More information is now at the fingertips of second graders at Martin Avenue Elementary School who recently took part in a pilot program for the North Bellmore School District’s iPad expansion.

Jason Fischetti, executive director of technology, data and information services, said that district is expanding its 1:1 initiative to provide all second graders with iPads this spring. Students in grades 3-6 already have their own devices, and next year kindergarten and first graders will receive iPads. The second grade pilot at Martin Avenue allowed the district to gather information, such as how well students adapted to the devices, what digital resources best supported instruction and the importance of headphones when using certain programs.

“It’s technology that creates learning opportunities that you wouldn’t be able to have any other way,” Mr. Fischetti said, adding that second graders used set from technology department for the pilot and will soon receive their own brand new devices. So will their peers at North Bellmore’s other elementary schools.

Teachers Antonietta Fischetti and Tiffany Joosten said they quickly found many uses for the iPads. In Ms. Joosten’s class, students have been working on nonfiction reports on different states, so they used iPads to look up information such as historical facts and notable people. They also access digital books through Epic and Raz-Kids, and work on their keyboarding skills with Typing Agent.

Ms. Fischetti’s second graders are tech buddies with sixth graders in Rachel Graber’s class, connecting to learn about different apps on the iPads. Most recently, sixth graders taught their second grade buddies how to use Book Creator, showing them different features such as changing the background, importing photos and graphics and adding text.

Each sixth grader is paired with a second grader, and they meet in Zoom breakout rooms, which, Ms. Graber explained, is “how to be buddies in this COVID world.” In addition to the digital instruction, the buddies also like to read together.

The second graders are excited to be paired up with the students they look up toas roles models. The sixth graders love to pass down their knowledge, like Mattingly Bendig, who said she enjoys showing her buddy how to use the different programs she has become quite familiar with over the last few years.

“It’s fun because we get to teach them how do different stuff,” she said. “We get to bond with them in the breakout rooms.”

Ms. Fischetti said that in addition to having the support from their tech buddies, her second graders are also given some time to explore apps independently, so they can become more familiar with the capabilities of their devices.

Two administrators in the North Bellmore School District will be taking on new positions for the 2021-2022 school year. Martin Avenue Elementary School Principal Leyna Malone will move to the district office as the executive director of pupil personnel services and special education. Replacing Ms. Malone as principal of Martin Avenue will be James O’Brien, the current assistant principal of Saw Mill Road School.

Ms. Malone came to the district in 2015 as Saw Mill Road’s assistant principal before moving on to Martin Avenue a year later. Prior to that, she was a teacher in New York City.

When she assumes her new position on July 1, she won’t be moving very far as the district’s central office is located at Martin Avenue. In her new position, she will oversee the special education program as well as the district’s guidance counselor, nurses, psychologists and social workers.

With several special education classes housed at Martin Avenue, Ms. Malone has gained extensive knowledge of the program. She was part of a team that opened new 8-1-2 classes at the school (eight students, one teacher and two aides). Her goal is to continue to grow the special education program, ensure that all students have access to the same learning opportunity and maintain North Bellmore’s strong reputation as an inclusive school district.

“We deliver an incredible special education program here in North Bellmore,” she said “I’m really looking forward to having an impact on education throughout the district.”

In her five years as principal of Martin Avenue, Ms. Malone said she supported teachers with the implementation of Reader’s Workshop and Writer’s Workshop, and fostered a sense of community and pride in “our little school with a big heart.”

Mr. O’Brien returns to the school where he attended kindergarten. He said he looks to continue the legacy of Ms. Malone and her predecessors in building a strong school community and fostering a nurturing environment for students.

“I’m definitely excited to work with the staff, the parents and especially the students,” he said. “I look forward to building relationships with the entire Martin Avenue School community.”

Mr. O’Brien is in his 20th year in the district. He was hired in 2001 – the same year that Martin Avenue reopened – as a sixth grade teacher at Saw Mill Road after student teaching there. In January 2019, he became Saw Mill’s assistant principal. Mr. O’Brien said that in that role, he was able to see the school community from a more global view and better understand the synergy that is created to provide students with great learning experiences.

After two decades, he will leave with many treasured memories and a fondness for the Saw Mill Road community, but is looking forward to the new challenge ahead at Martin Avenue. He wants to bring his knowledge as a classroom teacher and his ability to forge relationships to “enrich the vibrant community that is Martin Avenue School.”

With 100 days of school complete, students throughout the North Bellmore School District celebrated the accomplishment on Feb. 25.

For kindergartners, it was one of their first milestones on the roughly 2,300-day journey to graduation in 2033. Students in Jennie Kuhn’s class at Martin Avenue Elementary School took advantage of the sunny weather by going outside for a special game. Children paired up for a snowball toss – paper snowballs – as each student threw it to a classmate standing several feet away and holding a large basket. The goal was to get 10 snowballs, each worth 10 points, in the basket to score 100 points.

Every student filled a plastic bottle with 100 of a certain object, then placed that bottle in a paper bag. They had to give clues to help their classmates guess the mystery object. Children also did 100 exercises in groups of 10.

First graders in Mary Carrea’s class created portraits of themselves at 100 years old, and wrote about where they want to live, what they would eat and what they would do at that age.

At Park Avenue Elementary School, kindergartners in Melissa Reime’s and Anne Griffin’s classes dressed up to look like they were 100 years old. They took 100 steps to see how far in the building they could go, read books about the 100th day and discovered different things they could do in 100 seconds.

Fifth graders, who were actually celebrating their 1,000th day of school since the kindergarten, also joined in the fun. They, too, dressed up as 100-year-olds and wrote bucket lists of items they would want to accomplish before turning 100.