Sixth-graders in Michelle Labuski’s class at Great Hollow Middle School recently visited “Starbooks,” a library café where they could sample different books.

With the assistance of Great Hollow librarian Sheila Cavooris and library teaching assistant Linda McCann, students selected a book to read for their accountable independent reading. The theme for the first quarter is “overcoming obstacles.” Ms. Cavooris pulled titles in various reading levels to match the theme.  

Ms. Labuski made a worksheet that listed the books, ingredients (summary), caffeine level (grande, venti, etc. for approximate grade level), and craving (tea cup, mug, thermos) for students to select how interested they were in the book.

The coffee cups were numbered and students rotated from book to book to read the summary and determine if they liked it. When they were done, the sixth-graders received a coffee stirrer with their name on it to put in the cup of the book they wanted to read.

Sixth-grade technology education students throughout the district participated in a tasty lesson on Sept. 15. The students made their own ice cream as part of their science of technology module of Project Lead the Way.

At Great Hollow Middle School, sixth-graders in Brian Costello’s technology class learned about atoms and molecules as an introduction to chemistry. The class then studied chemical engineering and how it is used in food production.  

Using ice, salt, sugar, vanilla and heavy cream, the students learned how the salt disrupts the frozen water molecules causing the ice to melt into a cold liquid. Using different mixing methods, the groups measured the temperatures of the cold liquid that eventually turned into a frozen ice cream mixture. Students had the option to add chocolate or strawberry syrup and enjoy their frozen treat.

 

Sixth-graders in Michelle Labuski’s class at Great Hollow Middle School got to know their fellow classmates during the first week of school by engaging in a cellphone activity.

Each student received a cardboard cutout of a blank cellphone. Each phone had a space for nine apps and students chose what apps they wanted to put on their phone. In an effort to get to know each other better, each app featured something personal about the student. For example, under the Yelp app, students wrote their favorite restaurant. Under the contacts, students wrote about a person they’d like to meet or their family members. Twitter was 140 characters about themselves and Facebook was a picture from the first day of school. Students then shared their cellphone interests with each other.

Throughout the district, each of the schools remembered and recognized Sept. 11 by engaging in different observances and activities.

Many schools started the day with a moment of silence prior to morning announcements. At Great Hollow Middle School, the morning announcements throughout the week included relevant character education messages. Students at Accompsett Middle School displayed flags outside the building and Principal Paul McNeil delivered a message over the public announcement system to all students. 

Smithtown Elementary School held a moment of silence and spoke about the importance of honoring the bravery of those who help others, such as firefighters and police. At Dogwood Elementary School, fifth-graders read an article, held age-appropriate class discussions and wrote essays and poems on why they are proud to be an American. Dogwood fourth-grade students created a project on their heroes. The outside walkways and lawn of the St. James Elementary School were filled with flags placed by students at the start of the school day on 9/11.

High School East lessons examined 9/11 from different viewpoints. Some teachers explored the history and impact of 9/11 since most students were not alive when the event happened. Psychology classes examined the toll traumatic events like 9/11 can have on a country and its people. Government classes assessed the impact 9/11 had on civil liberties in the United States. Some history courses explored the variety of changes that took place in the aftermath of the attacks. Furthermore, they examined the lessons that can be learned from 9/11. Some teachers chose to discuss how we could find hope in despair by choosing to be of service to the community in which they live.

Smithtown Central School District welcomed back students and staff on Sept. 7 to kick off the 2017-2018 school year. The first day of school was bustling with activity. Check out our slideshow to see some first day of school highlights.