To address the safety and security of students and staff throughout the district, the Smithtown Central School District invited parents and community members to its spring Parent University School Safety Forum on May 7 at Smithtown High School West.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Grossane spoke about the safety and security practices in place including the visitor management system, security entrances and vestibules, security cameras and routine evacuation/fire/lockdown drills. 

District, county and law enforcement representatives were on hand to discuss the district’s emergency planning and responses in the event of a threat to school safety. Jack Blaum, the district’s security consultant, and Joe Rizzo, chief of security, spoke about the district’s safety measures, practices and procedures. They addressed concerns about keeping buildings secure, preventative measures, fire evacuation procedures and ongoing security upgrades.

Assistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services Mona Tobin addressed the audience regarding communication with parents and community members and reunification plans in the event of an emergency.

Tackan Elementary School Principal Dr. Allyn Leeds stopped by for a quick photo opportunity with her former students before they went to High School East senior prom.

Author Amy McCoy made a special visit to Tackan Elementary School on April 26 for two assemblies with the students to help inspire them to be kind and better understand other’s differences.
 
McCoy, author of “Little Big Sister,” spoke to the students why it’s always important to be kind and why the book has an important message. The book is told from the perspective of a girl named Katie, who although she is the little sister in the family, often needs to play the role of the big sister. Katie’s brother has special needs and the book explains what it’s like growing up with a sibling who has autism.  

McCoy challenged the students to take their school motto – “work hard, be nice” – to the next level and add her motto of “it’s cool to be kind.” Living with kindness, integrity and just smiling can brighten someone’s day, she said. 

Fourth-graders throughout the district recently tied their learning activities in with donating to a local cause. As part of a Project Lead the Way activity, the fourth-graders were tasked with designing and modeling a system to unload boxes of food at a community food pantry. The students came up with different prototypes of systems to best deliver and unload the food. 

After completing the activity, Project Lead the Way coach Kelly Bigliani asked the fourth-grade class to participate in a local food drive led by area Stop and Shop supermarkets called Feeding Our Families. The elementary schools collected more than 700 pounds of nonperishable food items, which will be delivered to Island Harvest. On April 29, the Smithtown High School East girls varsity softball team also collected donations, a total of 3,000 pounds, along with Bigliani at the Stop and Shop in South Setauket.  

Third-graders at Tackan Elementary School got sticky and slimy as part of a hands-on lesson presented by the Parent-Teacher Association’s Cultural Arts program on April 25.

A representative from the Long Island Science Museum visited the school for the slime, goo and ooze presentation. Students learned about the different states of matter – solids, liquids and gases – and their different properties. To make the slime, the students had to turn a liquid into a gel, a state of matter in between a liquid and a solid. Each student had the opportunity to make two different types of slime. The first slime used glue, Borax, food coloring and water to create a “gak” slime, which was stretchy and sticky. The “flubber” slime they created next had a different texture, and students observed its different properties. At the end of the program, the third-graders were able to take their creations home to enjoy. 

Showing off the many interactive, hands-on learning experiences available throughout the district, the Maker Space Club from High School East invited students and their families to Bull STEAM Ahead evening on April 20.

Maker Space activities ¬– with topics covering science, technology, engineering, art and math – were offered for students to experience. They checked out 3-D printing technology, made their own math origami, worked with circuits, videoed themselves on a green screen and used virtual reality glasses. 

Technologies of the past also made an appearance, and some students had fun learning to use a typewriter. STEM professionals from local businesses were on hand to answer questions, and the Mechanical Bulls robotics team set up outside the cafeteria to showcase their creations. Admission was free with a nonperishable food donation, which the Maker Space Club will collect for a local food pantry.  

It was a royal gathering for second-graders at Tackan Elementary School when they celebrated their Fairy Tale Ball on April 20. The celebration was the culmination of their literacy unit on fairy tales.

Royal kings and queens, princes and princesses and many of the famous characters from the classic tales entered the gymnasium to an audience of family and friends.

Class by class, the students took to the stage to recite a few of the well-known fairy tales, some dressed the part of the different characters, including “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “Pinocchio.”

Following the show, guests and fairy tale characters were all invited back to the cafeteria for a royal feast.

Each year, the Torch Award is presented to Smithtown teachers who have significantly contributed to the growth and professional development of their teacher colleagues. This year’s Torch Award recipients are: Kelly Bigliani, Kathleen DeBono, Doreen Kelly, Amanda LaComb, Gillian Winters, Denise Cardinal, Diana Lanze, Kristi Hoenes and Sallie Culloton.

The Smithtown Teacher Center hosted a reception to honor all Torch Award recipients and nominees on April 23 at the Branch Brook Elementary library.

SCOPE educator John Shiels visited with fourth-graders at Tackan Elementary School on March 14 for a hands-on learning experience. After completing their unit on energy in the ecosystem, the students learned about food chains as part of SCOPE’s outdoor environmental education program.

Students learned about energy, different consumers and producers in the ecosystem and had to work in groups to create their own food chain. They also examined plankton using digital microscopes and tablets. The fourth-graders viewed the microscopic ecosystem of a water droplet and learned about the food chain using plankton. The students recorded their observations and worked together to identify the different organisms found in the ocean water.