1. education
2. school

ool PTA
h
c
S
e
id
Norths
tter
e
l
s
w
e
N
The Pelican
From Mr. Mortillaro’s
Desk...
Dear Northside Families,
It is hard to believe that December is already upon us which
brings us to the cold, wintry
weather. Please be sure to have
your child dress appropriately
for the temperature. The children will continue to go outside
for recess on nice days so please
prepare the children accordingly.
Our Northside Has Character program has been quite busy
this year. We take such pride in
watching the children earn their
Pelican Bills. It is exciting to
watch them shop at our school
store. Their enthusiasm is infectious! Many students are choosing to save their money to purchase some of the larger prizes
available. Three students saved
enough to become Assistant
Principal for the Day. In fact,
they saved their money from last
year, and were patient enough to
wait until the 2014-15 school
year to receive their prize! Allyson Martinez from Mrs. Heaney’s
class, Nicholas Clancy from Mrs.
Wanukovich’s class, and Luke
DeBono from Ms. Richiusa’s class
were those children. All three
had the opportunity to recite the
morning announcements, greet
every classroom with me during
my morning rounds, send an email
from my computer to the staff,
and observe a classroom and report their findings. Each child
also had their name placed in the
main lobby on the front board as
Northside’s Assistant Principal. I
felt extremely lucky to spend time
with Allyson, Nicky, and Luke. In
fact, I hope they enjoyed the day
as much as I did! These three students are simply a small snapshot
of the excellent children we have
at Northside. I hope that the program continues to flourish as we
attempt to teach character as well
as academics. Thank you for continuing to support our initiatives
and to promote the importance of
character development.
I wish you and your family a
wonderful holiday season filled
with family, fun, and friends.
Please be sure to take in these
special moments. It is my wish that
countless beautiful memories are
created this holiday season for you
and all of our Northside families.
Happy Holidays!
With Warm Regards,
Frank Mortillaro, Principal
Below: Assistant Principal for the Day,
Luke DeBono, issuing the principal’s
presentation at the October PTA meeting.
Next PTA MEETING…
January 13th at 10am in the
Northside library. Looking
forward to seeing you there!
December, 2014
Inside this issue:
PTA Presidents’ Message
2
Blood Drive
3
Honorary Life
3
Students Present to BOE
3
Halloween Fun
4
Box Top Race Update
5
Music Notes
5
SLINGO
6
Cultural Arts for Kids
7
Northside Has Character!
8
Bits and Pieces
9
Giving Tree/ JTCF
10
Adopt A Levittown Family
10
Student Council Elections
11
Holiday Boutique
12
UPDATES & CALENDAR
12
MESSAGE FROM THE PTA CO-PRESIDENTS...
The PTA has been very busy the
last two months, and we hope the
children have come home and described the exciting things that
have been going on. Our Family
Fun committee did a fantastic job
with both the Halloween Party
and Slingo. We have heard from
many children regarding how much
they enjoyed the Halloween party
and getting their picture taken in
the photo booth. We had a great
turn out for Slingo! Congrats to
all who won baskets and gift
cards. A special thank you to
everyone that donated to the
baskets. There will be more Family Fun events to come in 2015!
Our Prestige and David’s
Cookie Fundraiser came to a successful end. We made enough
profit to continue our Family Fun
events, Cultural Arts assemblies
and other great programs we
have planned for next year.
Important reminders for upcoming events:


KidStuff coupon books or
payments are due
December 4- Picture Retake
Day

December 9-10- Holiday Boutique

January 13- PTA meeting
10am and Blood Drive
We thank you for all of your
continued help and support.
Please contact us with any quesPage 2
tions, concerns or if you would
like to help out with any events
at [email protected].
We wish you all a happy, healthy
and safe holiday season!
Kristine Ekberg and Krista Hill
Co-Presidents
The following is a list of the
2013/14 PTA Executive Board
Members and all of the committees
for your review:
Co-Presidents - Kristine Ekberg &
Krista Hill
always looking for people with a willingness to give of themselves.
