MORICHES ELEMENTARY

2015-2016 PARENT NEWSLETTER

Principal’s Message

Welcome to the 2015-2016 school year at Moriches Elementary School. This school year is

off to a great start. We had a great turn out for the Meet the Teacher nights which were

held during the first weeks of school. At Moriches Elementary School, we recognize and ap-

preciate the value of parent involvement and promote continuing communication between

school and home throughout the year. Please come and meet with us, join the PTO, and vol-

unteer your time and energy. We know that your involvement, combined with the efforts of

our outstanding faculty & staff, will make this school year a rich and rewarding year for

your child. Please join us as we create a bright and successful future for all of our students.

Our Parent/Teacher conferences will be on Wednesday, December 16th and Thursday, De-

cember 17th. Information will be sent home later this month. Communication between

you and the school is important. This is a formal opportunity to review your children’s

progress.

We are very excited about the upcoming school year. Inside this issue you will read all of

the educational and fun learning activities your children are participating in their classes.

This year we will be building upon the past success at Moriches Elementary School thanks

to the hard work of all of our students, parents, faculty and staff. We presented many great

activities last year such as: unity week, family game nights, gingerbread night, author’s

night, grade level dances, fun PTO activities, Little Doctor’s Blood Drive, Moriches cele-

brates reading week, character dress-up day, and buddy mentoring program… just to name

a few!

We are excited to welcome Ms. Lisa Pisano to Moriches Elementary. She will be our

interim Assistant Principal while Mrs. Redding is out.

We look forward to working with you this school year. Let's make it the best year yet!

Unity Week was celebrated at Moriches Elementary during the week of

September 28th—October 2nd. “Just make a mark and see where it

takes you.” “Peace begins with a smile.” These quotes were bouncing

off the walls of the art room during the month of September. Students

in Kindergarten through fifth grade celebrated two important special

events; International Dot Day on September 15th and Peace/Unity

Week. Many students helped to contribute to the large murals that are

now on display in the hallways.

Kindergarten students join hands for Unity.

Second grade classes decorated hands to show unity. All the

hands were put together from the six classes and hung in their

wing to show unity.

In honor of Unity Week the whole third grade wrote poems about peace

and unity. Each class then picked three students to share their poems at

the end of the week during our Poetry Café. The whole third grade also

made shirts creating a painted dove with their handprints to wear on the

day of the poetry café. Having the same shirts with all of their different

handprints helped remind the students that in order to have peace we

need to be united and work together.

Fifth grade students from Ms. Valenti’s art classes participated in a variety of projects to celebrate Unity Week. They made a school-wide mural promoting peace and unity, as well as a peace rock garden which students individually painted rocks with drawings and peace quotes.

Fifth graders examined art from the Australian Aboriginals, and made peace

rocks in a similar style. The rocks will be displayed in the school garden.

Students in Ms. Haskins 5th grade class joined hands for Unity.

On Wednesday, September 30th, over 70 parents and students attended

Moriches Elementary School’s first Paint Party Event! Organized by Mrs.

Susannah Johnson, the event was a great way for parents and students

to spend time together doing something fun and creative, as well as ben-

efit the awesome PTO at Moriches who does so much for our students.

Everyone painted an adorable owl with sunglasses and was able to

choose the color of sunglasses their owl wore. Parents and students

alike did a wonderful job and everyone left with a one of a kind piece of

art they get to enjoy! A big thank you to our PTO who provided refresh-

ments for the event, as well as helpers for the evening. Another big

thank you to the amazing teachers who stayed to help set up, and run

the event. Finally, a big thank you to Melissa and her team, Veronica and

Tara, from MD Design Studio who brought all the supplies and taught us

all that anyone can be an artist! Be on the look-out for another Paint

Party Event in the Spring!

PROUD STUDENTS WITH THEIR MASTERPIECES!

What’s New in Kindergarten?

The Kindergarten team is very excited to welcome an eager group of young

learners. The students are working to learn their alphabet letters and sounds.

Students are practicing their sight words. Thank you to the parents for their

home support! Raz kids computer reading program is up and running! This is

a great way to enjoy reading at home. The PTO sponsored Reading Rainbow

program has begun! Every child is reading 10 books then receiving a sticker

prize! The ultimate goal is for 100 books! The students that reach this goal

will be invited to the Reading Rainbow party at the end of the year! Start your

reading engines! We know you can reach this goal!

In September the K team participated in the William Floyd Peace week. Each

student created a hand of peace. The K team joined the hands to create a large

heart mural. When you are in the school, look for it across from the PTO board

by the cafeteria!

In October the K students participated in Fire Safety with the local fire de-

partment. Our students learned all about stop, drop, and roll as well as 911!

The students took a tour of a Fire Engine. Most importantly, the students

learned that Fire Fighters are there to help!

