Baldwin PTA wins state award
Lenox Elementary School Principal Asheena Baez, left, celebrates Lenox Elementary PTA winning the top award in the New York State PTA's Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) program with Camaker Heyward, center, the school's PARP chair, and Mia Phillip, the Lenox PTA's co-president.
The Lenox Elementary School PTA in Baldwin looked to the stars to win the state's top award for efforts to make reading fun for children.
The local group — with the theme "Discover a New Universe with Books" — took the top spot in this year's Pick a Reading Partner program, the literacy initiative sponsored by the New York State PTA that asks adults to read with children for at least 15 minutes daily. The school's PTA earlier earned the Nassau County regional award.
Lenox Elementary's program was inspired by Jasmin Moghbeli, a NASA astronaut candidate who attended the school and graduated from Baldwin Senior High School. Activities included a Dress Like an Astronaut Day, an assembly with a StarLab portable planetarium, and a chart that used rockets to track each grade's volume of reading.
The theme was so popular that almost all of Lenox's approximately 300 students participated last school year, according to Camaker Heyward, the school's PARP chair. By comparison, only 15 students took part the previous year, she said.
"We are so proud of the example Lenox has set, and that their hard work and dedication to our students is being recognized across New York State," district Superintendent Shari Camhi said.
In Suffolk County, the PTA at Bayview Elementary School in West Islip won that regional award.
Bayview's program, which had the theme of "Cruising Through a Good Book," included boating-themed activities, such as ships that advanced on a world map based on the amount of minutes read by students. The grade that read the most won a pizza party.
A record number of 55 Varsity Club members from Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson participated in the Town of Brookhaven's annual Polar Plunge last month at Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai, raising $9,450 to benefit the Special Olympics. Credit: Port Jefferson School District
AMITYVILLE
Virtual reality
The Amityville school district is introducing a virtual reality experience to support its curriculum through zSpace, a technology firm that combines elements of virtual and augmented reality. Lessons will range from life cycles of a butterfly to the history of flight.
The additions will include a laptop cart of zSpace systems for use at Amityville Memorial High School, Edmund W. Miles Middle School and Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School, making Amityville the first school system with this resource on Long Island, district officials said. There also will be desktop units for each school.
Students in East Islip Middle School's Master Readers Book Discussion Club held their first talk last month after reading "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein. The club's members also enjoyed a scavenger hunt, puzzles and riddles. Credit: East Islip School District
"Students are drawn to technology, and zSpace provides an engaging way to support our curriculum," said Carole Polney, the district's assistant superintendent for technology and administrative services.
DEER PARK
Pumpkin flinging
Deer Park High School's "Dark Falcons" team placed second in the youth division of this year's Extreme Chunkin competition at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The event challenged 35 teams to design trebuchets to fling pumpkins as far as possible.
Deer Park's pumpkin traveled 860 feet. Their trebuchet was made of Microllam and included an aluminum arm, 12 commercial garage door springs, and a 12,000-pound electric winch.
Students at Goosehill Primary School in the Cold Spring Harbor district are learning ways to increase their focus and attention through the use of techniques such as mindful breathing. Credit: Cold Spring Harbor School District
"It was quite an exciting thing for them," Deer Park technology teacher Bruce Sander said of his 10-student team's achievement. "They're learning, they're listening, they're doing it."
ISLANDWIDE
Schools of Excellence
Six Long Island schools have been named 2018-2020 National PTA Schools of Excellence in recognition of their "commitment to building an inclusive and welcoming school community," National PTA officials said. They are among 279 schools nationwide to receive the honor.
The schools recognized are Albany Avenue Elementary School in North Massapequa, Dutch Broadway Elementary School in Elmont, George H. McVey Elementary School in East Meadow, Lenox Elementary School and Plaza Elementary School, both in Baldwin, and Ogden Elementary School in Valley Stream.
"Research shows that when families and schools work together, students do better in school and schools improve," National PTA president Jim Accomando said.
Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.
Newsday Live Author Series: Bobby Flay Newsday Live and Long Island LitFest present a conversation with Emmy-winning host, professional chef, restaurateur and author Bobby Flay. Newsday food reporter and critic Erica Marcus hosts a discussion about the chef's life, four-decade career and new cookbook, "Bobby Flay: Chapter One."
Newsday Live Author Series: Bobby Flay Newsday Live and Long Island LitFest present a conversation with Emmy-winning host, professional chef, restaurateur and author Bobby Flay. Newsday food reporter and critic Erica Marcus hosts a discussion about the chef's life, four-decade career and new cookbook, "Bobby Flay: Chapter One."
