W. Babylon elementary school reopens at nearby church

With bunches of balloons and a sign welcoming students to "New Beginnings," the classrooms at Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church opened Tuesday to more than 300 West Babylon elementary students displaced by a fire last week.

The students of South Bay Elementary School, which was gutted by a late-night fire last Thursday, attended their first day of school in their new home Tuesday.

"Today went great, it was better than we even hoped for," Assistant Superintendent Dominick Palma said in a statement.

Parent Erica Miller said her son, Alexander, 10, at first was nervous, but had "a very good day" in his fourth-grade class.

"I was very impressed," Miller said after the end of the school day. "It's a change, but it still keeps them on their daily routine. I think they handled it very well."

Principal JoAnn Scott said the week's theme is "New Beginnings" and teachers and staff readied the school Monday for classes Tuesday. But she stressed that the school will not be doing too much out of the ordinary so that the students can adjust to their new surroundings.

The district will offer cold lunch to students this week and might be able to offer hot meals in the near future, she said. She said the morning drop-off went smoothly.

"It went wonderfully," she said. "Our main concern was keeping the children together and we accomplished our goal."

As the district scrambled to find a home for about 320 children, the church offered to lease its religious education wing, originally built in the 1960s as a Catholic school but never used for that purpose.

The K-5 school has set up 16 classrooms in the wing, plus a cafeteria and recreational space in the basement.

Superintendent Anthony Cacciola said the district has received numerous donations and he also has fielded calls of assistance from other schools across the region.

The district is paying $1,250 a day for use of the space, district officials have said.

Elizabeth Romero brought her granddaughter Veronica, 5, to kindergarten Tuesday morning and was glad that school was in session so soon after the fire.

"I didn't think they would be able to do it at all, but they did it quick," she said.

Plans call for classes to remain intact, with the same teachers and students in all grades. The church, about a mile from the Great East Neck Road school, will be South Bay's home for the rest of the school year.

Officials have said the blaze began in a maintenance room near the boiler but the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Babylon Town Fire Marshal Gil Hanse said Tuesday. A reclamation company has set up dryers in the building to try and salvage some of the classrooms and equipment, Hanse said.