1. education
2. school

Washington Street School PTA 
760 Washington Street
Franklin Square, New York 11010
Nassau Region, New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. – Branch of the National
(516) 481-4100
Volume 67, Issue 3
Spring 2015
Eddie Lezcano & Lindsay Smith
Spring is in the air and I am certain that we are all glad to be putting the cold weather behind us, at least for the time
being. Olaf had the right idea!
With that said we would like to thank Patricia Gatto, Raffaela Flaherty and Grace Candela for once again putting
together a great week of book buying for the kids and an awesome family fun night with an “Under the Sea” theme
which included Live fish. The kids loved it….some parents, eh, not so much, but the line was out the door.
This year’s Reflections Awards Ceremony was standing room only and we are all very proud of our award recipients.
Thank you to Lisa and Tom Carmody for putting together this great event that left us all beaming with pride.
A big thank you also goes out to Lisa Viti for the great success of our annual Blood Drive. The importance of refilling
the blood banks cannot be stressed enough.
Bowling was once again a fun-filled night masterfully coordinated by Carmela Schneider and Lori Ann Wakely. Thank
you so much for giving us a great night of fun with friends.
Fifth grade sports night was yet another widely enjoyed night of friendly competition. Thank you to Lisa Viti for
putting this event together and making it fun for all.
Lastly, a special thanks for our nominating committee, Andrea Poltorzycki, Bridget Stavola, Patricia Gatto, Karen
Bruno and Kevin Mahoney for organizing our slate for the 2015/2016 school year. And election will be held at our
April PTA meeting to vote on the slate of officers nominated:
1st VP: Kristen Gaboury
2nd VP: Bridget Stavola
3rd VP: Stephen Toto
5th VP: Zohra Asrar
Recording Secretary: Carmela Schneider
Treasurer: Open
If you'd like to run for any of these positions, please submit your letter of intent to the nominating committee by April
18th. You can place it in an envelope in the PTA Inbox addressed to Nomination Committee. An election will be held
to include any new nominations from the floor at that time.
Please keep an eye out for these upcoming events: Career Day, Plant Sale and Field Day, and be sure to attend our
next meeting on Monday, April 20th at 7:00pm in the multipurpose room.
Enjoy your Spring and thank you for all your support!
Eddie Lezcano & Lindsay Smith
1
PTA Executive Board
2014-2015
Co-Presidents
Eddie Lezcano
Lindsay Smith
1st Vice President
Carmela Schneider
Dates to Remember
Spring Recess: School Closed
nd
th
Thursday, April 2 – Friday, April 10
PTA General Meeting
th
Monday, April 20 at 7:00pm
SEPTA Meeting
th
Monday, April 27 at 7:30pm
th
nd
2 Vice President (Grade Reps)
Patty Wichern
rd
3 Vice President (Membership)
Jean Camuti
4th Vice President (Fundraising)
Laura Andriola
5th Vice President (Historian)
Joanie Acierno
Interschool 6 Grade Meet & Greet
st
Friday, May 1 , 7-9pm at WSS
Mother’s Day Plant Sale
th
Friday, May 8
Budget Vote
th
Tuesday, May 19 8-9am
Spring Concert
th
Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00pm
Superintendent’s Conference Day:
School closed for students
nd
Friday, May 22
Recording Secretary
Eileen Govaert
Memorial Day: School Closed
th
Monday, May 25
Corresponding Secretary
LoriAnn Wakely
Career Day/PTA Installation
th
Friday May 28
Treasurer
Kristen Gaboury
Council Delegates
Lisa Carmody
Mary Ann Pelzer
Michelle Schneider
PTA vs. Staff Volleyball Game
nd
Tuesday, June 2
PTA General Meeting
th
Tuesday, June 9 at 9:15am
Field Day
th
th
Tuesday, June 16 (raindate, Weds June 17 )
th
Honorary Vice Presidents
Ms. Valerie Mazzone
Mr. John Stella
Teacher Representative
Reinette Krajci
Editor, PTA Pointer
Ashley Garcia
[email protected]
WSS 6 Grade Graduation
Half Day for students in all grades
rd
Tuesday, June 23
Report Cards Distributed
Half day for students in all grades
th
Wednesday, June 24
This newsletter is paid for with PTA funds.
