The Bayview Family Book Club performed a pantomime production of “Chrysanthemum,” by Kevin Henkes, as part of the school’s Parent University. The theme of the night was celebrating who we are and the performance was done in both English and Spanish. Lauren Quezada, the lead character, ended the evening with an amazing rendition of “This is Me.”

At the end of the show, students joined in on the fun by coming up to the stage wearing their “This is Me” t-shirts. After the performance, students were able to choose from over 600 books donated by the Book Fairies. Students were given an English language arts activity to do at home and when completed they will receive a copy of the book, “Chrysanthemum,” which has been donated by the PTA.

Elephant and Piggie, the stars of Freeport School District’s #Freeportreads initiative, returned to the District to reveal daily clues to students about this year’s author. The schools participating in the exciting initiative are Archer Street Elementary School, Bayview Avenue School, Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School, New Visions School, Columbus Avenue School, and Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School.

Building administrators teamed up with Elephant and Piggie to have students research book titles and popular authors each day. Each building hosted an author reveal assembly, where students got to watch Elephant and Piggie open a giant box to reveal the author's name. 

As many students guessed Kevin Henkes as the surprise author, they were excited to find out that they were correct. Digital read-alouds of Henkes books started this month and can be found on the #Freeportreads website. 

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, during a game against the Delaware Blue Coats, the Long Island Nets professional basketball team will recognize Bayview Avenue School speech therapist Jamie Rasulo as their Teacher of the Month. 

The Long Island Nets have partnered with Delta Air Lines to recognize outstanding teachers based on excellence in the classroom, commitment to education and the community, leadership abilities, and dedication to students. 

The district congratulates Jamie Rasulo on this outstanding recognition.

Freeport High School hosted the second TRI-M Honors Society Induction on Feb. 7, where Chapter 7760 adviser Mrs. Jill Boardman welcomed 24 new members along with 20 second-year students. The officers were inducted by Mr. Michael LaSorsa and Mrs. Monique Retzlaff. Officers include Gabriel Alvarado, president; Tiffany Tavares, vice president; Lesly-Hannah Gutierrez, treasurer; Leah Hochman, secretary; Hailey Brown, librarian; and Mayralee Martinez, historian. 

Every member was presented with a certificate and a medal for several accomplishments, including achieving a minimum NYSSMA score of 93 level five, maintaining an 85 or higher academic GPA, and proving constant service to the music department. Each installed officer shared moments orchestrating parts of the ceremony, since the society is designed to be mostly student-driven.

Highlights of the evening included members reading their individual responses to an excerpt titled “Who Inspires Them to Make Music?” The entire membership then joined in performing the national TRI-M Song, where choral and instrumental musicians combined successfully under the direction of the society's newly inducted secretary, Leah Hochman. Following the singalong, all in attendance were invited to a private reception, where homemade goodies were donated by Mrs. Melissa Fuentes, Mrs. Ruth Breidenbach and the Music Parents Organization.

It was a packed house at the Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School for the District’s Feb. 6 Board of Education meeting, as district board members and administrators honored 25 staff members for their 20 years of service and dedication in the district and students. Together, the honorees have served a collective 500 years in the district. Each honoree received a plaque and a pin as a token of appreciation for their hard work and devotion. 

“Our wonderful colleagues have given 20 years of dedicated and committed service to our children, our district and our communities,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham. “All the great work that’s going on in the district would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of each and every one of you. On behalf of the school district, it’s with great pride and admiration we congratulate all of you for reaching this very important milestone.” 

Archer school’s third-grade dual language classes participated in a variety of interactive activities in honor of Spirit Day. Activities included students dumping balloons into bins without touching the floor and moving pencils using only their fingertips while listening to explicit directions. This event engaged team building and promoted character within students. 

The Freeport High School hosted the fifth annual Freeport Robotics Competition, where 35 robotics teams from 18 schools/community groups from around Long Island/NYC/Westchester competed. This was the largest event the district has ever hosted.

Freeport had six teams compete, including three high school teams (FHS Club Team A, FHS Club Team B and FHS Club Team D), which were led by adviser Mr. Kevin Harrison; two J.W. Dodd Middle School teams (Dodd Club A and Dodd Club B), which were led by advisers Mrs. Kristen Santamaria and Mrs. Jennifer Cotrone; and a Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School team (Atkinson Club A), which was led by adviser Mr. Matt Yatsalya. Each club had nearly 20 student members.  

FHS Club Team D scored the highest out of the district and were quarterfinalists in the tournament. They are also ranked 28th in New York State. In two weeks, the team will find out whether or not they will be invited to attend the state championships in March at East Rockaway Junior-Senior High School.

