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Mission Statement

Our mission is to inspire all students to be confident, passionate learners with the courage and skills to lead their lives with integrity, while contributing to our global community with creativity and compassion.

pa1599 Park Avenue.
North Merrick, NY 11566
Tel: (516) 992-3117
Fax: (516) 992-3274
Principal: Ms. Eileen Speidel





 

 

 

 

Park Avenue is one of five elementary schools in the North Bellmore UFSD, which serves students in kindergarten through grade 6.  When students complete sixth grade, they move onto the Bellmore-Merrick CHSD for grades 7-12.
 
Our highly-qualified, dedicated faculty and staff; supportive district administration; strong parent community and deeply committed Board of Education collaborate to realize our district’s mission to “inspire all students to be confident, passionate learners who live their lives with integrity while contributing to our global community with creativity and compassion.” 
 
At Park Avenue, we are focused on providing our scholars with a rigorous academic program and diverse learning experiences that will enable them to meet the increased demands of the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards.  These standards create clear expectations for what students at each grade level need to know, and do, in order to be successful in elementary school and beyond. 
 
In addition to developing strong academic skills in our students, we are deeply committed to nurturing good character.  The Park Avenue faculty and staff collaborated and created a blueprint for positive behavior called P.A.R.K., which focuses on three core behavioral expectations:  Having a Positive Attitude, and always being Respectful and Kind.  It is our hope that our scholars, and the entire Park Avenue community, will consistently meet and exceed these expectations. 
 
Each day, during morning announcements, the entire school community recites the Scholar’s Pledge to reinforce our P.A.R.K. ideals.  
 
Park Avenue School Scholar’s Pledge
As a citizen of Park Avenue School …
I will strive to maintain a positive attitude
I will be respectful and kind in all that I do
I will focus my brain, my body, my mind
I will invest in my best and always choose kind
 
Additionally, we believe that grit and growth mindset are a winning combination for a happy and successful future.  Our scholars are taught that having a growth mindset means knowing that they can develop their skills and talents through effort, persistence and hard work.  Grit means having passion and perseverance for a very long term goal.  It means having a goal that you care so much about that it gives meaning to almost everything you do, and drives you to do your best.   It means having stamina and keeping your eye on your goal, day in and day out.  Grit means working hard … and showing a lot of effort … it means not giving up even when you fall down or your progress is slow.  It means sticking to something even when it’s difficult.  It means not quitting.      
 
A Park Avenue Scholars shows grit by…
Trying … because every accomplishment starts with the decision to try
Taking a risk…even if when you don’t think you’re good at something  
Accepting challenges, staying strong and overcoming the challenges until you reach success
Persevering and not giving up… especially when the task is hard, disliked or dull
 
Current research on grit tells us that a student’s ability to work hard, to endure struggle, to fail, and then try again is critical to one’s long-term success and overall happiness.  Therefore, scholars at Park Avenue need to work hard.  They need to persevere.  They need grit. And the faculty and staff stand ready to support the scholars as they develop their grit and growth mindset, and as they invest in their best as students, and people of good character.
Park Avenue’s high expectations for student achievement and good character, coupled with a dedicated faculty, positive and strong parental involvement, make our school a warm, nurturing and challenging place to learn! 
We’ll see you along the way!  
 
Sincerely,
 
Eileen Speidel
Proud Principal

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It All Adds Up to 100 in North Bellmore

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With 100 days of school complete, students throughout the North Bellmore School District celebrated the accomplishment on Feb. 25.

For kindergartners, it was one of their first milestones on the roughly 2,300-day journey to graduation in 2033. Students in Jennie Kuhn’s class at Martin Avenue Elementary School took advantage of the sunny weather by going outside for a special game. Children paired up for a snowball toss – paper snowballs – as each student threw it to a classmate standing several feet away and holding a large basket. The goal was to get 10 snowballs, each worth 10 points, in the basket to score 100 points.

Every student filled a plastic bottle with 100 of a certain object, then placed that bottle in a paper bag. They had to give clues to help their classmates guess the mystery object. Children also did 100 exercises in groups of 10.

First graders in Mary Carrea’s class created portraits of themselves at 100 years old, and wrote about where they want to live, what they would eat and what they would do at that age.

At Park Avenue Elementary School, kindergartners in Melissa Reime’s and Anne Griffin’s classes dressed up to look like they were 100 years old. They took 100 steps to see how far in the building they could go, read books about the 100th day and discovered different things they could do in 100 seconds.

Fifth graders, who were actually celebrating their 1,000th day of school since the kindergarten, also joined in the fun. They, too, dressed up as 100-year-olds and wrote bucket lists of items they would want to accomplish before turning 100.


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Friends Are Easy to Find at Park Avenue

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Just as important as learning their ABC’s and 123’s is learning how to be good citizens, and for students at Park Avenue Elementary School, that starts with friendship.

Continuing with districtwide spirit days, schools throughout the North Bellmore School District celebrated Friendship Friday on Feb. 5 so students could thank the people who light up their lives. They were also invited to wear their school colors and spirit wear.

At Park Avenue, that meant a lot of students were clad in blue and white. They also participated in activities that celebrated friendship. In Melissa Reime’s kindergarten class, students made cards to give to their classmates. Second graders in Nancy DelRosario’s read a book, “Will You Be My Friend?” then brainstormed the characteristics of good friends. Brittany Ciana’s third graders filled each other’s friendship jars with compliments.

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Dr. King Inspires Dreamers at Park Avenue

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Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was celebrated at Park Avenue Elementary School as students learned about the man whose contributions to society were so great that he is honored with a national holiday every January.

The Parker Panda bulletin board in the lobby was covered in pictures of Dr. King along with many of his quotes. This gave students a daily reminder of his efforts to achieve equality and justice.

Third graders completed an “All About” packet in which they learned about Dr. King’s childhood and achievements. They identified his character traits and cited evidence on how he displayed those traits. Students also analyzed his “I Have a Dream” speech and reflected on its meaning.

Each third grade class also created an “I Have a Dream” puzzle poster, with every student completing a piece. Teachers Brittany Ciana and Jennifer Howe said students could write either a personal dream or one of their wishes for the world.

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Saying and Showing Kindness at Park Avenue

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Every day is a celebration of kindness at Park Avenue Elementary School, but on Nov. 13, students and staff took it up a notch for World Kindness Day.

The global initiative, spearheaded by Inspire Kindness, was created to amplify the power of kindness through people’s actions, words and clothing. Students at Park Avenue were encouraged to wear shirts with positive messages and commit to at least one act of kindness that day either in school, at home or in the community. 

In Nancy Del Rosario’s second grade class, students studied Mr. Rogers, a man known for spreading messages of kindness to generations of youngsters. They also wrote in the gratitude journals about acts of kindness other people have shown toward them and why they appreciated it. 

Earlier in the year, third graders in Brittany Ciana’s class read “Third Grade Angels,” by Jerry Spinelli. Since then, one student per week has been recognized with a “Halo Award” for showing kindness toward others. Since World Kindness Day was special, two students were honored for their good deeds. 
 
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