Earlier this spring, Superintendent of Schools Loretta Ferraro, teacher on special assignment Philip Tamberino and classroom teacher Shannon Rickard facilitated a student meeting on the topic of student councils. 

Students in second through sixth grade gathered during lunch and viewed a presentation by Mr. Tamberino, which addressed basic information about how a student council functions and why. The students then participated in a discussion with each other and ultimately voted by secret ballot on whether to form a student council at Woodhull. 

The near-unanimous vote in favor of forming a student council gave way to elections of class representatives in the ensuing days, with Catherine Philippe representing grade two, Ariel Vizcarrondo representing grades three and four, and Jerzi Swanson representing grade six. The newly elected representatives have since met for an orientation with Mr. Tamberino, who is serving as the faculty adviser, and they are working on establishing bylaws for the organization as well as identifying areas for improvement within the school.

Parents, staff, and students enjoyed a spectacular showing of students artwork from throughout the year at Woodhull’s annual Art Show.

Art teacher Ms. Bianca Daidone had each class’ work mounted and labeled for display throughout the gymnasium, and parents were invited in to tour the display in the afternoon. Works in various media and inspired by the styles from abstract expressionism to pop art adorned the room, including self-portraits where students showcased their uniqueness. The work remained on display the following day for community members who visited the school to vote on the annual budget.

Woodhull Elementary School teacher Shannon Rickard was honored by New York State Sen. Phil Boyle as a Teacher of Excellence in a ceremony held at the North Babylon Fire Department this May.

Ms. Rickard, who currently teaches grades 3 and 4, has taught in Fire Island since 2012 and was praised by Superintendent Loretta Ferraro for her dedication, rigor and advocacy for students. “At any time of the day, when you enter her classroom, you find her students cognitively engaged in meaningful work,” Ms. Ferraro said.

Sen. Boyle has honored teachers annually from the school districts within New York’s 4th Senate District since 2016. Fire Island teacher Jeanene Crawson was also honored with the award in 2017.

Woodhull Elementary School’s early elementary class teacher Karen McNulty has provided invention opportunities in her classroom each year for many years and, this year, she partnered with Eastern Suffolk BOCES technology integration specialist Deborah Gerken to give students the opportunity for their inventions to be recognized in the Spark!Lab InBae Yoon Invent It Challenge.
 
To participate in the contest, which is run by the Smithsonian Institution and Cricket Media, students had to create an invention that will improve the lives of aging adults. To begin the invention process the students first had to imagine, with empathy, the challenges older adults face. They identified a walking cane as an invention on which they could improve and then used their science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills to sketch, revise, prototype and eventually create the finished product: an all-weather walking cane with GPS, interchangeable handles, quick-release for height adjustment, an extra support for getting up out of a chair, and on-board lighting for seeing in the dark.

Contest entries were judged according to how well the invention lived up to the contest’s theme and also how faithfully the inventors followed the process guidelines. Mrs. McNulty and Mrs. Gerken used video to document the various stages of the invention process and ultimately submitted a 30-minute piece on the invention of “The Cane That Can,” which now appears on the contest website alongside other winners and honorable mention entries.

As a result of their work, the students’ group entry was one of five in its age division to receive honorable mention among the 235 total entries.

Information on library hours, contents, computer system features, the inter-library loan system and how to obtain a library card.

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This link provides an overview of the district’s non-resident student enrollment program, including tuition rates and applications. 

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This is a series of materials, websites and guides aimed at helping parents navigate the Common Core Standards.

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