Ms. Ferriso’s and Ms. Smith’s fifth-grade class at Atkinson school had a blast during their math review lesson, where the group of scholars engaged in critical thinking and discussed evidence that proved their answers. For the lesson, students were divided into groups and then rotated to five stations that featured math challenges including adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions. At two stations, students worked independently to solve and discuss posted problems, and at a third station students worked on Fraction Nation using their Chromebooks. The last two stations were teacher-led and focused on solving word problems. Students enjoyed the interactive lesson, where one student expressed, “Wow, this is so much fun!”

Columbus Avenue School, J.W. Dodd Middle School and New Visions School participated in several activities to celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

At Columbus, students in Ms. Janet Silverman’s class joined their hands together as a symbol of Dr. King's hope of spreading equality, freedom and kindness throughout the world. Students in Ms. Amanda Rodriguez's art classes participated in New York State Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Student Art and Essay Exhibition, where they created artwork that focused on Dr. King's six principles of nonviolence and crafted portraits of Dr. King. Students worked collaboratively to follow Dr. King's ideas of unity and community. Their artwork will be on view in the exhibition at the Empire State Plaza in Albany throughout the month of February. 

At Dodd, the peer mediation team is sponsoring a stick together mosaic of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., where all students can stop by the library during lunch and afterschool to collaborate on this amazing poster. Students will grab some stickers, check the color key and apply the stickers to the color key coded grid to reveal an eye-popping image. Along with bringing people together to collaborate, stick together mosaics provide a chance to focus on the “A” in STEAM and offer embedded opportunities to foster critical thinking, prediction and social skills.

Meanwhile, students at New Visions participated in an assembly where various classes performed songs and recited poetry to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. King. The assembly also recognized four fourth-grade students who were nominated for the Martin Luther King Award. Jennyfer Rodriguez was crowned the winner of the award, based on her ability to demonstrate the non-violent virtues and qualities of Dr. King.

The District is committed to educating its students on the importance of mental health and wellness. The district hosted two We Are All a Little “Crazy” assemblies at Freeport High School and J.W. Dodd Middle School. We Are All a Little “Crazy” is a nonprofit organization founded by Eric Kussin, former sports executive, with a mission to highlight the significance of mental wellness. These assemblies were funded by The Sophia Valsamos Foundation.

Through the organization, Kussin also developed the #Samehere movement, where people hand gesture “same here” in sign language to show others that they’re not alone in any struggles they are facing.

Kussin shared his life story with students about his struggle with mental health and how he overcame the battle. Another presenter, Eric Kelly, former four-time national boxing champion and former member of the U.S. National Olympic team, also shared his story as well.

Kelly advised students to act as a sponge by taking in what positively affects them and filtering out what negatively affects them. “You may get knocked down a few times, but the fight isn’t over,” Kelly said. “Everyone has struggles but don’t give up.” 

Kussin provided students with helpful strategies to relieve stress, such as breathing techniques, meditation and exercising.  

Students also heard from Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, owner of Hartstein Psychological Services and psychologist specializing in CBT/DBT. Dr. Hartstein advised students to ask for help when battling challenges.

Don’t miss tonight’s “Annie Jr.” performance, which will be presented by the talented students of J.W. Dodd Middle School. Led by directors Vashti Burke and Demelina Valonzo, Dodd students will entertain the audience with the classic tale of orphan Annie. The production will be held tonight at 7 p.m. in the performing arts center at Freeport High School.

Bayview Avenue School’s third-grade students’ artistic talents were in full force as they kicked off their projects for the Artifacts Alive program. In conjunction with Hofstra University Museum of Art, students were instructed by art teacher Laurie Kolodny to begin the first steps in creating their own masks. These different assignments included crafting Kenyan Masks, Chinese Opera Masks and Brazilian Masks.

Students traced their designs with a pencil for the first step. During this process, they learned to trace inlines, how to effectively create a diamond shape, and that their masks must be symmetrical. Students will make their masks unique by adding color and some decorative pizazz. 

Atkinson school recently held its Parent University, where Lead Teachers discussed ways parents can proactively monitor their child’s use of the Chromebook. There was information given about child friendly academic sites that students can be using. The teachers explained how they integrate the Chromebook into their classroom lessons and provided examples of student success. Other topics of conversation were detecting warning signs of what to look out for in cases of cyberbullying and ways to bridge their concerns to the school. Parents also had the opportunity to have their questions answered by teachers and by each other. 

Bayview Avenue School’s second-, third- and fourth-grade students received an exciting visit from members of the New York Islanders professional hockey team. 

