St. Matthew's School

Welcome to St. Matthew's!

DIANA DINZEY PRINCIPAL OF ST MATT'SWelcome to The Center for Special Services’ Saint Matthew’s School! Our mission is to support students, families, and component districts by empowering every student to transition successfully into adulthood. We prioritize the development of essential life and vocational skills, preparing students to become confident, capable, and contributing members of their communities. At St. Matt’s, we are committed to creating a learning environment filled with growth, discovery, and meaningful opportunities for every student.

Our programs reflect our dedication to serving students with diverse learning profiles and providing pathways that prepare them for life beyond the classroom. The location of Saint Matt’s offers unique access to the surrounding community, creating valuable opportunities for exposure and engagement. These experiences, combined with school-based and community-based vocational programming, allow students to practice essential skills in real-world environments, fostering independence, self-confidence, and workplace readiness.

Guided by ongoing assessment and data-driven practices, we emphasize targeted academic instruction and functional skill development that meet students where they are and support measurable progress. Equally important is our focus on restorative practices and social-emotional learning, which are embedded into recreational and leisure activities to build community, self-awareness, and confidence.

We also believe that families are our most important partners. Through workshops, events, and collaborative planning opportunities, we strive to keep families connected, informed, and engaged as part of each student’s journey.

At Saint Matt’s, we are guided by a student-centered vision for the future—one where every learner is equipped with the academic, functional, social-emotional, and vocational skills they need to lead fulfilling, independent lives. We are honored to work alongside such a caring and dedicated community in support of our students’ success.

Warm regards,

Diana Dinzey
Principal 
 

St. Matthew's Calendar

  • Columbus Day / Indigenous People's Day

    School Closed Holiday

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  • Parent / Teacher Conference 3:00-5:00pm

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  • Halloween Spirit Week

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  • Halloween Spirit Week

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  • Halloween Spirit Week

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  • Halloween Spirit Week

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  • Halloween Spirit Week

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What's Up at St. Matts!

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    St. Matthews
  • 📣 Parent-Teacher Conferences – October 20, 2025

    📣 Parent-Teacher Conferences – October 20, 2025

    We invite all families to join us for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, October 20th, from 3:00 to 5:00 PM.

    Please look out for notices being sent home with your child, which will include scheduled conference times arranged by teachers.

    We look forward to seeing you and sharing updates on your child’s progress, achievements, and goals for the school year!

    St. Matthews
  • Open House + Paws to Learning = one busy, happy Saint Matt’s!

    Mission Accomplished! On September 30th, we hosted our Parent Open House, with about 50% of families joining us. Teachers shared highlights of our instructional program, community integration, work-based opportunities, and the many wonderful things happening in our school building. Principal Diana Dinzey also spoke about how SWBOCES supports families through SEPTA, helps facilitate communication and access to student data through eSchools, and offers ways for parents to stay involved in our school community.

    🐾 The very next day, excitement filled the halls as we welcomed Wordly, the Blue Path Therapy Dog! Students loved spending time with Wordly; walking, petting, and soaking up lots of puppy love. It was a joyful day that reminded us of the many ways learning and connection happen at Saint Matt’s.

    🌟 And out in the community, one of our new students was hard at work!

    This is what life is like at Saint Matt’s—endless opportunities to learn, grow, and thrive, both inside our building and beyond.

    St. Matthews
  • St. Matthew's kicks off new year of Work-Based Learning

    Saint Matthew’s students launched the 2025–26 Work-Based Learning Program with a kick-off that was especially exciting because it included students who are new to Saint Matt’s. They are already acclimating well and embracing the community integration aspect of the program. From supporting our building with daily tasks to working in downtown White Plains, our students are off to an amazing start.

    A huge shoutout goes to both our school based and district based teams for ensuring students had the transportation needed to reach community job sites like the White Plains Library and DSW. Their support opened the door to these valuable opportunities. Even walking to nearby job sites provides meaningful learning—students practice navigating the community safely, building independence, and making their school day unique and purposeful.

    Inside the building, students tackled jobs such as washing windows, vacuuming, bus duty, shredding, and delivering meals. Out in the community, they are thriving at Raymond Opticians, Big Apple Smoothie, Cantina Restaurant, Mamaroneck Avenue Food Market, White Plains Bakery, White Plains Laundry, Fair Deal Deli, and the Apple Movie Theatre. Teachers are also weaving these experiences into their lessons, teaching the skills students need out in the community and tailoring instruction to support their growth. We are so proud of all that our students are learning and accomplishing!

     

    News Feed - St. Matthews
  • Real-World Ready: Students Begin Their Work-Based Learning Journey!

    Big day at Saint Matt’s! On Tuesday, September 16th, our students launched the 2025–2026 Work-Based Learning Program. This year’s big kick-off was especially exciting because it included students who are new to Saint Matt’s. They are already acclimating well and embracing the community integration aspect of the program. From supporting our building with daily tasks to working in downtown White Plains, our students are off to an amazing start.

    A huge shoutout goes to both our school based and district based teams for ensuring students had the transportation needed to reach community job sites like the White Plains Library and DSW. Their support opened the door to these valuable opportunities. Even walking to nearby job sites provides meaningful learning—students practice navigating the community safely, building independence, and making their school day unique and purposeful.

    Inside the building, students tackled jobs such as washing windows, vacuuming, bus duty, shredding, and delivering meals. Out in the community, they are thriving at Raymond Opticians, Big Apple Smoothie, Cantina Restaurant, Mamaroneck Avenue Food Market, White Plains Bakery, White Plains Laundry, Fair Deal Deli, and the Apple Movie Theatre. Teachers are also weaving these experiences into their lessons, teaching the skills students need out in the community and tailoring instruction to support their growth. We are so proud of all that our students are learning and accomplishing!

    St. Matthews
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Southern Westchester BOCES
Center for Special Services
St. Matthew's School
3 Carhart Ave., White Plains, NY 10605
ph. 914-761-7524
fax 914-761-8806