Mills Pond Elementary School celebrated students exceeding their Parents as Reading Partners goal by reading 55,750 minutes. Diane Lanze’s fifth-grade class read the most minutes (10,625 minutes) and had the opportunity to choose the Principal's Challenge. Mills Pond Principal Ireen Westrack had a team of highly trained hairstylists (classroom teachers) dye her hair rainbow colors in front of the whole school on March 1.

Smithtown showed off the talent of its student body and recognized the accomplishments of students and staff during its Feb. 26 board of education meeting.

The meeting was held at Smithtown Elementary School, as the board of education is moving its meetings to different locations this school year in an effort to connect with the community. Smithtown Elementary fifth-graders showed off their performing skills with a sneak peek of a few songs from their upcoming presentation of “The Lion King” to start the meeting.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Grossane honored and recognized several teachers and a student. High School West senior Matthew Bizzaro was recognized for receiving first place in the Long Island round of the National Automotive Technology Competition. Four Smithtown teachers – David Junz, Kelly Bigliani, Glenn Rogers and Brian Cusati – were honored for being chosen as Project Lead the Way Master Teachers. Lastly, High School East math teacher Marianne Schoepflin was honored for achieving National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Certification. 

Kindergartners in Michael Hart’s class at Mills Pond Elementary School celebrated Global Play Day on Feb. 6 with some in-class fun. After playing a game of rock, paper, scissors using hula-hoops, the students rotated to different “Minute to Win It”-type games. Some of the hands-on activity centers included making a cup tower stack, a popsicle stick house, separating beds into different cups and racing each other with a cotton ball and straw.

As a kickoff to Mills Pond’s Parents as Reading Partners program, High School East Drama Club students visited the school for a superhero performance on Feb. 1. Theater students Meleni Sarantos, Dylan McCormick and Calvin Dean performed an original play written by Sarantos. They convinced hundreds of K-5 students that “Reading Is Incredible!”

As a culminating activity to their unit on arctic animals and penguins, kindergartners at Mills Pond Elementary School held a Penguin Day on Jan. 25. Dressed in black and white – and wearing their custom-made penguin hats – the students rotated through different stations in the classrooms to help reinforce their lessons on the unit.  They made maps to see where penguins lived and challenged their knowledge in penguin trivia. They also got involved in hands-on activities during the penguin Olympics, competing in different relay races.