In addition to a well-rounded curriculum, Bellmore students participate in an outstanding music curriculum. Not only are Winthrop Avenue School students involved in orchestra and band, many third- and fourth-graders also attend recorder club, under the advisement of new music teacher Maria Pisciotta.
Ms. Pisciotta explained that every third-grade student learns the recorder, but each has the choice to continue his or her studies of this instrument. Students begin the program at the “soprano” level with the goal of improving their skills and learning enough songs to become an “alto” level player. The effort to progress to the next level is called recorder karate, where students earn belts for each song learned.“The goal of the club is not only to prepare for concerts,” Ms. Pisciotta noted. “It also serves as enrichment for students spending extra time learning a new instrument.”
A Different Beat
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A ‘Monsters, Inc.’ Study of Core Values
Charles A. Reinhard students enjoyed a fun-filled, on-stage performance by administrators and staff during the school’s annual Pep Rally on Oct. 6 to further enhance the district’s teaching of core values.
Written by Coordinator for Student Services Elise Cahill, the script loosely reflected the characters of “Monsters, Inc.” who wanted to power their city by scaring children. In this version of the play, however, the monsters learned to incorporate the core values of integrity, trust, respect, teamwork and dedication to power Bellmore.
Under the direction of music teacher Randi Andersen, each class performed songs based on one of the core values, while holding up handmade stars decorated with notations on how to become rising stars in the school and community.
The district would like to thank the following cast members for their terrific work and dedication: Teri Venitmiglia (James P. Sullivan), Elia DeBlasio (Mike Wazowski), Elise Cahill (Randell Boggs), Mandy Kowalski (Mr. Waternoose), Kristen Peo (Celia), Debbie Sebbesse (Respect Monster), David Reilly (Teamwork Monster 1), Beth Boklan (Teamwork Monster 2), Jen Siano (Integrity Monster), Keri Sanpietro (Trust Monster), Ari Bisk (Dedication Monster) and Jenn Magliano (Boo).
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Reading Superpowers Abound
Winthrop Avenue students are using their superpowers to meet their collective school goal of reading 9,000 minutes during the month of October as part of Pick a Reading Partner month. PARP is a New York State PTA Program, which encourages parents, staff and community to collaborate in the building of a reading partnership between home and school and to motivate students to love reading.
Principal Sally Curto said the students are encouraged to engage in a reading activity for five days a week and for a minimum of 15 minutes per day. Reading can include a book, news article, following a recipe or playing a board game with written instructions. During the four-week program, each student’s minutes are recorded and the total school minutes are posted in the lobby so that the school’s super readers can see their superheroes climb a rendition of the Empire State Building.
Other activities during the month include a PARP program kickoff with the Petra Puppets, as well as a Book Fairies used book collection, a Drop Everything and Read activity, and the school’s book fair. PARP also coincides with the district’s Oct. 19 Literacy Night. If the students reach the ultimate goal, Mrs. Curto will participate in the much-anticipated annual Principal’s Challenge later this month.“Our students so far have been doing a really great job of meeting their daily goals with their reading superpowers,” Mrs. Curto said. “They are truly reading superheroes.”
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Random Acts of Kindness Spread Hurricane relief
Shore Road School’s Random Acts of Kindness Pack club in the Bellmore School District hosted an “Anything But Food” collection for the victims of 2017 hurricane season. The sixth-grade students collected diapers, paper towels, cleaners, first aid kits and more for the Nassau County Police Hispanic Society, who spearheaded the community effort, through the Nassau County Police Department’s seventh precinct.
RAK Pack advisor Christine Davison noted that the students worked hard to spread the news about the collection around the school and community. Their efforts also aligned with the district’s core value of caring for others who are need.
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Creating a ‘Kingdom of Kindness’ Through PARP
A kickoff assembly with Jeff Nathan, author of “There’s a Bear in My Shoe” and “Calling All Animals: The First Book of Punoetry,” set the stage for additional reading during Shore Road’s annual Pick a Reading Partner program on Oct. 13. The theme of this year’s program is “The Kingdom of Kindness,” matching the importance of reading to character education principles that emphasize the importance of being kind to one another.
PARP is a New York State PTA Program, which encourages parents, staff and community to collaborate in the building of a reading partnership between home and school and to motivate students to love reading.