The following is a list of committees:
Standing Committees:
Cultural Arts
Council Budget
Pelican
Showcase
Family Fun
Elementary Curriculum
Food Service
Health & Safety
Hospitality
Legislation/Advocacy
SEPTA
Pelican Supply Cart
Secondary Curriculum Historian
1st VP -
Jennifer Lambert
Special Committees:
2nd VP -
Susan Massoni
Audit
Bake Sale
Blood Drive
3d VP -
Debbie Yovino
Budget
By Laws
Giving Tree
4th VP’s -
Tracy Alber &
Allison Fleigner
LEADD
Gloria Bell
PARP
Pictures
Tribune
Elaine DeBono
Nominating
Reflections
Product Labels LSCS Inc.
Recording Secretary
Corresponding - Dayna Ferreiro
Secretary
Treasurer -
Jennifer Sampugnaro
Delegates -
Kathy Choy
Heidi Finn
Jeanette Badger
Tina Adamo
Debe Howe
Shari Nocera
Laura Miller
*******************************
The PTA is always seeking volunteers interested in chairing/
volunteering for any of the many
PTA committees. Volunteers are
the life line of the PTA, and we are
Holiday Boutique
Honorary Life
Student Council
Spirit Wear
HS Liaison
Spring Boutique
Staff Recognition
Healthy Snack
Middle School Liaison
5th Grade Activities
5th Grade Yearbook
5th Grade T-shirts
If you are interested in participating in or chairing any of the aforementioned committees, please contact Jennifer Lambert at [email protected]. If you have
any questions or concerns regarding
the Northside PTA please feel free
to contact our co-presidents at
[email protected]
The Pelican
NORTHSIDE SCHOOL NUMC BLOODDRIVE
dedication to the community
Northside School demonstrates it’s continued
rsity Medical Center
by hosting another blood drive. The Nassau Unive
from 3:30 pm to 9 pm.
blood bank will be at Northside on January 13th
is looking for volunteers to
PTA Blood Drive Chairperson, Dorothy Gulotta
gift of life. There is simply
help the Northside community literally give the
out volunteer donors, our
no substitute for voluntarily donated blood. With
blood supply. If you are
community would not have an adequate community
y to
able to volunteer please e-mail your availabilit
[email protected].
Northside School Blood
Please schedule the time to donate blood at the
75 (16 need parental permisDrive. Remember: bring ID, you must be 16(low fat) and drink suffision), you must weigh more than 110lb, eat well
last 12 months. Your time
ciently prior to donation, and no tattoos in the
saving for another person.
and generosity could be life altering...even life
PTA HONORARY LIFE AWARD
Marie-Louise Vota was chosen at the HLA recipient this year. Her
grandchildren are alumni, Michael and 3rd grader Amanda Vota.
She was nominated by a Northside School PTA member. Mrs. Vota
is a constant presence at Northside and is noticed by all. She interacts with the teachers and children in a warm and friendly manner.
She is a caretaker to her grandchildren, but has taken all of her
free time to help out at the numerous PTA events. Over the last 6
years she has volunteered at every book fair, holiday and spring
boutique, attends field trips and works at class parties. She is caring and thoughtful to all the students she encounters. Her nomination letter stated, ",,,on numerous occasions, I have seen Mrs. Vota
contribute her own money to cover the cost of a book or of a trinket, that a teary eyed student wanted to purchase, but did not
have enough funds for. These contributions are always accompanied
by a heartfelt, yet resolute lesson in responsibility, planning and
manners." The nomination letter made it very clear the remarkably
positive impact Mrs. Vota has on the children. Mrs. Vota actually
plans her medical appointments and life around
the school’s schedule of special events. The students refer to Mrs. Vota as "The grandma who
ALWAYS helps out". The nominating committee
felt that a person who chose to spend her retirement years being so present and active in
the Northside community deserved this award.
Mrs. Vota’s generosity of spirt offers wisdom
and life lessons to our community. Her presence provides a multi-generational influence
that is truly a gift for our children.
December, 2014
Northside Presents to the Board of
Education
On November 19th, six students from Ms.
Bernhardt’s 4th grade class made a dynamic
presentation to the Levittown BOE. The students described an exciting reading and writing
project they are currently working on with Ms.
Bernhardt and Mrs. Case. They interviewed
local athletes from Hofstra University and are
writing biographies that will be published! The
students presented eloquently, as they described in detail the
learning process and
skill set development
needed to complete
the task. WELL
DONE! From left to
right below: Colin Lambert, Juliet Frank, Sophia Massoni, Erin Alvarez, Ryan Downing and
Sophia Nocera
Page 3
HALLOWEEN AT NORTHSIDE SCHOOL IS A THRILLER!!!
