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BirchBirch School

2400 Central Parkway, Merrick, NY 11566 

Phone: 516 992-7250

Current News

VIDEO: Birch Third Graders Dance Around the World

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After learning about cultures from around the world during their history and English curriculum, third graders at Birch School worked on various dances during a five-day residency with an outside arts in education program.

The Vanaver Caravan Dance and Music Company visited Birch on multiple occasions, teaching the students about their style of dance, its history, as well as some of the clothing worn. They outfitted students in traditional garb and props that really made the dances stand out.

Mrs. Millevoi and Mrs. Mastellon performed the samba, Ms. An’s class performed the Charleston, Ms. Papa’s class performed the cumbia and Mrs. Rose’s class performed a Chinese Ribbon Dance.

“When you leave here with the hope that you will take this song and dance back with you in your hearts and in your minds,” owner Livia Vanaver addressed the crowd during a March 6 dress rehearsal. “As well as appreciate the importance of and honor each other’s cultures.”

They performed the dances for an audience of parents and peers as well.

For over 50 years and through three generations, Vanaver Caravan has traveled to schools with their immersive arts-education programs that promote diversity, community-building and cultural understanding. The school’s PTA cultural arts committee sponsored the workshop.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.



Date Added: 3/7/2024

Birch Fifth Graders Investigate Circuitry

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Fifth graders in Jessica Giovino and Debra Vernice’s co-taught classroom at Birch completed their second New York State science investigation, “Light It Up.”

“They explored and observed how electricity flows through an open and closed circuit, and how to make a circuit stronger,” Giovino explained.

Date Added: 3/4/2024

VIDEO: Birch Celebrates Lunar New Year

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Kindergartners at Birch School celebrated the Lunar New Year with a traditional lion dance on Feb. 12.

With decorations in hand, the students lined the hallways as Assistant Principal Meredith Kelly and Principal Kerri Galante paraded down the hallways under the embellished lion costume.

Throughout the celebration, the kindergartners clapped and chanted “Gung Hay Fat Choy” – “May You Become Prosperous” in Chinese.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.



Date Added: 2/13/2024

Birch Students Enjoy Author Visit

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Author Gae Polisner presented her book, “Consider the Octopus”to upper grade classes to conclude Birch’s Dive into Reading PARP [Pick a Reading Partner] weeks.

“Students were enthralled by Ms. Polisner's discussion about this funny, fictional story that includes fascinating facts about the state of the world's oceans,” stated School Librarian Vanessa Schroeder.

Date Added: 2/7/2024

Author Alyssa Satin Capucilli Visits Birch During PARP

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Renowned author Alyssa Satin Capucilli visited students at Birch School on Jan. 25 as part of the school’s Diving into Reading PARP program this month.

Capucilli penned Ready to Read books such as “The World of Biscuit” and the “My First…” series. 

Relying on personal experiences, Capucilli said the Biscuit books were born after her (now adult) daughter asked to watch a neighbor’s dog. She said started receiving letters from children who expressed that Biscuit was the first book they could read on their own. 

“They requested longer and more challenging Biscuit stories, resulting in the ‘Biscuit & Friends’ series,” she noted.

Capucilli explained to students during three grade-level assemblies how books are written, illustrated, and published. 

“I use my five senses to learn about the world around me and then I am ready to go home and write,” she explained. “Something I see might just be the detail I was looking for in a story. Something I hear might just be the perfect word sound to accent a page.”

Her process begins with a writer’s journal, brainstorming ideas and making lists. 

“I might cross things out or check things off, but I never erase because that would be erasing a potential idea,” she explained.

Reading aloud, grammar and spelling are also part of the process ahead of submitting a story to her editor for suggestions. 

“I then go back and tuck in details and I stretch my story,” she added. 

Then the words go to the illustrator, who sketches for a long time to create various versions of scenes that may or may not end up in the story.

“The book is then sent off to a publisher, where it is printed onto one giant sheet of paper from a machine,” Capucilli further explained.

They are sewn together to create seams and finally cardboard is glued in for a front back and spine of hard and soft covers.

“It takes two to three years for me to bring a book to you,” she noted to students.

In the weeks leading up to her visit, students were introduced to Capucilli’s works during their library classes.  