In addition to learning about Nathan’s writing process and listening to his humorous poetry, students participated in a daily book swap, trivia question research, spirit activities and the sharing of pocket poems with peers. In addition, students set out to make new friends, create drawings about an act of kindness they experienced, donated books to the Book Fairies organization and performed their own act of kindness toward others.“Reading does not end with PARP,” Principal Patrice Matthews told the students. “Reading and writing is a part of your lives.”
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Nassau County Police sponsored program: Stand With Us, You Are Not Alone
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A trip to the local firehouse
In recognition of national Fire Prevention Week, Reinhard kindergarten students and their parents took a walking trip down Bellmore Avenue to the Engine Company 2670 station.
Fire Chief Thomas Stoerger welcomed the students and explained that firefighters are friends and to never hide from one of them. “The firefighter is always your friend, because friends help friends,” he said.
Ex-Captain Jim Messmer spoke about fire safety, including the need for smoke detectors and a family escape plan, as well as how to “stop, drop and roll.” The students listened to the sound of a smoke detector and watched firefighter Cory Mumolo dress in his gear. They were even able to climb aboard a fire truck pumper.
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Bellmore Leaders are Readers
Students and their families gathered at Reinhard to participate in the District’s second annual Literacy Night on Oct. 19. This year’s theme, “Leaders are Readers,” stressed that leaders read every day and allowed sixth-grade students to take a leadership role in greeting families and facilitating activities.
Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Dr. Joanne Dacek said, “Our entire community of learners came together to make this night a wonderful celebration of leadership and literacy.”
There were ample opportunities to celebrate the written word. Students were led in musical literary activities, engaged in a scavenger hunt to identify pictures of popular storybook characters, and wrote book reviews on Chromebooks and iPads. They played speed versions of literacy-boosting board games such as Boggle, Scrabble Junior, Apples to Apples and Bananagrams and created personalized bookmarks for future reading. Students also took photos with mascot, Stellar, and attended the Readers Theater, where teachers and administrators read aloud and acted out various stories. There was also a book fair, where students stocked up on books for additional reading opportunities.
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Bellmore Halloween Festivities Delight
Popular book personas, fairytale characters and superheroes paraded across the Reinhard stage to the delight of parents during the school’s annual Book Character Parade, held on Oct. 31. The students posed for a photo with their teachers before marching around the auditorium to their seats, where they participated in a sing-along of Halloween tunes.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Famularo said the annual tradition, which has taken place at Reinhard for 20 years, “not only allows for students to display their creativity, but ties in with the district’s literacy initiatives.”
Prior to the Halloween festivities, students in grades K-2 visited the PTA-sponsored pumpkin patch. Each class estimated the weight of their pumpkins, guessed the total number of candy corns in a jar and took a class photo with their bright orange gourds.
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November 14th Leadership Principles Parent Seminar
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A Slimy Good Time
Fourth-grade students at Winthrop Avenue used their knowledge about matter to make slick, sticky slime during a videoconference science lesson with Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.
In addition to reviewing the states of matter, the student-scientists used their careful listening skills in making two slime recipes. They also had to utilize their senses to determine whether the gooey substance was a solid, liquid or gas. After much deliberation, they learned that slime not only constitutes a liquid and solid, but is called a non-Newtonian fluid.
The best part of the lesson, however, was being able to bring their slime sample home.
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Winthrop Fall Concert Sets the Season’s Tone
Winthrop Avenue choral students celebrated the season with a Fall/Halloween concert to the delight of parents and peers, held in the school auditorium on Oct. 30.
Under the direction of teacher Maria Pisciotta, the well-rehearsed fourth-grade choral group, accompanied by musicians on recorders and xylophones, sang “America,” “Scarin’ Alive,” “Magic Brooms,” “Halloween Night,” “Ghost of John” and “Little Shop of Horrors,” all of which set the tone for the impending Halloween festivities. The concert commenced with the singing of the Winthrop Avenue song. In between each selection, the students recited poetry to reflect the fall season. Teacher Mallory Cogen was responsible for choreography that accompanied the various musical selections.
Principal Sally Curto congratulated the students on their amazing performance. “You worked very hard and your practice shows,” she said. “I congratulate you on this wonderful performance.
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Celebrating the Nation’s Heroes
In keeping with the district’s character education program, Shore Road students showed their respect to U.S. veterans by writing letters to those who have served and now reside in the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Library media specialist Mary Willis explained to the students that writing letters to veterans is extremely important to her, because she has visited her father in a veterans home and has seen some residents who have no one to write to or visit.
