Wearing polka dots in honor of International Dot Day, the entire student body at Marion Street School came together to launch their theme for the year, “Make your mark, make it matter.”
International Dot Day is named for the Peter H. Reynolds book “The Dot,” which tells the story of a girl who started on a journey of self-discovery when her art teacher encouraged her to “just make a mark and see where it takes you.” Inspired by this idea, International Dot Day encourages students and teachers to make the world a better place through “creativity, courage and collaboration.”

Students launched their campaign by reading “The Dot” and creating colorful displays of dots that will remind them to make it matter throughout the year. They recalled how their participation in events such as Pennies for Patients, Hoops for Heart, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Pinwheels for Peace and Share a Smile, among others, have made a difference in their community. As the school year progresses, students will be encouraged to think of ways they can work together to make their mark. They ended their celebration with an inspiring rendition of “The Dot Song.”

Marion Street’s Dot Day campaign was initiated through the collaborative efforts of music teacher Kara Boulay, art teacher Patricia Wierzbicki, and student council advisers Coleen Maher and MaryKate Emmerich.

Photo Captions:

1. Wearing polka dots, Marion Street second-graders Olivia Marafioti (left), Viviana Gannascoli, Clara Larke and Samantha Colarossi, pledged to “make a mark.”
2. Second-graders Ethan Lunati (left) and Olivia Ramirez, third-grader Payton Stalter and second-grader Grayson Seideman dressed in polka dots for Marion Street School’s International Dot Day celebration.
3. Marion Street first-graders Sharon Alfred, Katelyn Ciprian and Camilla Escobar sported polka dots to remind them to make it matter.

Photos courtesy of Lynbrook Union Free School District

Sasha Ircha, a Bronxville High School senior, has earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor that a Girl Scout can earn after years of service, dedication and hard work.

It took Ircha, who has received numerous awards for her community service as a member of the Girl Scout’s Bronxville Service Unit 726, more than 80 hours over the course of a year to complete her extensive Gold Award project, titled “Spreading Kindness Through Food and Actions.” For her project, which required a sustainable response to an issue or cause, she chose to focus on The Reformed Church of Bronxville’s Coming Home Program, and raise money and awareness around the issue of hunger among women.

“The Coming Home Program is a re-entry program that is designed to help women rebuild their lives after being incarcerated,” Ircha said. “It is a nurturing and supportive program that assists women with rehabilitation, employment and personal healing.”

As part of her project, Ircha cooked and served meals at the Coming Home Program’s weekly community event that fed more than 40 people. She also provided support to the women and helped plan their successful graduation from the program.

“During this experience, I learned that anyone can help others in need, no matter what age or where they come from,” Ircha said. “Spending time with these women and watching them graduate from the program with their families and friends present was very meaningful for me, and I am so grateful for it. There is such a special feeling when seeing how your time and genuine effort has helped a community.”

Ircha said the women appreciated her assistance and have expressed that her presence at the meetings and during the community meals helped them feel a sense of youthfulness and hope.

Besides her involvement with the Girl Scouts, Ircha is a member of the Westchester Habitat for Humanity’s High School Advisory Board, serves as co-president of the Bronxville High School’s Habitat for Humanity Club and plays lacrosse on the varsity team. She also runs the annual Village of Bronxville “Toys for Tots” toy drive, which she and her older brother Steven founded a few years ago while he was a member of Boy Scouts Troop 5. Over the last two summers, Ircha has interned at the Lupus Research Alliance and helped plan the annual New York Jets Kickoff Luncheon, which raises money for the Lupus Research Alliance and Jets Foundation.

Photo Caption: Bronxville High School senior Sasha Ircha has earned the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award.

WANTAGH, N.Y. (Sept. 20, 2016) – Over the weekend, the LIU Post women’s lacrosse team took part in the 2016 Long Island Heart Walk, hosted by the American Heart Association at Jones Beach State Park.

The Heart Walk is the AHA’s premiere event for raising funds to save lives from heart disease and stroke. It is designed to promote physical activity and heart-healthy living.

“It was a great event. To be able to help out this great cause and obtain donations for the American Heart Association is very important to us,” said Head Coach Meghan McNamara. “We have been impacted several times as an LIU Post family, and wanted to give back and support our teammates, alumni, friends and family.”

The American Heart Association is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. They provide public health education and science-based treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals to help them provide quality care to their patients.

For more information on the American Heart Association, please visit Heart.org.

Eighty-five boxes filled with every supply a student could need – backpacks, lunch boxes, notebooks, pocket folders, pens, pencils, washable markers, pencil cases, crayons, glue/glue sticks, scissors, rulers and hand wipes – were dropped off at district offices on Sept. 7 thanks to the generosity of United Way’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign.

Educational Bus Transportation, which services the district, pulled into the administrative building with the packed boxes and members of the Middle School’s Builders Club, the junior version of the Key Club, were on hand ready to help unload the packages.

Representatives from United Way said they received more donations than ever and the need keeps growing. The program, now in its eighth year, also has the support of many corporate partners.

The Builders Club, along with adviser Maria Ostrofsky, will sort through the supplies and package them for distribution throughout the buildings.

http://www.copiague.k12.ny.us/

South Middle School sixth-graders were off to a successful start to the school year with a little help from their eighth-grade buddies through the district’s LINK program.
LINK, which stands for Lynbrook Students Independently Networking Kids, helps ease the transition for incoming sixth-graders.

Approximately 85 eighth-graders volunteered to help incoming sixth-graders this year. During the first week of school, each sixth-grader was paired with an eighth-grade LINKer and met in small groups to participate in icebreaker activities. The older students spoke about their middle school experiences and answered questions about sports, clubs, lockers and classes. The LINKers will keep their connections going throughout the year with events such as a bagel breakfast in October.

“It’s great to see the sixth-graders building bonds with the older students,” said guidance counselor Jennifer Arena, who created the program more than a decade ago. “The extra support they receive gives them the confidence to make the most of all the new challenges and opportunities that await them in middle school.”

The older students also reap many rewards. In acting as role models, they enjoy an extra sense of responsibility and gain valuable leadership skills along the way.

http://www.lynbrookschools.org/