Wheeler Avenue School Events

2011-2012 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.

Chinese Lunar New Year Celebrations at Wheeler

Mrs. Conway, Ms. Park, and Mrs. Sand, class mothers in Mrs. Vidakovic’s second grade class, visited on Monday, January 26th to celebrate Lunar New Year. Mrs. Conway read a Korean folktale called The Story Of Two Brothers that she translated into English. She beautifully illustrated the story on a scroll, which was very exciting for the children to see. Mrs. Conway organized five games that the class played. With the help of Ms. Park, Ms. Sand and Allan's brother, Emmet, the stuents enjoyed making origami happiness pocketbooks, and playing Yut-No-Ri, O-Mok, Chopsticks, Origami and Jae-Gee. After the games were over, Mrs. Conway taught the children how to bow and say Happy New Year in Korean, "Saehae-Bok-Mahni-Bahduh-Saeyo!" The children had so much fun! Thank you Mrs. Conway!

Mrs. Conway, Mrs. Oliveri and Mrs. Rivera, class mothers in Mrs. Gorman’s fourth grade class, also visited on Tuesday, January 26th to celebrate Lunar New Year. Mrs. Conway first read a Korean story, Story of Hungbu and Nolbu, that she translated into English. Her sons Emmett and Allen held a story scroll that she drew to display the scenes. It was spectacular. She also introduced several activities including a game that had the students picking up small items using chopsticks, Jae Gee (which is like hackeysack), Omok, and Yut-Nor-Yi. The students also made origami happiness pocketbooks. It was a great morning!

Mrs. Waxman's Wonderful World of ANIMAL EXTRAVAGANZA!

As an added component to their unit of science, students in Mrs. Waxman’s first-grade class each chose an animal of interest to research and learn more about. The students were placed into committees based on their animal's habitat...ocean/pond, grasslands, farm and forest. After conducting their research, the students developed a family portrait of their animal and created a habitat carousel of separate tri-oramas using clay and a lazy Susan. They also created interactive books entitled, How to Bring Your Animal To School. The books each contained interesting information including which foods should be served in the cafeteria when the animals visit as well as a creative song to be sung in music class and an interesting fact to be presented for Show and Tell. This genre was named "niction" which is a combination of non-fiction fiction. The students also became "-ologists" putting together their very first research reports about their animal. In addition to building upon their research, creative writing and team building skills, the students became more knowledgeable about their animals of choice and had an ANIMAL-TASTIC time.

We Can All Be Bucket Fillers

Students in Mrs. Seaman’s third-grade class at Wheeler Avenue School welcomed special guest reader Assemblyman Brian Curran. He spoke with the children about the importance of respecting one other and read Is Your Bucket Full? by Carol McCloud. Assemblyman Curran also talked with the students about the importance of being a “bucket filler,” someone who does and says nice things for other people, rather than being a “bucket dipper” who does just the opposite and causes others to feel bad. The students enjoyed the time spent with Assemblyman Curran and learned a valuable lesson.

Ask Us About Penguins

Wheeler Avenue second-graders shared their newly acquired knowledge and interesting facts and opinions about penguins with members of the Wheeler Avenue PTA. Students in Mrs. Buehre’s, Mrs. Carey’s, Mrs. Corr’s, Ms. Morgan’s and Mrs. Vidakovic’s classes each read books about penguins including Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater. Using taxonomy charts the students highlighted their work.

Mrs. Buehre’s students took turns reading and were given post-it notes to write interesting facts, which they shared on their taxonomy chart. Mrs. Carey’s students made their taxonomy chart by collecting new vocabulary words after reading each chapter of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Each student selected one vocabulary word and gave the definition, part of speech and used the word in a sentence. Mrs. Corr’s class also read Mr. Popper’s Penguins and each student made their own chart containing facts and opinions. Ms. Morgan’s class read a variety of non-fiction books about penguins and completed a taxonomy chart of facts. Each student then chose a letter of the alphabet and wrote a sentence about penguins with a descriptive word beginning with that letter. Mrs. Vidakovic’s class read a story about Emperor penguins and learned how to take notes by writing important words on a taxonomy chart. They then wrote their own facts about Emperor penguins from their list of words.

