March 2017

Miller Place Students Celebrate Reading with Dr. Seuss

Andrew Muller Primary School recently participated in a week-long literacy celebration, Parents as Reading Partners (PARP), as part of the District’s commitment to promoting a love of reading. This year’s PARP theme was “Parpical,” and every lesson was created with a Dr. Seuss theme in mind.

On the first day of the celebration, Principal Laura Gewurz dressed as The Cat in the Hat. Throughout the week, five faculty members from the Andrew Muller Primary School were SMART Board Mystery readers and read Dr. Seuss books to the students, including “The Cat in the Hat,” “Horton Hears a Who,” “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Yertle the Turtle,” and “The Sneetches.” At the end of the week, students joined musical performer Lee Knight during an assembly to sing original Dr. Seuss-inspired songs.

Students at the Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School also participated in this event by reading age-appropriate books to Andrew Muller Primary School students over Skype. The third-to-fifth-grade students shared their passion for reading with kindergarten through second-grade students, and they recommended some of their favorite books when they were younger. North Country Road Middle School students—grades six, seven and eight—visited Andrew Muller Primary School and read to the students as well. The collaboration between schools was part of the District’s mission to inspire students and foster intra-district collaboration.

Miller Place Elementary School Students Create Wall of Positivity

As part of the Miller Place School District’s ongoing Character Education initiatives, students at the Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School recently created a wall of positivity outside the school’s cafeteria. The wall features a collage of colorful paper, each of which has a different positive message written by every teacher and student in the school. In addition, more than 600 students signed a pledge to “Start with Hello” and promote a positive culture of kindness. A full week of daily activities were planned around these important, simple, yet powerful messages.

The purpose of this project was to bring smiles to the faces of students, teachers and staff members throughout the school. Not only did each student receive his or her own Post-It note to contribute to the wall, many students also shared their positive messages with their friends.

Examples of the positive Post-Its include: Make Everyone Smile; Everyone has something nice to do or say; If you can’t be a pencil to write someone’s happiness then be a nice eraser to remove their sadness; The word ‘impossible’ is really I’m possible and Never give up.

Miller Place Students Share Their Love of Reading

The Miller Place School District recently celebrated Read Across America Day with a Districtwide event to help students share their love of reading. Students at Miller Place High School used Skype, an online video communications service, to read age-appropriate books to elementary school students at the Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School. After reading the books, the high school students asked their elementary school audience what they thought about the stories. Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School students then asked the high school students about the books they used to read when they were younger and what kinds of books they enjoy reading now.

This program was part of an ongoing Miller Place School District initiative intended to help students connect with their peers and develop high-level literacy skills from an early age.

A Little Thanks Goes a Long Way

The Miller Place School District recently held an event at Laddie A. Decker Sound Beach School, giving third grade students an opportunity to show their appreciation for members of the United States Military, both veteran and serving active duty. As part of the program, students in Ms. Brenner’s class created a care package for the teacher’s brother-in-law, U.S. Navy Petty Officer Joseph Monaco, who is currently deployed overseas in Mahe, Seychelles on the USS Comstock LSD-45. Ms. Brenner’s class wrote thoughtful letters about the importance of servicemen and women and created a huge ‘Thank You’ poster. After receiving the package, Monaco thanked the class sent the students a picture of himself holding the poster.

Miller Place School District Announces Kindergarten Registration Dates at Andrew Muller Primary School

The Andrew Muller Primary School (AMPS) in the Miller Place School District will be holding Kindergarten registration from Monday, March 20, 2017 until Friday, March 24, 2017 from 9:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Registration is by appointment only. Parents are asked to call the AMPS main office at 631-474-2715 to schedule an appointment.

“Parents are encouraged to register for an appointment at their earliest possible convenience to ensure their children’s smooth transition to school. Any questions should be directed to the Andrew Muller Primary School main office,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marianne Cartisano. “We are extremely excited to meet the class of 2030.”

Parents interested in registering a child or children to enter kindergarten during the 2017-2018 school year must ensure each child has met all age and health requirements mandated by New York State. Information and required forms are available online on the District website. Please print out these forms, complete them in full and bring them with all required documentation to the scheduled appointment.

“Each year our kindergarten students make tremendous strides both inside and outside the classroom,” said Andrew Muller Primary School Principal Ms. Laura Gewurz. “The high-quality education our kindergarten students receive prepares them to face not only the First grade, but also the rest of their lives.”

Only children who will be five years old on or before December 1, 2017 and are residents of the Miller Place School District are eligible for registration. New York State current mandated immunizations include: 4-5 Polio (IPV/OPV), 4-5 DPT (DTap/DTP), three Hepatitis B, two MMR and two Varivax. Parents should also bring each child’s current immunization record to registration.

Prospective students must also complete a physical examination within one year prior to the first day of school, and the completed examination form must be submitted to the AMPS Health Office no later than August 22, 2017.

For more information regarding Miller Place Schools and district happenings please visit the district’s website: http://www.millerplace.k12.ny.us/ and the Andrew Muller Primary School webpage.