JAN 2021
east lake eagle
ISSUE
01
PTA Presidents’ Message
this issue Presidents’ Message Principal’s Message P TA O f f i c e r s First Day Band App Scavenger Hunt Blood Drive Support Staff Pumpkin Contest Holiday Fair Reflections
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Dana Durso & Meaghan Wrona
Dear
Parents,
Teachers
and
Students,
The first half of the school year has flown by and while we had to change some things up this year, we were still able to have many fun and creative activities for the students! The school year kicked off by welcoming back the students with a newly decked out fence and our very own East Lake Eagle Mascot greeting the students as they arrived. East Lake lanyards were also provided by the PTA to all East Lake students and staff to help keep masks and East Lake pride on all our faces. The school pride continued with a successful East Lake Spirit Wear sale. Our Fall Family Fun Committee was also hard at work, putting together a Walk to School Scavenger Hunt and virtual pumpkin contest. Even with masks, we know the children were smiling at both Picture Day and while they were ordering gifts for their family at the virtual holiday fair.
Please join and be a part of what makes East Lake special!
We continued to come togher as a community by hosting several sucessful drives for others, including partnering with McKenna for our Blood Drive, and our Outreach Committee collected
much-needed supplies through our East Lake Essentials Drive. While we have already accomplished so much for our students, our PTA committees are still hard at work planning for the second half of the school year. We are excited and hopeful for what’s still to come. We are looking forward to the outcome of the Reflections program with all the wonderful submissions we received. We are planning our annual Pick-A-Reading-Partner Program (PARP) for March and before we know it, it will be time for some Spring Family Fun activities! The PTA Executive Board Members would like to thank all the parents, teachers and committee members for all your continued support to help make this challenging year still successful. The students certainly do enjoy all the great things our school and PTA does for them. We hope you enjoy reading our Newsletter and have a great second half of the school year! Thank you, Meaghan Wrona and Dana Durso Co-Presidents
A Message from Principal McKillop Happy New Year East Lake! I had hoped that with the arrival of 2021 we would be in a much different place, but unfortunately it appears that we will need to wait for the normalcy we are all longing for. While we continue to do our best to deliver all that elementary school should be for our students, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the PTA for their continued efforts during this pandemic. As Shilagh Mirgain PH. D said, “It is often during the most challenging times where there is the greatest opportunity to
CO-PRESIDENTS Dana Durso & Meaghan Wrona FIRST VICE PRESIDENT Danielle Ocuto SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Tina Flynn TREASURER Luz Bove RECORDING SECRETARY Erika Conti CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Lauren Cuccias
redefine yourself.” With that being said, and despite new obstacles that we all are faced with daily, the East Lake PTA continues to support our students with modified events, virtual experiences, and digital opportunities to enrich the educational experience for all East Lake students whether learning in-person or remotely.
On behalf of Mrs. Velte and myself, I’d like to applaud the entire East Lake community for their continued efforts during this most difficult time for our school, town, state, and country. I am energized each day when I see the resiliency of the students in our classrooms as they adapt to the unique obstacles that come with our safety protocols.
As we do every school year, we look forward to the PARP program, which is right around the corner. The PARP committee is currently finalizing the plans for the program and we are all excited for this year’s theme. We encourage all families to participate in what is traditionally a cornerstone of the PTA activities each year.
I’m thankful for the support and understanding that we continue to receive from the parents of East Lake and appreciate all the emails, cards and letters that we received before the holiday break recognizing all that we are doing to keep the students safe and learning.
In addition to the PTA activities, our instructional practices at East Lake have remained constant, and yet adapted to meet the changes necessary to keep our students as safe and healthy as possible. The phrase that best comes to mind when I think about our East Lake community is, “Where there is a will…There is a way.” It is because of this will that we are able to build upon this solid foundation, while continuing to foster both individual and whole school success. Although our doors may not be physically open for all to see, we encourage you to remain involved with your child’s education as we navigate this journey together.
Lastly, I am humbled by the extraordinary efforts that my staff puts forth each and every day whether we are delivering in-person instruction or delivering it remotely to our youngsters. It is because of all these reasons that I am honored to be East Lake’s Principal and optimistic that the remainder of the school year will turn around and be the best it can be in 2021! With the turn of the calendar I wish the entire East Lake community a happier and much healthier New Year! Be well, Thomas A. McKillop III Principal
your 2020-2021 pta officers
The first day back to school was filled with excitement as students looked forward to seeing their friends, old and new, as well as their new teachers and classrooms. Volunteers worked hard before the first day back to install art on the fence facing Eastlake Avenue, thank you to the beautification committee for your dedication. As an extra-special surprise, the East Lake Eagle mascot proudly made an appearance by the main entrance of the school to welcome children as they arrived. Children and parents together were excited to see a familiar face greeting them on that important first day of the 2020-2021 school year. If this first day was any indication of the remainder of the year, it is sure to be filled with positivity and fun!
welcome back
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FILLED WITH FUN Dana Durso
Stay up-to-date on upcoming PTA events by downloading the BAND app on your phone! Just scan this QR Code with your phone, and join the East Lake PTA band. 3
t e G s t e L
L A E H Walk to School Scavenger Hunt Jennifer Czachor, Chair,
On Wednesday October 7, the sidewalks were filled with smiling faces as the children of East Lake walked to and from school completing the Walk to School Scavenger Hunt. Kindergarten won with 59% participation and was rewarded with an extended recess!