School librarian Vanessa Schroeder read Capucilli’s books, “The Library Fish” and “The Library Fish Learns to Read” because they were ‘the perfect companions to our PARP theme.’

“Second graders also developed questions that they wanted to ask Ms. Capucilli during her presentations,” she added. “The children were very excited to meet the author of the well known and loved Biscuit series and learn about how she comes up with her ideas for writing. It was incredibly interesting to see how a book is bound and to talk about just how long it takes to bring a book to life.”

The Birch PTA jointly sponsored the PARP program, bringing various programs and activities that promote literacy to students.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 1/26/2024

Student Corner

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We continue to celebrate all of the great lessons and activities taking place in our schools. Here, in the Student Corner, we hear from our students in their own voices.


Birch Podcast Club Post Recent Episodes

Through the Internet Group Photo

Click here to view Through the Internet Part 2 Group podcast

Metaverse Podcast Cover Photo

Click here to view Metaverse podcast

Bedwars Squad Podcast Cover Photo

Click here to view Bedwars Squad Podcast Cover podcast

Through the Internet Group Photo

Click here to view Through the Internet Part 1 Group podcast

Two students with the words NFL Two Minute Drill across the photo

Click here to listen to the NFL 2-Minute Drill podcast

A group photo with the words Birch School wonders

Click here to listen to the Birch Street Wonders podcast

Birch Food Critics text and three students smiling

Click here to listen to the Birch Food Critics podcast

Click here to view the photos


The student council crew of Lakesidehas just finished their last service project for the 2023 school year. It was for Birthday Wishes. Birthday Wishes is an agencywhere theyprovidea birthday box for all the children who live in the homeless shelters of Nassau County. The Lakeside Lions collected gel pens, party favors, bubbles, fidget spinners, birthday wrapping paper, andRubik’s Cubes to name a few of the items. We were able to collect five huge boxes of supplies to donate to Birthday Wishes.All ofLakesidehopesthat every child in Nassau County has a wonderful birthday. 

Jackson F. 

Lakeside Students


The Levy Lakeside Student Council Crew just finished a very successful service project! We decided to collect donations for the Ronald McDonald House of the Metro New York area. The Ronald McDonald House is a place that provides housing for parents of very sick children who are in a hospital far from their home. We collected items like: boxed & canned food, paper goods, baby supplies, and toiletries.  

These items are used to help guests feel more comfortable while they are away from home. We set up bins in the lobby. We collected over 14 boxes/bags of the items that were listed on the flyer we sent home. We were thrilled with the outpouring of love that was received! We want to thank all the Lions who donated! It feels good to know we made a huge difference in the lives of others! 
 
By: Marin K. 

Levy Lakeside Student Council Crew


The Student Council would like to thank all of the Lakeside families who contributed over the last few weeks to our collection for the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. The Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter has dogs and cats that can be adopted. We are so happy to be able to help many animals at the shelter while they are waiting for a family to adopt them. We collected newspapers, food/treats, toys, leashes, collars, blankets, sheets, wee wee pads and more! We collected ten big bags and eight boxes worth of items! The Lakeside Lions are grateful to all of the generous families for helping our furry friends. 

Rina G. 

Student With Dog


Recently the Lakeside Student Council has been buying different things to help the school including the purchase of a new bench for our lobby, buying even more cups and cup dispensers, and buying three new trash cans for the outside fields.

In the front lobby of Lakeside, there is a brown bench and the student council has purchased a brand new red bench. This is so all students or visitors have a comfortable place to sit while waiting to be let in.

Last year the Student Council Crew tried putting cup dispensers in the 5th and 6th grade hallways and it was successful. Because of this success, they installed one next to each water fountain I the building. The cup dispensers are there so if you forget a water bottle you can always get a drink.

Recently, the Student Council Crew has purchased new trash cans for the back playground and fields. If you are at recces or even if you are here for a baseball game it is more convenient to throw out trash. These new cans have a covered lid so no trash can blow out of them.

These are only some of the things that the Student Council happily does to help our school.

By: Zachary K.

