Theme of the Year

Elementary School

 

  • Grade 1 – Agriculture
  • Grade 2 – Engineering
  • Grade 3 – Education
  • Grade 4 – Journalism
  • Grade 5 – Sports

 

Grade 3 – Education

Waverly Park Receives Hess STEM Grant

Waverly Park Elementary School third-graders were recently introduced to Hess Toy Trucks for educational exploration as a result of the school’s new Hess Toy Truck Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Kit grant. Library media specialist Meghan Ceglie applied for the grant in Feb. on behalf of Waverly Park and in March, received twelve 2017 Hess Dump Truck and Loader kits, along with a corresponding STEM curriculum.

As part of the Hess Corporation’s core value of social responsibility, the corporation partnered with Baylor College of Medicine to form a STEM Educational Outreach program for students. The program offers free learning kits which include Hess Toy Trucks along with a STEM Curriculum to teachers nationwide to demonstrate how the toys can be used as learning tools. They are awarded to qualifying teachers and are donated to their school. 

This spring, Waverly Park third-graders will utilize the Hess Toy Trucks to explore their grade-level career focus of education. Each grade level in the Lynbrook Public Schools have been challenged to research a specific career path for the 2017-18 school year as part of the district’s theme, “Where Tomorrow Begins Today.” The students will plan and teach STEM lessons using the Hess Toy Trucks to first grade students.

“The Hess trucks are more than toys. They are learning tools that offer a variety of practical and fun ways to teach STEM concepts,” said Ceglie. “Receiving the Hess STEM kit grant will allow me to continue creating a hands-on learning environment that will foster the acquisition of the 21st century skills necessary for student success.” 

 

Grade 5 – Sports

Students Transform into Sports Professionals

Waverly Park fifth-graders in Amy Garfinkel’s class put their creativity to the test during their Sports Cardboard Challenge on May 3. The class, along with other fifth-graders throughout the district, have incorporated careers in sports into their lessons to correspond with the Lynbrook Public Schools’ theme of the year, “Where Tomorrow Begins Today.” 

During the course of approximately two months, students were challenged to utilize cardboard and other recyclable materials to create a model of their research topic, highlighting a specific sports profession. With the help of Garfinkel and library media specialist Meghan Ceglie, the students researched professions such as sports photographer, general manager, physical therapist, sports announcer and more. Each student was required to write a creative essay about their findings. For their model, the students brainstormed ideas with their classmates for inspiration and wrote a paragraph about their projects. 

Students from various grade levels throughout the building were invited to the school library where the students displayed their projects. The fifth-graders presented on what they learned and spoke about how they built their creations.  

“I’m an NFL team owner and I made a skybox which overlooks the field because that’s where the NFL team owner sits during a game,” said fifth-grader Owen Asch. “My favorite part of the project was gluing the field to the bottom of the box and taping the skybox together.” 

Garfinkel incorporates a cardboard challenge into her lessons every other year after being inspired by the Global Cardboard Challenge. The challenge was created based on the film “Caine’s Arcade,” which takes viewers through the life of nine-year-old Caine Monroy who created a cardboard arcade. It encourages creativity among students which was the goal of the project.  

West End Students Shine as Popular Sports Figures

Fifth-graders at West End Elementary School channeled their favorite sports figures during their Living Wax Museum on June 8. The unit coincided with the district’s fifth-grade writing curriculum and theme of “Sports” for the 2017-18 school year.

 

Fifth-Graders Research Careers in Sports

Waverly Park fifth-grade teachers Shari Bowes, Amy Garfinkel and Colleen Kaufmann recently integrated their grade level, districtwide career theme, Sports Careers, into their informational writing unit. The students researched different careers in sports ranging from professional athletes to sports nutritionists and even team mascots. Students interviewed people in their field to gain a firsthand account of what a day in the life would be like. They also watched videos and read articles describing the education needed to be successful, as well as the skills required for the career they picked. 

During their research process, the students also learned the requirements of informational writing according to fifth-grade standards. Multiparagraph informational essays were put on display in the fifth-grade hallway for all to read and for others to explore possible job options for their future.