“Honoring and writing letters to veterans is one of the most important things we can do each year,” Ms. Willis said.
The students also read and discussed the symbolism behind “America’s White Table” by Margot Theis Raven. The book talks about the tradition of holding a place setting at the dinner table for service members who have fallen, went missing or have been held captive in the line of duty. A replica of “America’s White Table” also stood in the school’s main lobby to honor lost veterans.
Fifth-grade students in Jody Leibowitz’s class also received a visit from Vietnam veteran Dr. Cappelli, who shared some of his experiences during the war and the importance of celebrating veterans on Nov. 11.
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Determining Density
Winthrop Avenue third-graders used the scientific method to determine the density of a combined concoction of three fluids – water, oil and syrup – during a science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics activity. After making predictions and writing a hypothesis about what would happen first when water and oil were combined and then syrup was added, the students drew pictures and wrote observations about the results.
Teachers Deanna Genovesi, Michele LaMagna and Stacey Reiner noted that the lesson falls in line with the district‘s STEAM initiative, which provides additional opportunities for hands-on science activities. An important goal of the lesson, she noted, is the students’ ability to follow instructions during experiments, skills they will need in middle school and high school.
Teacher Deana Genovesi told the students, “It is important that you follow the sequence to receive the correct outcome.”
When the students had completed their experiments, they wrote questions and observations on Post-it notes, placing them onto a poster board for peers to read.
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2018-19 Pre-Kindergarten Registration Forms
Click here to view the Registration page
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One Brick at a Time
An ongoing fundraiser at Reinhard is the mortar needed to rebuild Caribbean schools that have been damaged by devastating storms this past hurricane season. The school’s student advisory council is hosting a fundraiser called One Brick at a Time, sponsored by All Hands Volunteers, a U.S.-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering disaster relief volunteers throughout the world.
Students were encouraged to color in a paper brick sent home by the school and to return it with a donation of $1 or more. As the bricks are collected, they are placed on the hallway wall like bricks on a building for all to see. Norwegian Cruise Line, a company on a mission to rebuild schools, is matching each donation.
Principal Patricia Castine said, “Our students can feel proud that they are making a difference by helping other children get back to school.”
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Circuit moves
During a video conference with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History in Texas, Shore Road fifth-graders learned to think like scientists in order to make a robot draw. The activity fell in line with the district’s science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics curriculum with students ordered to complete three engineering tasks dealing with open, closed and off set motor circuits. The result was a robot, called a scribblebot, that moved along a sheet of paper and which scribbled colorful designs.
After a discussion about the engineering design process, students learned to make closed and open circuits using a battery, battery clip, motor and two alligator clips. During the second challenge and the addition of rubber bands and a glue stick, they engineered a motor to make a cup move. The final challenge and addition of different-sized markers resulted in the design of a scribblebot.
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Thanksgiving Video
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Let’s Be Thankful
Throughout Reinhard, students dressed as Native Americans and pilgrims to demonstrate their thankfulness through art and song to the delight of parents and peers.
The prekindergarten students entertained parents with the program’s annual singalong and the making of a craft. After a discussion about togetherness, friendship and family, kindergarten students in Fran Bauer’s and Stacy Epstein’s classes sang holiday songs for parents, including “I’m a Little Turkey” and “The Turkey’s a Funny Bird.” Decorative placemats were also made in Ms. Bauer’s class, while students in Ms. Epstein’s class enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast, provided by parents.
In addition, David Reilly’s first-grade students and Lauren Giordano’s kindergarten students collected in the cafeteria to celebrate Sharing Day, where the older and younger students collaborated on the making of craft turkeys and a thankful tree.
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Food Drives Alleviate Community Hunger
In keeping with the district’s emphasis on leadership principles and core values, members of Shore Road School’s Random Acts of Kindness club and fifth-grade student council collaborated on a schoolwide campaign to help stock the pantries of homes around the Bellmore community this Thanksgiving holiday.
Under the direction of advisers Christine Davison and Jennifer Luccenta, respectively, the students collected nonperishable food items from Oct. 31 through Nov. 14, which will be donated to local families and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District Community Pantry.
In addition, members of Winthrop Avenue School’s student council came together to pack boxes of food to give to local families in need this Thanksgiving.
