James A. Dever School Events

District 13 Honors 50 All-County Participants

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.

Winter Happenings

Holiday time is a busy season for the student performance groups at James A. Dever Elementary School. The school’s band, orchestra and senior chorus always wow the audience during the building’s winter concert, while the sixth-grade wind ensemble lights up the nighttime sky at the Lighting of Malverne and the North Valley Stream Tree Lighting.

Additionally, the students in the building’s junior chorus and student council can be seen spreading holiday cheer to the residents at the North Shore/LIJ Franklin Hospital Orzac Rehabilitation Center. This year, the students will be singing holiday songs and bringing cards, wreaths and bookmarks to their friends around the corner. Lastly, the school’s students are once again looking forward to the holiday sing-a-long for grades K-2 and the sign language holiday assembly.

Granting Holiday Wishes

James A. Dever Elementary School’s student council, along with student council advisor Ms. DeMeo and school social worker Mrs. Devine, have teamed up together to help families in the Valley Stream community this holiday season.

This year, the school is helping to make holiday wishes comes true for children by presenting them with holiday gifts and donations that have been given to the school by Dever families and staff. The gifts will be wrapped and distributed to the families during the last week of school in December. James A. Dever students and staff wish all families a safe and happy holiday season.

Dever Readers Honored by NYS Assembly

NYS Assemblyman Edward Ra visited the James A. Dever Elementary School to recognize the accomplishments of the entire school and its exceptional dedication to student reading. Dever was recognized with a NYS Assembly Proclamation, the highest honor awarded by the legislature, for Outstanding Participation in the 2011 NYS Assembly’s Summer Reading Challenge.

This year, Dever had more participants than twenty other participating schools within the 21st District. In addition to the proclamation, Assemblyman Ra presented the student participants with individual certificates. He also spent time with them in the library to discuss the importance of reading, as well as what he, as a legislator, does in Albany.

Book Swap Kicks Off Dever READ

For many years, the James A. Dever PTA has sponsored the READ (Read Everyday at Dever) Program for all of the school’s students. Keeping with tradition, the school begins the program each year with a kickoff celebration, which this year was a book swap.

Families donated some of their favorite gently-used books so that others could enjoy them, too. Students and parents attended the swap, browsing the hundreds of donated books and sharing their favorite memories about the books they had read as they “shopped around.”

The following day, all of the students were able to visit the James A. Dever “bookstore” and select a brand-new book to keep. Throughout the years, parents and teachers have helped to select the books that the PTA purchases for distribution, as to ensure a wide variety of titles in different genres and at different reading and interest levels. All of the students and parents had a great time attending the book swap and selecting their READ book to take home.

Board Honors Calendar Artists

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:

Reading as a Community

This school year marks the 17th anniversary of the James A. Dever School Intergenerational Reading Partners Program, and the initiative is stronger than ever. Pairing Dever students with senior citizens from the community, the program aims to foster a love of reading in the school’s youngsters while supporting their developing literacy skills.

As in the past, the program kicked off earlier this year with a delicious brunch for the reading volunteers, which was sponsored by the PTA. During each of the school’s lunch periods, the program’s students had the chance to spend their recess time reading with their senior partner in the school library. The students will continue to meet with their senior mentors every Monday.

Throughout the remainder of the year, the pairs will not only read together, but develop relationships that in many cases may last for years. What more can be said for a program that bridges the generational gap as well as encourages the love of reading?

Taking a Stand Against Bullying

After reading the Time for Kids magazine article “Law and Order,” the sixth-grade students in Ms. Phillips’ class at James A. Dever School discussed the nationally growing issue of bullying and ways to address bullying both in and out of school. In an effort to bring their message to others, the students coordinated a peaceful march in early October. After creating protest signs and banners, the class marched on Corona and Franklin Avenues to demonstrate how they were taking a stand against bullying. Many passing motorists showed their support of the students’ work with a wave or honk of their horn. The class hopes that through this effort and the continuing anti-bullying programs conducted schoolwide, others come to realize that bullying and intolerance are two things that are not a part of the way of life at Dever.

Keeping Cyber-Safe!

Peggy Mahoney, Internet Safety Officer for the Town of Hempstead, visited with the students at James A. Dever School to conduct two informative assembly programs centered on the topic of safety.

The powerful assembly for students in grades 3-6 focused on the potential exposure to and exploitation by online predators. The students learned that online strangers can be a very dangerous threat to unsuspecting children and adolescents. They were armed with some important tips for online and offline safety, such as keeping private information off of the Internet. The assembly for students in grades K-2 also focused on staying safe on the Internet, and while out in the community.

In addition, the issues surrounding cyber-bullying were addressed with all grade levels. Handouts provided by Town of Hempstead Councilman Edward Ambrosino, who is also a Dever parent, and Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray’s office, were distributed to the students so that they could share the program’s important messages with their families. The school plans to conduct a special workshop for parents at a PTA meeting later this year, as well as Internet safety workshops for teachers.

Open House Helps Enhance Home-to-School Connection

Not long after their children commenced the 2011-2012 school year, James A. Dever Elementary School parents returned back to school for an exciting “getting to know you” evening program. During the building’s annual open house, teachers shared, with those in attendance, an outline of the curriculum, as well as the expectations for the year. The program was also an excellent opportunity for parents to become acquainted with what an average day in their child’s classroom is like. Many parents also met with special subject area teachers and related support service providers.

Reflecting Back and Remembering

On September 9, James A. Dever Elementary School students and staff members took time during the school day to reflect on what transpired in the country ten years ago on 9/11. During the special ceremony, the school body gathered on the blacktop to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the singing of “America the Beautiful” under the direction of school music teacher Ms. DeJose. Additionally, students Ester Pena and Jaqueline Blain recited poems in remembrance, and school principal Darren Gruen read the book “September 12th, We Knew Everything Would Be All Right,” a story written and illustrated by first-grade students at H. Byron Masterson Elementary in Kennett, Missouri. Before returning to their classrooms, Mr. Gruen spoke about those who lost their lives on 9/11, as well as those first responders who gave so much to help so many on that day. The ceremony closed with the entire James A. Dever school community observing a moment of silence.

Students Head Back to School Eager to Learn

Students in the Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen returned to school this September eager and ready to learn. Whether they walked to school or were driven by a parent or their bus driver, when the students arrived at their respective school buildings they were greeted by teachers and administrators. With their new book bags and supplies in hand, they ventured down the halls of the school to their new classrooms, eager to learn what was in store for the year.

While the youngest students, the building’s incoming kindergarteners, approached the day with a mix of joyful anticipation and a bit of hesitation, the school’s older students rejoiced to be back with all of their friends. As the newest members of the Dever school family became familiar with their new surroundings, their parents were invited to participate in a “Coffee, Tea, and Tears” program. The annual ritual, hosted by the Dever PTA, took place in the school’s cafeteria.

With many activities and engaging lessons planned for the weeks and months ahead, the 2011-2012 year is sure to be a highly productive and fulfilling one for all.