A successful legal career for Raj Parekh is the result of receiving a strong education in the Amityville Union Free School District, and that was his message to students at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School. Mr. Parekh, who was named the acting United States attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia in January, connected with students at his former school virtually on April 8. 

Classes throughout the school tuned in for the Google Meet videoconference with the 1999 Amityville Memorial High School graduate. Park Avenue students were excited to hear from someone who attended the same schools as them, and were very interested in his Amityville memories. 

Mr. Parekh discussed his legal career leading up to his appointment as acting attorney of an office of approximately 300 federal prosecutors, civil litigators and support personnel across four divisions located in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk and Newport News. Students enjoyed hearing about a typical day on the job for him and were delighted to hear that he has even met a couple of presidents. 

Before the videoconference, students identified what they wanted to learn about him, and each class submitted a few questions. Children learning remotely also were able to log on from their Chromebooks and ask questions live using the chat feature. 

From guest readers to a bookmark contest, there was a big emphasis on literacy throughout March at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School. It was Pick a Reading Partner month and this year’s theme was “Get your paws on a good book."

PARP kicked off on March 1 with teachers reading their favorite books aloud to their classes. The following day was the birthday of renowned children’s author Dr. Seuss, so librarian Tim Quinn visited classrooms dressed as the Cat in the Hat. 

March featured both in-person and virtual guest readers. Family members of third, fourth and fifth graders as well as Village of Amityville police officers shared books in virtual read alouds. Administrators including Superintendent Dr. Mary T. Kelly, Principal Robyn Santiago and Assistant Principal Joshua Atlas visit classrooms to read. 

Park Avenue students also made digital connections with their peers from other schools. They were paired up to read with children at Northwest Elementary School, and took part in virtual read alouds with members of the National Junior Honor Society at Edmund W. Miles Middle School. 

“The community outreach has broadened because we have the virtual component,” instructional coach Laura Maurer said.

There were mystery readers during the morning announcements, and the first student to guess the reader correctly each day received a prize. Participants also had a chance to earn prizes by logging the minutes spent reading at home with family members.

Students came dressed up for several spirit days in March. They donned their school colors to show they are proud Amityville readers, wore jerseys as a reminder that learning is a team sport, wore clothing with paw prints to show they are wild about reading and cuddled with a good book on pajama day.
 
This year’s bookmark contest was based on the PARP theme and students could enter either a hand-drawn or computer-illustrated picture, allowing remote students to participate. This year’s winners were Emely Caceres Romero in third grade, Tiarra Ruddock in fourth grade and Daniela Ramirez in fifth grade. 
 
Children’s author Amy Mucha had a read aloud and Q&A session with Jennifer Zider’s third grade class. As a closing activity, “Scuba Steve” author Steven Kamlet presented at virtual PARP Family Night on March 22. The Amityville Parent-Teacher Council purchased 50 autographed copies of his book which were raffled off to students. 

For curious minds at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School, a new science program is satisfying their thirst for knowledge about the world around them. The Amityville Union Free School District adopted the Amplify Science program for grades K-7 following extensive research.

The program was adopted following the recommendation of a science committee, which consisted of teachers, learning coaches and administrators. They were tasked with finding curriculum resources that are aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards and included a substantial technology component.

Third grade teacher Georgette Thompson said that Amplify’s curriculum covers a wide range of areas, from biology to meteorology to physics. This year her students have been learning about balancing forces, genetics, the environment and weather. 

“There’s a little bit of everything,” she said. 

Ms. Thompson also noted that the program has many digital resources so students learning in school and at home can be involved in scientific inquiry together. It includes many informational slideshows which she can present on the Smart Board or have students view on their individual Chromebook screens.  

For a recent lesson on inheritance and traits, third graders looked at photos of three different bears. They had to note the similarities and differences of the bears, and write down their findings in their investigation notebooks. Ms. Thompson explained to them how scientists use their senses to make observations. 

Fourth graders in Johanna Feliz’s class recently conducted a hands-on experiment to study simple systems. Each student received a bag of supplies including a small solar panel, two wires and motorized fan. They had to hook up the different components and if they did so correctly, the fan would spin when holding up the solar panel to a light. She said this demonstrated to them how energy is transferred within a system.

Ms. Feliz said that one great components of the science program that all units are based on finding solutions to real-world problems. Before building their simple systems, students learned about blackouts and what have been the causes of actual power failures. 

Another aspect she likes is the integration of scientific vocabulary throughout a unit. Students learn how to think and speak like scientists and engineers. 

To celebrate Black History Month, students in the Amityville Union Free School District participated in virtual celebrations and learned about African-American men and women who made important contributions to the country.

At Edmund W. Miles Middle School, students portrayed a variety of important figures from the past and present in a video that was shared with the school during the advisory block on Feb. 25. Tiffany Asbell was Vice President Kamala Harris, Kiya Sizemore was civil rights activist Ruby Bridges and Janaiya Randolph was poet Amanda Gorman. Students did their own research on these notable individuals before portraying them in the virtual celebration.

Middle school students also did independent research projects on notable Black Americans. Social studies teachers incorporated Black History Month into their lessons through discussions of historical events and individuals. Students studied many concepts from the Black perspective and analyzed how decisions of the past have had implications in present-day society.  
 
Ninth grade students at Amityville Memorial High School developed a “Periodic Table of African-American Achievement in History” using Google Slides and Jamboard. Students researched notable accomplishments by African-Americans and created interactive databases. They also made accompanying videos using Flipgrid, explaining the impact of the changes led by these individuals. The digital presentation were then shared with sixth graders at the middle school.

“The project was designed as a part of our Black History Month celebration to further expose our students to the numerous achievements of African-Americans in history,” social studies teacher Jack Zider said. “In addition, it allows our younger students a chance to learn from their older peers while building their 21st century technology, research, organization and communication skills.”

Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School created a virtual presentation with the theme “I Can.” Students from third, fourth and fifth grade held up signs declaring their dreams for the future. 

Third grader Ayden Harding-Fuentes said he wants to be a police officer, specifically a member of the SWAT team, and third grader Lilly Betegon hopes to become a fashion designer. Lilly said that having dreams is important “to inspire yourself.”

Additionally, the video features Park Avenue staff, including teachers, teaching assistants, aides and monitors, who discussed the origins of Black History Month. It also showcases African-American inventors and others who have contributed greatly to society. The virtual celebration was coordinated by Megan Ashe, Nicole Baxter, DiAndre Coghiel, Christopher Grant, Christine Locher and Kendra Stevenson.

Ms. Stevenson created the “Because of Them, We Can” bulletin board which celebrates many successful African-American athletes, civil rights leaders, entertainers, world leaders and more. In the center of the display is a painting of three dancers to celebrate the rich history of African-Americans in the arts and serve as inspiration for Park Avenue students that there are many avenues for success.