It was a morning of community pride, as Copiague Public School hosted its annual Community Summit for more than 600 invited guests on March 16. Among those in attendance included the Copiague Board of Education, district administrators and staff, representatives of community organizations, local politicians and students and their families.

“The summit is an opportunity to showcase some of the things that are going on within our schools, celebrate the success we’ve had and collaborate on ways we can make things better,” board of education trustee Brian J. Sales noted in his address. Continuing, Mr. Sales shared a number of the district’s and student accomplishments. “For this board, our administration and staff, our top priority is putting children first. We are extremely proud of our results, we have spent our money wisely and effectively and we have delivered with excellent results.”

Echoing Mr. Sales’ message of success, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Bannon presented her annual State of the Copiague Public Schools. During her address, Dr. Bannon provided an overview of district highlights, including various student accomplishments, expansion of the pre-K program and the completion of the community-approved capital project. She also provided an update on the budget process and the district’s funding.

“Over the last several years, we have stayed within the New York State tax cap,” Dr. Bannon said. “We continue to contain our costs and budget conservatively, so we can maintain the programs and services we have. If we were to see an increase in state aid, we would expand and add to our offerings, which would positively benefit our students. In a perfect world, there would be adequate and equitable funding for public education. Funding which is predictable, transparent and sustainable so that we can plan for the long term rather than year-to-year.”

With the theme “Copiague Students Soar,” the summit also featured student performances, spotlights on elementary, middle and high school programs, clubs and projects and an introduction of the Class of 2019 top ten students.

During their physical education classes, students at Great Neck Road Elementary School perfected their bowling games. The students worked on strikes and spares during this class in February.

During the week of Feb. 25, Great Neck Road Elementary School celebrated Friendship Week with a variety of activities each day designed to promote inclusiveness and kindness.

Friendship songs were played during arrival each morning. Each student took a friendship pledge and made their own “scoop of friendship.” Each scoop explained how to make a new friend and all of the scoops were placed on ice cream cones outside of the cafeteria. During lunch periods on Feb 27, students mixed it up by sitting at different tables to meet new friends. During recess, students played games that promoted making new friends. To close out the week, Great Neck Road held an ice cream social sponsored by the Parent-Teacher Association.

Students in the art club at Great Neck Road Elementary School created soft food sculptures inspired by the works of Claes Oldenburg, who made soft sculptures of everyday objects. Under the direction of art teacher Meghan Haughney, the sweet treats created by the art club members were made of cardboard, plastic and tempered paint.

Check out the photos of some of the incredible work done by the Great Neck Road student-artists in the slideshow. 

Thirteen Copiague School District students were recognized at the Feb. 11 board of education meeting by members of the Knights of Columbus in the organization annual poster and essay contests.

The poster contest, now in its ninth year, had a record number of entries at 104 from Copiague student-artists. The goal of the contest is to raise awareness about drug and alcohol abuse. The winners, who received certificates and prizes were: Deauville Gardens West: Carolina Acosta-Rivera and Sandavi McCants; Susan E. Wiley: Ivanna Gonzalez Rodriguez; Deauville Gardens East: Kiarisleidy Baez Fabian; Great Neck Road: Jazlyn Batista, Justin Martinez Canas and Rayana Gooden; Copiague Middle School: Jayden Risch, Joseph Risch and Eliud Bonilla. 

Three Copiague Middle School eighth-grade students were presented with certificates and prizes for their essay contest entries. The contest is in its third year and essays are focused on religious freedom. Paulo Gonzalez was the first-place winner. Diana Carbajal placed second and Ari Chervony was named the third-place winner.

 

Showing their love and support for those affected by cardiovascular disease, the staff at Great Neck Road Elementary School dressed in red on Feb. 14. The school raised money for the American Heart Association and its Go Red campaign. The AHA’s Go Red for Women Campaign helps raise awareness about heart disease, the number one killer of women, causing one in three deaths each year.

As a kickoff to its Parents as Reading Partners celebration, Great Neck Road Elementary School held a literacy night themed “Reading Is Magical.”

Students and their families rotated through different areas throughout the evening, enjoying dinner in the cafeteria and learned about the art of magic in the library. During the classroom read aloud, students listened to magic-themed books and made their own bookmarks using “magic ink.” The evening concluded with a magic show in the gymnasium and each student received their own magic trick to perfect at home.