It’s award season for school librarians, who every January look forward to the announcement of the Randolph Caldecott Medal winner for the best illustrated children’s book. North Bellmore librarian Yvonne Francolini turned it into a learning experience for her students at Martin Avenue, Newbridge Road and Park Avenue elementary schools. 

Leading up to the Jan. 27 announcement, her students reviewed 12 books that had “buzz” around them as possible Caldecott Medal recipients. They were asked to make predictions on if they felt each book could be a winner. The medal is part of the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards.  

This year’s gold medal winner was, “Chooch Helped” authored by Andrea L. Rogers and illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz. Although it did not make the list of the 12 books that students reviewed, a pair of Caldecott Honor Books were there – “Noodles on a Bicycle” and “Home in a Lunchbox.”   

Some of the books that the students reviewed were strictly picture books, while others included both words and illustrations. Before making their judgments, students reviewed the Caldecott Medal criteria and also looked at past winners.  

“I love seeing the students get so excited about books,” Ms. Francolini said. “This lesson exposes them to some of the best picture books. There’s a real-world connection when they get to see the actual Caldecott Medal winners and compare it to their picks.” 

Click here to view the Readers Explore Best Children’s Books slideshow.

Date Added: 2/6/2025

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

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

Second graders took a winter train ride in spirit at Park Avenue Elementary School. In the week leading up to the holiday break, students participated in activities focused on “The Polar Express.”

Youngsters in Melanie Purificato’s and Nancy Del Rosario’s classes read the book, listened to a reading of the book by Liam Neeson, and watched parts of the movie. Students analyzed “Polar Express” story elements such as character development, main idea and theme, make text-to-world connections, wrote about their favorite parts of the story, and compared and contrasted the book to the movie. The teachers said it was a fun and seasonal way for them to be fully immersed in a literacy experience.

Parent visitors helped students make bracelets with small bells. During a game of bingo, children tried to complete a row as “Polar Express” characters and objects were called out. The activities culminated on Dec. 20, as students wore their pajamas and had their train tickets punched.

Click here to view the Park Avenue Second Graders Board the ‘Polar Express’ slideshow.

Date Added: 1/6/2025