The future is now at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School, where fifth graders are immersed in robotics.  

Computer science teacher Catherine Schlaich introduced students to Lego SPIKE kits to build and program carnival games. Working in teams, the young engineers had six options, such as bowling, hockey and mini-golf. They had to following the building instructions, install a battery, motor and sensors, then program movements in the SPIKE app on iPads. 

Students worked with Blockly, a visual programming editor, to write the code using drag-and-drop blocks. She said it builds upon their knowledge of Scratch coding, which they learned in fourth grade. After getting the movements to work, students had to modify and enhance their code.   

In the Avoid the Edge carnival game, students included a motor and color sensor, and had to program a bat to hit a ball, but not so hard that it went over the edge of the Lego base. The mini-golf game required programming a club to hit a ball and a light to go on when it reached the hole. A-Maze-Ing used a gyro sensor to tilt the entire base so a ball worked its way through a maze.  

As a culminating project, students will then create their own carnival games, which must use at least two electronic components. They won’t have instructions to follow then, so they must use their creativity while also following the engineering design process. The success will come from collaboration.  

“They have to work as a team in order for their robots to work,” Ms. Schlaich said. “Everybody’s got to be participating and helping each other out.”

Click here to view the Brick by Brick, Dinkelmeyer Students Build Bots slideshow.

Date Added: 11/25/2025

On a sunny but chilly morning that certainly felt like football weather, more than 30 students from the North Bellmore School District gathered to put their athletic skills to test. On Saw Mill Road Elementary School’s back field, the district held the final round of its annual Punt, Pass, Kick competition.

Preliminary rounds took place in physical education classes, with the fourth, fifth and sixth grade boys and girls winners from each school advancing to the championships. North Bellmore’s physical education teachers James Breslin, William Green, James Mulvey, Anthony Novello, Alyssa Parker and Michael Weiner coordinated the event.

With distance lines set up on the field, every participant got one turn throwing, punting and kicking off a tee. They were also allowed to try for a better score in one of the three challenges. After all of the scores were tabulated, grade level winners were announced and medals were handed out.

Punt, Pass, Kick is based on competition that was previously sponsored by the NFL and North Bellmore’s physical education department has kept it as an annual districtwide fitness activity.

Click here to view the All Fun and Football at Annual Skills Competition 2025 slideshow.

Date Added: 11/4/2025

The North Bellmore School District will be conducting its annual central registration process for incoming kindergarten students for the 2026-2027 school year. Eligible students must be 5 years old on or before Dec. 1, 2026, in order to register for kindergarten. 

Registration for the upcoming school year will commence on Nov. 17, 2025, and will run through Feb. 6, 2026. Registration is by appointment only at the North Bellmore’s District Office located at 2616 Martin Ave. in Bellmore (westside of the Martin Avenue School). Parents and guardians may access the district’s registration packet online at www.northbellmoreschools.org. under the Central Registration department. Please complete the registration packet and attach all required documentation prior to your registration appointment.

No child will be fully registered for kindergarten until all the required forms have been completed, received, and verified by the district. To schedule an appointment or for questions relating to registration you may contact the district registrar at 516-992-3000, ext. 3821.

Date Added: 10/31/2025

The world around them was their science lab, as kindergartners at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School recently took a nature walk and recorded their observations. Students in Jennifer McGovern’s class had a checklist of items for their nature hunt such as trees with colorful leaves, acorns, birds, insects and sticks.   

As Ms. McGovern and her young scientists walked around on the sunny afternoon, they used their eyes to observe the seasonal change to fall.  

Click here to view the Kindergartners Observe Fall in JGD Nature Walk slideshow.

Date Added: 10/28/2025

The fire truck in front of John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School on Oct. 3 wasn’t responding to an emergency, but was part of a lesson for children to learn what to do in case of an emergency. Throughout October, local fire departments are visiting North Bellmore’s five elementary schools for Fire Prevention Month programs. 

Dinkelmeyer students got to go through the North Bellmore Fire Department’s smokehouse, a trailer that mimics a home. Sitting in a mock kitchen, youngsters learned about basic home fire safety such as the importance of working smoke detectors and having an escape plan. Next, they moved into the bedroom, which filled with fake smoke. As a smoke detector sounded, children crawled to the window, called for help and climbed down a ladder with help from a firefighter. 

After going through the fire safety trailer, children then ventured over to the fire truck. Firefighters put on their full gear so students could understand that there is a person behind the helmet, jacket and mask who is there to help. They also showed some of the equipment on a typical fire engine. 

The purpose of the Fire Prevention Month program is to equip students with the knowledge they need to stay safe in their homes, and have conversations with their parents to make sure they are fully prepared for an emergency.  

The North Bellmore firefighters leading the safety lesson included ex-Chief Tim Green, fire inspector Sal Ancona, Captain Michael Schroeck and firefighter Aidan Masten. They provided each student with a goodie back that included a coloring book, crayons and squishy firefighter, as well as a red plastic helmet.  

Click here to view the Schools, Firefighters Partner Up for Safety slideshow.

Date Added: 10/14/2025