It is printed twice per year and published twice a year
on our school website: wss.franklinsquare.k12.us
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A Word From Our Principal
Ms. Valerie Mazzone
To the WSS Community,
Standardized tests are a fact of life for America’s schoolchildren. New York State Tests in ELA and Math for
students in grades 3-6 and Science for students in grade 4 are scheduled for April. Please check the school
calendar for specific testing dates. Here is some important information that will help them and you survive and
succeed during testing time.
Encourage, don’t pressure. Encourage your children to do their best, but avoid putting on the pressure. Too
much pressure can cause test anxiety and lead to worse, not better, scores. Understand that standardized tests
are just one way schools measure a child’s ability.
Give them “brain food.” Give your children a healthy breakfast the morning of a big test-and remember that
good nutrition fuels brains year-round. Food high in fat or sugar doesn’t provide the nutrients children need to do
their best.
Put them to bed. Sleepy children have a tough time succeeding academically. It’s particularly important for your
children to get a good night’s sleep the night before a big test. For most elementary school children, 10 hours of
sleep every night is best.
Help them prepare. Make sure your children have the supplies they need for the test. These could range from
sharpened #2 pencils with erasers to calculators and dictionaries.
Help your children understand these very important tips:
 Pay attention. Stress that they will need to listen to the testing instructions very closely and follow the
written directions exactly.
 Don’t rush to finish. Make sure they use any extra time to check their answers and complete any
questions they left blank.
 Keep track of the “bubbles.” Remind them that it’s very important to make sure they’re at the right place
on their answer sheet. It’s easy for children to lose track, especially if they’ve skipped a question. Suggest
that they double-check every five or 10 questions, making sure that the bubble they’re filling it matches the
number of the question they’re answering.
 Skipping is OK. Remind them that they don’t have to answer the questions in order. If they’re unsure
about a question, tell them it’s OK to come back to it later.
 Find the best answer. It’s tempting for children to choose the first answer that looks right. Make sure
they understand that several of the answers may seem right, but that they need to choose the one best
answer.
 Aim high. Encourage them to do their best and help them believe that they will do well.
I am confident that all of us in this learning community have taken the appropriate steps so that students will
perform to best of their ability.
Sincerely,
Ms. Mazzone
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From the Nurse’s Office
.
Cold or allergy: Which is it?
I seem to get a cold every spring and fall. I'm wondering if these "colds" are really seasonal
allergies. How can I tell?
Answer
from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
If you tend to get "colds" that develop suddenly and occur at the same time every year, it's possible that you actually have
seasonal allergies. Although colds and seasonal allergies may share some of the same symptoms, they are very different
diseases.
Common colds are caused by viruses, while seasonal allergies are immune system responses triggered by exposure to an
allergen. Treatment of a common cold may include rest, pain relievers and over-the-counter cold remedies, such as
decongestants. Treatment of seasonal allergies may include over-the-counter or prescription antihistamines, nasal steroid
sprays and decongestants, and avoidance of exposure to allergens where possible.
Symptom check: Is it a cold or allergy?
Symptom
Cold
Allergy
Cough
Usually
Sometimes
General aches and pains
Sometimes
Never
Fatigue
Sometimes
Sometimes
Itchy eyes
Rarely
Usually
Sneezing
Usually
Usually
Sore throat
Usually
Sometimes
Runny nose
Usually
Usually
Stuffy nose
Usually
Usually
Fever
Rarely
Never
Washington Street School Nurses
Jeanne Reifler
Maria Cooleen
BLOOD DRIVE
th
th
On February 26 , our 5 grade students participated in the Long Island Blood Services “Little Doctor Program.”
After a presentation from the Long Island Blood Services about the importance of blood donation and how it saves
lives, each student was given the task of asking ten people to donate blood. During school they worked on “save
the date” flyers, posters and thank you notes. On the day of the event our “Little Doctors” helped greet donors,
escort them to waiting areas, hand out refreshments and write special thank you notes.
Thank you to all of our donors, “Little Doctors,” 5th grade teachers and volunteers who helped make this drive a
success collecting a total of 53 pints of blood!