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Storytelling Through Cartooning
Bellmore fourth-grade students at Winthrop Avenue School are thinking about storylines through the art form of cartooning. Under the direction of student teacher and former School of Visual Arts student David Shear, their story ideas reflect newspaper comic strips and are inspired by Calvin and Hobbs and Garfield.“I wanted to bring my enthusiasm for cartooning to the classroom,” Mr. Shear said. “When creating a cartoon, the students must learn to be succinct, and in this case, draw out their story in just four panels.”
During the cartooning classes, the students learned first to think of a story visually. They then broke down the story into a sequence and wrote an accompanying script. Forming four panels on a sheet of paper, they then drew their corresponding pictures and accompanied each with word balloons to hold the script. Finally, the pictures within each panel were colored and the panel lines were highlighted.
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Board Recognition Night
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Owl Sculptures Mirror Literature
Literacy and art came together as second-grade students in Eileen Consiglio’s and Marisa Demarzo’s classes at Reinhard painted colorful owl sculptures, under the direction of art teacher Michelle Block.
An English language arts unit introducing various writing techniques and genres preceded the art unit. The students read Jane Yolen’s “Owl Moon” to introduce personal narrative writing and Martin Waddell’s “Owl Babies” to demonstrate the use of quotation marks. Also read were Marjorie Weinman Sharmat’s mystery book “Nate the Great and the Owl Express,” National Geographic’s “Hoot, Hoot, Hooray!” about the rescue and caring of baby Eastern screech owls, and the nonfiction book by Gail Gibbons called “Owls” to introduce the students to nonfiction writing.“Creating themes is a fun way to teach children to read and write across the curriculum,” said teacher Marisa Demarzo.
After owl sculptures were created with Model Magic clay, the students used colored markers and water to paint their creations. Mrs. Block also reviewed the information learned in class, including the purpose for an owl’s large eyes, talons and whisper-quiet flying techniques.
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Sharing Writing to Celebrate the Season
Part of the joy of publishing writing is sharing it with others, as seen in a buddy share activity between students in Fran Bauer’s and Christine Wuchte’s kindergarten classes at Reinhard.
The assignment was a label writing activity in which each student created a book, noting what he or she was thankful for. The students created detailed pictures to accompany their writing and labeled each artistic description (i.e., family, parents, toys).
After their books were published, the students rotated throughout the room, sharing their books with peers and making the assignment all the more special.
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Winning Stars Warm Winter Hearts
There was a strong feeling of gratitude and kindness at Winthrop Avenue as students participated in the Winthrop Winning Stars Warming Hearts This Winter program.
Through the month of December, administration and faculty tracked the kind acts of students that would “warm a heart,” such as bringing in a food item for a food drive and saying a kind word to or helping a peer. Each time a kind act was recognized, students were instructed to write their action on a heart-shaped sticky note, which was then placed on the campaign’s bulletin board.
Principal Sally Curto noted that the Winthrop Winning Stars Warming Hearts program was part of the larger district character education initiative, “Mind, Body, Heart,” which, in part, focused on being kind to others and participating in community service.
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A Peek into the District’s Strings Program
Violins in hand, Reinhard second graders performed a number of tunes for parents after having completed an introductory strings program. Teacher Kelly Brandstadter explained that parents were invited to the performance to see firsthand what their children have been learning and to encourage community involvement in the Bellmore School District’s music program.“The program is a wonderful peek into what students will learn if they choose to play a string instrument in the third grade at Winthrop Avenue School,” Ms. Brandstadter said.
During eight forty-minute sessions, the students learned the parts of the violin, the proper way to hold the instrument and to play songs from a variety of genres by plucking the strings. Furthermore, musical concepts and skills including composition, melody, harmony, pattern recognition, playing in unison, rhythm counting and the identification of pitch were also reinforced. Students also had the opportunity to learn about and try their hands with alternate string instruments such as the viola, cello and bass.
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Math as Movement
Jumping around in the classroom is now a regular occurrence and a tool for learning math at the Reinhard.
The district recently adopted the Math & Movement program, a kinesthetic and multisensory approach to teaching math, which incorporates exercise and is designed to encourage students to practice math facts. Colorful floor mats allow students to jump and move as they solve math problems and allow for a rich variety of learning modalities (visual, auditory, motor and kinesthetic) when they practice their math facts and equations.
Founder Suzy Koontz visited the district on Dec. 1 for development workshops with teachers and administrators, followed by a kickoff assembly with students. “The goal is to have math as a tool,” Koontz said. “The program incorporates more physical education and purposeful movement to counteract sitting and to activate the brain. Most of all, the program makes learning fun.”