Northside School and the PTA made Halloween something special… well something even more special! After the
morning parade, where the students and
their teachers circled the perimeter of
the building decked out in their Halloween costumes, the PTA hosted a school
wide party in the gym. Each grade was
‘trick or treated’ to snacks, a fun photo
booth for pictures with friends, Halloween themed music, and a variety of
games. The children tried their hands at
the pumpkin ring and candy corn cauldron
tosses. If they were brave they stuck
their hands in a ‘bucket of eye
balls’ (peeled grapes). While others tested their skill knocking down the cup
haunted house tower. Small prizes were
awarded but the fun was the real prize!
Special thanks to all the volunteers and
the Family Fun Committee (Suzette
Butcher and Krista Hill Co-Chair) for all
your hard work, planning and time. It is
the dedication of PTA members that
makes these special activities possible
for all the students at Northside School!
Take a look at some of the day’s highlights...
Page 4
The Pelican
The Box Tops race is on!!! As of November 10th, Northside School PTA
received $902.40 as a result of YOUR efforts to cut and send in Box
Tops and Labels for Education. As the students use the spirit of healthy
competition as motivation to participate, the resulting cash refund gives
directly back to the PTA which in turn benefits all Northside students.
Faith Dermody has been cutting and counting, and cutting and counting
(thanks Faith!), so if you are keeping track (as we have seen some heated
competition on the parents Facebook page) the current standings for
classroom are as follows:
Mrs. Downing - 256
Mrs. Heaney - 329
Ms. Kirk - 174
Mrs. Leung - 255
Mrs. Nyquist - 418
Mrs. O'Daly/Shapiro - 273
Mrs.Hekimian - 110
Ms. Bernhardt - 161
Mrs. Ramirez - 421
Mrs. Nizinski - 510
Mrs. Bamberger - 227
Ms Schuman - 185
Mrs. Conrad - 454
Mrs. Libby/Fleigner - 314
Ms. Mongiello/Basile - 91
Mrs. Cosgrove - 168
Mrs. Crayon - 418
Mr. Miller - 98
Mrs. Rissoff - 266
Ms. Richiusa - 258
Mrs. Trucchio/DeLucie - 77
Mrs. Ungar/Wanukovich - 164
Mrs. Heaney - 329
The top three classes so
far are Nizinski with 510,
Conrad with 454, and
Ramirez with 421. Keep
them coming… the race
continues all year!
$$$ PTA FUNDRAISER $$$
The Northside School PTA added to
its fundraising efforts this year by
offering the KidStuff Coupon Books.
These coupons pay for the cost of
the book in savings often with the use
of 1 or 2 coupons and then you save
much, much more! Our Prestige/Cookie Dough and Cheesecake
fundraiser was a huge success. The
profits from these fundraisers allow
the PTA to provide the Northside
School students with the vast array
of activities and programs offered
throughout each year! Thank you for
your continued support!
Mrs. Leung - 255
NORTHSIDE BRINGS MUSIC TO YOUR EARS...
The Northside Instrumental Ensemble
and the Northside Holiday Singers will
perform at Levittown Chamber of Commerce's Holiday Tree Lighting 2014 on
Monday, December 8th at 6:00 p.m. at
the Town of Hempstead Veterans Memorial Park in front of the Levittown Public
Library on Shelter Lane and Hempstead
Turnpike, We will perform holiday selections and songs for the parents and the
community at this festive outdoor event.
The Ensemble and Chorus members will
also perform at the Levittown Senior
Center later in the month of December. (Dates are still pending.)
All performing groups are rehearsing
steadily for our upcoming Winter Concert which will be held for the school in
the gym on Wednesday, January 21st at
9:30 a.m. and at 2:00 p.m. and again for
the parents on January 22nd at Wisdom
Lane Middle School auditorium at 7:30
p.m.
Mrs. Castillo and Mrs. McClancy
Page 5
Northside Parents Music Club
The NPMC is off to a great start!
