For the 2019-20 school year, the district is enhancing its emphasis on STEAM education with additional classes and activities.

The district has added two new STEAM classes at each of its three schools beginning this fall. Technology teachers and library media specialists at Birch, Chatterton and Levy Lakeside schools will teach these programs, rotating between each school’s STEAM lab, technology room and library on a project/lesson basis.

“These new student experiences were designed to encourage students to become increasingly independent as they create digital products that engage them in critical thinking, collaboration and authentic, real-world problem-solving,” said Merrick UFSD Director of Student Services Dr. Salvatore Dossena. Digital books, storyboards and videos are among some of the projects that students will create.
Grade K-2 students at all schools will engage in additional project-based technology learning in robotics, engineering, digital storytelling and multimodal literacy. Much of this will entail students using both iPads and Windows-based applications to program robots to perform more intricate tasks. Students will program a Code & Go Robot Mouse, Ozobots, and Dash and Dot robots based on their grade level/task.
Grade 3-6 students will further develop their skills in robotics and advance their coding skills, moving from drag and drop coding to Python. These grades will also learn how to design mobile apps. Fifth and sixth graders will also learn to code drones. While learning becomes more complex in the higher grade levels, students are engaged in meaningful problem-solving and coding activities very early on.

Additionally, all students will engage in digital citizenship lessons throughout the school year, at a developmentally appropriate level, to teach them how to have a positive impact on their digital footprint.

“While learning becomes more complex in the higher grade levels, students are engaged in significant problem-solving and coding activities early on,” Dossena added. “Every student is learning how to effectively and responsibly use technology in order to achieve or create something meaningful.”

As kindergarteners, current Levy Lakeside School sixth graders left their mark on Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dominick Palma’s office when he was first appointed as Superintendent seven years ago. At the time, they arrived at his office and with the help of their kindergarten teachers, teaching assistants and art teacher Alexandra Muzek, and placed their little handprints on his office walls. These students recently returned to place their sixth grade handprints on the wall.

Dr. Palma said the kindergarten handprints have served as a constant reminder to remain focused on benefiting the children of Merrick.  “The addition of their sixth grade handprints will serve to remind me of the growth that children make during their years with us,” said Dr. Palma. “As our district motto says, their time here marks the beginning of many bright futures.”

Students in kindergarten through sixth grade at Levy Lakeside School discussed their grade-level community service projects with the entire school during the school’s third annual Celebration of Service Learning held prior to the close of the school year. Projects highlighted included:

•  Kindergartners’ creation of Welcome to Kindergarten books for next year’s incoming class.
• First graders’ collection of socks for those in need through the Knock, Knock Give a Sock organization. 
• Second graders’ decoration of inspirational tissue boxes for residents of Hewlett House, a community resource center for anyone suffering from cancer on Long Island. 
• Third graders’ creation of holiday cards as well as frames and mirrors with inspirational messaging for Hewlett House and their collection of Play-Doh to be used for occupational therapy at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. 
• Fourth graders’ Birthday in a Box initiative, in which they decorated and filled boxes with little items and presented them to local children in need on their birthdays, and their collection of Band-Aids and Play-Doh to be used for occupational therapy, both for Cohen Children’s Medical Center. 
• Fifth graders’ mentoring of incoming kindergarteners, in which they spent time reading with their newest schoolmates and showing them around the building.
• Sixth graders’ annual Sandwichathon, in which they made over 3,000 sandwiches to feed some 800 families through the River Fund organization. 
• The Lakeside Student Council’s 13th annual trip to Hewlett House to beautify the grounds and nurture the vegetable garden there. 

During their presentations, students described the work they put in and gave heartwarming testimony about the joy they felt in helping others. Hewlett House founder and breast cancer survivor Geri Barish was on hand to personally thank Lakeside School for all that they have done. She presented teacher/student council adviser Soo Becchina with a Pockets of Hope denim quilt, created by the residents of Hewlett House, as a gift showing their gratitude.

For the past 13 years, the Lakeside School student council crew has made an annual weekend visit to a very special place. That place is the Hewlett House, a community resource center for anyone suffering with cancer on Long Island. The purpose of our annual visit is to beautify the grounds with flowers and a vegetable garden. Our plan is to help in the recovery of the patients by providing nourishing vegetables and herbs for their diet and beautiful flowers for them to look at, which will help brighten their spirits. June 1 marked the 14th anniversary of this special event. We were grateful to have the opportunity to help our neighbors.

–The Lakeside Student Council Crew

Congratulations to this year’s sixth grade class at Levy Lakeside School. Best of luck in middle school!

At their June meeting, the Merrick Board of Education honored one student from each of the district’s three elementary schools with the Board of Education Citizenship Award.

With input from the principal, faculty and staff of each school, this award recognizes students who demonstrate exemplary leadership characteristics, good judgement and an overall appreciation and respect for others, as well as themselves.

The Merrick Board and administration congratulate Elena Hyzak (Birch School), Leah Pollack (Levy Lakeside School) and Katherine Salvatore (Chatterton School), each of whom embody pride in school, self and community.  Pictured are Board of Education members congratulating Leah and Katherine. Missing from the photo is Elena.

Chatterton Sixth-Grade Art Club

Students from Chatterton School’s sixth-grade art club supported this year’s Star Wars art show theme by collaborating to create the awesome giant sculptures you see here! They used a variety of media, such as plastic containers, newspapers, boxes, foam core, masking tape, plaster, cardboard and tempera paint. Justine Dujardin is the school art teacher and art club adviser.

May the Force be with you!

 

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Levy Lakeside Art Club 

The Levy Lakeside fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade art clubs continue to create wonderful works of art during their recess time. 

Fourth-graders created totem poles using recycled cardboard boxes, papier-mâché, paint and a variety of other materials.

Fifth-graders use recycled Styrofoam, plaster of Paris, paint and additional materials to create large sculptures that decorate school and district conference rooms, like this brightly colored llama. 

Sixth-graders collaborated on a large painted mural, this year selecting Winnie the Pooh as the theme.

 

 

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Ian the Violinist