Fall 2011
EAST HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PFA NEWSLETTER
A Message from Principal Krieger
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest
appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
- John F. Kennedy
It’s hard to believe that we are about to enter another holiday
season: a time to reflect on all that we have achieved and to give
thanks to all who have made it possible. As I reflect on the past
three months of this school year, I feel a tremendous sense of
pride and appreciation for the incredible collaboration that exists
among staff, parents and the community that takes center stage
at East Hills School each and every day. Our primary goal is to
ensure that our children are provided with an exemplary school
experience that is academically, socially and emotionally
enriched.
We are most thankful to our selfless PFA that spends hours and hours talking to one
another and to our staff about programs and activities that will support the work we
do with your children. Our two Breakfasts with the Principal Workshops provided
parents with an academic as well as social and emotional focus. During the Grade 2
Workshop, parents learned the basics of what a “Just Right Book” is and how to
choose them for their children. Our Grade 3-5 Workshop focused on helping our
children build and enhance social and emotional skills and competencies. Please take a
look at our district web page for a copy of the brochure that outlined both meetings.
In addition, the PFA recently sent home a very important survey asking you to choose
educational workshops that you would like to attend at East Hills; please complete it
and return it to us. It is vital that we provide you with information that will help you
understand and support your child. Your input will help to frame our programming.
Our Peaceful School Bus Program is off to a successful start. All members of the
school community including our bus drivers attended our first meeting! Many thanks
to our drivers for taking the time out of their busy day to participate in this important
team building event. Students met with the members of their bus and had an
opportunity to become better acquainted. In addition, all the students participated in
several activities that raised their awareness of the importance of working together
and resolving conflicts in a peaceful way. Many thanks to our entire school staff for
facilitating each group and sharing their enthusiasm!
We are thrilled that the National Circus Project visited East Hills during the last week
of November. This Arts in Education program is brought to us through the myriad
fundraising events sponsored by our PFA. It is through these activities that our
children are able to benefit. In addition, we are looking forward to PARP (Parents as
Reading Partners) Week that will be held during the third week of January, Game
Night for our Fourth and Fifth Grade students and many more activities to come.
“It is better to give than receive.” Due to the unyielding generosity of our families, East
Hills School collected over 100 pairs of pajamas, which were donated to Landmark,
an outreach program located in Port Washington. We also donated over 200 books to
the Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. Many books were sent abroad to
Ghana and Nigeria where libraries will be set up in regions where children don't have
access to books.
Our children brought in over 75 pounds of Halloween candy that were donated to the
Long Island Ducks to be sent to troops stationed overseas. The selflessness of our
school and families is endless! We do, indeed, live by our words!
I wish you all a restful holiday season with your family and friends. Enjoy the time
together.
Melissa Krieger,
Principal
A Message from Our PFA Presidents,
Jennifer DiSanti and Lisa Sachs
We are happy to report that East Hills has gotten off to a great start this school year.
On the first day of school, the staff was warmly greeted with a wonderful Welcome
Back Breakfast put together by our amazing Hospitality Chairs, Daniela Drago and
Daniella Cucuzza. The first day proved to be as exciting for the children as it was for
our staff. Many parent volunteers guided students to their classes, welcoming them
and ensuring that they started the day feeling comfortable and happy. The Welcome
Wagon Committee, led by Hillary Schultz and Sloane Malakoff, provided families new
to our community with welcoming baskets. All these endeavors showed that we were
definitely on our way to a successful year.
At our Annual Open House, we met our children’s fabulous teachers, viewed a special
slideshow created by our incredible Principal, purchased school store merchandise
and enjoyed a snack. The night was a great hit due to the hard work of all our class
parents. Special thanks go to our grade parents, Melissa Litman, Amy Rosman, Allison
Fox and Amy Kates, for overseeing the efforts of our class parents.
Before we knew it, the leaves were changing and fall was here. The month of October
brought many great events to East Hills. Spirit Week included exciting activities, such
as a fun-filled Pep Rally where high school cheerleaders, athletes and The Bulldog
came to our school. The children enjoyed learning Roslyn school cheers and showed
true school spirit. Our Spirit Committee, Heidi Kahn and Sara Cohen, provided the
staff with blue and white pom-poms to further show our spirit. This aided in giving
the students a special feeling of community pride.
Our Community Service Committee, Dalya Ebrahimian and Azita Ebrahimian, were
also busy this fall, first off with organizing a spectacular Pajama Drive. The children
were overjoyed to wear pajamas to school and at the same time donate a pair or two
to those in need. The Committee also ran a Book Drive during our Book Fair; thank
you to all who donated books.