Lisa Viti, 5th Grade Representative
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SPTA
pecBowling
ial EEvent
vents
The WSS PTA Bowling Night was held on Saturday, March 21st. The event was attended by
approximately 50 people! Everyone had a great time mingling, munching and of course
bowling! We want to thank Doc O’Grady on Nassau Blvd. for donating all the chicken wings to
us. Fun prizes were given out for the most gutter balls, most strikes, highest score, lowest score
and best couple bowling. If you haven’t been to our annual bowling night you ought to come next
year. It’s a fun evening! If you have come in the past thank you for attending and may this be a
tradition for years to come.
Carmela Schneider & LoriAnn Wakely
5th Grade Sports Night
Field Day
Our annual 5th grade sports night was held on March 12th
in the WSS Gym.
Field day will soon be here with lots of fun
and games for k-6th graders.
5th grade students and their parent/partner enjoyed an
evening of friendly competition of relay activities. The
evening was a lot of fun and a wonderful opportunity for
students and parents to be together.
A volunteer form will be send out shortly. If
you are a PTA member and would like to
help, please fill out and return the form
asap.
On behalf of all the participants, a huge thank you to Mr.
Boyle and Mr. Brady for officiating and coordinating such
a fantastic event. Thank you to all the 5th grade parents
who donated their time, drinks and snacks. Your efforts
made this night a memorable one for our children. A
special thank you to the WSS PTA for providing each 5th
grade student with a Class of 2016 Sports Night
drawstring bag.
Feel free to contact Bridget Stavola with
any questions at 516-662-3698
[email protected]
Lisa Viti
5th Grade Representative
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Special Events
Plant Sale
Spring has sprung and we are gearing up for the annual WSS plant sale!
Friday, May 8 in the Multi-purpose room
All students will shop with their class at their scheduled time. Plants can be purchased for 2.00 each.
We will have many varieties to choose from including vegetables. The PTA will provide plants for the
Pre-schoolers.
Your PTA is once again happy to provide the children with a reusable WSS tote bag to carry home their
plants. We recommend that you please send in a plastic bag and a small shoebox/tissue box to put into
the tote bag to help transport your child's plants and get them home safely.
The multipurpose room will be open to parents, grandparents and neighbors to shop after school from
3-4pm. We will have a huge selection of hanging baskets, flats, flowers and vegetables. All Preorders
are to be picked up at this time. Payment can be cash or check made out to the WSS PTA. Order forms
have been sent home and are due back by April 24.
Thank you for your cooperation. Put on your green thumbs and we'll see you at the plant sale!
Kristine Recine
489-8249 [email protected]
Tina Bruchhauser 359-2889 [email protected]
Co-chairs
Book Fair
Our Under the Sea Book Fair held March 24th26th was a huge success!
THANK YOU to all who helped set up, clean up, or
just give us an hour, we would not have been able to
do it without you. We also hope you enjoyed diving
into some books, as a family, during our Family Fun
Night!
Thank You,
Raffaela, Patricia & Grace
Career Day
Career Day will be held on Friday, May
29th. All 5th and 6th Graders at WSS will
have an opportunity to attend and
participate in various workshops to learn
about many different careers.
If you are interested in volunteering to
support this magnificent event feel free to
contact
Sue Barberesi at [email protected]
or
Anabell Rizzo at [email protected]
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Special Events
Box Tops for Education
Our winter contest was a amazing!
Great Job Everyone!
This month our school received a check for
$740.10.
Mrs. Mihalatos's 4th grade class won an ice
cream sundae party for submitting the
most box tops, over 70 sheets.
Congratulations!
Our SPRING CONTEST submissions are
due by May 22. The class that submits the
most box tops will win a party.
CLIP BOX TOPS from 100's of products.
ATTACH BOX TOPS in groups of 10 to a
collection sheet or in groups of 50 in a Ziploc
bags.
Remember to include your child's name,
grade, and teacher.
Please remember to check expiration dates
and glue or tape the Box Tops to each sheet.
We cannot accept stapled box tops.
For additional information log
onto www.boxtops4education.com
Happy Clipping!
Thank you in advance for all of your support.
Please feel free to contact one of us if you
have any questions.
