The school year officially began as the Board of Education reorganized on July 6 for the 2021-2022 school year.

Trustee Marion Blane was sworn in for an additional three-year term, and newcomer Leslie Cerverizzo was sworn in for her first term as a trustee by district clerk Randy Yee. Additionally, the trustees nominated and elected Ms. Blane as president and trustee Janet Goller as vice president.

Shore Road School sixth graders cut loose for a day of fun in the sun during their Beach Bash, held on school grounds on June 16. Sponsored by the PTA and sixth grade committee, the Beach Bash was held in lieu of the traditional dance this year.

Students had a full day of fun with peers before moving on to middle school this fall. A virtual game show prior to the bash kicked off the celebration, followed by dancing under the tiki hut with Hart to Hart Entertainment, taking photos with friends in the photo booth, participating in lawn games, making tie-dye T-shirts, coloring shells and just having good conversations with friends. The afternoon also saw the Kona Ice truck offer a cool down with a favorite treat.

The Beach Bash will surely be a day the students will remember as they enter the secondary phase of their education.

Shore Road sixth grade students marked their final elementary milestone during the school’s annual promotion ceremony, held in the John F. Kennedy High School auditorium on June 21. This year, the district held four separate ceremonies.

After the flag salute led by select students, music teachers Kelly Brandstadter, Laura Itzkovitz and Jennifer MacVicar played the national anthem.

Principal Patrice Matthews congratulated the students on having overcome such academic adversity during the school year and told them she considered the class to be the “ultimate role models.” Furthermore, she said, “You have proven to be the brightest shining stars that ever passed through Shore Road School.”

Select students also addressed the class with reflections and memories of their time at Shore Road School and their advancement from both the Charles A. Reinhard Early Learning Center and Winthrop Avenue School.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joseph Famularo reminded the students, like the past year, they don’t have 100% control over all situations, but they do have 100% control over the way they react to the things they can’t control. Using a sailing metaphor to relate the message about how leaders react to situations, he said, “You can’t control the wind, but can always adjust your sails.”

Board of Education president Jay L.T. Breakstone addressed each group of graduates. He told the graduating class that they are uniquely endowed with the tools to fix the world and to remember the first lesson about being nice as the most important one. “Find out what’s wrong and fix it,” Mr. Breakstone said. “This is your mission. We have given you all the tools you need – the most important tool, caring.”

During the PTA address, Leslie Cerverizzo and Denise Cerrotta told the students to “Go out there and be bold enough to use your voice, brave enough to listen to your heart and strong enough to live the life you’ve always imagined.”

Under the baton of Laura Itzkovitz, the students then performed the song “Imagine,” using American Sign language.

The graduates were then called by their individual teachers to walk across the stage to receive their promotion certificates from Ms. Matthews, marking their becoming alumni of the Bellmore School District. As the graduates processed out of the auditorium, they were met by peers and family and said their farewell until they see each other at Grand Avenue Middle School in the fall.

Sometimes a “taste” of a book is all that is needed to motivate a person to read it. Such was the case as students in Christina Colletti’s and Jessica Barrett’s fourth grade classes at Winthrop Avenue engaged in a book tasting activity. The Book Tasting activity was a fun way for students to sample each other’s books and explore new genres.

The classes worked within their Literature Circles to complete different reading roles on a rotating basis. Through a shared Google Doc, the class completed their weekly reading assignment and individualized reading jobs. At the end of each week, the groups then met for a student-lead book discussion, analyzing characters, themes and new vocabulary within their reading selection.

In the final assignment, these roles were transformed into elements of a menu. Leading up to the presentations, students rehearsed their roles and dressed for a fancy visit to the “restaurant.”

Student Madelin Rich said, “This event was so special because we were able to share our hard work with the rest of our class. It was unique and something I had never done before.”

Both Ms. Colletti and Mrs. Barrett were proud of the teamwork and dedication each student displayed throughout the book tasting experience. The children worked to continually improve the quality of their discussions each week and provided an excellent “taste” of their captivating books.

To bolster their knowledge of butterflies, third grade students at Winthrop Avenue attended a virtual video conference with The Center for Puppetry Arts which focused on these enigmatic and colorful creatures.

For the last couple of weeks, the class has been learning about butterflies and watching their development closely in the classrooms as they develop through each stage of their life cycle. During the video conference, students engaged in discussions about the different types of butterflies, their eating habits and ways in which they protect themselves from predators. The presenter then walked the students step-by-step through the process of making their own butterfly puppets and led the students in a butterfly dance.

There were smiles all around, because the students enjoyed the hands-on activity and were proud of what they created.