Thanks to all the families that have
already joined the NPMC. Our membership at present is about 40. We
know we can do better. Please remember the NPMC is a non-profit, charitable organization dedicated to supporting music education at Northside. We
rely on you, the parents, families and
community members, to join us in our
effort to subsidize the Music Department at Northside and enhance the
music education provided to EVERY
student. At the most basic level you
can do so by simply becoming a member. A family membership is just
$8.00 and gives the Northside Parents
Music Club some of the funds needed
to purchase, and then donate to the
music department, supplies needed
that the department budget does not
cover. In addition to membership, we
engage in on-going fundraising efforts
throughout the year. In the past 4
years, with your generous support, we
have been able to donate items and
sponsor events for the students valuing more than $12,000! We would
like to continue to support Northside
music education in this fashion, so
BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
Co-Presidents Susan Massoni & Marie
Reid
“Music gives a soul to the universe,
wings to the mind, flight to the
imagination and life to everything.”
― Plato
Please send $8.00, your name, your
child’s name/teacher’s name and an
e-mail address to school in an envelope labeled Northside Parents
Music Club TODAY!
Any questions? Contact us at
[email protected]
The Pelican
SLINGO!
SO MUCH FAMILY FUN
There is no better demonstration of the community building, family focused fun provided by
Northside PTA than SLINGO NIGHT! On November 14th the gym was again packed to capacity with
Northside family and friends, all excited to try their luck on a game or two of BINGO with gift card
prizes, on a chance at one of the 28 themed raffle baskets, or the over $300, 50/50 prize, or the
Kindle Fire Grande Prize. Special thanks to all those who made donations for the baskets, the class
mothers for putting them together. Of course our thanks goes out to the efforts of the Family Fun
Committee chairs, Suzette Butcher and Krista Hill, committee members and volunteers who made this
terrific night possible. The next Family Fun event will be the Snowball! More information to follow in
the new year. Remember, if you are interested in helping to make the FUN happen, just contact 1st
VP Jennifer Lambert at [email protected].
Page 6
The Pelican
CULTURAL ARTS ENRICH THE NORTHSIDE EXPERIENCE
The PTA Cultural Arts Committee is
responsible for providing the wonderful assemblies in school. These programs are selected to complement and
enhance the curriculum. They also encourage the social and emotional development of the students in fun creative
ways. This year Susan Massoni, committee chairperson, has gone to great
lengths to bring a diverse array of
programs that are often age/grade
specific. We hope your children enjoy
the programs. Here are some of the
events that have occurred and some
that are coming in the near future.
During LEADD week in October, THE
PLEDGE motivated students to make a
positive difference in the world around
them with their words, actions, and
attitudes. Everyone faces difficulties
in life; we all experience loneliness,
frustration, and the pressures to do
negative things like drugs, alcohol,
smoking, or bullying others. THE
PLEDGE challenged students to make a
commitment to building others up rather than tearing them down. It's a
pledge to be part of the solution - a
call to step up and make a difference.
On November 17th Lloyd Bachrach,
paralympian brought his, ‘Yes, You
Can!’ program to Northside School
complete with demonstrations, personal stories of triumph and motivational
tips. Lloyd captivated the 3’d and 4th
grade students. His message, based on
the 5 Keys to Success, inspired everyone from children to adults. The students left feeling empowered and
clearly saw how to overcome adversity
in their own daily lives. This was one
event that the students will never forget.
On November 24th the 2nd grade was
treated to a Night Sky Star Lab production. Utilizing the giant Earth BalPage 7
loon which students and teachers enter, and stunning visuals, the children
explored various aspects of our Earth.
This program taught how various climates such as tropical, desert, tundra, arctic, and temperate relate to
their global position, and how they
influence the biosphere, plant and
animal type and adaptation.
sional classes, workshops, and performances while nurturing creative
and innovative new works that reflect the rich cultural heritages and
diverse communities of today. The
award winning acrobatic artists will
bring a wide range of acrobatic acts,
including plate spinning, trick cycling, foot juggling and Chinese water bowl manipulations to demonstrate the physical skill on flexibility and coordination. Acrobatics is a
from of art extracted from skills in
daily life, work and martial arts, and
are known to have existed as early
as the Qin dynasty (221-207BC).