During the assembly, students in grades K-2 performed jumping jacks while counting to 30, added numbers on the mats and simulated hitting a baseball while counting in threes. The program will be utilized in classrooms, as well as during physical education classes, explained Principal Patricia Castine.
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Natural Materials for Native Homes
Leaves, twigs and moss were scattered on the tables at Winthrop Avenue as fourth-grade students participated in the Longhouse and Wigwam Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics Challenge. Combined with supplies provided by teachers, students were instructed to design and build either a wigwam or longhouse using STEAM principles. The project was a continuation of their studies of Native Americans, specifically the Iroquois and Algonquin peoples and the engineering principles employed in their Native American homes.
Divided into groups, the students were instructed to first decide which Native American home to build, to plan how it should look and to draw and label the structure on paper. Using craft sticks, cardboard base, brown paper bags, tape, scissors and glue, the students combined their materials from outdoors to craft an accurate structure.
Not only did the activity employ STEAM principles, students also honed collaboration, teamwork and decision-making skills to complete their structures.
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Happy Holidays Photos
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Gaining Perspective on the Vietnam War
After interviewing local Vietnam veterans, Shore Road students in Graceann McClenahan’s fifth-grade class not only gained perspective on the Vietnam War, but made friends in the process.
The veteran interviews took place after the class’s reading of Patti Sherlock’s historical fiction novel “Letters from Wolfie.” The novel, set in 1969 with the Vietnam War still raging, relays the sacrifice, loyalty and patriotism of dog owner Mark, who sent his German shepherd to the army to be a scout dog. During follow-up discussions of the book, the students learned about the draft, dodging and the repercussions of the war.
As an extension of their Vietnam War learning experience, the students then interviewed local veterans and wrote reports based on the information acquired. On Dec. 8, the students gave formal presentations and invited the veterans back to the school to hear their reports.
“This war was not so far in the past,” said Ms. McClenahan. “Having the veterans speak to the students made the Vietnam War more relevant and will be an experience they will not likely forget.”
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Musical Leaders Bring Joy to the Holidays
The joy of the holidays resonated throughout Reinhard as first-grade students impressed parents and faculty with their musical talents during the annual holiday performance on Dec. 22.
Each class paraded onto the auditorium stage, under the direction of music teacher Randi Andersen, and prefaced each song with a short, introductory poem. Equipped with construction paper candles, David Reilly’s class headed off the performance with “Hanukkah is Here.” Dawn McCardell’s singers surprised the audience with a snowball fight to the lyrics of “Snow Day,” while Angela Coogan’s class expertly performed with bells to “Santa’s Coming.” Laura Siniski’s class sang a Hanukkah medley, turning like dreidels to the delight of the audience. Cathy Schriver’s class danced with their snowflakes to the tune “Snow Music,” and Amanda Kowalski’s vocalists commenced with the popular tune “Must Be Santa.”
Principal Patti Castine congratulated the students on their performance and on being music leaders in the Bellmore community.
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Kindness Curbs the Winter Cold
In line with the District’s character education program, members of Reinhard’s Student Advisory Council collected and donated gently used coats for New York State Assemblyman David McDonough’s annual Coats for Kids Campaign. On Dec. 8, Assemblyman McDonough visited the students and collected the sizeable donation. He told the students that their collection of coats will help many needy individuals keep warm during the winter season.
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New Toys for Infirmed Children
Shore Road’s fifth-grade student council, facilitated by Regina Harten and Jennifer Lucchetti, held its annual toy drive for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation, an organization that donates toys to children infirmed in local hospitals during the holidays.
The Bellmore School District congratulates the students on being leaders in their community and for taking time to make the lives of others better during the holidays.
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Showtime at Shore Road
It was an evening of excitement and entertainment as talented Shore Road sixth-grade students took to the stage to the delight of parents during the annual talent show on Dec. 11.
Under the direction of music teacher Laura Laude, the night’s diverse entertainment included 20 acts with several vocalists who performed popular numbers by Sia, Adele and Miley Cyrus, as well as from movies and plays including “Descendants,” “Moana,” “Wicked” and “Zootopia.” There were also choreographed dance numbers, instrumental performances to popular and classic music, yo-yo tricks, a comedic act and basketball tricks.
