Becoming a great teacher or administrator is not achieved alone, North Bellmore School District Superintendent Marie Testa noted at the annual tenure celebration on April 11. It requires a great support system of family and colleagues.

Seven great educators earned the professional milestone after completing their probationary periods, and were recognized before a large audience of administrators, teachers, students, family members and friends. The tenure recipients included five teachers – Melissa Halaris, Maritza Lopez, Daniela McGee, Kim Rackley and Alexander Roff – and central office administrators Denise Fisher and Leyna Malone.

Ms. Fisher first joined the district as assistant principal at Saw Mill Road Elementary School, then became Newbridge Road Elementary School’s principal before moving into her current position as executive director of personnel. She oversees a human resources department that serves 660 employees. Ms. Testa described her as brave and kind, someone who strongly believes in the district’s mission and core values, and a person who quietly lifts up everyone around her.

When Ms. Fisher went to Newbridge, Ms. Malone was hired as assistant principal of Saw Mill Road. She then became principal of Martin Avenue, and then the executive director for pupil personnel services and special education. It’s one of the most challenging jobs in the district, Ms. Testa explained, and requires a strong knowledge of legal requirements. The superintendent said that Ms. Malone’s kindness and strong advocacy for both students and teachers is what has led to her success.

North Bellmore Teachers Association President Joann Signorelli congratulated the five teachers who received tenure. There were also remarks from their building principals and colleagues.

Mr. Roff teaches general music at Martin Avenue and Newbridge Road, with Ms. Lopez spreading her love for music at Saw Mill Road. John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School boasts Ms. Rackley in fourth grade and Ms. Halaris in fifth grade, while Ms. McGee is a speech therapist at Newbridge Road.

North Bellmore Board of Education President Christine Malloy added that the tenure celebration is her favorite meeting of the year because they get to recognize the district’s amazing teachers and administrators.

Date Added: 4/17/2024

 

 

 

Students at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School supported healthy hearts for themselves and others by participating in the Kids Hearts Challenge. The school raised $565 for the American Heart Association.

Physical education teacher Jim Mulvey spearheaded the initiative. During their P.E. classes, students took part in various basketball competitions including Around the World, Challenger Champ and one-on-one contests. They asked family and friends to make donations for the American Heart Association.

“They did a great job,” Mr. Mulvey said. “We’re trying to build health and wellness for life.”

Date Added: 4/12/2024

A pair of aspiring teachers are inspiring students to help others at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School. Student teacher Ryan Catalano and student observer Sarah Enderle both spearheaded community service projects that were quickly embraced by the Dinkelmeyer community.

Mr. Catalano and Ms. Enderle both took on passion projects as part of their participation in the graduate elementary education program at Molloy University. At Dinkelmeyer, where students embrace the district’s mission statement of “contributing to our global community with creativity and compassion,” they found willing participants.

Fifth graders donated new and used sports equipment to a drive run by Mr. Catalano, a sports enthusiast. Over two weeks, they filled two large boxes with bats, balls, sticks, protective gear and more for multiple sports.

“So many students got on board and were super excited to participate,” said Mr. Catalano, a student teacher in Melissa Halaris’ class for seven weeks. “It was a great opportunity for them to learn about the needs of other children around the world.”

The items will be given to Game Changers New York and shipped to low-income and high-needs communities across the globe.

“It felt good to donate because it’s going to help other kids around the world that don’t have the money to buy this equipment,” said David Holmes, who donated several items include a basketball, baseball bats, helmets and shin guards.

“Just letting other kids play different sports, it makes me feel like I’m giving something to someone,” added Jake Duverneau, who contributed a football and handball.

Ms. Enderle’s project was to collect new and gently used books for The Book Fairies, a nonprofit organization based in Freeport that redistributes reading materials to under-resourced communities on Long Island. She is a student observer in Stephanie Meehan’s kindergarten class, and children from Dinkelmeyer’s three kindergarten classes were invited to donate.

“I’ve always really liked reading and I think every kid should have access to books,” Ms. Enderle said.

Date Added: 3/22/2024

Two dozen young artists from the North Bellmore School District were recognized for their talents at the North Bellmore Board of Education meeting on Feb. 8. Their drawings and paintings were displayed for all to see, and proud parents snapped photos before art teachers presented certificates.

Artists from the five elementary schools were honored. North Bellmore’s art teachers, Jillian Bock, Erica Farley and Amy Lopez, selected works to showcase a variety of projects across all grade levels that students completed in the first half of the school year. The pieces reflected the use of different artistic techniques and mediums.

“This art show is a visual representation of students’ artistic learning and growth, and the positive impact of arts education in our schools,” said Saw Mill Road Elementary School Principal Jeffrey Rosof, who supervises the district’s art program.

The district congratulates its featured artists:

John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School: Siya Gahra, Erin Loechner, Vincent Maltese and Yirui Zhang.

Martin Avenue Elementary School: Tess Daly,Vivienne Ferrie, Vincent Samaniegoand Reese Walker.

Newbridge Road Elementary School: Kayla Diaz,Paul Sloven,Luke Watson andConnor Weidemann.

Park Avenue Elementary School: Catalina Fioranelli, Caleb Littman, Wyatt Roussine and Madison Scholl.

Saw Mill Road Elementary School (Ms. Lopez): Grace Cho, Sean Egan, Noah Gwyther, Alexa Olmo, Lucas Shek, Brielle Tambini, Olivia Thomas and Averie Volpe.

The framed student artwork will be on display throughout the district for the next year. Central office and building administrators proudly selected pieces of art to hang in their offices.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 2/29/2024

The purpose of Valentine’s Day is to spread love, and that’s exactly what students did at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School. As soon as they arrived at school on Feb. 14, children went on a mission to bring kindness to others.

Christine Shahin’s second graders made a kindness bulletin in the hallway. Each student contributed a paper heart listing one way to be kind. The goal was to share their ideas with the entire school and watch kindness spread.

In Kim Rackley’s fourth grade class, students worked on kindness messages to their families. They wrote letters to parents and siblings to bring home at the end of the day. The papers were folded up like an accordion with a heart on top so when opened up, it would reveal the message.

Fifth graders in Melissa Halaris’ class spent part of the day delivering kindness clips. Each student wrote positive messages on three wooden clips – one for a teacher, one for a student in another grade and one for his or her kindergarten buddy.

“It shows that we care about the staff members and other students here,” Nicole Quevedo said. “I’m happy to see other people happy and knowing that we can make a small difference in someone else’s day.”

Fellow fifth grader Cameron Nobile said it was a good way to spread positivity throughout the school. Among the recipients of his kindness clips were his fourth grade teacher, Kathleen Kee, and his sister.

“It gives people a little smile to their day,” he said.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 2/21/2024