The 4th grade’s curriculum includes
Native American study. The Eastern
Woodlands: Native Peoples of Our
Region program includes an intro-
duction to the physical environment
of our region prior to European conComing soon in December and Janutact and an understanding of how
ary...
the Algonquian-speaking and IroFor kindergarten and 1st grade, Culquoian-speaking Indians of the area
tural Arts is bringing author/
developed ways to survive. Students
illustrator Angelo DeCesare, the crea- will learn, through group interactive
tor of Flip's Fantastic Journal and
projects, the role that cooperation
the Flip's Journal series. He is affili- plays in survival. Activities include:
ated with Puppetry in Practice, a non Construction of an outdoor
profit literacy organization based at
wigwam
Brooklyn College. His popular programs promote writing, reading, draw-  Introduction to the environment from Native perspective
ing, memoirs, community studies, early
math, anger management and anti Stone tool technology
bullying. He is known as Mr. Angelo to
 Craft activities, such as makthe thousands of students and teaching Woodland style pottery and
ers he visits during the school year.
wampum
The 3d grade’s study of China will be
 Discussion of Native American
enhanced by the presence of The New
medicines; children sample a
York Chinese Cultural Center
tonic "tea"
(NYCCC), a nonprofit cultural and edu Traditional game
cational institution, dedicated to
deepening the understanding and apThe PTA can’t wait to hear from the
preciation of Chinese culture in the
children about these programs!
global and local communities. NYCCC
Hope they enjoy them!
fulfills its mission by offering profesThe Pelican
Family Reflections...Your Kids Have Character!
At the beginning of each month
the students are excused from
traditional homework assignments
to participate in ‘Family Reflection
Night’. Each month the school
features a different character
trait which is presented to, discussed with, and encouraged in
the students. The ‘Family Reflection Night’ consists of the student, at home, engaging in a discussion about the featured character trait, then writing a description of someone they know
who personifies the trait. The
students are then asked to put
into practice these character
traits in their daily lives, at school
and at home. November featured
‘citizenship’. Please take a look at
the strength of character that is
present in our Northside community, through the eyes of our students!
Jessie Marousek: I show good
citizenship when I donate to the
children so they can have the toy
they want.
Daniel Price: I show citizenship
when I recycle.
Dylan Colon: In 1955 my grandfather came from Italy. He went to
school to learn English. When he
became 18 years old he took a
test to become a US citizen. Every year he is now able to vote.
Olivia Baer: My mom practiced
good citizenship when she went to
vote on Election Day. She researched the candidates first and
wrote down who she will choose.
Then on Election Day my brother
Page 8
and I walked with her to
Northside to vote. It is responsible because by voting for the
best person, you will bring positive changes to our community.
When I’m older I’m going to vote
too.
Alyssa Bella: There are different people in communities such as
teachers, policemen, firemen, and
priests. The person I feel helps
our and other communities is my
mom. In our community she helps
many people. My mom is a class
mom. In my class she helps with
our class parties and projects.
She is also a very helpful member
of our school PTA. She is a nurse
at St. Francis Hospital. She also
does homecare in other communities. This means she helps take
care of people who are very sick
and she visits them in their houses. She is always willing to help
any patient, friend, or family
member. We are lucky to have
her as a part of our community.
Thanks for being a good citizen!
Grace Dermody: I showed good
citizenship when I ran for Student Council. I ran for Treasurer.
It took a lot of courage to get up
in front of the whole fourth
grade. It also took a lot of work
to make my poster and prepare
my speech. Even though I did not
win I will continue showing my citizenship by attending the Student
Council meetings and be a class
representative. That is how I
show citizenship.
Brayden: I helped Sydney try to
find her necklace.
Nathan: I help my community
by recycling the papers.
Shannon McCarthy: Today I
helped my friend Isabella pick
up her stuff in her supply box
that she had dropped.
Michael Calapai: I showed citizenship by picking up cans with
my friend Phillip. It is important to clean the community.
Caitlin: My parents have shown
citizenship by volunteering to
teach religion at our church.
Lucas Wassmuth: I am a good
citizen because I can help the
animal shelter by donating food
for the dogs they take care of.
Caleigh Bradley: I think that a
person in my family that shows
good citizenship is my mom.
One reason my mom shows citizenship is whenever we go to
the store and they’re collecting
money for veterans she’s sure
to give a dollar or more. If
someone is having trouble paying for something because they
are a dollar off she’s sure to
lend a hand. And I know what
you’re thinking, “She’s a money
giver so what” but that’s not all
the things she does. She helps
people who don’t know how to
get certain places or who lost
something. And another reason
that she shows citizenship is
who she votes for. She doesn’t
vote for who she like better
but for who will do a better
job.
