District Alert
Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) Registration: To register a child for the 2026-2027 school year Universal Pre Kindergarten (UPK) lottery, please complete the Online Registration Form found here. For more information, please click here to view the full UPK section on the Registration page.
Heinz helps out!
Critically acclaimed children's book author and Long Island native Brian Heinz spent Tuesday sparking the minds of Tackan Elementary students.
Mr. Heinz, who has 20 published books to his credit, visited several classrooms to put on a "writer's workshop."
In the workshop, Mr. Heinz spoke about the five critical elements of an opening page (Character, Principal Verb, Setting, Sensory Details and A Problem)
For "Character", Mr. Heinz suggested to provide a name of your main character. For "Principal Verb" Mr. Heinz said it was important to show the character in the midst of an action.
"Setting" allows your reader to fully visualize the story.
"Sensory Details" are provided to immerse your reader in the scene. Finally, "A Problem" gives the reader something is not right in your character's world.
Very informative!
