Third graders and their kindergarten buddies at Minnesauke Elementary School worked together to create friendship bracelets focusing on name recognition for the kindergarteners. Name recognition helps children feel important, builds community, advances concepts of print and initiates process reading development. Each colored bead of the bracelet was a symbol – for example yellow meant “joy,” green symbolized “growth” and red represented “love.”

After creating friendship bracelets, the buddies spent time reading together. Kindergarten students read books aloud while third graders assisted.

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Date Added: 11/29/2023

Students across the Three Village Central School District celebrated Thanksgiving and its many traditions ahead of the holiday. They learned about the importance of giving and took part in service projects to help the greater community.

The student council at Nassakeag Elementary School collected candy from staff and students after Halloween. Members decorated brown paper bags with Thanksgiving artwork and filled them with candy to be donated to Our Daily Bread Soup Kitchen and Food Pantry at St. James Roman Catholic Church. The bags were distributed during a Thanksgiving meal held at the church.

Third graders in Mrs. Frole’s class at Minnesauke Elementary School collected food items and gift cards to create Thanksgiving meal baskets for local families in need. Students donated, designed and wrapped each basket. They also created Thanksgiving cards to be given to local veterans with their holiday meals.

At W.S. Mount Elementary School, Mrs. Costanza, Mrs. Mazzarone, and Mrs. Pushee's classes joined together to host a food drive. They assembled four gift baskets for local families to enjoy this Thanksgiving. In addition to this service project at Mount, the building hosted a schoolwide Thanksgiving parade and Pre-K classes enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with their families.

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Date Added: 11/22/2023

Third graders and kindergartners at Minnesauke Elementary School teamed up for a lesson about kindness. Mrs. Frole’s third grade class read “A Little Spot of Kindness” by Diane Alber to their buddies in Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. “The Little Spot” series focuses on social emotional learning and provides students with strategies to recognize and adapt to the feelings they encounter each day. Mrs. Frole received a grant from the Minnesauke PTA to purchase the series for her classroom.

After reading the book with their third grade buddies, kindergartners received a mini-size, student copy of the read aloud. They were excited to collaborate with their buddies and look forward to these meetups for special learning opportunities each month.

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Date Added: 11/6/2023

Mrs. Frole’s third graders at Minnesauke Elementary School wrapped up their first reading unit and learned all about habits that good readers practice. As a culmination of the lesson, students held a “flashlight reading celebration” to acknowledge the important reading strategies they learned including tracking their own progress and setting individual reading goals.

First, students crafted a letter to their parents and caregivers to inform them of their accomplishment and upcoming celebration. Families helped students collect supplies to make the celebration a success. The third graders brought their favorite books, blankets, lanterns and lights to school and spent the morning reading “by flashlight.”

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Date Added: 11/2/2023

Dr. Katheryn Twiss, an archaeologist from Stony Brook University, visited Minnesauke Elementary School to kick off the sixth grade research unit of the Neolithic site in Catalhoyuk, Turkey.

Dr. Twiss spent time at the archaeological dig site in Turkey. Students asked questions about her experience and formed a deeper understanding about the life of an archaeologist.

She is currently the lead archaeologist for animal bones at a site in Iraq and specialized in the study of domestication of animals and agriculture. Dr. Twiss will be visiting Minnesauke again when students begin their unit on Mesopotamia.

Date Added: 10/25/2023