The Pelican
The Pelican is committ
ed to being ‘GREEN’!
Please look for
the Pelican on the Le
vittown Public School
s Northside web
site, as ALL future iss
ues will ONLY be avail
able there!
to
ally want
tter. We re
e
sl
isw
n
e
N
ca
li
A
e
ture P
side PT
the North
to see in fu
is
e
to
n
k
t
li
ca
n
u
li
a
e
o
w
y
P
The
ight
t would
ing they m
you! Wha
ave anyth
h
y
hear from
ht want to
e
ig
th
m
if
t
the kids
a studen
e
sk
b
A
y
a
. Have any
s?
m
e
su
elican…
y enjoyed
P
e
e
th
t
th
a
in
th
t
t
even
is issued
read abou
bout a PTA
he Pelican
a
T
!
le
t
w
ic
o
rt
n
a
k
r. The nex
let us
write an
school yea
as? Pease
r
e
e
id
p
e
n
s
th
e
fu
e
,
su
k
e
a
is
st. M
creativ
totaling 6
ebruary 1
t
er month,
or about F
n
o
ail Marie a
e
every oth
-m
in
e
-l
n
er, just
tt
issued o
e
e
sl
b
l
w
il
e
n
w
l
e
issu
.
de schoo
s or ideas
UR Northsi
any article
h
it
Pelican YO
w
m
o
@gmail.c
mariefreid
The Food
Pantry a
t Wisdom
Lane Nee
ds Your
Help!
Please br
in
g donatio
ns of NON
per good
-PERISHAB
s, cleanin
LES (food
g
supplies,
office at
, patoiletries
Wisdom
) to the m
Lane Mid
bins at 4
d
ain
le
0 Meande
School, o
r Lane or
r
t
o
la
b
e
any ques
led
276 Gard
tions abo
iners Ave
ut how y
.. Direct
ou can h
Nina Glen
elp to:
n, SW at
520-8370
.
TA
the P
…
s
l
e
t lab
e col
c
b
u
l
l
d
i
o
g
r pr
ee w
ratin
t you l committ
e
c
n
e
e
l
l
g
Co
be
and
ct La
bels
u
A!
a
d
l
o
r
e
P
ol PT
os
o
h
t
h
c
g
S
lectin orthside
N
r
$ fo
What better way is there to raise money for your children’s school than to shop for yourself and your family?
Yes, that’s all there is to it! Shop as usual and
Northside gets CASH! All you have to do is log on to
www.stopandshop.com/aplus to register online using
your Stop & Shop Card. Northside
School, ID# 08642
Target REDcard Customers: Go to target.com, click on
REDcard and ‘Take Charge of Education’ to
enroll your credit card. Choose school
ID:76610 and Target will donate 1% of all
your REDcard purchases. It's that simple!
December, 2014
PTA ‘B
I
& PIE TS
CES’
The Northside PTA is on
Facebook… check it out and
”LIKE” us!
Northside will
be participating in the
National PTA Reflections Art Program
which encourages students to create works
of art for fun and positive recognition
in dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition,
photography and visual arts. Since
1969, the Reflections Program has
been bringing families, schools and
communities together in support of
student success through the arts.
This years theme is “The World Would
Be A Better Place If…” The program
was initiated in November. Parents are
urged to encourage their child to submit an entry. More details are available on the Northside PTA Facebook
page.
SEPTA (Special Education Parent Teacher Association)
WHAT IS SEPTA?
SEPTA - a PTA within a school district bringing together people interested in children with educational needs that cannot be met in the
regular classroom setting.
Organized to support, strengthen and promote a greater awareness of
special education.
Encourage and promote an understanding of students' needs, while
striving to discover and implement ways of best meeting them.
SEPTA MEMBERSHIP
Your SEPTA membership of $8.00 per person helps to provide programming for parents and teachers. Help us help you and join today by
filling out our membership form and return it to your child's teacher
or mail it to:
Levittown SEPTA, LMEC, 150 Abbey Lane, Levittown, NY 11756
Special Education Dept. - Membership
Page 9
THE GIVING
TREE
Northside is proud to again sponsor a toy drive to support the JTCF. Please send an unwrapped toy to
school, along with your decorated ornament to decorate
our donation tree. Try to remember that older children
need the JTCF too, so items like gift cards, CD’s and
books that are appropriate for teens/pre-teens are
really needed as well. Please contact Marie
([email protected]) with any questions about donation or how to further support this local, most worthy
cause! Donations are being accepted NOW!
