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the final bell Looking aheadandto avoid spring fever
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is an opportunity to do their best. Encourage set aside your kids to try their best, continue to prioritize time to complete homework, and about school attendance. Your positive attitude time for school (even when it’s sunny and almost strong. vacation!) can help your children finish
Focus on school
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he school year might be winding down, but this is one of the most treacherous times of the year when it comes to stuof the dent attendance and focus. The advent winter nicer weather, plus the stress of intensive that combine to produce a sort of “spring fever” and hits kids of every age, making them restless when inattentive. This is also the time of year starting attendance numbers plummet as well, June. from April and worsening on through and With spring in full swing, many students of the families begin to think about the end the only school year. High school seniors aren’t “end-ofones who experience “senioritis” or the school the-school-year-blues.” Even elementary dial back students can begin to shut down and year. their efforts towards the end of the school the It’s important to help children finish responsiraise to is goal school year strong. The to work ble learners who don’t quit and are able hard despite distractions. how School administrators are well aware of kids the annual epidemic of spring fever impacts teachers in the classroom. Toward this end, savvy incenextra with motivated students their keep tives, including engaging projects. Many teachers also instigate periodic “brain breaks,” when everyone takes a five-minute in some break to get up and stretch, or engage many spontaneous, fun activity. Likewise, during schools schedule incentivizing activities and the last few weeks to keep kids interested motivated. of For parents, this can be a frustrating time child’s the year. You’re sympathetic about your keeping restlessness; but also concerned about for final grades up, especially when it’s time exams. The good news is, with a bit of extra atten-
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proactive tion and creative thinking, you can be last in helping your child during these difficult easily be weeks of school. These tips, which can can help implemented into your daily routine, until the your child stay motivated and focused bell rings for summer vacation. Create a list of mile markers or Find out about upcoming school projects marker assignments, and transfer them to a mile This will list, charting progress along the way. without encourage your child to stick to the task track procrastinating, and will also help you keep to conof your child’s progress without having comis project the When stantly ask questions. child. pleted, plan a satisfying reward for your De-clutter work/study spaces Creating a peaceful, clutter-free work/study toward space for your child can go a long way your relieving unnecessary stress. Encourage cleaning, child to join in with a bit of early spring last so that you’ll both be prepared for those weeks of school.
Stick to the routine be When it’s warm and light outside, it can it’s super more difficult to enforce bedtime, but to get a important to help your child continue school good night’s rest through the end of the and year. Stick to your child’s regular bedtime and atcontinue to make time for homework home reading. responsidevelop to child your Encourage that bility and perseverance by maintaining until the good learners do what they need to do summer job is done. Sunny days and a looming learnvacation can’t stop motivated and eager will ers! Maintaining your school-year schedule help reinforce these beliefs.
Reasonable and reachable goals motiGoals are a great way to keep students a school vated and on-task towards the end of Gear check or two small time year. Help your children select one After months of hard work and lots of end of the level] goals to accomplish before the spent in the classroom, many [elementary be challenging supplies. school year. The goals should some ideas students are left with less-than-ideal have but reachable. For younger students crayons and erasers have longer no Pencils a level in reading, do your include things like moving up having a been worn down to nubs. It’s hard to memorizing their multiplication facts, tools. etc. days, best work when you don’t have the right best certain number of positive behavior Support your children put forth their steps to take stock of Work with your kids to determine effort up through the last day, by taking and encourage pencil, to work towards their goals their school supplies. A freshly sharpened can practice at home. a glue stick or two, and a new box of crayons By creating a low-stress, supportive home child to make a world of difference. environment and encouraging your be can you off, slacking without keep studying Lead by example during to proactive in combating spring fever Kids learn by example, and are quick With your help, talking those last two months of school. adopt our attitude. If your child hears you of seeing just how you your child will have the satisfaction about how you wish it was summer, or the school year on is likely to how rewarding it is to finish summer can’t wait for school to be over, he/she top. And you’ll both be ready for the adopt that mindset. Avoid speaking negatively season. your of about school, homework, etc. in front put forth child. It will be harder for your child to as the don’t Above photo: It’s way too easy to let things slide from down his best effort if he thinks you don’t care, weather gets nicer and kids are feeling worn like school, etc. months of study already completed. We like to tell our kids that every assignment
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Writing what he knows — life in Salisbury paved the way for novels. Samberg, now 64, recently released his sixth novel. In A traumatic high school expe- “Almost Like Praying,” pubrience can be life-altering. But lished by Ascot Media Group for Joel Samberg, a 1975 Clarke Inc., he uses his childhood memHigh School graduate, an accusa- ories growing up in Salisbury to tion of plagiarism by his ninth- create some of his characters, grade English teachbasing them on peoer was inspirational. ple he knew. And the “She accused me fictional location is of plagiarizing a Salisbury. book report because A l t h o u g h h e ’s she said it was too been living in Avon, well written, and Conn., since 2010 sent a note home to with his wife, Bonmy mother and nie, Samberg’s memfather,” Samberg ories of Salisbury recalled. “That’s remain strong. when I said, well, “I remember then maybe I really walking around am not too horrible Joel SAMBeRg with two friends of at this thing called mine, Jamie and author writing. And that’s Jimmy, and just when I decided to planning our lives become a writer and to never and singing and talking,” he give up.” said. “We rode our bikes to Jones As a Clarke Middle School Beach from our houses along the student, Samberg wrote the edi- Wantagh Parkway; we rode to torials for the school newspaper. the North Shore. There was a When he was 17, he became a pond there that we dubbed the J stringer for the Westbury Times. Pond, because we were Jimmy, As a journalism student at Hofs- Joel and Jamie. It was a different tra, he wrote for the Hofstra time; we were allowed to go Chronical. After graduation in around on our own without 1979, he wrote magazine articles, parental supervision.” books, plays and corporate comSamberg said he loved Salismunications, which ultimately Continued on page 11
By lAuRA lANe llane@liherald.com
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Mallory Wilson/Herald
She had the bunny spirit McKenna Adamo, 1, and her father, Angelo, took part in the annual East Meadow Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt. More photos, Page 3.
Budget season kicks off for East Meadow School District By MAlloRY WIlSoN mwilson@liherald.com
It’s that time of year again, when the East Meadow School District prepares for the upcoming school year’s finances. The budget, which was adopted on March 23 by the Board of Education, totals roughly $228 million, a 4.8 percent increase over the current spending plan. Along with the budget, voters will be asked to approve a propo-
sition on May 17, for construction to create additional classroom space at McVey Elementary School. There were five different presentations at Board of Education meetings starting in January, each focusing on a different aspect of the 2022-23 budget. The extension of McVey would consist of three new classrooms. The funding wouldn’t be coming from the budget, however, said Patrick Pizzo, the dis-
trict’s assistant superintendent for business and finance. Instead, it would come from the capital reserve fund, which was created in May 2018 and holds money the district hasn’t used. The voters would need to approve just under $5.5 million of it for the new classrooms. “This is money that’s already sitting there, waiting for a purpose that would come our way, Continued on page 13
never want to do anything else. I think it’s what I’m supposed to do.