Our Ways and Means Committee, Caren Kessler, Kelly Lampropoulous and Wendy
Pomara, also helped make October a busy month. The Committee put together
another unbelievable Book Fair, and also organized our Holiday Gift Wrap Sale. All
the teachers were happy to receive books for their classrooms. Thanks to all the
children and parents who purchased books through this special program. Special
thanks should also go out to all those who bought wrapping paper and holiday items.
The fall fun was not over yet! The EWRCC committee, Keri Shukat, Nancy Granoff
and Lynda Pinsk, put together a fantastic Red Ribbon Week with the theme “Live
Smart”. The week was filled with activities to educate and motivate our students to
make the right choices. As reminders, our committee placed red ribbons on all of our
school buses for the week, made red ribbons for parents to put on their cars, and the
children wore red to support the message “LIVE SMART”.
To end the month, we held our 2nd annual East Hills Fall Festival. Despite the chilly
weather, the students still had smiling faces as they visited the ‘pumpkin patch’. We
want to thank all the parent volunteers. A special thank you goes to Debbie Baron
Rosen for taking the most beautiful class pictures, as well as displaying our children’s
special moments on the bulletin boards throughout the year.
As November approached, our Fundraising Committee, Lily Wan, Theresa Klein,
Renee Lee and Karen Yadvish, was hard at work putting together Bingo Night for our
second and third graders, which proved to be a fun night for all. They also had
everyone smiling on Photo Day!
Our 5th Grade Committee, Susan Lazar, Helene Landesburg, Jodi Markowitz, Debbie
Simpson and Chris Messina, has been working overtime to support the upcoming
events for our fifth graders. They held a successful Car Wash and Family Photo Day,
as well as numerous Snack Sales days. Sales of our East Hills School Student
Directory are doing well. The Committee is also pleased to run our Holiday Gift Sale
again this year.
In keeping with the spirit of Thanksgiving, we are happy to say our East Hills families
joined forces with Harbor Hill and The Heights to continue the traditional Turkey
Drive. Together, we reached out to help our own community members. We
appreciate all your kindness and generosity.
In November, The PFA, along with our remarkable Physical Education teachers Mr.
Valentino and Ms. Timony, welcomed back the National Circus Project. The children
were thrilled and eager to participate in this magnificent program. The week finished
off with a performance by the fifth grade students, and what a show it was!
During this season of giving, we will honor our teachers with a Holiday Luncheon, to
celebrate and thank them for all they do for our children each and every day.
As PFA Co-Presidents, we also want to thank the parents who give so much of their
time and dedication to the school and the well being of the children. Thank you to
our Nutrition Committee, Bridgette Guggenheim and Melinda Erxelben, for hosting
our Lunch and Learn programs and for organizing the Dare in December event; our
Education Committee, Beth Weinberg and Robin Samers, for always keeping us upto-date with curriculum and related programs; our Board of Education, CCPA,
Special Education, Bulldog Booster, Adult Education and READ reps, Nancy Diaz,
Susan Rubenstein, Alan Flyer, Debbie Zucker, Lori Hason, Jodi Golden, Shari
Gordon, Lori Farber, Andrea Fox, Heidi Resnick and Laurie Finkelstein for attending
the meetings and reporting back to us; Lynne Kanner and Debbie Agulnick for
helping us track our meetings and keep our members informed; Allyson Swidler and
April Stone for organizing all of the special assemblies for our school; Karen
Schwalbe and Karen Feingold for bringing back our School Store and providing upto-date apparel and goodies for East Hills; and Sandi Greenfield for spreading good
news through our Sunshine Committee. As always, we are grateful to our Treasurer,
Vanessa Davey, for keeping us financially sound. Finally, thank you to Melanie Cogan
and Jackie Covey for the publication of this newsletter.
Our organization would not be what it is today without your continued support.
Please remember our monthly board meetings are open and you are always welcome!
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us. We look forward to
seeing you at the events in 2012. Have a happy and healthy holiday!
Fondly,
Jenn DiSanti and Lisa Sachs
East Hills PFA Co-Presidents
Committee Reports
Fundraising
The Fundraising Committee started
working on its first item of business
this past summer with the preparation
of The East Hills
Family
Cookbook. We are
extremely pleased
with the 190 recipes
received from East
Hills families, faculty and staff in
September. We are also thrilled by the
generous response from the local
businesses that purchased
advertisement space in the book. Our
cookbook is a great gift idea, available
for $10 before the December holidays,
so be sure to buy one before they’re
gone!
November was also a busy month for
the Fundraising Committee. Bingo
Night was a fun-filled event for second
and third grade families and friends.