“In 1992, I founded The John Theissen Children’s Foundation, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization. When I was 17 years old
I was hospitalized for a brain tumor at a local children’s hospital. During my stay, my family and I befriended a seven year
old girl named Tasha. This little girl was in and out of the hospital throughout the year receiving different treatments for her
illness. She received very little family support. She was dropped off and then picked up again when it was time to go home
without having a visitor.
Tasha was very excited about a holiday party sponsored by the hospital staff and was expecting her family to attend. They
unfortunately did not. I was still too ill but my family agreed to take her. When Santa asked her what she had wanted, Tasha replied, “ I would like a teddy bear for a friend upstairs.” I felt fortunate to be that friend. Her positive attitude and
generous spirit inspired me. When I got out of the hospital I wanted to help children just like Tasha.
In 1992, I held a toy drive during the holidays to benefit children in local hospitals. During the first toy drive, I collected
over 800 hundred new toys in just two weeks and brought them to three different hospitals. Well that was the beginning of
what has become a year round organization. Since 1992, we have collected over 550,000 new toys and donate them to sick
and underprivileged children in over 185 hospitals and child-care facilities across Long Island year round. We also donate
therapeutic and recreational equipment. Donations enabled us to fulfill wishes and help families with medical expenses. In 15
years, we have never said no to a child in need.”
John Theissen
ADOPT A LEVITTOWN FAMILY
With the holiday season approaching, we have initiated the Holiday Adopt-A-Family program for the children (and possibly members of their
families) of the Levittown School District. We appreciated your participation in this program and hope you will consider joining us this year.
Last year along with the Board of Education, PTSA, members of the Levittown School District Staff and various community groups, we were
able to “adopt” approximately 200 students/family members in need of gifts, clothes and food during the holiday season.
It would be helpful if anyone wishing to adopt a student or family for the 2014 holiday season gave their names and email addresses or phone
numbers to us before December 1st (the earlier the better). Beginning the middle of November and through December, you will receive
information on the student or family that you have been assigned to. Items should be in a gift bag or box. EACH bag or box MUST be clearly labeled with an ID# that is found on the informational form you will receive. The Holiday Adopt-A-Family Form should also be attached.
Please remember the names of the “ADOPTER” as well as the “ADOPTEE” are kept anonymous. If you wish to include a holiday card, please
sign it….”a friend”. If you are including a gift card, please put that in an envelope or gift box too. You may wrap the gifts if you would like to.
All gifts must be delivered to the District Clerks office at Levittown Memorial no later than 12 noon, December 12th.
We will be organizing and wrapping gifts that were not wrapped on Tuesday, December 16th beginning at 6:30 pm in the large board room of
LMEC. The gifts will be delivered to the students/families from December 17th – 19th. Anyone who would like to get involved and cannot
adopt a student/family can purchase gift cards for any amount from any of the local stores, such as Target, Kohl’s, Ulta, any supermarket or
any other store you frequent. No amount is too small.
If you prefer to adopt a student or family as a group, please feel free to get your family, friends or co-workers involved in this rewarding
endeavor. In addition, if you coach or are involved in a community group (ie: scouting, sports teams, mah jong groups), please consider participating as a means of community service. We appreciate all of your assistance and wish you all the best for the holiday season.
Sincerely,
Page 10
Esta Lachow 520-1546 [email protected]
& Gina Interdonato 314-9244 [email protected]
The Pelican
2014 VOTE… DEMOCRACY AT Northside!
The Northside Student Council elections were held
on October 30th. The students learned about the
process of campaigning, public speaking, voting, being
elected and identifying issues that are important to
the student population. Civic responsibility, philanthropy and spirit building are some of the ideals emphasized by the student council throughout the year.
Under the expert supervision of Mrs. Nizinski, the
students are guided in their service of the school.