The Kindergarten classes had a blast on Pumpkin day! PTO had several sta-

tions of Harvest fun! The children picked pumpkins and played many harvest

games! If you have not done so already, please send in your $5 PTO member-

ship. The money goes to support programs like Pumpkin Day as well as many

other student activities!

Kindergarten is a year of AMAZING growth! What an exciting time in your

child’s life!

The little acorns of the William Floyd Mighty Oak tree have started grow-

ing with great success! The Kindergarten Class will be graduating from

William Floyd High School in 2028!

On October 7th the Mastic Fire Department came to Moriches to present

a fire prevention program. Pictured are some of our kindergarten classes

learning all about the fire engine and how to be safe in the event of a

fire.

Kindergarten and First grade students at Moriches Elementary School were

presented with Caring Kids, a bully/violence prevention program devel-

oped by Child Abuse Prevention Services. Children learned to identify their

feelings, respect differences and to identify and respond to bully behaviors.

Pictured below is the kindergarten class of Mrs. Aiello with one of our

school social workers, Ms. Cabrera.

On October 30th, the first grade classes dressed up as their favorite story-

book characters. Teachers and students were dressed as Clifford the Big

Red Dog, Fancy Nancy, Pete the Cat and lots of other favorites.

During the first week of school, Mrs. Weldon’s second grade class wrote 5 facts about themselves. Then the children shared them with the class. It was a great way for the children to get to know each other. Here are a few samples:

Ashley wrote:

My favorite show is Henry Danger.

My favorite food is pizza.

My favorite toy is a Barbie.

I have 1 brother and 1 sister.

My birthday is in September.

Jordan wrote:

I like to play with my yellow ball.

My favorite food is hamburgers.

My favorite sports are soccer and basketball.

I like to ride my bike.

I like to go camping.

Elijah wrote:

My favorite toy is my car. My car is red.

My favorite thing to do is swimming.

Toy Story is my favorite movie.

I like to eat pizza.

My favorite place is the park.

Adan wrote:

I have 4 brothers.

I am 7 years old.

My birthday is in July.

I went to Toys R Us.

My favorite food is cookies.

Julian wrote:

My favorite food is cereal.

My favorite sport is soccer.

My favorite game is Minecraft.

I have a gecko.

My favorite animal is a dog.

Brandon wrote:

I have 5 pets.

I have a friend named Jordan.

I like cheese pizza.

I have a bike. I ride in the park.

I have a mom and dad named Ann and Juan.

Naydelin wrote:

I like to buy ice cream with my mom.

I like to go shopping with my mom and dad.

I like to eat pizza with my family.

I like to play with my dog.

I like to buy clothes with my mom.

Kimberly wrote:

I went to the beach in the summer. On Sundays I go shopping with my mom and dad too. I love playing tag with my mom and dad and my 5 pets too. I have 5 pets. I went to the zoo with my mom and dad. Christopher H. wrote: I have one brother. His name is Justin. I have one dog. I play Wii games. I ride my bike on the street. I like to play with my dog.

Arlene wrote:

I like to go to the park and play. My favorite food is Chinese food. My favorite thing to do is watch TV. My best friend is Ashley. I like to swim. Chris C. wrote: I have a dog. His name is Koda. I went to Virginia with my mom and dad. I like to play video games with my dad. I like coloring with my sister. I like to chase my dog. Daisy wrote: I have 2 brothers. I have 1 sister. My birthday is in October. I like vegetable soup. I have a doll.

Pictured below are the second grade recipients of the Moriches

Elementary Citizenship Award for the month of September. One student

from each class is selected by their teacher each month to receive a

certificate of recognition and a bumper sticker for their family’s car.

From left to right: Mckenzie Greene, Courtney Petersen, Aidan Randazzo, Jack Meyer, Danica

Byrd and Angelina Nadraus

Students from Mrs. Dunbar’s class during the 2nd grade field trip to Brookhaven

National Laboratory. The students participated in many hands-on activities that

integrated STEM learning experiences.

On Friday, October 30th the whole third grade participated in the annual 3rd Grade

Pumpkin Investigation. Throughout the day the students visited various 3rd grade

classrooms and participated in a variety of scientific experiments. The students

learned about the scientific method and made predictions before carrying out their

experiments. They predicted if their pumpkins would float, how much their pump-

kins weigh, the circumference of their pumpkins, and how many seeds are inside

their pumpkins. The students were excited to make their predictions and to see the

outcome of their experiments. During the activities the students also learned about

the life cycle of a pumpkin, the parts of a pumpkin, and used their pumpkin to do

some descriptive writing. Part of the third grade social studies curriculum is to learn

the seven continents and the five oceans, so the students also turned their pumpkins

into a globe. The day was a great success where the students learned a lot, while

having fun!

Some of the third grade students with their pumpkin experiments.

The fourth grade students

have been studying live cray-

fish for several weeks in

science. They have learned

about their natural habitats

and have compared them to

the habitat within their class-

rooms. The students have

been observing the crayfish

and making drawings with

labels to show their features.

