Two new leadership opportunities are launching for students in 2026 at Newbridge Road Elementary School. Tiger Birthday Boosters started on Jan. 5, followed by Thunder’s Greeting Squad a week later. 

Every day after the morning announcements, Birthday Boosters travels the school with a calendar and deliver birthday greetings. They can sing “Happy Birthday,” give high-fives or fist bumps and deliver handmade cards or posters. The Boosters are tasked with making the moment festive and special for Newbridge Road students celebrating their milestone day.  

“The whole point is to make it really fun and exciting,” Principal Amanda Licci told the first group of Birthday Boosters at an introductory meeting on Dec. 22. 

Students take on the role twice per six-day cycle throughout January and February. There will then be two more groups of Birthday Boosters before the end of the school year.  

Starting Jan. 12, student greeters will be stationed inside the school near the arrival entrances and throughout the hallways. They must get to school by 8:15 a.m. and go to their assigned posts so they can welcome students and staff with a friendly and positive attitude. One of their responsibilities will be offering smiles and kind words to help everyone start the day on a warm note.  

Student greeters will rotate each day of the week. They will support faculty and staff who already greet students outside of the building. One of the benefits of adding student greeters, Ms. Licci said, is increasing child-to-child interactions and ultimately building a stronger school community. 

Thunder’s Greeting Squad and Tiger Birthday Boosters are both named for the school mascot. The leadership groups are open to grades 3-6, and interested students had to complete an application and be recommended by either Ms. Licci or a teacher. To feel like the adult leaders in the building, students in both get ID badges. 

“Reading the applications, you could see how serious they took this process, so it’s very meaningful and impactful for them,” she said. “This is just another step toward growing student leadership.” 

The two new groups are in addition to several existing leadership roles through student council, Beautification Club, Café Club, Junior Librarians, Smile Club, Spirit Club and Students Against Destructive Decisions.

Date Added: 1/7/2026

The North Bellmore School District is now accepting applications for its Universal Pre-Kindergarten lottery.

Children who will be 4 years old by Dec. 1, 2026, and will be eligible to enter kindergarten in September 2027, may participate in the lottery, which will be offered contingent upon state funding. While the district recently received expanded grant funds and anticipates having a spot for all applicants, a lottery will still be held to assign placements.

The deadline for completing your UPK application is Friday, Feb. 13 – no exceptions!

Click here to view the application.

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions.

Date Added: 1/5/2026

A trio of toy drives at Saw Mill Road Elementary School District will bring joy to hundreds of children this holiday season. The Students Against Destructive Decisions club and Danielle Brocco’s second grade class both collected toys for the John Theissen Children’s Foundation. Michelle Mittler’s third graders donated toys to Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

On Dec. 18, John Theissen visited the school to pick up the donations. Sixth graders from SADD and Ms. Brocco’s second graders gathered in the lobby to listen to Mr. Theissen as he explained the origins of his organization, based in Wantagh. He talked about a girl, Tasha, who was in the hospital with him and gave him a teddy bear, inspiring him to start his first toy drive in 1992. Since then, it has grown from delivering 800 toys to sick and underprivileged children that first year, to about 130,000 toys last year. Students emptied the donation box, put all the toys in bags and helped load up his car.

“I feel really good about how our school is helping other children and giving them a good holiday,” SADD club member Nathan Smith said. “I hope they know that people care about them.”

“It’s amazing how he started this because of another person’s nice gesture,” Angelina Chen said about Mr. Theissen. “It feels awesome to know that these gifts can help underprivileged children.”

The SADD club, under the direction of Keara McNamara, made several signs by hand to hang around the school to promote the toy drive, which ran from Dec. 1-17. They also made announcements every morning.

Ms. Mittler has been involving her students in a toy drive every year for about a decade. Her family makes an annual holiday donation to Cohen Children’s Medical Center for the care they gave her daughter. Students are encouraged to contribute a new, unwrapped toy, and Ms. Mittler personally delivered the donations on Dec. 15.

“I like to involve my class,” she said, “because it teaches them about generosity and compassion.”

Click here to view the Saw Mill’s Elves Make Big Impact With Toy Drives slideshow.