart watch during the school day, without prior administrative approval.
- 1st Infraction - Reminder of NYS law. Device is locked in a pouch provided by CHS Admin/Faculty. Pouched device remains in the student's bookbag for the rest of school day. (Note: If student damages pouch or removes phone from pouch before the end of the school day, referral to Administration for Insubordination and additional consequences issued.)
- 2nd Infraction - Device is locked in pouch and stored in Administrators Office for duration of day. Parent contacted; Referral to CHS Administration.
- 3rd Infraction - Device turned into Administration at the start of the school day for a period of 3 days; Parent contacted; Referral to CHS Administration.
- 4th Infraction - Device turned into Administration at the start of the school day for a period of 5 days; Parent contacted; Referral to CHS Administration for further consequences (Code of Conduct)
- 5th Infraction - Device turned into Administrators Office and picked up by parent. Device turned into Administration at the start of the school day for a period of 10 days; Parent contacted; Referral to CHS Administration for further consequences (Code of Conduct)
Parents will be able to communicate with students throughout the school day via their school email. Parents may also contact students during the school day by contacting Carmel High School at (845) 225-8441, using the extensions below:
- Main Office - ext. 1412 or 1009
- Guidance Office - ext. 1400 or 1448
- Nurse's Office - ext. 1423 or 1426
- Assistant Principals Office - ext. 1005 or 1007
In case of an emergency, if a student needs to utilize their cell phone during the day, they may ask for a pass to the Main Office, Guidance Office, or AP Suite, where they will be able to contact their parent.
We encourage our students to continue to embrace the benefits of a school day without the distraction of cellphones. We want them to remain present in the moment, develop stronger, true connections with their peers and staff members, and facilitate a happier, more enjoyable, and engaging learning experience.
Attendance Requirements & Reminders
Student attendance has a significant impact on student learning and academic achievement. Students who are in class daily engaging in instruction, collaborating with their classmates, and communicating with their teacher, are typically more successful.
When a student is absent from school, a note should be submitted to Ms. Young, Main Office Secretary, Ms. Krajeski or Mr. Miralles our Attendance Clerks. Please use the following email address to submit an attendance note: chsattendance@carmelschools.org
As a reminder, students who have more than 10 absences in a Half-Year course (or every other day course like Physical Education), or more than 20 absences in a Full-Year course may be denied Credit Due to Attendance (CDA). Students with excused absences for medical and other legitimate reasons, will have an opportunity to submit a CDA appeal at the end of the school year, and will work with their School Counselor and Grade Level Administrator to do so. Students with excessive unexcused absences, will be required to complete "Seat Time Recovery" after school hours in order to potentially earn credit in their courses.
Carmel Central School District Policy 7006 - Student Attendance can be found here: BOE Policy 7006 - Student Attendance
Throughout the school year, parents will receive consistent communication about student absences through our new student information system, Parent Vue, and Parent Square.
Consistent student attendance has a positive impact on student learning, achievement, and their overall school experience. The partnership between Carmel High School and our families is imperative to making sure that each of our students is able to maximize their potential by being in class every single day.
If you have any questions about your child's grades or attendance, please feel free to reach out to their teacher, school counselor, or grade level administrator.
PLC Dates
Carmel High School will continue our quarterly Professional Learning Community (PLC) for our faculty during the 2026-2027 school year.
A Professional Learning Community is an ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry, data analysis, and action research to achieve better results for our students.
During the 2026-2027 school year, we will have four PLC days over the course of the year.
On PLC Dates, we will have a shortened schedule for students, and all Carmel High School students will be dismissed at 12:10 PM.
The PLC Dates for the 2026-2027 school year are:
Friday, November 13th
Friday, January 15th
Friday, March 19th
Friday, May 28th
Carmel High School will still provide students transportation to and from both BOCES Tech sessions on PLC days. We will share more information about the PLC schedule for students as we get closer to our first PLC date of the year.