! Y H T
Blood Drive
Stephanie Farco & Catherine White, Co-Chairs East Lake’s Annual Blood Drive was held on Thursday, October 29th at the New York Blood Center. The drive was a collaborative effort with McKenna Elementary and was co-chaired by Cathy White and Stephanie Farco. This year’s poster contest theme was, “Together We Have the Power to Save Lives.” East Lake students submitted their posters through a Flipgrid and the grand prize winners were (grades K-2) Avery Bula from Mrs. Laura’s class and (grades 3-5) Ryan Wygand from Ms. Annarumma’s class. A total of 41 pints of blood were donated which will go on to help 123 people. The New York Blood Center was so thankful for the effort made by East Lake and the donor turnout was appreciated during this time. Thank you to the students who submitted posters, the teachers and parents who helped spread the word and all those who donated blood. The East Lake community once again shows that, “Together We Have the Power to Save Lives!”
East Lake Support Staff Dr. Kaitlin McSwiggan, School Psychologist Ms. Laura Hess, School Sychologist Ms. Coutney Houlihan, Social Worker
We are available to support students and families in a variety of ways. We provide individual and group counseling for schoolbased needs, resources for families, and support finding outside referrals. We maintain active partnerships with Northwell Health and YES Community Counseling Center. We look forward to hearing from you! Dr. Kaitlin McSwiggan School Psychologist
Ms. Laura Hess School Psychologist
Ms. Courtney Houlihan Social Worker
KaMcswiggan@msd.k12.ny.us PSL Page: Dr. Mcswiggan 2020-2021
LHess@msd.k12.ny.us PSL Page: Ms. Hess 2020-2021
CHoulihan@msd.k12.ny.us PSL Page: East Lake Social Work Corner
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holiday happenings
pumpkin contest
holiday fair
Jennifer Czachor, Chair
Felice Litvack & Andrea Reyes Co-Chairs
East Lake’s Family Fun Fall/Winter Committee was hard at work this year. To adjust to the current school year, the Committee hosted it’s first ever completely virtual pumpkin decorating contest. Students were asked to submit photos of their finished pumpkins and votes were collected online. All winners and participants received a special treat from Once Bitten, the new donut shop in the village.
Although the Holiday Fair was conducted differently than in years past, it was once again a success! Students were given a safe way to choose gifts for their loved ones from the comfort of their own classrooms. Vouchers were pre-payed which made it easy for students to choose the best gifts for each recipient in an order form. This gave the students a sense of pride and happiness when they surprised their family members with gifts they chose. We hope everyone loved their presents!
Reflections Jamie Bula & Jackie DeMainto, Co-Chairs
Reflections 2020-2021: ¨I Matter Because¨ Reflections is a national PTA program that provides opportunities for recognition and access to the arts which boost student confidence and success in the arts and in life. East Lake collected 36 Reflections submissions this year from a wide range of categories. Those included Visual Arts, Dance, Film Production, Photography, Literature and Special Artist for the two age divisions. The Primary division includes grades K-2 and Intermediate division encompasses grades 3-5. The entries were all blindly judged by staff members at McKenna Elementary School. There are 14 submissions that will be advancing to the County level of judging. The winners will be announced and all participants will be recognized at a future ceremony.
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NEWSLETTER COMMITTEE :
COMING SOON: PICK A READING PARTNER (PARP) 2021
Co-Chairs: Mallory Kerley & Danielle Ocuto Committee; Jennifer Azzariti Hope Wygand
The PARP Committee has been working hard to plan a program that will be a success, despite the activities that can’t be hosted. East Lake’s PARP 2021 theme is “Reading Through the Seasons”. Each grade will be assigned a different seasonal activity to show reading can be enjoyed during any time of year. Keep an eye out for more information on how you can get involved, coming soon.
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE - WE WANT YOU!
The East Lake PTA has been working hard behind the scenes to bring you the activities you’re used to, but it hasn’t been easy. The most impactful way you can help ensure that our students are getting all the extra enrichment possible is by joining us! We are reinventing and reimagining our tried-and-true events the best we can, but we can’t do it without the support of the wonderful parents of East Lake. Please consider becoming a PTA member today.
Please join and be a part of what makes East Lake special!
Scan and join today!
east lake eagle ISSUE 01 FEBRUARY 2020 - Published twice a year and funded by East Lake PTA
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