The Valley Stream District Thirteen Board of Education honored fifty students at a Board meeting in celebration of their being selected as participants in the Nassau Music Educators Association’s (NMEA) All-County Music Festival for 2011-2012. “Remember tonight, and practice, practice, practice. We are all proud of your accomplishments,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund in recognition of the overall achievements of this group and the privilege of having so many fifth and sixth-grade students from District Thirteen selected for participation. After a few practice sessions, these children performed in concert at the Tilles Center on the C.W. Post campus in mid-January.
The students qualified for All-County based on their scores at the annual New York State School Music Association adjudications held each spring. “It all starts here at the elementary level,” said Board of Education President Dr. Frank Chiachiere as he addressed the students, their teachers and their families. Dr. Chiachiere had the honor of personally congratulating each student as he handed out commemorative certificates.
District Coordinator of Music and Fine Arts Mr. Michael Soscia presented a placard to the Board and administration, thanking them for their support of the arts in education. The number of students selected from each of the four schools was as follows: eighteen students from James A. Dever, twelve from Howell Road, and ten each from Wheeler Avenue and Willow Road.
All but five students attended the Board meeting. Those who were unable to attend will receive their certificates at school from their music teachers.
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Students district wide celebrated American Education Week by sharing their knowledge with their parents and friends. Every grade level welcomed visitations by parents in which they were able to participate in a lesson along with their child.
Students at Wheeler Avenue School, in Grades 1 through 5, and Grade 6 parents were excited to visit the Grade 6 Egyptian Museum, where students proudly shared their knowledge, and showcased their projects and reports.
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For the past three years, Wheeler Avenue School second grade teacher Mrs. Carey has organized a students and teachers fundraising event to benefit the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). This year, the second grade collected an amazingly generous amount of $577.44 for UNICEF! This was an outstanding donation made possible by the generosity of Wheeler Avenue students and families. Thanks to this donation, children in need will be able to obtain much needed medicine, drinking water and school supplies.
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Willow Road Elementary School students had the chance to experience democracy this November during the annual election of student council officers. Students seeking election delivered prepared speeches before their peers. Included in the speeches were their hopes and goals for the year and reasons why they felt they were the best candidates for the office they were running to occupy. This year’s candidates were sixth-grade students (presidential candidates) Laila Drosman, Marissa McCafferty, Michael Russo, (vice presidential candidates) Jessica Brand, Amanda Davi, Julia Esposito, (secretarial candidates) Daniela Crimi, Alexa D'Arienzo and Megan Restivo.
Congratulations to this year’s newly elected officers:
President - Michael Russo
Vice President - Jessica Brand
Secretary - Alexa D'Arienzo
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Coming together to celebrate their appreciation for music, nine third-grade student-musicians from Howell Road Elementary School recently attended the 10th Annual PEAK (Parents, Educators and Kids) Festival at Freeport High School, sponsored by the Nassau Music Educators Association. Incepted 10 years ago, the PEAK Festival was developed as a special day to celebrate the learning that occurs in the general music classroom setting. The festival features special workshops that each student attends to enrich his or her musical education.
Accompanied by their parents and Howell Road general music teacher Michael Rodgers, the nine students participated in select workshops which focused on topics such as African drumming, ukulele playing, use of classroom instruments, dance and movement, and theatre arts, as well as a special chorus workshop with Dr. Stephan Pagano from Five Towns College. The students were engaged by the workshops and were thrilled to be joined by District Thirteen Superintendent of Schools Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund for the showcase performance at the end of the day.
Sergio Alcala, Stephanie Parkinson, Elise Gurrier, Alexander Douglass, Julia Acosta, Kamille Shresta, Sarah Tarquino, Kashmiraa Pandit, and Victoria Ling proudly represented Howell Road School at this year’s PEAK Festival and embraced the learning opportunities presented during the special program. “This was the best day ever,” Alcala commented of his experience. The third graders’ participation in PEAK helped to prepare their foundation as students who will excel in music throughout their educational years.
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Mrs. Waxman's Wonderful World of First Grade has been reading about the Pilgrims and their every day vocabulary. These brave pioneers spoke very differently than people do today! Luckily, there is a glossary in the back of the books the students read to help them learn the translation of the Pilgrims’ words. The students decided to make a class book so that they could help the people at Plymouth Plantation understand the meanings of words used today. Some examples would be… We eat our "stew." They ate their "pottage." We say, "Oh no!" They say "Oh marry!" If you fall down and scrape your knee, you would say, "My knee hurts!" The pioneers would say, "My knee smarts!" The students made use of the Smartboard to make their alphabetical glossary. This activity was in line with the Common Core New York State Learning Standards of using a glossary! In order to be as realistic as possible, the students even dressed as pioneers. Their class book entitled, "Good Day, Pilgrim Friends!" will circulate throughout the class to be shared with all of the families. The students thank the parents who came to help them with their project on American Education day.
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Each year, Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen includes beautifully crafted student artwork in its school calendar. Throughout the school year students work to create these pieces based on the District’s calendar theme, which for 2011-2012 was “Dignity for All Students.” At their October meeting, the District’s Board of Education members commended the students featured in this year’s publication and praised them for their outstanding artistic talents. Each student responsible for creating artwork for the calendar received a certificate of appreciation from the Board of Education.
