School Notebook: Holidays, Careers, Community Service and More

Setauket Elementary School Welcomes ROCKS the Rabbit. As the school district delivers lessons in bullying prevention, Setauket Elementary students welcomed a new mascot: ROCKS the Rabbit, who was introduced at recent Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program assemblies. "ROCKS" stands for "Responsible, Open-minded, Cooperative, Kind and Safe," and the rabbit was introduced after students voted on which mascot they wanted to see represent the anti-bullying program. The administration thanked parent Pat Blandino from Rubies Costume Shop for providing the ROCKS mascot.

Arrowhead Kindergarteners Celebrate Chinese New Year. As part of an ongoing series of lessons about world cultures, kindergarten students at Arrowhead rang in the Year of the Snake. They created Chinese dragon puppets, lanterns, paper snakes and a large dragon banner, and learned how to correctly pronounce "Gung Hay Fat Choy" (a sentiment that means "happy new year").

Arrowhead Students Get a Visit from the Postmaster. Frank Anzaldi, postmaster of the East Setauket U.S. Post Office, recently visited Arrowhead kindergarteners as part of a social studies lesson about the various types of professionals who work in the community. Students learned about writing and mailing letters, sorting mail, and delivering mail; teachers later transitioned to a lesson about money by talking about stamps and their importance when mailing letters and packages.

Gelinas Students Make Toys for Stony Brook Children's Hospital Patients. As part of a community service project completed by the Home and Careers Community Service Club at Gelinas, students hand-made toys, pillows and animals for kids at Stony Brook Long Island Children's Hospital. Their advisor, Janet Broadhurst, said they were able to use what they learned in their home and careers classes as well as work together to achieve a goal. She said: "For the students, this provides a rewarding and fun service opportunity where they can make a difference in the life of a child. Along with the giving of these handmade toys go love, warm thoughts and comfort in caring.”

Gold and Silver Awards for Murphy JHS Students. Three Murphy students have received regional recognition in the Scholastic Writing Awards competition. Seventh grader Noor Kamal composed a poem called “Black Locks," which won a Gold Key award, and received an honorable mention for a flash fiction piece. Seventh grader Jiayi Ruan won a Silver Key award for her short story, “A Scarlet Tale,” and seventh grader Cameron Liquori received an honorable mention for her short story, “Death Is in the Air.”