A trip to Project Adventure is an annual rite of passage for sixth graders in the North Bellmore School District. At Park Avenue Elementary School, the adventure is continuing in physical education classes.

The Project Adventure experience at Caumsett State Park each fall focuses on survival skills and team-building games. It is a highly-anticipated trip for all of the sixth grades students, who then return in June for a high ropes experience.

Park Avenue’s physical education teacher, Bill Green, had sixth graders participate in a human ladder activity. In pairs, students held the rungs of a ladder horizontally over mats, while one student would climb across. As he or she crossed each rung, those students would then run to the other end to keep the ladder going until reaching the end of the mats.

Mr. Green said the human ladder focuses on the same skills that are emphasized in Project Adventure – building trust, communication and teamwork.

Date Added: 1/23/2025

In advance of the holiday in his honor, the contributions of great Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were studied in depth by students at Martin Avenue Elementary School.

Students learned that the third Monday of January is not just a day off from school, but a celebration of the man whose fight for equality led to major changes in the law. First graders studied his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, then did a writing and craft project in which they described their own dreams for the world.

Youngsters from Debra Ferretti and Nicole Huttner’s classes came together on Jan. 16 for an MLK craft project. Each student colored in a graphic of two hands with a heart in the middle, then wrote about what love and peace means to them.

In Tiffany Joosten’s fourth grade class, students paired up to read books about Dr. King and complete a timeline of his life. They also reviewed quotes from his various speeches. Each child then selected one and wrote why that quote was meaningful and how to incorporate the message into his or her life.

Throughout the day, Principal Dr. Michael Yannucci visited classrooms to read “Be a King” by Carole Boston Weatherford, and discussed with students how they could live the virtues of Dr. King.

Click here to view the Martin Avenue Students Celebrate Civil Rights Leader slideshow.

Date Added: 1/17/2025

There hasn’t been enough snow yet to build a snowman, but first graders at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School are relating to the popular winter symbol to improve their math skills.

On paper snowmen and snowflakes, students created fact families. Each youngster wrote the different addition and subtraction equations for a group of three single-digit numbers. The projects were hung in the hallway to showcase the knowledge of Dinkelmeyer’s budding mathematicians!

Date Added: 1/16/2025

A six-week writing project ended with fanfare in Francesca Lawless’ third grade classroom at Saw Mill Road Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District. Students shared their published pieces during a gallery walk on Dec. 11.

A copy of each child’s personal narrative was left on his or her desk for the celebratory event. Children traveled around the room to read their classmates’ stories and admire the creative covers.

The writing unit began with a study of author Patricia Polacco. Her books served as mentor texts because of her use of dialogue and sensory details. The third graders were encouraged to use those techniques in their personal narratives, which were based on significant moments in their lives. Topics ranged from holiday celebrations to family vacations to sporting events.

During the gallery walk, students were encouraged to give compliments to their classmates about well-executed writing strategies.

“It’s important to celebrate this accomplishment because so they can feel pride in their work,” Ms. Lawless said. “The students also get to learn a little bit about each other’s lives since they’re sharing experiences that are personal to them.”

Click here to view the Special Moments Shared at Saw Mill Writing Celebration slideshow.

Date Added: 1/13/2025

The North Bellmore School District is proud to announce that 28 students have been selected to participate in this month’s All-County Music Festival, hosted by the Nassau Music Educators Association. Fifth and sixth grade musicians from the band, chorus and orchestra were selected based on their NYSSMA solo performance scores and teacher recommendations.

Ensemble rehearsals take place at schools throughout the county during the weeks of Jan. 6 and Jan. 13. Weekend concerts are held at the LIU Post Tilles Center. 

Congratulations to the following musicians on their All-County selections:

John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School – Band: Ethan Andreau and Nicholas Truglio; Chorus: Jake Duverneau, Charlotte Giannetta, Brooke Murphy, Elliot Renz and Brooke Sheehan; Orchestra: Arianna Lettieri and Alayna Mangels.

Martin Avenue Elementary School – Orchestra: Isabelle Dang.

Newbridge Road Elementary School – Band: Elianna Lopez; Chorus: Nina Cannistraci, Henry Cohen, Marion Chelsea De Jesus and Kyra Devlin; Orchestra: Lauren Corace.

Park Avenue Elementary School – Band: Andrew Udilovich; Chorus: Marco Artale, Xcenia Benden, Veronica Calise, Elianna Macaluso and Micah Millington; Orchestra: Temitayo Otuyemi.

Saw Mill Road Elementary School – Band: Frank Figueiredo; Chorus: Rebecca David, Isabella Rodriguez and Eliana Weissman; Orchestra: Mariam Subhan.

The students learn under the direction of music teachers Skylar Berkley, Christopher D’Orio, Maritza Lopez, Ed McCullagh, Carol Ng, Alexander Roff, Patrice Ryan and Lisa Uckardes.

Click here to view the District Boasts 28 All-County Musicians slideshow.

Date Added: 1/8/2025