Here are the results…
Northside School's 2014/2015 Executive Board:
President
Emily Licht
Vice President Jake Stanley
Secretary
Isabella Rasmussen
Treasurer
Peyton Stanley
Senators
Matthew Haxton
Andrew Greco
Mrs. Heaney: Carly Perez, Ania McCarty, Ciam Gormley
Mrs. Leung: Amanda Vota, James Ganga, Tyler Diez
Mrs. O’Daly: Tara O’Regan, Matthew Puglisi, Emily
Medrano
Mrs. Shapiro: Alex Genovese
Ms. Bernhardt: Sofia Ferreiro, Sydney Gomezcoello,
Erin Alvarez
Mrs. Libby: Kimberly Ekberg, Marcus Kaufman, Kaitlyn
Templin
Mrs. Nizinski: Giovanna DeBono, Kaitlyn Thearle, Bradley Wyckoff
Ms. Schuman: Gianna Centonze, Gavin Ackerman, Anna
Lambert
Ms. Fleigner: Jack Sampugnaro
Mrs. Cosgrove: Brandon Harrison, Aidan Messina, Lydia Schnell
Mr. Miller: Andre Sarkissian, Deanna Phillips, Taylor
D’Amato
Special Reps:
Mrs. Downing
Sofia Ferreiro
Ms. Kirk
Robert Siemsen
Ms. Richiusa: Shae McGinty, Kimberly Angiletta, Nicholas Genovese
Mrs. Nyquist
James Ganga
Mrs. Ungar: Ella Leib, Leah Caruso
Mrs. Hekimian
Nicoletta Esposito
Mrs. Wanukovich: Melanie Salinas, Michael Cacenski
Mrs. Ramirez
Sydney Gomezcoello
Mrs. Bamberger
Lilliana Benhammou
All Student Council Meetings are held in the cafeteria at 8:30 am on the following dates:
Mrs. Conrad
Alex Genovese
Ms. Mongiello
Rafael Bonilla
Mrs. Basile
Amanda Votta
January 13th
May 5th
February 24th
June 16th (breakfast)
March 31st
Class Representatives:
Mrs. Crayon: Joseph Messina, Cathryn Rasmussen
Mrs. Rissoff: Samantha Bishop, Tyler Soto, Dylan
Koch
Mrs. Truocchio: Michael Grimsey, Karolina Normandia, Brenden Bradley
Mrs. De Lucie: Robert Seimsen
December, 2014
Page 11
The following is the
14/15 school year
schedule for the
Northside School PTA
meetings. Meetings are
held in the school
library. Please join us.
Meetings are a great
forum for discussions,
information, and an exchange of ideas that
bring a community together and make it better!
January 13th at 10 am
February 10th at 10am
March 24th at 7:30pm
April 28th at 7:30pm
May 26th at 10am
HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE
Each year the PTA offers the stud
ents of
Northside a place to try their hand
s at independent holiday shopping! The child
ren love the
idea that it is better to give than
to receive,
but often they are unable to do so
without the watchful eyes of loved
ones. The boutique allows for child
ren to make reasonable purchases
for those loved ones with the assistan
ce of PTA members. The students are asked to plan, budget and
calculate spending. This makes
holiday shopping educational and assi
sts in developing important life
skills...but don’t tell them! The bout
ique is scheduled throughout the
school days on December 9th and
10th. In order to provide this fun,
and educational service to the child
ren, the PTA needs your assistance!
The younger students require a grea
t deal of supervision and guidance
while shopping, and while the older
students might need less supervision, they still need adult help. A
sufficient number of volunteers allows for every student to have enou
gh time and
assistance to shop within the time
frame allotted
to each class. PTA volunteers are
still needed to
make the boutique possible! Please
contact the
PTA at [email protected]
om if you are
able to help.
CALENDAR of EVENTS
12/4
Picture Retakes
12/9-10
Holiday Boutique
12/10
Regular BOE Meeting 7:30pm LMEC
12/17
Hanukkah Begins
12/24
Holiday Recess Begins
12/25
Christmas Day
12/26
Kwanzaa
1/1
New Years Day
1/5
Return to School
1/13
Northside PTA Meeting 10am
1/13
Northside Blood Drive
1/14
Regular BOE Meeting 7:30pm LMEC
1/15
PTA Council Meeting 7:30pm LMEC
1/19
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (no school)
1/20
BOE Planning Session Meeting 7:30pm LMEC
1/21
Northside Winter Concert @ Wisdom Lane 7:30pm
1/26
SEPTA Meeting LMEC 7:30pm