The leprechaun came and went, but it certainly left its mark in Amanda Baxter’s classroom at Park Avenue Elementary School.  

Ahead of St. Patrick’s Day, students worked on a STEAM activity to build leprechaun traps. Using cardboard boxes brought in from home along with various classroom supplies, they channeled their creativity and imaginations to design the traps. The young engineers even tried to entice the leprechauns with images of rainbows and pots of gold. 

Before building their traps, students read “How to Catch a Leprechaun,” then brainstormed ideas together. Once construction was complete, the traps were set up around the room. 

On March 17, students returned from the weekend to find the leprechaun had been there. The room was a little messy and there were small green footprints on the floor. But even through the leprechaun escaped, he still left each student a pot full of goodies.  

Click here to view the Park Avenue Students Craft Leprechaun Traps slideshow.

Date Added: 3/17/2025

The 100th day of the school was a big deal for kindergartners at Park Avenue Elementary School on Feb. 14, and they were joined by peers who have well cleared the 1,000-day mark.

Many of the kindergartners dressed up as if they were 100 years old, while others donned crowns declaring themselves 100 days smarter. The young learners also got together with their sixth grade buddies for activities centered around the triple-digit milestone.

Sarah Mazeika’s kindergartners were joined by their older friends from Amanda DiMonda’s class in the cafeteria for a 100-day workout. Each pair did 10 repetitions of 10 different exercises, such as jumping jacks, push-ups and stretches. The sixth graders helped them keep track.

In Anne Griffin’s kindergarten classroom, youngsters welcomed their sixth grade buddies from Nicole Giusto’s class. Together, the buddies did a roll and color math game. With a number chart in front of them, each group rolled a die and kept going until they reached 100. The sixth graders helped their kindergarten friends with adding.

Click here to view the Jumping and Rolling to 100 at Park Avenue slideshow.

Date Added: 2/24/2025

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