Volunteer members of the Nesconset Fire Department visited with students at Tackan Elementary School to demonstrate some hands-on fire safety lessons on June 8.

Fire department members brought a fire truck, ambulance and a smoke house to give students the opportunity to learn about fire safety first hand. Students were able to board the ambulance in small groups and learn about the different tools inside to help people and when to call an ambulance in an emergency situation.

Tackan students also learned about the different functions of the fire truck, what to do if there’s a fire in their home and how to get out safely while also allowing the firemen to do their jobs. They also got to use the fire hose and take turns being firemen. 

In the smokehouse, students had a hands-on lesson in fire safety, learning how to react in a real emergency situation and get out safely.

Kindergarten students at Tackan Elementary School celebrated the marriage between the letters Q and U in an official ceremony on May 25. After spending their first few months of school learning about the sounds different letters make and how they form words, the students gathered to join the two letters together forever. Tackan Principal Dr. Allyn Leeds officiated the ceremony as the Q and U promised to never quibble or quarrel.   

Tackan Elementary School has been awarded a $500 grant on behalf of Safe Fleet and Seon’s United Against Bullying Grant Program.

These funds are being used to further Tackan’s efforts to promote kindness, understanding and integration within its diverse student body. Throughout the year, Tackan students have been participating in the No Place For Hate initiative, which promotes those same core values.

The student body has been involved in numerous school wide events geared toward these directives, which will culminate on June 19 in a full-day event called “It’s A Small World.” The day’s events focus on expanding students’ diversity knowledge and the importance of kindness between students through Tackan’s partnership and efforts with United Against Bullying and No Place For Hate.

Students from Branch Brook Elementary School were welcomed with open arms by their new principals, teachers and future classmates at Mt. Pleasant and Tackan elementary schools during their visits on April 21.

In an effort to ease the transition to their new schools next year, students from Branch Brook visited the school they will attend next year when Branch Brook closes its doors. Branch Brook Principal Ireen Westrack was on hand for both building tours.

At Mt. Pleasant Elementary School, Principal Joseph Ierano shared a slideshow presentation of all the fun-filled annual events that happen at the school, giving them a sneak peek of what they can look forward to when they start in September. Mt. Pleasant’s fifth-grade helpers offered tours of the building and Branch Brook students spent some classroom time in their respective grade levels.

At Tackan Elementary School, Principal Dr. Allyn Leeds welcomed the new students for a tour of the building and spent time visiting each classroom. After the tours, students gathered back in the gymnasium for a question and answer session and received a Tackan T-shirt. A parent meeting was held on April 24 in each building to provide an opportunity to meet the staff, tour the building and answer questions.

It was a “beary” good time for kindergarten students at Tackan Elementary School as they participated in a teddy bear clinic on April 18. Kristi Ladowski, injury prevention coordinator at Stony Brook University Children’s Hospital, visited with the students to teach them about basic first aid, safety practices and helped ease their fear of doctors and hospitals.

Each student brought his/her favorite stuffed animal to practice and learned ways to stay safe. The students enjoyed diagnosing their animals and used a Band-Aid, gauze pads, splints and tape to fix their injuries. They also learned songs to help them brush their teeth, wear a helmet and wash their hands.  

After completing their unit on energy in the ecosystem, fourth-graders at Tackan Elementary School participated in a hands-on learning experience by exploring real-life food chains on April 27. The program was conducted as part of SCOPE’s outdoor environmental education program.

Using digital microscopes and tablets, students viewed the microscopic ecosystem of a water droplet. Seeing the microscopic organisms opened up a world as the fourth-graders 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.