School News

Riverhead

A Thanksgiving Feast

Kindergartners at Aquebogue Elementary School honed their cooking, English language arts, and math skills throughout the week of November 18 as they prepared a Thanksgiving feast for family and friends, held November 21.

With the assistance of their teachers, the students made applesauce, fresh butter, cranberry sauce, corn muffins, popcorn, and pumpkin mousse to serve to their guests. Students learned about measurements, reading recipes, and writing the recipes in a cookbook as they prepared their items.

The students also learned a variety of fall and Thanksgiving-themed songs that they performed for attendees.

Riley’s First Thanksgiving Parade

Riley Avenue Elementary School students entertained their peers with a Thanksgiving parade, complete with balloons, on November 25.

The colorful parade was inspired by the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which the students learned more about by watching videos and reading “Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade” by Melissa Sweet. They also participated in discussions on the logistics of the parade and how the floats, balloons, and costumes are made.

The students then brought their learning to life by creating their own balloons. They started out by sketching their ideas and listing the materials they needed before making them. Following the parade, the students performed in the school’s inaugural Thanksgiving play, which told the story of the first Thanksgiving. The events culminated with a feast in the cafeteria.

Books Supports Learning

The Pulaski Street Elementary School library has a new collection thanks to a donation from the Riverhead Community Awareness Program.

According to librarian Amelia Estevez Creedon, the new books support the school’s positive behavior intervention and social-emotional learning curriculum.

“We are so happy to collaborate with CAP to meet the needs of our students,” said Creedon. “It is wonderful to be able to supplement the curriculum with relevant, current materials.”

In addition to the book donation, volunteers from the Riverhead Community Awareness Program teach fifth and sixth-graders lessons that embody life skills.

A Sand Project

Soft sand ran through the fingers of Aquebogue Elementary School students as they participated in an interdisciplinary science, stimulation and language lesson.

Working together, the students in Susan Leyhane’s class followed multistep instructions to make several batches of kinetic sand, which they are using for purposeful play and STEM activities.

“The students learned while doing,” said Aquebogue Principal Bryan Miltenberg. “The messier the activity, the more fun the students have and the more engaged they become.”

The project was supported by teaching assistant Jennifer Crosby and aides Deborah Baron, Alissa Behr and Laura Huber.

Sharing Native American Research

Fourth-grade students at Aquebogue Elementary School recently unveiled a Native American museum in their classroom as part of their study on the Iroquois tribe.

The project got underway after students researched Native American culture, government, and entertainment, and were inspired to create individual research projects that reflected their learning. They designed posters, wrote poems, created brochures, and made dioramas. Each project included information about Iroquois government, natural resources, trade and change, and housing. All the projects were incorporated into the museum that celebrated the students’ creativity and hard work.

ERASE Racism

A group of Riverhead High School freshmen and sophomores were among more than 150 students from across Long Island to attend Suffolk County Long Island’s Leaders of Tomorrow Conference on November 8.

The conference was led by ERASE Racism, a nonprofit organization that aims to achieve greater racial and socioeconomic equity for Long Island communities. Representatives at the conference addressed the participating students, challenging them to become leaders and advocates in advancing racial and economic equality within Long Island’s public schools.

Green Screen

Riverhead High School students in Stephanie Posada’s global studies class employed a variety of technological tools to enhance their research projects on the seven wonders of the world.

For the assignment, the students used their smartphones and the school library media center’s green screen to create videos that showcased their research.

“It’s exciting to see students so engaged in learning as they use their research, smartphones, and technology skills,” said library media specialist Kim McGurk.

East Hampton

Turkey Trot And Drive

Sean Lester and Dominic Coronel helped pack up food donations for Springs School’s annual Thanksgiving Drive. The school provided Thanksgiving Day meals for 16 families in need. The annual Turkey Trot fundraiser raised $24,000, which allows the school to offer swimming lessons at the YMCA East Hampton RECenter to students in kindergarten through fourth grade.

Hampton Bays

Pilgrims Set Sail

Dressed as pilgrims, Hampton Bays Elementary School kindergartners made the difficult voyage across the mighty Atlantic Ocean in a makeshift Mayflower as part of teacher Mary Motz’s fourth annual Mayflower reenactment on November 22.

While on the ship, Motz read “The First Thanksgiving” by Linda Hayward to her class. When they reached land, the students disembarked the cardboard vessel and learned to survive in the new world the Wampanoag way.

The kindergartners took part in a variety of hands-on activities, including simulating corn, bean and squash planting in the classroom’s sand table; making clay pots embellished with shells; and beading wampum necklaces. They also constructed a pilgrim shelter using boxes, sheets, tape, and yardsticks and played the pilgrim game ninepin.

Southampton

A Class Hamster

A class hamster recently helped third-graders at Southampton Elementary School with a science lesson on environmental changes. Students made inferences and drew models on how the hamster would survive outside in the cold, what he would eat and whether he would be prey to other animals. The lesson was furthered when the students brought the hamster outside and placed him in an enclosure to see if he acted differently than in his home in the school.

A Thanksgiving Celebration

Southampton Elementary School second-grade students and their parents enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast on November 22. During the annual celebration, students recited Thanksgiving poems and all partook in a traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Tuckahoe

Helping In NYC

On Wednesday, October 23, 2019, Tuckahoe School’s National Junior Honor Society attended their annual trip to New York City. Before the trip, the students prepared care packages for St. Bartholomew’s Church’s food pantry. The children visited the church and food pantry, where they learned all about the programs that the church offers to people in need. The students also visited the New York Headquarters of the United Nations where they toured the building and learned all about the UN’s peace keeping initiatives. The day ended with a viewing of the Broadway Show, Wicked.

Westhampton

Connecting With A Paleontologist

Westhampton Beach High School science research students had the opportunity to learn more about the process from accomplished paleontologist John Hankla on November 22.

During the informal discussion, Hankla spoke to students about his career and offered them advice as they are work on a variety of projects. The students also heard from members of the Staffer family, whose Wyoming ranch is littered with dinosaur bones.

For many of the students, this was not their first meeting with Hankla. He has worked with them in the past through Westhampton Beach Middle School’s PALEOS program, where students visit the Badlands in the summer to dig for dinosaur bones alongside experts.

desiree@indyeastend.com