New Schedule & Community Lunch
We are excited to begin the 2026-2027 school year with our new Block Rotation Schedule and Community Lunch!
The transition to this new schedule is a big change for students, faculty, and staff members. As with all transitions, it may take time to adjust and get into the rhythm of our new schedule, but once we do acclimate to it, our students, faculty, and school community will enjoy all the benefits of this shift.
Ultimately, our expectation is that this change will provide great learning opportunities for our students, support our student's health and well-being, deepen student engagement and learning, promote academic success and rigor, and create a more connected school community.
Block Rotation Scheduled - Key Component Changes
Later Start & End Time
- First Class Block of Day Start - 7:29 AM
- Last Class Block of Day End - 2:10 PM
- Carmel High School will be open for students at 7:05 AM each morning
- Transportation morning pick up time details will be communicated by the Transportation Department in August 2026, the expectation is that pick-up times will be shifted by about 20 minutes to align with the new CHS start time
Instructional Periods & Rotating Schedule
- Instructional Periods will be 56 minutes
- Carmel High School will move to 8 Cycles
- Full Year & Half-Year Courses will meet 6 out of 8 Cycles
- Physical Education Courses will meet 3 out of 8 Cycles
- Science Labs will meet 2 out of 8 Cycles
- Morning & Afternoon rotation of classes - classes will meet at a different time in rotation, depending on the cycle
- With these changes, students will gain over 23 hours of instruction over the course of the school year
Community Lunch - Structure
- All students will have a 45 minute Community Lunch daily
- The following areas will be open to students during Community Lunch: Cafeteria, Library, Gymnasium, Gym Lobby, Triangle, Upper and Lower Courtyard, Turf Field, Weight Room, Casey Hall, Clubs/Activities Classrooms, and Uptown
- The Cafeteria will be open in the morning for breakfast and other periods (besides Community Lunch) throughout the day with limited food options
- Main Lunch Service will occur during Community Lunch
- Please note two new Food Service Kiosks will be open during Community Lunch - outside the Library and in the Gym Lobby
Community Lunch - New Features
- Student Activities Coordinator - running activities during Community Lunch
- Gymnasium Open & Supervised - students will be able to play basketball, volleyball, sports tournaments and other activities
- Weightroom Open & Supervised
- Turf Field Open & Supervised - students will be able to play soccer, sports tournaments, among other activities
- Furniture and Seating - Added to the Triangle & Gym Lobby
- New Food Kiosks - Serving a variety of options - Library Hallway & Gym Lobby
- Clubs & Activities - CHS Clubs will have opportunity to meet during Community Lunch
- Lunch Mini-Elective Course Offerings - New Course Offerings for Enrichment will be available during Community Lunch
Cycle Day Calendar - 2026-2027
Attached to this posting you will find the Cycle Day Calendar for the entire 2026-2027 school year.
We will follow this Cycle Day Calendar from September 2026 through June 2027 to stay aligned with our elementary schools and GFMS.
Student Schedule Organizer
Attached to this message you'll find a Sample Schedule Organizer document created by one of our amazing CHS Teachers, Ms. Helly!
We wanted to share this great tool with student and families. Students are encouraged to use this schedule organizer, which is broken down by cycle, to help them visualize their new daily schedule once they receive it on August 26th.
Save The Date(s) - September 2026
- September 2nd - First Day of School!
- September 7th - Labor Day - SCHOOLS CLOSED
- September 9th - Senior Parent Evening @ 6:00 PM - Casey Hall
- September 9th - CHS Curriculum Night - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- September 18th - CHS Homecoming Pep Rally
- September 18th - CHS Homecoming Bonfire @ 6:00 PM - GFMS
- September 19th - CHS Homecoming Parade & Homecoming Games
- September 19th - CHS Homecoming Dance
- September 21st - Yom Kippur - SCHOOLS CLOSED
- September 28th & 29th - CHS Picture Day(s)