The Safety Patrol Is Here

The Safety Patrol at Wheeler Avenue School has begun. You may have seen sixth-grade students who are members of the Safety Patrol standing in the hallways, wearing safety patrol belts and badges. As members of the Wheeler Avenue Safety Patrol, they are responsible for setting an example of commendable behavior. Safety Patrol members must sign in, report to their posts, keep students safe, remind their fellow students of school safety rules, and assist students who may need help. To become a member, students must demonstrate responsible behavior, receive positive recommendations from their teachers, and write an essay on why they want to be on the Safety Patrol. The goal of this group is to provide a sense of school spirit and maintain a safe and positive atmosphere at Wheeler Avenue School.

LEARNING ABOUT EATING HEALTHY

Students at Wheeler Avenue School had a special visit from the Nutrition Safari Ranger and Grant the Gazelle, courtesy of the District’s school food service. The guests visited with all of the classes during their lunch periods, with the purpose of educating students in an entertaining manner about the importance of eating the right foods to stay nourished and healthy. The students were delighted to see Grant the Gazelle and to learn from the Nutrition Safari Ranger, who emphasized the value of making smart food choices and the benefits of eating healthy snacks such as apples, carrots and celery.

Walk This Way and Follow Me

Wheeler Avenue School's reading aide, Nancy Semos, is known to the first graders as "The Mileage Teacher”! Every day during her lunch period or after school, she makes her way around the mileage track created by the school’s gym teachers, Mrs. Miller and Mr. Prim. Not only has she earned charm after charm for her health conscious efforts, but she has also inspired the first graders to follow in her footsteps!

Ms. Semos visited each first grade class to explain the program and to discuss the importance of exercise and being fit. You could say that she has "charmed" them into joining the Mileage Club!

Wheeler Wonderland Spotlights Class of 2012

The baby showcase for Wheeler Avenue grade six students was instituted approximately fifteen years ago. Each sixth-grade student and teachers provides a baby picture, and the showcase is created based on the grade six theme for the year. Sixth-grade parents formed the committee that worked on creating the showcase. This year, the grade six theme is “Wheeler Wonderland.” This theme is used on the students’ T-shirts, end of the year party, yearbook, etc.

All of the sixth grade students were very excited to visit the Wheeler Baby Wonderland that was unveiled on Thursday, December 15, 2011. Each class had the opportunity to experience the showcase being unveiled, displaying a carnival wonderland starring Wheeler Avenue’s Class of 2012.

Celebrating American Education Week

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.

Feeding the Hungry

Wheeler Avenue Student Council is holding its annual Food Drive for Island Harvest. Island Harvest is Long Island’s largest hunger-relief organization who collected 8 million pounds of food last year. Local food pantries have seen a dramatic increase in need, and the Wheeler Avenue Student Council is partnering with Island Harvest and holding its annual food drive to collect food to help feed the hungry here in our own communities.

Kids Who Care

Wheeler Avenue School have a long standing tradition of collecting toys for needy children during the winter holiday season. At our annual December Holiday Breakfast, our students come with new toys to donate and help make the season a happy one for children in need. These toys are collected by the United States Marine Corps. and distributed to those children.

Pictured are 5th grader, Peter Taliercio and 1st graders, Lauren Skilros and Julian Franco.

Valley Stream Thirteen Students Care

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.

How Do You Say…

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.

Democracy in Action

Wheeler Avenue School’s Student Council Assembly was held on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 9:20 A.M. to give candidates running for Student Council office a chance to present their platforms and speeches. The candidates running for office were:

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:

Expanding Learning Beyond the Classroom

As a special hands-on lesson to their studies on salt marsh ecology, the fifth-grade students in Guy Jacob’s class at Wheeler Avenue Elementary School embarked on a field trip to the Oceanside Marine Nature Study Area.

While the students have seined the waters and discovered many fascinating sea creatures, which they were able to watch every day in their classroom aquarium, the trip provided them with the opportunity to take a closer look at the topics they have studied. During this year’s visit to the study area, the students discovered and learned numerous details about horseshoe crabs and the many non-marine life forms found in the salt marsh, such as the grasshopper. Having observed such a wide variety and abundance of flora and fauna at the study area for the very first time in their lives, the trip left an indelible mark on the young scientists and memories sure to last a lifetime.