Nominating Committee
On March 9th and March 16th the Nominating
Committee consisting of Karen Bruno, Patricia
Gatto, Kevin Mahoney(absent on March 16th),
Andrea Poltorzycki and Bridget Stavola met to
come up with a slate of PTA Officers for the
2015-2016 school year. We believe that the
people we have nominated will continue to do
the wonderful work that out current PTA
Executive Committee has been doing. The
following people have been nominated:
1st Vice President: Kristen Gaboury
2nd Vice-President: Bridget Stavola
3rd Vice-President: Stephen Toto
Fifth Vice-President: Zohra Asrar
Treasurer: VACANT
Recording Secretary: Carmela Schnedier
At our April 20th PTA meeting, additional
nominations may be made from the floor
provided the written consent of the nominee
has been secured and the chair of the
nominating committee (Andrea Poltorzycki)
has received notice at least two business
days prior to the election meeting of the
candidate’s intention to run. Thanks to all of
you who submitted nomination forms for
consideration, and thank you for allowing us
to serve on the Nominating Committee this
year.
Andrea Poltorzycki
Pamela Ginex
Kristen Acierno
[email protected] [email protected]
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News Around the Grades
Kindergarten
Happy Spring! The long and cold winter is
finally behind us. Kindergarten is looking
forward to the return of warm weather.
As you look outside and see all of the new
growth you can be assured that it is also
happening in school. We have published our
second writing piece and are looking forward
to beginning our next one. We have met all of
the Superkids and are enjoying learning about
their club.
Please continue to read and practice math
facts with your children!
First Grade
As we head into the warmer months, first graders
continue to bloom like flowers with their endless quest
for knowledge!
In our reading series, we are exploring the ideas of
daily treasures. We will read and learn about
celebrations, family and cultural traditions, and
treasures that can be found in artwork, the land, our
homes, and our neighborhoods. We’ve begun to use
long vowel spelling patterns in our writing. Daily
reading at home and school helps to build our
comprehension skills.
The Superkids are getting big and getting ready for
second grade! Just like we are!
We have been very busy learning about the
adventures the Superkids have when they go camping,
have slumber parties, play baseball and visit
amusement parks. They have taught us about being a
good friend, telling the truth and being helpful.
Our sight vocabulary and spelling skills continue to
grow. We have learned many new sounds that are
TRICKERS. They don’t sound the way we think they
should but they don’t trick us.. We are SUPER readers!
In math we are mastering the concepts of time and
measurement. We can tell time to the hour and ½ hour
on analog and digital clocks. We are learning to
measure in non standard units. These are skills we will
use throughout our lives.
We are in the process of creating our “All About
Books”. We are selecting topics, developing
Second Grade
In second grade we have just completed writing our
non-fiction books. As part of our Writing
Fundamentals Program, second graders have
learned about the writing process and
demonstrated their passion for a variety of topics.
Sunflowers, volcanoes, sports, crayons and storms
are some of the topics that intrigued them. We are
proud of the results.
We are still reading the adventures of the
Superkids in our decodable readers. Our literature
discussions and lasting lessons are so engaging.
Also, our Super Magazine has explored very
interesting themes for second graders. Our last
theme was "Color Crazy." We read articles that had
to do with colors. Did you know that crushed bugs
are an ingredient in some foods and even lipsticks?
Crushed beetles are used to make a red or pink
colored ingredient called carmine. We also learned
about pink dolphins, green thumbs and blue jeans.
Our Dino Dig was a huge success. The students
enjoyed learning about dinosaurs from real
paleontologists, digging for fossils, and receiving a
fossil to take home. Thank you so much P.T.A.
In Science we are learning about matter. In the
computer lab we will be doing experiments about
solids, liquids and gases. One of our experiments
is called "Dancing Particles." We can't wait to find
out what that will be about.
In Math second graders are learning about money
and the very practical skills of identifying and
counting coins. Ask your children to show you what
they know.
This winter has given us so much to write about.
Children have used their snow experiences to write
some wonderful poems and stories. You can see
these displayed on our hallways. That is, until they
are replaced by our Spring activities as we begin to
experience that much needed Spring weather.
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News Around the Grades
Third Grade
Spring is near and third grade has been working
like a busy beehive! The students are finishing
up their nonfiction writing pieces and are getting
ready to celebrate their work. They are proud of
the books they’ve created and reflective of how
much they’ve learned throughout this unit.
