The arrival of spring made the perfect time for a lesson about the growth cycle of plants at Saw Mill Road Elementary School. Students in first through third graders were the beneficiaries of expert knowledge.  

Representatives from Cornell Cooperative Extension visited the school on March 28 as part of its Agricultural Literacy Week program. Volunteers read “The Pie that Molly Grew,” a realistic fiction book that educated students on the growth cycle of a pumpkin. As a gift, Saw Mill Road received a copy of the book for its school library. 

Students learned the basics of what plants need to grow, such as water, soil and sunlight. They also took part in a hands-on activity to plant pumpkin seeds. Each child received a plastic cup, a clump of dirt and a pumpkin seed. Students then placed the cups in near the windows and each class can spend the next several weeks observing as small plants begin to grow.  

Judith Wilansky, a volunteer with CCE who is known as “Farmer Judy,” said that the activity supports the elementary science curriculum, which educates students about life cycles. She hopes that children have meaningful scientific discussions as the seeds sprout.  

Click here to view the Saw Mill Students Get Their Green Thumbs slideshow.

Date Added: 4/2/2025

Students are “Wild About Reading” year-round at Newbridge Road Elementary School, which made it the perfect theme for this year’s Pick a Reading Partner week from March 17-21.

The annual literacy program is designed to engage children and their families in shared reading experiences. PARP emphasizes the importance of reading as a tool for success and strives to fortify each child’s reading habits. The school partners with the PTA to provide meaningful and authentic opportunities for students to read with their families.

Principal Amanda Licci said that this year’s theme corresponds with the transformation of her office into Mrs. Licci’s Lair, where she hold read-alouds. While PARP is about encouraging children to read at home, there are many activities in school designed to get them excited about reading.

The Scholastic Book Fair featured opportunities for students to purchase new books, and the PTA provided each child with a $5 credit. On the evening of March 17, Ms. Licci hosted a virtual read aloud of “Edward the Emu” that all families could join. Over the next several days, masked readers read pages of the sequel, “Edwina the Emu,” during live Zoom sessions for the school.

March 18 featured an in-person PARP night. In addition to a night book fair, librarian Yvonne Francolini and students from the Junior Library Club set up books around the cafeteria for families to come in and read together.

Spirit Club and the junior librarians led safari tours around the school to find all of the words in the hallways, from signs to student work. The second annual “new to you” book swap on March 20 featured hundreds of books donated by students. Ms. Francolini and PTA volunteers sorted books by age group and category. Each class visited the auditorium and there were enough donations for each child to go home with three books.

“The most important piece of PARP is getting books in the hands of children,” Ms. Licci said.

At home, students were encouraged to do reading activities from a choice board. They could visit the North Bellmore Public Library, read to a pet or stuffed animal, read with a sibling or friend, or create their own reading lair, among other choices. The public library even planned a series of animal-themed experiences for Newbridge Road students. Ms. Licci said that if 150 students completed five or more activities, she would complete a principal’s challenge.

Date Added: 3/31/2025

At nearly 80 students, North Bellmore’s fifth grade orchestra rivals the size of a philharmonic orchestra. Playing at that level may be years away for the young musicians, but their dedication to their craft is comparable. 

Once per six-day cycle, the fifth grade orchestra gets together at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School for morning rehearsals. It consists of students from the district’s five elementary schools and features violin, viola, cello and bass players. Conducting the group is first-year orchestra teacher Patrice Ryan. 

Currently, the ensemble is working on three pieces for the spring concert, “Arco-ology,” “Entry of the Tumblers” and “Spy Rock.” They will showcase their talents at the district orchestra concert on May 12. 

Lisa Uckardes conducts the district’s sixth grade orchestra, which meets at Martin Avenue Elementary School on the same mornings as the fifth grade ensemble. In addition to their full-group rehearsals, students from both groups take part in small-group lessons with Ms. Ryan and Ms. Uckardes at their schools. 

Click here to view the Orchestra Students are Becoming String Savvy slideshow.

Date Added: 3/26/2025

Fourth graders are passionate writers at Martin Avenue Elementary School, and that love sparked the idea for a book. Students in Lauren Fasano and Lori Lennihan’s class recently published “The ABC’s of Martin Avenue.”

The collaborative project followed personal narrative writing unit, during which each student wrote a story about an important moment. After a lot of hard work on their individual pieces, students turned their attention to the class writing project.

Each student was assigned a letter of the alphabet for the book. Students selected adjectives based on their letters and then wrote a page, using those adjectives to describe life at Martin Avenue. They also created colorful illustrations. Since there were more letters than students, each teacher also contributed a page. For Y, each child wrote a sentence about their principal, Dr. Michael Yannucci.

It was printed by Studentreasures Publishing, with the class receiving its own hard-cover copy of the book. Students could also purchase copies as a keepsake. The book featured a dedication page as well as a signed author’s page with everyone’s name.

Ms. Fasano described the project as a labor of love, noting that her students love to write, with many of them aspiring to become authors. She added that each page reflects that child’s unique personality.

“That they were literally writing a book was so exciting,” Ms. Fasano said of her students. “They had a lot of creative input. It was such a great experience for them.”

Date Added: 3/25/2025

Second graders at John G. Dinkelmeyer explored the different parts of the planet that they call home. For a science unit on landforms, students made 3D models of the different physical components of the Earth. 

They landforms that students studied included beaches, glaciers, islands mountains, plains, plateaus, valleys and several kinds of water bodies. For their models, they used supplies from home as well as paint and modeling clay provided by their teachers. Students made fictitious versions of these landforms, often naming these features after themselves.  

Click here to view the A 3D Landform Lesson at JGD slideshow.

Date Added: 3/21/2025