Syosset Board of Ed Meeting

There will be a monthly meeting of the Board of Education on Monday, Dec. 15 at 6:30 p.m., in South Woods Middle School. It is anticipated that the Board will enter into executive session for the purpose of discussing collective bargaining issues.

The public meeting will resume at approximately 8 p.m. in the Middle School auditorium.

High School Goes Global

International Night Celebrates Diverse Heritages

Jericho High School recently held its annual International Night, and the evening was a feast for all the senses. Throughout the hallways, decorated with the colors of various nations, students served up ethnic culinary favorites that tempted participants to overindulge. Dances, recitals and songs performed by Jericho students entertained the crowd, which included school club members, parents and community residents.

The newly formed Multi-Cultural Club, with advisor Alberto Cabra leading the way, worked with the Italian, French and Spanish honor societies to make the evening a successful and festive one. Cultures represented included those of the three language honor societies as well as China, Korea, India, Israel and Eastern Europe.

Cantiague: A Forest of Knowledge

Third graders at Cantiague Elementary School have recently been studying the rainforests of the world. In light of this unit, students in art class created many plants and animals indigenous to this unique habitat and turned the school's front office into their own rainforest, minus the humidity.

During American Education Week, some students shared their expertise about the rainforest with their parents. Children escorted their parents through three exciting centers of learning.

At the first station, the kids built model rainforests using clear plastic cups, potting soil and seedlings. This experiment taught the children how moisture accumulates on the canopy layer of the rainforest.

At the second center, youngsters designed beautiful bromeliads, plants that grow on the trunks and branches of trees.

The sounds of crashing rice and beans were heard at the third center, where "rain sticks" were under construction. Parents and children worked together to fill empty paper towel rolls with a half cup of rice and beans, creating unique instruments to shake.

Robbins Lane Visitation Day

The classrooms of Robbins Lane Elementary School in Syosset were filled with students of all ages on Nov. 20 as parents participated in Visitation Day 1997. The faculty, PTA and the Compact for Learning Committee had organized a stimulating day for the local community members who attended.

Fifth grade students and their parents viewed an important assembly program on substance abuse which contained a strong message about remaining drug free. At the other end of the grade spectrum , kindergartners held a Thanksgiving feast, where the youngsters sang Pilgrim and native American songs, and dined on food they prepared. At lunch, parents were treated to a lecture on conflict resolution, giving them an opportunity to discuss and evaluate parenting skills.

Jackson Kids Learn Their Alphabet Soup

Kindergarten kids and George A. Jackson Elementary School recently helped to cook up a soup and sandwich feast to honor Thanksgiving. This delicious culminating activity combined thematic units used in kindergarten classrooms throughout the month.

November was National Bread and Pasta Month. Some of the classes used this theme to integrate math, science and language arts activities. Kids matched uppercase letters to their lowercase counterparts printed on paper slices of bread, as well as tallied and graphed the variety of sandwich choices that students selected for the feast.

What better to go with sandwiches than soup? The youngsters followed a recipe to cook up several broths, and created a rhyming story entitled Jackson Soup. Students even created their own recipes and prepared their soup for the feast.

TV Studio Spotlights Jackson

By Mary Marks

The lights are in place, the anchors are anxious, microphones move closer and reporters stand ready. Quiet on the set! Ready? Lights, camera, action, check out the TV studio at Jackson.

Fifth-grade students at George A. Jackson Elementary School recently began using their newly constructed TV studio. Studios, part of a districtwide commitment to technology, are now available at all three elementary schools in Jericho. Television studios include cameras, lights, TelePrompTers and editing equipment in a dedicated space.

Jackson teachers Carole Kramer and Lois Wittmann presented a research and development project to the board of education at the Nov. 20 meeting. Their seven-minute video tape, using TV studio technology, highlighted events at Jackson. Educational experiences outside the classroom, interesting interviews with staff members, performances by students and student council officer goals were all a part of the program.

Kramer and Wittmann believe that the studio is an excellent medium to improve oral communication skills vital to the success of children in and out of school. Use of the TV camera is an exciting and interesting way to develop those skills. Video presentations can even be viewed in all classrooms simultaneously with the school television system.

Students, teachers and parents were impressed by the capabilities of the studio and its seemingly endless possibilities. Kramer and Wittmann hope to integrate TV studio technology into an ongoing informational program for students at Jackson.

Here's Looking at Hues... Willits' Colors Day

Students in Syosset's A.P. Willits Elementary School joined in sharing their school spirit and pride on Red and White Day. Everyone wore their school colors for the occasion.

The students each received a beautiful red and white informational pocket folder entitled, "A.P. Willits School - A Great Place for Thinking and Learning," which was designed by the students, faculty and the school's Compact for Learning team. The Willits students will use their folders for homework and important papers, and to remind themselves about what it means to be a Syosset student. The folders also contain information about how parents can support their children's education.

Other highlights of Red and White Day included a Student Council bake sale and PTA Family Roller Skating Night. Red and White Day reminded everyone that A.P. Willits School is, indeed, "a great place for thinking and learning."