Fifth and sixth graders at Park Avenue Elementary School are a little more emotionally intelligent following their recent visits to the Coping Skills Café. The program was hosted by North Bellmore School District counselors Keara McNamara and Holly Sugarman to help students manage the intensity of the emotions they naturally feel.

Ms. McNamara and Ms. Sugarman opened each session with a class discussion on regulating emotions and the coping skills students are already using. Then, children rotated through four centers, with each providing different strategies.

At the puzzles and fidgets stations, students could explore different tactile ways to regulate their emotions by using objects such as pop toys, stress balls, wooden block puzzles and word searches. The art and sculpting center featured coloring pages with colored pencils, and Play-Doh.

The breathing and mindfulness center had posters and cards showcasing different relaxation techniques for students to practice. They also made a coping skills toolbox and listed several different strategies they would find effective.

Ms. McNamara and Ms. Sugarman said that they wanted each child to leave with a few new ideas and identify which strategies would work best when experiencing certain emotions. They added that the Coping Skills Café supports the district’s fifth and sixth grade health and wellness curriculum. Each session ended with a class discussion, as students shared the techniques they are adding to their emotional toolkit.

“The Coping Skills Café is interactive and it’s experiential learning because students get to do things hands-on,” Ms. McNamara said. “The goal is for them to take away a few different skills they’ll be able to use in the future.”

Click here to view the Park Avenue Students Learn to Thrive Emotionally 2025 slideshow.

Date Added: 12/17/2025

String students from North Bellmore’s five elementary schools came together for the annual District Orchestra Winter Concert on Dec. 8 at the Brookside School. Proud parents, siblings, teachers and administrators filled the auditorium to enjoy holiday and winter tunes. 

The young musicians learned the concert music together during early morning districtwide rehearsals over the last several months, as well as during their small-group lessons. The fifth grade ensemble was conducted by Patrice Ryan and the sixth grade group was led by Lisa Uckardes. Individual school winter concerts are also taking place throughout December. 

Date Added: 12/9/2025

Kindness is emphasized every day at Park Avenue Elementary School, but young learners got an extra reminder on Nov. 13 in celebration of World Kindness Day. 

Kindergartners in Anne Griffin and Sarah Mazeika’s classes took part in several activities that reinforced the importance of being kind to others. The goal was to impart this wisdom on students at a young age so they build lifelong kindness habits.  

Working with partners, students played kindness bingo. Using small blocks and toys, they marked off on their bingo cards as different acts of kindness were read aloud, like being nice to animals, helping someone with a chore, giving a high-five or inviting a classmate to play.  

Teachers shared a book, “Be Kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller with their students. Children created kindness collages by cutting out, pasting down and coloring pictures that reflected kind acts. They also thought of times they showed kindness to others, and drew pictures to capture those moments. 

All students at Park Avenue also contributed to a kindness tree, with each leaf listing kind deeds and compassionate acts.

 

Click here to view the Kindness Marks the Spot at Park Avenue slideshow.

 

Date Added: 11/14/2025

 

Second graders at Park Avenue Elementary School are making exciting strides as young mathematicians. After learning how to split even and odd numbers into equal and unequal groups, students in Kelly Podell’s class then explored arrays. 

Arrays are introduced through repeated addition, which helps lay the groundwork for multiplication in the grades ahead. To build a strong understanding of this concept, students used Unifix cubes and other hands-on manipulatives to explore rows and columns in a fun and interactive way. 

To take their creativity to the next level, second graders designed their very own “array city” using the windows of the buildings to show different arrays. This engaging project helped students apply their knowledge in a meaningful contest, while also encouraging imagination and problem-solving.  

 

Date Added: 11/10/2025

On a sunny but chilly morning that certainly felt like football weather, more than 30 students from the North Bellmore School District gathered to put their athletic skills to test. On Saw Mill Road Elementary School’s back field, the district held the final round of its annual Punt, Pass, Kick competition.

Preliminary rounds took place in physical education classes, with the fourth, fifth and sixth grade boys and girls winners from each school advancing to the championships. North Bellmore’s physical education teachers James Breslin, William Green, James Mulvey, Anthony Novello, Alyssa Parker and Michael Weiner coordinated the event.

With distance lines set up on the field, every participant got one turn throwing, punting and kicking off a tee. They were also allowed to try for a better score in one of the three challenges. After all of the scores were tabulated, grade level winners were announced and medals were handed out.

Punt, Pass, Kick is based on competition that was previously sponsored by the NFL and North Bellmore’s physical education department has kept it as an annual districtwide fitness activity.

Click here to view the All Fun and Football at Annual Skills Competition 2025 slideshow.

Date Added: 11/4/2025