We had a great turnout, with close to
180 attendees. Once again, we want to
thank all the families, friends and
faculty who participated in this event,
as well as the families and local vendors
who generously donated prizes and
gifts for the Bingo games and class gift
baskets. The month of November
ended with "Picture Days" for second
through fifth grade students, by our
school photographer, Irvin Simon.
We look forward to continuing our
monthly Snack Sales during the
upcoming season. We are also eagerly
planning our final event for fourth and
fifth graders, Game Night, scheduled
for February 2012.
- Theresa Klein
- Renee Lee
- Karen Yadvish
- Lily Zhang
EWRCC
This year’s Red Ribbon Week was filled
with fun activities for the children. To
help students think about making
healthy choices, they were asked to
bring in a red fruit to eat, wear red, and
also to wear sweatpants and sweatshirts
to symbolize good health. In each class,
students worked on an activity sheet
promoting wholesome choices. As a
bonus, Mrs. Krieger and many other
members of our staff went into all the
classrooms and read a story about
eating healthful foods and making good
choices. Thank you – the students love
having visitors! In addition, each
student was sent home with a red
ribbon for parents to attach to their
cars, to show that as a community we
stand together in making healthy
choices. Overall, Red Ribbon Week
was a huge success, teaching our
children very important lessons about
living well and caring for their bodies.
- Nancy Granoff
- Lynda Pinsk
- Keri Shakut
Ways & Means
East Hills had its annual Innisbrook
Holiday Sale of gift wrap in October
with much fanfare. Monkey key chains
were given as instant prizes to 25 lucky
winners. Mrs. Krieger will select one
student’s name to win the inflatable
monkey mascot and another student’s
name to win a $100 gift certificate!
The East Hills Book Fair took place in
October and all the kids enjoyed this
special day! It was terrific to see our
children’s enthusiasm for books and
reading.
- Caren Kessler
- Kelly Lampropoulous
- Wendy Pomara
5th Grade Activities
It has been a very exciting start for 5th
Grade Activities. We kicked off with
the year with our Car Wash, which was
well attended. The children had a super
time! Thanks to Mrs. Krieger and the
Roslyn High School Bulldogs for their
support. Our new fundraiser, Ralph's
Ices Sale, was also a big hit. What can
be better than eating Ralph's ices for a
snack during lunch?
This is another year of strong interest
in the Student Directory! You may still
purchase one in the school office.
Thank you for supporting our Attilio's
Night; please watch for future “Give
Back to East Hills” nights.
Just in time for the holidays, Photos by
Felicia did an outstanding job for
Family Photo Day.
If you have not already purchased the
Cookie Dough and/or Nutcracker
tickets, you may still contact us to do
so.
- Helene Landesberg
- Susan Lazar
- Jodi Markowitz
- Chris Messina
- Debbie Simpson
School Spirit
East Hills celebrated Spirit Week
during the week of September 26th.
That Monday, students decorated the
hallways with
colorful banners.
At the end of the
day, they held a
Pep Rally on the
blacktop, where
high school
student athletes
pumped up our
excitement for
Roslyn
Homecoming 2011. The Roslyn High
School Cheerleaders got the crowd
energized!
On Tuesday,
September 27th,
we showed our
school spirit by
wearing a Crazy
Hat to school.
On Wednesday,
September 28th,
we all wore
pajamas, in
conjunction
with the Pajama
Drive. Thanks
to everyone for participating in these
events that show our unity, energy and
heart!
- Sara Cohen
- Heidi Kahn
Education
The Education Committee recently
sent home a survey for all parents,
inquiring about topics of interest for
future educational presentations. Please
be sure to complete this survey and
return it. Based on your input,
informative education-related meetings
will be organized at East Hills
throughout the year.
In addition, the District Education
Committee has arranged an upcoming
symposium focusing on the transitions
children make as they move from one
building to the next. All the principals
in our district will be present, along
with Art Mandel, our Director of
Guidance. The administrators will
answer questions regarding all
transitions from the Heights through
the High School. Parents are
encouraged to attend this meeting on
Wednesday, January 18th at 9:30 a.m.
in the Central Administration Building
Board Room.
- Robin Samers
- Beth Weinberg
Bulletin Board
The Bulletin Boards in the lobby of our
school showcase the spirit and
camaraderie that exist at East Hills!
The “Welcome Back To School”
bulletin board included two different
poster boards. One, entitled "1st Day
Of School Joy" showed pictures of
friends reuniting as they got off their
buses. You could see how our students
were filled with excitement and
anticipation on that first day back. The
"International Peace Day" board
displayed pinwheels crafted by the
children specifically for this event,
along with beautiful pictures of this
day.