In an assembly, the Islanders stressed to the students the importance of making smart decisions, eating healthy, staying active and treating others with respect. In addition, the Islanders also helped students realize why being committed to making smart decisions and working as a team are important in school and life.

The district is proud to announce that five High School athletes signed their national letters of intent to continue their athletic career next fall at the college of their choice.

Mia Almonte will be attending SUNY Old Westbury to play soccer; Jordan Jackson will be attending Stony Brook University to play football; Justin Lescouflair will be attending U.S. Military Academy/West Point to play football; Hayley Matthews will be attending Dominican College to play soccer; and Shannon Welcome will be attending Central Connecticut State College to join the swim team.

The district congratulates all five students and wishes them a successful journey at the collegiate level.

 

The High School is proud to announce that senior Dehandra Blackwood has been named a semifinalist in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program. This is an achievement-based scholarship that is awarded to students in recognition of their capacity to lead and serve in their schools and communities.
 
Blackwood was one of 1,896 students across the nation who were selected as a semifinalist out of more than 95,000 applicants. She will be competing for 150 college scholarships valued at $20,000.
 
The district congratulates Blackwood and wishes her the best of luck.

Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School’s fourth-grade students displayed high-energy and enthusiasm, as they used math and movement mats to review fractions and other topics.

The mats, which included place value mat, clock hop floor mat, add/subtract mat (hundreds chart), and equivalent fraction mat, encouraged students to roll large dice, jump, hop and line up to solve problems and carry out the activities.

The mats were purchased through a grant called “Leaping to Math and Science Success” through the Freeport Education Foundation. The purpose is to deliver multisensory learning approaches that sharpen student skills to succeed in the respective subject. 

Students at Bayview school were hard at work during the holidays, crafting notes, cards and pictures for troops overseas. Their efforts brought smiles to many soldiers who were stationed in Afghanistan during the holiday season.

The Freeport High School Human Relations Club hosted inspirational events to honor International Human Rights Day. The day kicked off with a presentation from Holocaust survivor and Long Island native Werner Reich presenting, “Werner Unplugged.”

Later that afternoon, students participated in the Speak Truth to Power, an International Virtual Field Trip and Online Discussion with host Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and president of RFK Human Rights, and Kailash Satyarthi, 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Other guests included Van Jones, social entrepreneur, CNN political contributor, Jazz Jennings, LGBTQ rights activist and star of TLC’s “I am Jazz;” Darrick Hamilton, Executive Director of the Ohio State University’s, Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity; and Ibtihaj Muhammad, Olympic Fencing Bronze Medalist. 

In alignment with these special events, the Human Relations Club is implementing their annual initiative to raise awareness and advocate to fight bullying and Antisemitism by selling bracelets with the phrase created by Holocaust survivor Werner Reich, “Be J.U.S.T.” J- (Judge Situation) U- (Understand the problem) S- (Solve the problem) T- (Take action).” The proceeds will go to the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County.

The Atkinson Leadership Team held their annual holiday food drive throughout the month of December. They collected thousands of non-perishable food items that were delivered to students in need, as well as The Inn in Hempstead that serves the Freeport community. The students all took a sense of pride in their efforts knowing that they were helping their community.

The Bayview Avenue School spread holiday cheer in December, while visiting Meadowbrook Care Center in Freeport. Fourth-grade students interacted with senior residents and filled the center with delightful melodies for the senior citizens at the facility by performing select numbers from the holiday program.

The High School Select Chorale have experienced a whirlwind tour performing at multiple prestigious venues under the leadership of choral director Monique Retzlaff. 

They opened their tour performing for tourists at the Empire State Building on Nov. 27, and then received the honor of singing the national anthem at the Kentucky vs. Seton Hall college basketball game held at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 8. They also entertained shoppers at Roosevelt Field Mall on Dec. 14 with a set list that consisted mostly of holiday music. 

The group ended their tour with an impressive performance at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Dec. 19, where they were selected to perform their own hourlong concert of beautiful repertoire. The packed cathedral was most appreciative of their professional-quality execution of fine choral music and gave the talented group a standing ovation. Attending the impressive performance were members of the Freeport Board of Education, administrators, community members, Select Chorale parents, friends and alumni. It was a memorable afternoon showcasing the finest in Freeport.

Ms. Velez and Ms. Appel’s third-grade Dual Language students at Archer school joined together to do something special for soldiers that are thousands of miles away from their families by donating 100 golf balls to Bunkers in Baghdad during the holiday season. 