They are also observing the

crayfish to determine normal

behavior and responsive

behavior. Alice Ludden and Giavanna Moscardino

Fourth grade students in Mr. Short’s class recently harvested the “three sisters” crops – corn, beans and squash – that they planted last spring as third graders in Mrs. Dobbeck’s class. The planting and harvesting of the crops ties in academical-ly with the fourth grade social studies and science curriculum covering how the plants grow and are harvested, as well as planting and caring for the crops just like the Native Americans once did.

On September 17th, Constitution day, Ms. Haskins 5th grade

classes signed their own Classroom Constitution.

On Friday, October 23rd the entire fifth grade took a trip to William Floyd High

School for the annual College Bound Athletics Assembly. Athletic Director Mark

Mensch, for the 9th year in a row, started off the assembly by stressing the

importance of being a “solid student” first. Two of the current student athletes,

John Bilotti (lacrosse) and Lexi Romano (softball) spoke to the students about the

importance of managing your time as well as all the social positives being on a sports

team brings. The students were then treated to a Question and Answer segment.

Jaelyn Ziegler asked the question, “Is it better to concentrate on one sport in high

school or should you play as many as you can?” The answer given by the panel was,

“As you get older and closer to college you might find that you just want to focus on

the sport you love the most, but you should never be discouraged from trying every-

thing.” Jae Ho Him asked, “What were some of your deciding factors in choosing a

college?” The panel agreed that academics were the most important factor, as well

as the relationship between the coach and team of the sport they choose to play.

The highlight of the day came at the end when our students got the chance to inter-

act with the high school senior athletes. They signed autographs, played catch and

got to be around some of William Floyd’s best and brightest student athletes. The

day was a resounding success as always as it provided clarity and great insight to be-

coming a successful student athlete in the future at William Floyd and beyond.

For Veterans Day, the 5th graders in Mrs. Johnson’s and Mr. Megna’s classes welcomed Sergeant

Joshua Gravett, US Army, to hear about his experiences in the military. SGT Gravett said that he

joined the military to travel the world and follow in the footsteps of family members who have

served before him. He explained how the Army paid for his college and also discussed his various

roles, such as serving as a recruiter, a human resources officer, a postal carrier and as an airborne

ranger.

Emily Brick

Taylor Beltramini

Kailey Casanova

Emily Coleman

Cheyenne Dennis-Daniels

Ava Ferrante

Kaylee Fleming Fernadez

Allison Goodyear

Jazzariah Hall

Laiba Hameed

Trinity Hibbert

Nahjae Hollman

Sydney Kosta

Dar’ya Kravchuk

Juliana LaBella

Jerry Martinez Vivar

Kamilla Montoya

Davion Morris

Emily Murtha

Aaron Nelson

Christian Ortega-Zuniga

Edwars Quiroga

Litzy Ramos

Daviah Richardson

Adrian Romero

Edwin Sanchez Hernandez

Vanessa Scotti

Neiphatarr Selassie-I

Andrew Stigliano

Phillip Vetter

These students represent

the Moriches Fall Safety

Patrol. They help keep

the school safe during

arrival and dismissal.

On October 15th Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine

visited Moriches Elementary to present Oral Health Education to our

students. Representatives visited all of the classrooms.

On October 16th, Moriches Elementary

kicked off School Spirit Week. Students and

staff were “Pretty in Pink” in support of

Cancer Awareness.

On Monday students were able to wear their cozy pajamas to school for PAJAMA

DAY.

On Tuesday students and staff dressed like a

friend for TWIN DAY.

On Wednesday Moriches showed their team spirit as students and staff

wore their favorite team jersey or shirt for SPORTS DAY.

Thursday was a super day as students and staff dressed as their favorite

super hero for SUPER HERO DAY.

During the month of October, Moriches Elementary celebrated

SOCKTOBER. Boxes were set up in the lobby beginning October 1st

and students and faculty were asked to donate new socks of all sizes,

patterns and colors to benefit local shelters. In order to promote the

event, everyone was asked to wear their favorite or crazy socks

every Monday in October. Nearly 500 pairs of socks were collected!

GREAT JOB

MORICHES!

Mrs. Knoetgen and Mrs. Johnson working with students to count all the socks that were collected.

Moriches participated in a Halloween Candy Buy Back Fundraiser for the

troops. Students brought in their unwanted and extra Halloween candy

to a box that was located in the front lobby. Dr. Bach & Dr. Grazina of

East End Orthodontics offered to donate $1 to the school for every

pound of candy collected—up to 250 lbs. The school that collected the

most candy got $350. The candy was sent to our troops overseas so they

could share it with other children. After one week of collecting,

Moriches had collected 295 lbs. of candy. GREAT JOB MORICHES!

Some of the students from Mrs. Coggiano’s class pose with the many boxes filled with the

Halloween candy.