During the dress rehearsal, students cheered for their peers as they practiced their routines. The performers’ work paid off on opening night as parents applauded their children’s hard work and talent.
The District congratulates the following students on their participation in the talent show: Alec Ader, Lexi Beller, Isabella Blasi, Antoinette Bonavita, Adrianna Bonilla, Sophia Bouza, Chloe Boyle, Christopher Brillantino, Charles Butler, Adrianna Califano, Julia Cerverizzo, Brooke Cohen, Olivia Dina, Megan Eisenstein, Ashley Felsberg, Ella Galjanich, Gianna Gampero, Danielle Gering, Ava Goldsmith, Anthony Hoffman, Natalia Kleczek, Emily Kranz, Taylor Lindsley, Benjamin Margulies, Kelsey Nichols, Alexandra Radinsky, Olivia Randazzo, Emma Revzin, Liliana Rogina, Gabrielle Skolnick and Elania Sylvester.
The District would also like to thank the Masters of Ceremony (Tyler Aurigema, Preston Bowman, Gabriella Broder and Dylan Kratenstein) and stage crew members (Danielle Carlino, Sean Irving, Ariana Khan, Katherine McDermott, Noelle McIntosh, Daniel Molloy and Richard Teich).
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Warm Hearts Cure Cold Hands
An English language arts lesson quickly turned into a community service project as first-grade students in Amanda Kowalski’s, Dawn McCardell’s and Cathy Schriver’s classes at Reinhard collected new mittens and gloves for their Mitten Tree.
The teachers read Candace Christiansen’s “The Mitten Tree” about a woman named Sarah who knitted mittens for a boy she saw at the bus stop each day. Sarah noticed that the boy could not play in the snow because he had no mittens.
After discussions about the story, the students became inspired to collect mittens and gloves for students in need. The donations were displayed on a mitten tree bulletin board in the hall and will be donated to local charities over the holidays.
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A-Buzz with Spelling Talent
Winthrop Avenue students Jenna Blacker was the winner of the school’s annual fourth-grade spelling bee, with Liam Marrow placing second in the competition.
Fourteen of the school’s talented spellers battled it out during an unprecedented 21 rounds to claim the title of top speller, with teachers Gina Foppiano, Deirdre Golden and Alexandra Grodin as the judges and Marjorie Falabella as the moderator. The competition was one of the school’s more challenging spelling bees with Jenna and Liam both misspelling the words “bargain” and “suffocate.” Liam’s misspelling of the word “improvement” was then spelled correctly by Jenna, allowing her to win the competition by spelling “ocean” correctly.
Prior to the spelling bee, contests were held in individual classes, and the two top spellers from each classroom were invited to participate in the Dec. 8 competition. The Bellmore School District also congratulates Brenden Chiu, Jared Cohen, Katie Giannaris, Jayson Halili, Alessandra Lee, Christian Navarro, Cade Randell, Jillian Rosenkrantz, Chase Rule, Mollie Schwinger, Sophie Shiner and Aiden Weissman.
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Saying Yes, to a Healthy Mind, Body and Heart
By wearing red, Shore Road students and faculty showed support for development of a healthy mind, body and heart during the school’s annual Red Ribbon Week campaign, held from Dec. 11-15.
The annual Red Ribbon campaign is the nation’s oldest and largest drug awareness campaign and one that teaches students how to develop positive, healthy habits early in life.
Students received red ribbons to wear throughout the week and signed a pledge on slips of red construction paper that said, “I promise to say ‘Yes’ to a healthy mind, body and heart. I am responsible for my choices. I choose to respect myself and others.” These slips were then collected by members of the Random Acts of Kindness Club, under the direction of social worker and adviser Christine Davison, to make chains that were hung in the main lobby as a symbol of the students’ commitment to a healthy lifestyle.
During the week, daily announcements reminded the students to keep a clear and focused mind, eat fruits and vegetables, exercise each day and show kindness and respect to everyone around them.
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Reading Champions Race to the Finish Line
Reaching the finish line by reading 50,000 additional minutes this month is the goal of Reinhard students, who are celebrating the annual Pick A Reading Partner event. With the impending Olympic winter games televised from South Korea in a few weeks, the theme for this year’s PARP is “We are Reading Champions,” and student reading minutes are adding up quickly, said Principal Patricia Castine.
Sponsored by the PTA, PARP is an annual event, which encourages students to read an additional 15 minutes per day with a partner of choice, making this important life skill not only a school to home connection, but fun and informative as well.
