Third-graders made digital connections to celebrate their love of reading at Northwest Elementary School.

To mark World Read Aloud Day on Feb. 1, students in Lori Heavey’s class used their Chromebooks to read with children at other schools. Through Google Hangout, they participated in video chats with Melissa McCormack’s class at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School and with a third-grade class at P.S. 193 in Queens. Children on each end of the connection selected books to share with their video pen pals.

Using Flipgrid, Ms. Heavey’s students recorded themselves reading aloud, and those videos were shared with a third-grade class in Uniondale. She said that students enjoyed the opportunity to read using a different medium.

Northwest Elementary School held its Winter Wonderland family learning night with literacy, math and science activities. 

Just hours before a light snow coated the ground, students and their families gathered to celebrate winter at Northwest Elementary School.

The school hosted its annual Winter Wonderland family learning night on Jan. 17. Activities celebrated art, literacy, math, music and science. It began with a sing-along in the cafeteria led by first-grade teacher Margaret Brooks, followed by a group game of winter bingo. Principal Kathleen Hyland and Assistant Principal Sonia Rodrigo called out the numbers, and winners got to take home prizes.

In classrooms, children made snowmen crafts, rolled dice and added up the numbers inside of paper snowmen and listened to winter-themed stories. They also mixed ingredients to create their own snow. As they left, students got to choose from dozens of free books to take home.