Mr. John C. McNamara
High school students enrolled in Peter Kravitz’s Journalism I and II classes were among 300 students who attended Hofstra University’s annual Press Day in December.
The Mandalay library was buzzing with the sound of fifth-grade students reading their book of choice out loud to the kindergarten students as part of the school’s Reading Buddies Program. This new program, developed by library media specialist Leova Manbhat, is an initiative to make reading more exciting and enjoyable.
Ms. O’Connor said the grant will fund the eighth-grade business management corporate social responsibility project in which students make homemade fleece blankets for patients at the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island.
Victoria Alssid, school nurse at Forest Lake Elementary School in Wantagh, has received the 2018 Excellence in School Nursing Award. Bestowed by the New York State Association of School Nurses, Alssid received the accolade for having excelled in her practice of school nursing.
In addition to the bell that starts the school day, the sound of a train whistle called for Wantagh Elementary School kindergarten students to take a proverbial ride on the Polar Express. Polar Express Day relates to Chris Van Allsburg’s popular tale “The Polar Express” about an old-fashioned steam train that takes children to the North Pole for Santa’s departure.
he Wantagh school community gathered for a Dec. 17 screening of the documentary “Screenagers” in the high school auditorium to learn more about the effects of screen time on children and family life. Written by physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston, the award-winning documentary explores struggles over social media, video games and internet addiction and provides insights from authors, psychologists and brain scientists, while offering solutions on how parents can empower their children to find balance in the digital world.
The kindergarten classrooms at Mandalay wafted with the sweet smell of candy and icing as students decorated gingerbread houses alongside parents and caregivers. The annual activity was a culmination of an English language arts unit on the fictional Gingerbread Man.
The varsity girls volleyball was officially congratulated for their New York State Class A Championship title by the board of education and central administration during the Dec. 13 public meeting.
Members of the high school’s jazz ensemble and chamber orchestra shared the gift of music during a holiday performance for retired teachers who attended December’s Wantagh Retired Teachers holiday meeting at the public library. The student-musicians, under the direction of Jen Alessi and Dina Langer, respectively, performed holiday tunes to the delight of the audience.
Seventh-grade students in Kim Davis’ English language arts class at the middle school have a deeper understanding of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The students have been acting out scenes of this beloved holiday favorite as part of a study on the genre of drama.