During the three-week period, students are expressing their enthusiasm for reading by wearing school colors (blue and white), jerseys representing their favorite sports teams and patriotic colors (red, white and blue) in support for the U.S. Olympic team. Bellmore Public librarian Miss Debbie will also read some of her favorite books to the students. Other scheduled events include a cultural assembly and a school carnival, in addition to various classroom activities that bolster the students’ reading.
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Artwork Inspired by Martin Luther King Jr.
Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s actions and teachings, Winthrop Avenue fourth-graders utilized their individual interpretations of leadership to create a piece of art.
After reading David A. Adler’s “A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” the students collectively identified terms to describe MLK Jr. as a leader. During a collaborative art project, each student then colored a section of a copied portrait of the civil rights leader, writing in words expressing leadership into their individual sections. The result was a colorful mosaic holding expressions and words that defined the teachings of King as they tie in with the District’s character education leadership principles.“One piece of the mosaic does not reveal the significance of the project,” teacher Carolyn Buckley stated. “All of the work together makes this a masterpiece.”
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Leadership in Music
Shore Road and Reinhard students exhibited leadership, teamwork, persistence and musical skill during separate annual winter concerts held on Jan. 18 and 19.
Under the batons of orchestra director Kelly Brandstadter, vocal director Laura Laude and band director Jennifer MacVicar, student-musicians played and sang a variety of classical and popular tunes including Soon Hee Newbold’s “The Russian Music Box,” Imagine Dragons “Believer” and Brian Balmages’ “Fanfare on a Theme of Imagination.”
Reinhard second-grade students took the audience on a “Musical Journey Through the Decades,” under the baton of choral director Randi Andersen. In addition to tunes stemming from the Ragtime era, various individual performances of music by Frank Sinatra, The Andrew Sisters, Spice Girls, Ella Fitzgerald, Chubby Checker and more entertained and excited audiences with renditions of celebrities from gone-by eras and today.
Reinhard Principal Patricia Castine said, “This concert is an opportunity for students to take a leadership role through narration and solo performance roles. It takes an enormous amount of dedication and persistence to prepare for a concert performance.”
Shore Road School Principal Patrice Matthews also thanked the board of education and central administration for their support of the music program as well as parents for sharing their students’ enthusiasm for music.
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Stained Glass a Powerful Message of Hope
Replicas of stained glass windows, representing the church where Martin Luther King Jr. listened to the powerful messages of his father’s sermons in Atlanta, Georgia, were hung on Alexandra Grodin’s classroom windows at Winthrop Avenue reminding fourth-grade students that leaders, like them, can make a difference in the world.
The interdisciplinary art and social studies project was the result of a study on the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr.’s profound effect on racism. The students first read Doreen Rappaport’s “Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” After writing down inspirational quotes from the book to share with peers, the students crafted the stained glass windows to symbolize the difference the civil rights leader made in the world and in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 15.
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Character Defined Through ‘Cerealism’
Using consumer brand packaging, Shore Road sixth-grade students in the Bellmore School District created a collage of words that define leadership through an art process called cerealism.
The brightly-colored legacy artwork was the culminating project of a workshop held by pop artist Michael Albert. Albert is known for his use of consumer brand packaging, such as cereal boxes, and various reusable materials to create unique collages with powerful messages.
During the workshop, the students searched for words that define leadership from a variety of recyclable cardboard boxes, including cereal boxes. The words were cut out and glued onto a canvas to create a 147 word collage to highlight the district’s leadership principles and core values. The Class of 2018’s legacy art will hang in the school’s hallway as a reminder for students to practice leadership principles.
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Community Parent Center NARCAN Training
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Community Parent Center Vaping Workshop
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Students Dance to the Beat of Zumba
Salsa, Bollywood, merengue and hip-hop moves were part of a Zumba workout during Shore Road’s physical education classes. Sponsored by the PTA, the exercise class brought to the gym an interesting new type of exercise to add to the district’s full complement of traditional sports and creative movement classes.
Zumba is an exercise program created by Columbian dancer Alberto Perez in the 1990s, which involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography typically incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo.
Zumba instructor Kristen Fonte said the class is designed to show students that exercise and fitness can be fun and an integral part of a person’s healthy lifestyle. Ms. Fonte also allowed many of the students to take on leadership roles by assisting her with the instruction of Zumba moves.