In math, the students are beginning to learn
about fractions. We have finished our unit on the
U.S. government and are now starting to learn
about plants. The students are excited to see
what they’re learning about come to life, as we
get ready for our trip to Clark Botanic Gardens
later this month.
Third grade attended a presentation this month
called “Earth Balloon.” It was wonderful for them
to visit the seven continents and meet the
animals that live there, without having to leave
the comforts of our school. They are excited
about what they will be learning next!
Fifth Grade
Our fifth graders are eagerly embracing the
idea that Spring is just around the corner. They
are "SPRING" ing into action with many new
and fun activities. Our Blood Drive was a
success. We are pleased to announce that a
total of 63 units were donated. That calculates
to a grand total of 189 LIVES SAVED!!! Way to
go, WSS! Some of the highlights going on
around fifth grade are the Author's Tea
Celebrations, Rube Goldberg creations, Reada-thon, and eSparking just to name a few.
Let's not forget...Fifth Grade Sports Night
on March 12th, 7:00pm! Come out and have
some fun!
As the New York State tests approach, please
continue to study and review your math notes
and read every night.
Fourth Grade
The fourth grade has had an exciting winter! During an in school
field trip we journeyed into Native American culture and were
immersed in all aspects of life including; food, clothing, shelter,
play and work. The students appreciated and celebrated the rich
culture of the Native American people. The fourth grade also had
a special resident artist teach us how to make bowls similar to
those made by Native Americans! A Day in Clay was quite a
success. We will also travel back in time as we visit the Old
Bethpage Village Restoration in May.
In present times, our school community has felt the reality of
those who are less fortunate. Through the Souper Bowl, we came
together to support our neighbors in need. The generosity of our
staff and school family was unparalleled as we watched the boxes
in the main hallway grow with items for distribution to families in
our own community and beyond.
The science lab has provided our students with many hands on
experiments that have made our science unit on matter come to
life! The fourth graders have enjoyed using balance scales to
measure the mass of objects as well as measure the volume of
liquids with graduated cylinders. The students were even able to
use their knowledge of mass and volume to determine which
suspect “committed a crime” in science lab!
During this season of giving, the fourth-grade participated in a
Trivia Challenge to benefit United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau
County. Representatives along with former students who are now
current employees of UCPN presented the students with an
informational and inspirational program. After the presentation,
the children took a trivia test consisting of 100 questions ranging a
variety of topics. The children had an opportunity to work in teams
to answer these questions. They received donations from family
and friends according to the amount of questions they answered
correctly with their team. The children enjoyed the opportunity to
participate in this fun activity while helping others. The highestscoring team competed in the countywide Trivia Challenge
championships in February. All the children across the grade level
are winners! They helped to raise money to benefit UCPN and
learned a valuable lesson about giving. Thanks to all the parents
for your support!
We are about to begin our third writing unit with an author study of
Cynthia Rylant. Please help inspire us to write about our own
memories using the following tips:
 Tell a lot of family stories to your child during our study.
Remind him or her of special times together.
 Help your child search for websites to learn more about this
special author.
 Go to the library to find other books by this author that are a
good fit for your child to read. This can count towards the AR
goal!
 Help your child collect memorabilia such as photos and
postcards, or take some new photos that your child may
want to write about in his or her notebook.
 Ask your child about the writing we are doing in school.
Encourage him or her to write at home when he or she has
downtime.
We look forward to sharing with you when we finish! Thanks for
always being our inspiration!
9
News Around the Grades
Sixth Grade
“Veni, Vidi, Vici,” a famous Roman quote meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered,”
describes our sixth graders hard at work “conquering” the curriculum. They are continuing
their studies of the Ancient World, moving on to Ancient Rome. The sixth graders have also
been sharpening their Math and ELA skills as they get ready for the State Tests! Remember
to keep practicing those math facts!
With graduation quickly approaching the sixth graders have been getting ready for
that special day by getting measured for cap and gowns and receiving their CLASS OF 2015
t-shirts! While the students begin to prepare for graduation, they are also looking forward to
their new journey by visiting Carey High School, to ensure a smooth transition to 7 th grade.
Our sixth graders are ready to begin this new adventure, but still have a few months left here
to enjoy at WSS!
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