Founded in 2008, the nonprofit organization collects new and used golf balls and golf clubs and then ships them overseas to soldiers stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Third-graders learned a great deal about the organization and about the importance of giving back. Students enjoyed collecting and decorating the golf balls, knowing that they’re actions will bring smiles to many. 

Students at Giblyn school are kicking off their school day with a warm good morning greeting after the school introduced “Kindness Ambassadors” for the first time during its annual spirit week, where each student was greeted in a special way when starting the school day. 

Each classroom received a choice greeting board that was hung outside of the room and as the students entered, they chose how they wanted to be greeted, whether that’s by a handshake or a hug. The first day was demonstrated by the teachers and then students took the lead in the days that followed. Since the activity was a huge success, teachers will be continuing the movement throughout the school year.

Holiday cheer was spread throughout the district, as each school hosted its annual Winter Festival of the Arts. 

Students took to their respective stages to showcase their creative and musical talents by performing classic holiday melodies for their families, district staff and administrators and members of the board of education.

Students added to the festive ambiance at the schools by exhibiting their holiday-themed artwork for attendees to view. 

The district extends its congratulations to high school seniors Shannon Quinton and Justin Lescouflair on their outstanding Physical Education Awards from the Nassau Zone of New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. 

Nassau Zone selects one male and one female who demonstrate New York State learning standards for Health and Physical Education. These NYS standards include living a physically active lifestyle, high level of fitness during testing, leadership, and exceptional achievement within physical education class. 

The district commemorates both students on this outstanding achievement. 

Kindergarten students’ senses at Columbus school were alive with a variety of different spices and seasonings, as they explored the ingredients for making gingerbread cookies. The lesson prepared students for when they’ll craft the gingerbread cookies themselves in January. While executing the technique for making these delectable treats, students will also write down the steps in their how-to books.

New Visions School was filled with holiday spirit, as staff members, students and parents participated in holiday themed STEM activities. The festive and educational event, which has been dubbed De'STEM'ber day, kicked off the holiday break.

With help from teachers and parents, students executed hands-on activities and worked as a team by crafting a structure using Legos, designing a trap for gingerbread man, manufacturing snow, making holiday cookies, building Christmas trees and more.

Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students at Columbus Avenue School were beaming with joy as they received a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

During their visit, Santa and Mrs. Claus gave an exciting reading of the book “Chicken in Mittens” by Adam Lehrhaupt. After that, students lined up to meet the iconic Christmas couple, where they sat on Santa’s lap to tell him what they wanted for Christmas this year.

Each student was given a copy of “Chicken in Mittens” and completed the meet and greet with a class photo. 

Throughout the month of November, students and staff of Archer Street and Leo F. Giblyn schools brought in donations of canned and packaged foods, paper goods, plastic ware and other non-perishable items that were then donated to Our Holy Redeemer Parish Outreach of Freeport.
 
Archer school hosted its holiday “Giving Tree,” where each person who donated had their name written on a "Giving Tree" bulletin board that was on display outside the principal's office. At Giblyn, the presidents and vice-presidents of the fourth-grade classes made announcements every afternoon about which classes brought in the most donations each day.

Archer donated 20 cartons of food and Giblyn raised a total of 2,466 of food items to help provide meals for the needy and the homeless.

Wings were flying and faces were beaming at Archer school, as representatives from the Long Island Children’s Museum presented its “Up in the Air” lesson to third-grade classes.

The program allows students the opportunity to explore the science of flight by enabling them to participate in several hands-on activities and teamwork initiatives, including crafting their own gliders, paper wings and parachutes.

Students were eager to put their projects together, which they brought home with them after the lesson. 

The District is proud to announce that the Red Devils varsity football team won this year’s coveted Rutgers Cup, during the Nassau County Football Coaches Association banquet at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.

This is the 12th time the Red Devils won the Rutgers Cup since 1937. Freeport holds the record for the highest number of Rutgers Cup wins across Long Island.

This recognition follows the team’s successful season, as the reigning Long Island Conference I Champions. This is Freeport’s sixth Long Island Championship win, with victories in 2016, 2010, 2009, 2003 and 2000. 

“Our football program is second to none and a constant reminder of what can be achieved through commitment and determination to succeed,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham. “Congratulations to everyone on the team and to coach Cellan and our coaching staff for another outstanding and most memorable season.”

In addition, the Red Devils claimed this year’s Nassau County Conference 1 title and completed its season undefeated, with a total of 12 victories. The Red Devils has also claimed nine county championship titles as well.

As head coach of the Red Devils for 32 years, Russ Cellan was recognized for his efforts this season during the banquet and received the Nassau County Coaches Association Coach of the Year award, for his second time, and the Conference I Coach of the Year, for his eighth time.