It was lights, camera, action for Family Literacy Night at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School on Nov. 30. Students came dressed in their Hollywood best attire as they walked the red carpet for their grand entrance to the school building.

In the classroom, the literacy component featured readalouds by award-winning authors including “Knuffle Bunny” by Mo Willems for kindergarten through second graders and “Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride” by Pam Munoz Ryan for grades three through five.

The students played literacy games tied into their Fundations lessons including some of their trick words. There was also a math component tied into the night where students designed their own paper airplanes and measured their distance. Each student went home with a popcorn container full of games and book of their own.

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Date Added: 12/4/2023

Prior to the Thanksgiving break, Ms. Steiner and Mr. Schneider’s classes at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School participated in Thanksgiving centers. In the math center, students practiced their number identification skills and worked together to build a turkey. Making their own Play-Doh, students practiced following a sequence of events using first, next, then, last visuals. Students also honed their fine motor grasps as well as color name and recognition skills. Each student made a thankful chain where they wrote something they were thankful for.

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Date Added: 12/4/2023

Third graders at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School hosted the third annual Balloons Over Broadway parade. Infusing technology into the parade using ozobots, students worked in teams to create a parade route and code lots of fun and exciting tricks. The third graders even built miniature New York City skyscrapers using their newly learned knowledge of arrays. Students showed off their creativity and collaborative skills throughout the project.

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Date Added: 11/22/2023

The first grade classes at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School are working hard on their reading and writing lessons this November.

The students in Ms. Howe’s class created a “we are special” book filled with each student’s one-of-a-kind portrait and writing about what makes each of them special. The students worked interactively on what makes them special to create their own page in the book.

Ms. Krause’s class recently conducted an author study, focusing on the work of author and illustrator Kevin Henkes. The students read five of his books and analyzed his writing style.

In Ms. Cuhna and Ms. Skurnick’s class, students have been working on their reader’s notebook and creating entries along with illustrations. The students also worked together on a writing a memory story from their experience at the Halloween parade.

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Date Added: 11/13/2023

Ms. Steiner and Mr. Schneider's classes at Deauville Gardens West Elementary School learned about the parts of the pumpkin. The classes worked together to guess how many pumpkin seeds were in the pumpkins, helped dissect them, and carved them. The classes then worked together to group the pumpkin seeds into groups of 10.

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Date Added: 10/23/2023

To celebrate fire safety month in October, students at Deauville Gardens East Elementary School and Susan E. Wiley Elementary School had a special visit by members of the Copiague Fire Department. The firefighters demonstrated how they race to put on their equipment. They also reminded students of the importance of calling 911 in case of an emergency and knowing one’s address and telephone number. It is also important to check the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Date Added: 10/23/2023

To thank the Copiague School District Board of Education for their ongoing support of students, members were recognized during the Oct. 16 meeting. The New York State School Board Association designates the week of Oct. 17-21 as School Board Recognition Week.

The recognitions kicked off with a performance by the Walter G. O’Connell Copiague High School Madrigal Choir. The Copiague Teachers Association donated to three local food pantries and the Eagle’s Nest food pantry. The Copiague Association of Supervisors donated to the district’s Eagle’s Nest food pantry and the Copiague Association of Principals donated funds to the Chris Madden Scholarship. Copiague PTA Council provided refreshments for the celebration and donated to the American Association of Suicide Prevention and the Carmyne Payton Memorial Scholarship. The Art Honor Society created a piece for display in the board of education meeting room.

Date Added: 10/23/2023

Copiague School District celebrated its Hall of Achievement’s newest inductees with a ceremony held on Sept. 30. This year’s five inductees – Robert Durgin (Class of 1977), Quashier Flood-Strouble (Class of 2000), Frank Giorgini (Class of 1965), Deborah Payton-Jones (Class of 1978) and Robert Waidler (Class of 1990) – bring the total number of Hall of Achievement members to 122.

The goal of the district’s Hall of Achievement is to introduce positive role models to the school community and build a sense of pride for all Copiague graduates. Copiague School District Board of Education President Kenneth Urban welcomed attendees to the ceremony. “Inductees, you become a member of a group that has helped shape our school throughout the years – a well-rounded, diverse district with our doors always open to help everyone succeed,” he said. “Current and future students will walk our halls and read your plaques. It will help guide and steer them in the right direction for their future.”

Copiague School District Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon added, “Our goal is to introduce these alumni as positive and motivating role models to our entire school community,” she said. “By the nature of their accomplishments and service, our inductees’ achievements inspire our students to reach their goals.”

Robert Durgin earned a bachelor’s degree in government and Russian language from the University of Notre Dame. He received a juris doctorate from Tulane University. He served on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps, was certified as a judge advocate and retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves. He practiced law and later joined Johnson & Johnson as the worldwide vice president, regulatory affairs for the DePuy Synthes Companies.

Following graduation, Quashier Flood-Strouble received a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in school counseling from Capella University. She worked at the Department of Children and Families as an abuse counselor and school counselor at Tallahassee Collegiate Academy. Recently, she co-founded and oversaw a free six-week summer camp for underprivileged children.

Noted for his tilework and designing the all-clay Udu drum and introducing it to the U.S., Frank Giorgini’s mosaic installations can be seen in Whitehall Street in Brooklyn, the 2nd Avenue subway station and the LIRR Merrick station. Giorgini received a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine art and industrial design from Pratt Institute and a master’s degree in fine arts from Southern Illinois University. He taught tile design and fabrication at Parson’s School of Design and authored a handmade tile book.

Deborah Payton-Jones holds a Bachelor of Science in business management from Florida A&M University. She worked at the Fashion Institute of Technology for 32 years, also serving as the voter registration coordinator. She recently founded VoterEducation365, dedicated to educating and organizing communities around voting. She currently works with the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Following graduation, Robert Waidler received an associate degree in criminal justice and entered the New York City Police Department before transferring to the Denver Police Department. There, he created and coordinate a resiliency and wellness program, peer support program, Chaplain’s program, physical therapy program and reintegration

program. He also holds certifications in yoga teacher training, health and wellness coaching, personal training and behavior change specialist.

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Date Added: 10/6/2023