Congratulations to the following students (listed by the school they attended during the 2010-2011 school year) for being a special part of this year’s school calendar:
| James A. Dever Nina Crawford Audrey D’Aulisa Jamie Espinal Hannah Katz Colleen Knoblach Erika Waszak |
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| Howell Road Brianna Daniel Danielle Haye Sasha Palminteri Zachary Rode Rowaida Wardak |
Wheeler Avenue Shaleah Abreu Matt Cardi Xavier Fernandez Ana Isabel Lebron |
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In celebration of this year’s Board of Education Recognition Night, Howell Road Elementary School students presented each member of the Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen Board of Education with a special token of their appreciation, to recognize all that the volunteers do for their school and the District’s students.
During the presentation, which was hosted in conjunction with the Board’s regular meeting in late October, each Board member was presented with a “passport” and information about visiting the “Seven Wonders of Howell Road School” during the remainder of the school year. In addition to the passports, each member received a boarding pass and a suitcase containing a special book that they can read aloud when visiting the children at Howell Road.
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The Valley Stream Thirteen School District Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund welcome the district’s newest staff members. From left to right: music teacher Jessica Zhu at Wheeler Avenue School; art teacher Donna Geidel at Willow Road School; ESL teacher Jennifer Glatzer at Willow Road School; and librarian Rachel Muchtin at Howell Road School.
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Valley Stream School District 13 is proud to announce that twelve students representing each of the District’s four schools will be featured during the Art Supervisors Association’s Seventh Annual Nassau All-County Art Exhibition.
This exhibition will honor 1,128 kindergarten through twelfth-grade students who have demonstrated excellence in a wide variety of two-dimensional visual art forms, including drawing, painting, printmaking, computer graphics, and photography. Student entries are selected by art educators and are limited to a maximum of three pieces of artwork from each teacher. All of the exemplary pieces are produced in alignment with the New York State Learning Standards for the Visual Arts. This year, 384 art educators from 212 schools in 39 Nassau County school districts submitted student artwork for this prestigious exhibit.
The exhibit will run from 12:00 noon-4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, 2011 at the Ruth S. Harley University Center on the campus of Adelphi University. The Art Supervisors Association of Nassau County proudly welcomes students, parents, art educators, administrators, and community members to attend the 2011 Nassau All-County Art Exhibition.
Congratulations to the following students who will be featured and their teachers for encouraging their artistic ambitions:
Willow Road School – Teacher Michelle Daddino
Isabella DiClemente
Santo Nunnari
Hannah Rhode
James A. Dever School – Teacher Janis Boremski
Jamie Alimo
Christopher Schwabe
Sophia Thomson
Howell Road School – Teacher Karen Martorana
Ethan Birchell
Ariana Goorahoo
Amir Grant
Wheeler Avenue School – Teachers Michael Soscia and Monica Nedab
Thomas Colgan
Raymon Hughes
Kimberly Rambarren
The Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen is proud to announce that Wheeler Avenue Elementary School fifth grader Christian Robinson has been selected to participate in this year’s Long Island String Festival Association (LISFA) program. Christian is cellist in the school’s orchestra program, which is taught by Mary Frances Scott.
"LISFA is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talents of our string musicians,” stated District Coordinator of Music and Fine Arts Michael Soscia. “Mrs. Scott and I are very proud of Christian’s accomplishments with the cello."
Students are invited to participate in LISFA based on recommendation from a committee of string teachers, who select participants based on representation and NYSSMA scores. This year’s festival will take place at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Middle School in early March.
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In celebration of School Board Recognition Week, the Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen honored and recognized the school’s dedicated Board members and thanked them for the countless hours they volunteer throughout the year.
During the event, which was held at James A. Dever Elementary School, the building’s Senior Chorus performed a 15-minute skit entitled “The Volunteer Academy Awards.” The skit, which was directed by music teacher Johanna DeJose, highlighted important community volunteers such as volunteer firefighters, animal shelter volunteers, and of course, school board members. The performance culminated with a special guest presenter, Town of Hempstead Councilman and Dever parent, Ed Ambrosino.
Councilman Ambrosino presented members of the Board of Education with a citation, and certificates of appreciation for their dedication and hard work. Closing the ceremony, the James A. Dever Chorus showed their appreciation as they sang, “Hooray for Board Members.”
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District Thirteen students arrived at their respective school buildings on Wednesday, September 8th to enthusiastically start a new school year together. For the incoming kindergarten class that day marked the start of their educational journey while for the district’s sixth graders it symbolized their last “first day” as District Thirteen students. The transition from summer vacation to the new school year was seamless and the District looks forward to another great year.
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Valley Stream Union Free School District Thirteen welcomed seven new professionals to the District this September and conducted a new teacher orientation program at the James A. Dever Elementary School prior to the start of school.
During the event, the new staff members were provided with an overview of the District’s policies, procedures, and educational philosophy. Additionally, they were given access to their email accounts and received a tutorial on how to utilize the variety of technological resources available in the District.
The District proudly welcomes (l-r, back) Lauren Sposito, Willow Road math teacher; Danielle Vitulli, Howell Road sixth-grade teacher; Adrienne Hennawi, Howell Road librarian; Jennifer Ferreiro, Wheeler Avenue sixth-grade teacher; (front) Lindsay Basso, Willow Road/Howell Road speech teacher; Kristan Lotito, Willow Road music teacher; Christy Taveira, James A. Dever speech teacher.
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