During March, music education was a focus for faculty and students at C. A. Reinhard, Winthrop Avenue and Shore Road as Music in Our Schools Month was celebrated nationwide. Sponsored by the National Association for Music Education, the goal of Music in Our Schools Month is to raise awareness of the importance and benefits of music education in schools.

Music teacher Laura Itzkovitz said this year’s theme was “Music, the Sound of My Heart.” To help students understand how much music connects to their hearts, Winthrop Avenue and Shore Road students listened to 12 songs during their music class. They were then instructed to write down memories or feelings associated with the songs and to share with classmates.

Ms. Itzkovitz and music teacher Maria Martucci also created a video of students speaking about how music is important in their lives. The video can be viewed on the district website at www.bellmoreschools.org.

Prior to the spring break, students in all three schools wore a music-related T-shirt on March 19 and a red shirt on March 26 to demonstrate the importance of music in their lives and how it is connected to their hearts

Fourth grade students in Michelle Block’s class at Winthrop Avenue School examined the artwork of Georges Seurat, the founder of the pointillism
movement, rendering his style in the subject of a lighthouse, the district’s symbol.

Bellmore was designated a Lighthouse District in 2019 FranklinCovey Education as a result of the district’s development training and consistent practice of its leadership principles and core values, which are incorporated into its nationally recognized Bellmore Stars Character Development Program.

Students first watched a video on pointillism, learning that darker values are created when dots are placed close together. Likewise, spreading dots apart creates higher and lighter values. Students learned how to mix colors by placing them together on a page and allowing the eye to blend them. The class concluded with the students’ renderings of a lighthouse in the pointillism style.

St. Patrick’s Day fun was abound on March 17 at C.A. Reinhard. Even though there were leprechaun shenanigans throughout the day, the Rising Stars used the holiday spirit to hone their science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics skills, as well as learn information about music and dance in Ireland.

Dressed in traditional green, students wrote about why they felt lucky. During a St. Patrick’s Day Gold Bridge activity, students were asked to design and build a sturdy bridge using only pennies. During music classes, they learned about the Irish jig, Irish folk music and popular step dancing.

The faculty and student body also enjoyed decorated doorways, leprechaun footprints, and messes created by naughty leprechauns.

Bellmore students took time to continuously improve their mind and bodies during Shore Road School’s virtual Health and Safety Week on March 8-12. The event featured professionals in the areas of social-emotional and mental and physical health wellness.

“An emphasis on wellness is more important than ever and students acquired the skills during Health and Safety Week to continuously improve their bodies and minds,” Principal Patrice Matthews said.

On Medical Monday, students attended a virtual health fair with the Cohen Children’s Medical Center and then disconnected from their electronic devices on Time Out Tuesday. Wind Down Wednesday included a mindfulness and chair yoga session with registered yoga teacher Donna Coogan. Everyone wore read to bring heart health awareness on Heart healthy Thursday. The week culminated with a mental health wellness seminar presented by Trish Shulman of the Long Island Crisis Center.