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A Carnival to Celebrate Reading
As a culminating Pick a Reading Partner event, Reinhard recently hosted an old-fashioned carnival to celebrate a monthlong of additional voluntary reading. According to Principal Patricia Castine, the students collectively exceeded their reading goal of 50,000 minutes by reading an additional 52,016 minutes.
During the carnival, Mrs. Castine and Coordinator for Student Services Elise Cahill dressed in red, white and blue patriotic clothing to celebrate the Olympics theme “We Are Reading Champions.” Students played games including Krazy Cans, Big Mouth Bean Bag, Disk Drop and more. In addition, Mrs. Castine read stories to the students in the auditorium, adding additional minutes to their winning numbers.
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New Classroom Farmers Raise and Observe Chicks
In addition to the bustle of the kindergarten classroom, the slight sound of peeps came from an incubator in Fran Bauer’s and Christine Wuchte’s classrooms at. Reinhard. For several weeks, the students have been studying the lifecycle of chickens and other oviparous animals and have had the unique opportunity to observe chicks firsthand.
For their study, farmers from Quiver Farm in Pennsylvania delivered fertilized eggs, an incubator and supplies and an egg carton filled with plastic eggs depicting the different stages of incubation. The students also met rooster Jack and Jill the hen as they learned about the responsibilities of being new farmers.
During the interdisciplinary science unit, students read and sang about chickens, named each of the birds and used mathematics to calculate their approximate hatching dates. Upon arriving to school after the weekend, the kindergartners were excited to see that several of their chicks had hatched. Making a circle on the classroom floor, the teachers placed the chicks on paper for the students to observe their fuzzy friends. After the completion of the unit, the chickens returned to the farm.
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Community Parent Center Getting Ready for Middle School Workshop
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In it for life
The Bellmore Elementary PTA presented 12 individuals with New York State PTA Life Membership awards during the annual Founders Day celebration, held on Feb. 1 at Reinhard. Honorary NYS State PTA Life Memberships are given to those who have made a significant contribution to the welfare of children and have demonstrated outstanding service to the school community.“Tonight, we celebrate the adults who have dedicated invaluable time in our community of learners and who are an important part of our district vision,” stated Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Famularo. “All of the recipients in the room are Star Polishers who have helped students to lead and learn.”
After each of the recipients was called up to the podium by PTA
Co-Presidents Michele Aurigema and Leslie Cerverizzo, family members filed onto the stage with flowers and hugs. Performances by the Shore Road Ukulele Club and the Bellmore Star Chorus added celebratory notes to the cherished occasion, with a finale performance by the Belltones.
The Bellmore Elementary PTA and school district community congratulates the following life membership recipients: Debra Ammendola, special education teacher, Winthrop Avenue; Michele Aurigema, Bellmore Elementary PTA co-president; Dawn Balnis, front door monitor/greeter, Winthrop Avenue; Elise Cahill, coordinator for student services, C. A. Reinard; Eileen Consiglio, second-grade teacher, C. A. Reinhard; Mary Donato, front door/monitor, C. A. Reinhard; Lisa Hoffman, PTA executive vice president, Shore Road School; Dawn Johnstone, PTA treasurer for all schools; Marla Musgnug, teacher’s assistant, C. A. Reinhard; Kelly Popielaski, sixth-grade teacher, Shore Road; Melissa Sarubbi, PTA volunteer; Theresa Watson, fifth-grade teacher, Shore Road.
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Top Notes for Student-Musicians
The District is pleased to announce that 16 student-musicians from Shore Road participated in the Nassau Music Educators’ Association All-County Festival, held at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in January. In addition, six student-musicians were selected to attend the Long Island String Festival Association concert, to be held at Uniondale High School in March. Selection was based on teacher recommendations, and participation in each festival is an accomplishment that brings together Long Island’s most talented musicians.
The district congratulates the students for their leadership in the music program. NMEA All-County: Alec Ader, Preston Bowman, John Crowe, Jayden Eisenberg, Gabriella Elliott, Michael Flynn, Paige Gomez-Nieto, Grace Ham, Hannah Levine, Taylor Lindsley, Athina Malafis, Alexandra Radinsky, Gabrielle Skolnick, James Smith, Maximo Walaitis and Skylar White
LISFA: Julia Cohen, Jayden Eisenberg, Gabriella Elliott, Paige Gomez-Nieto, Anthony Hoffman and Maximo Wailaitis
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