Displaying Artistic Talents

Art teachers from throughout New York State submitted student artwork for possible display during this year’s New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) Conference, which was held in Buffalo in late October. The original pieces created Wheeler Avenue Elementary School students, Sayyam Rashid and Dylan Roca, were selected for exhibit at the conference.

The students’ pieces were displayed at the annual NYSSBA event and admired by school board members and administrators from throughout New York State. To personally commend the students, District Thirteen’s Board of Education and Leadership Team publicly recognized the outstanding young artists during their October meeting.

An Educational Fashion Statement

The students in Mrs. Waxman’s first-grade class at Wheeler Avenue School are taking learning to a new level this year, as they are literally wearing their lessons on their sleeves. To help them recognize “sight words,” or the certain set of words that cannot be sounded out phonetically, the students have decorated dresses and overalls with the often-tricky words. The first graders are certainly making a very educational fashion statement with their “said,” “they,” “school,” “friend,” and “the” clothing accessories.

Celebrating Wheeler’s Multiple Cultures

Wheeler Avenue Elementary School recently held its annual Multicultural Fair in celebration of the diverse number of world cultures that make up the school population. During the event, eighteen families shared information about their heritage, including their native country, the typical cuisine enjoyed by their culture, their customs, and their native dress. Among the countries that were featured were the Dominican Republic, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

Working to Fill Others’ Buckets

The entire student body as well as every staff member at Wheeler Avenue School is participating in a valuable character-building program called Bucket Fillers. To kick off their participation in the program, each teacher read the book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today?” by Carol McCloud and discussed the concept of how everyone carries around an invisible bucket, which is filled when others say and do nice things.

To demonstrate how they are committed to being bucket-filling people, each student and teacher created a colorful piece of paper in the shape of a bucket, which they decorated with ways in which they can be safe, respectful, responsible, or caring people. The completed paper buckets were placed on the school’s central bulletin board along with a picture of the author. Wheeler Avenue School is certainly off to a good start at working to make the world a better place, one bucket at a time.

Walking Toward Healthier Lives

Wheeler Avenue School students are exercising not only their minds but also their bodies this year as they participate in the school’s mileage club, which is designed to encourage students to set goals for a healthy lifestyle.

At recess, students are permitted to walk the mileage club course and record their progress on mileage club cards. For every five miles walked, the students receive tokens or charms as a means of positive reinforcement. While each student’s completed miles are totaled, a running grand total for the school is also documented beside a map in the cafeteria, which allows the students to see just how far they have walked as a school. As students work together as a team, they can achieve their personal goals as well as the school goal of walking across America.

In addition to the miles walked during school hours, students can also receive mileage club credit for walking in community walks for charities or healthy causes. Parents are encouraged to simply send in a note indicating the event in which their child participated and the distance they walked.

Wheeler Commemorates 9/11

In honor of the tenth anniversary of September 11, Wheeler Avenue School students and faculty wore various combinations of red, white and blue and gathered on the blacktop for a special remembrance ceremony. During the event, sixth-grade students Madison Kelly and Amanda Shaukat read anonymous poems about September 11, and flowers were placed on the 9/11 Memorial Bench in front of Wheeler Avenue School.

Wheeler Has Spirit

Wheeler Avenue School celebrated School Spirit Day in late September with an assembly program for all grade levels that emphasized “Bucket Fill-osophy 101,” positive behavior and school spirit. During the program, Dr. Leest, Dr. Zerillo and Mrs. Stirrat discussed the importance of school spirit and the building’s bucket-filling philosophy with the students. A short video was shown demonstrating proper behavior in all areas of the school according to the school-wide matrix.

Throughout the year, each classroom will participate in positive behavior and “fill-a-bucket” activities. In addition, a “Bucket-Fillers” monthly newsletter will be distributed to all teachers with tips on positive behavior reinforcement.

Students Return Back to School Eager to Learn

Students in the Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen returned to school this September eager and ready to learn. With backpacks filled to the brim with new school supplies, the students arrived at their respective school buildings where they were greeted by teachers and administrators. With many activities and engaging lessons planned, the year ahead is sure to be a highly productive and fulfilling one for all.