Student with water fountain  garbage can


In early December, the Lions of the Levy Lakeside Elementary School collected brand-new toys for the Toys for Tots program. Members of the Merrick Kiwanis came to pick up all the bags. In total, we collected enough bags to fill 11 HUGE bags. The toys collected were brand-new and unwrapped. The toys will be distributed to Long Island Children who may otherwise go without a holiday gift. The collection lasted for just 10 days and hundreds of toys were donated. We thank all the Lakeside Lions who brought in a toy for the collection. 

Thomas K. 

Student with bags full of toys


In late October, the students of Levy Lakeside placed Kindness Rocks in the front of the school. Last year all the Lakeside Lions in each class painted rocks with positive messages. Due to the construction that was taking place in the front of the building, we were not able to place the rocks outside at that time. Now that the construction has been completed, the Student Council Crew was able to finally place the rocks in front of the building. Now when students and parents come into our school their minds will be filled with positive words, messages, and quotes on beautiful, bright colored painted rocks. Last year The Student Council purchased hundreds of rocks and the materials for this project. During art class Ms. Raadsen oversaw the project making sure that the rocks were made the best they could be by each and every student. The rocks were thoughtfully placed around the island and front of the school. We hope you stop by to delight in a message of kindness. 

By: Jack Z. 

Levy Lakeside Students  Levy Lakeside Students


Recently, Norman J. Levy Lakeside hosted a Veteran’s Day ceremony to honor all the amazing veterans. This was an incredibly special moment because we have not hosted this event since before Covid. Our music teacher, Mr. Glemboski, played the piano and led us in the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. We also had some of our 5th grade Student Council representatives stand as our color guard. We are so thankful that the veterans made time in their day to come and speak to all the Lakeside Lions. It is truly inspiring to see what others have done and continue to do to protect our country. Thank you to all the veterans for serving our nation. These veterans' honorable acts should be something we all continue to look up to. 

By: Lena M. 

Norman J. Levy Lakeside hosted a Veterans Day


On Monday, March 21, our school supported World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. We dressed up in blue and yellow, and wore our most unique socks. It is important that we recognize this special day to ensure that everyone feels accepted for who they are. We thank all the Lakeside Lions who dressed up in recognition of World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. We wanted to show that respecting everyone's differences is the key to FRIENDSHIP!

Written by: Jenna F.

Lakeside school seal

Date Added: 4/27/2022


On March 22, the Levy Lakeside Students helped collect items for its annual Harvest of Love Day. The Harvest of Love Day gave the Lakeside family an opportunity to donate to those who are going through a rough time.

We would like to thank everyone who brought in items to donate, they were much appreciated. The items were brought to a local soup kitchen, The Inn.

We collected 26 bags/boxes of fresh apples and oranges, individual packages of snacks and individually wrapped rolls of toilet paper! This collection only took place for one day.

The Lakeside Lions did an incredible job of collecting and we hope that we were able to help those in need!

Written by: Sami G.

Students hold the items they raised to donate

Date Added: 4/12/22


This past month, the boys and girls at Levy Lakeside School helped collect tissue boxes for a service project. The idea was to decorate and color them.

Then, bring to the Hewlett house which is a community resource center for anyone suffering with cancer. We collected so many boxes and would like to thank everyone that brought them in. We are so glad that we could give back to the community.
The Lakeside Lions are so proud that we could help put a smile on their faces.

Ryan D.
Lakeside Student Council Member

students holding colorful boxes

Date Added: 3/22/2022


The Lakeside Levy School Student Council crew tries hard to help other kids ALL year long.

Over this past week, members of the Levy Lakeside student council helped collect many items for the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter and Ruff House Rescue. We collected so much and would like to thank everyone who donated because it is super important to give back to the community. This will help our furry friends out until they can find a family to adopt them. We are so grateful that these wonderful shelters were willing to accept pet food, toys, towels, and so much more! Again, thank you to all who donated. All the Lakeside Lions are proud to live in such a giving community.

By,
Owen K.

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The Lakeside Levy School Student Council crew tries hard to help other kids ALL year long.

During the holidays we want to make sure that every child in our neighborhood receives something special. This year we tried to help out by collecting brand new toys. We participated in Toys for Tots. The Lakeside Lions were able to collect nine HUGE boxes of brand-new toys for children of all ages.

We want to thank all the grown-ups and students who helped out by donating toys. We are so proud that we were given the chance to help. We wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Written by: Ben M.

Levy Student Council  Levy Student Council