The "Look at Our Spirit" bulletin
board captured Spirit Week at East
Hills. Pictures of our Pep Rally, Crazy
Hat Day and Pajama Day dotted the
board. The energy jumped off the wall
from our children's smiling faces,
adorned in blue and white outfits,
amazing hats and all types of pajamas.
Currently, one board in our lobby
features the "Annual Fall Festival,"
which has become an East Hills staple.
Here you will find photos of students
pumpkin-picking on our front lawn,
which was a treat. The pictures of
students holding their own pumpkins
amongst scarecrows and hay are just
magical.
Next to the library, you will find
another board, which is boldly titled:
"We Are Thankful For Our East Hills
Family." It reminds us that East Hills is
truly a close-knit family. A proud
turkey displays its feathers, which are
actually photos of each class at East
Hills, along with our Principal, Mrs.
Krieger, and Interim Assistant
Principal, Mrs. Kenny. It’s a sight we
hope you all get to see.
- Debbie Baron Rosen
SEPTA
SEPTA is proud to report that we
began the school year with a productive
meeting. We welcomed all parents in
attendance, and were joined by several
Roslyn Schools administrators: our
Superintendent, Dr. Dan Brenner; our
Assistant Superintendent for
Curriculum & Instruction, Allison
Brown; our Director of Pupil
Personnel Services & Special Education
Services, Dr. Stuart Grossman;
and Marnie Cohen, the Assistant
Director of Pupil Personnel & Special
Education Services.
In addition, we were so pleased to have
all of our Roslyn school principals join
us. Regina Colardi, Principal at The
Heights; Melissa Krieger, East Hills
Principal; Maureen Berman, Harbor
Hill Principal; Jack Palmadesso, Roslyn
Middle School Principal; and Kevin
Scanlon, Roslyn High School Principal
all came to discuss the special
education programs at their schools.
Each Principal gave a detailed overview
of what his or her school offers in the
way of special education, and gladly
answered specific questions. It was a
very informative meeting and a
constructive way to start the school
year. We sincerely thank everyone who
attended.
SEPTA’s second meeting, held on
November 15, was a Q&A format led
by Dr. Stuart Grossman and Marnie
Cohen.
We discussed the issue of bullying on
the playground in the elementary
schools. One point we focused on is
that many young children are not able
to tell their parents about the bullying
they experience. We tried to problemsolve, working together with one
strong voice, finding worthwhile
strategies to help ALL of the children
attending the Roslyn Schools. Dr.
Grossman also discussed aspects of
academics, and shared a very strong
message: his goal is not to “maintain”
special education children, it is to”
mainstream” them.
We also were happy to welcome Joseph
Dragone, Assistant Superintendent for
Business. (It was nice to put a face to
the voice we hear on our telephone
alerts!) He shared a lot of useful
information and was very patient with
our concerns. We left feeling like we
were heard – and with plenty of
homework to do!
SEPTA is continually grateful to our
administrators for making us feel
secure in what is often a very scary,
long and lonely road to the unknown.
SEPTA continues to offer support to
all parents and special opportunities to
attend educational events. For example,
in September we hosted another
wonderful lecture by Eustacia Cutler,
the mother of the famous author,
Temple Grandin. Stay tuned for further
events.
Most importantly, we would like to
remind parents, teachers and students
that they are never alone. Please feel
free to come to SEPTA meetings; we
are here for you and your families.
- Jodi Golden
- Sandi Greenfield
Cultural Arts
The Cultural Arts committee has been
busy setting up special events for the
balance of the year. The National
Circus Project recently visited our
school, and what an exciting event it
was! The musical group Strummin’ and
Drummin’ is coming to perform at the
beginning of March, which will be a
super complement to the East Hills
music program. Then in June, Up, Up
and Away will visit East Hills for a
thrilling hot air balloon demonstration.
We are proud to plan these and other
enriching events for all students.
- April Stone
- Allyson Swidler
Nutrition
The Nutrition Committee has been
busy with our monthly "Lunch and
Learn" program. Whole Foods
generously donated healthy snacks
during the months of September and
October. A
store
representative
came to East
Hills to discuss
with our
children the benefits of eating
nutritious snacks. In September, the
children sampled organic apples and
honey during their lunch hour, and in
October, they tried organic Fruit
Strips. The Lunch and Learns will
resume in January.
- Kerrie Dalessio
- Melinda Erxelben
- Bridgette Guggenheim
- Yael Samouhi
Newsletter
Thank you to all PFA committee
members for your submissions. We
wish the entire East Hills family a safe
and wonderful December break.
- Melanie Cogan
- Jackie Covey