Month: October 2020

Miller Place’s Middle School Students Recognized for Exceptional Character

North Country Road Middle School in Miller Place is excited to announce its Coupons for Characters recipients for September— Brett Winslow, grade 6; Joe Terranova, grade 7; Carolena Hanauer, grade 8. These distinguished students were recognized for serving as positive role models, promoting respect and encouraging their peers to build a caring school community. Each month, the names of students who have demonstrated exceptional character are put into a container in the building’s main office. At the end of the month, three students’ names are randomly selected to receive a prize for their leadership. Students whose names were put into the jar, but not selected, receive a letter of recognition for their commitment to making NCRMS an outstanding place to learn and gain leadership skills.

JOE TERRANOVA, GRADE 7, WAS SELECTED AS A SEPTEMBER COUPON FOR CHARACTER RECIPIENT

Sixth Grader Dylan Lempin Receives Kindle for Summer Reading Success

Miller Place, New York (October 2020)—With the 2020-21 school year in full swing, North Country Road Middle School in the Miller Place School District has concluded its NCRMS Library Summer Reading Challenge and is pleased to announce this year’s prize recipient—sixth grader Dylan Lempin. In recognition of his hard work and success in the program, Dylan was presented with a brand-new Kindle Fire 7, a generous donation from the Miller Place PTO.

Throughout the summer, NCRMS students were encouraged to keep a record of the books they read and complete tasks on the library’s Choice Board, an interactive learning menu that enables students to have a choice in their work. Tasks ranged from “read a biography” and “read an award-winning book” to more complex like “if you could step into a book you’ve read, which one would it be and why?” and “write a letter to a character in one of your books.”

The NCRMS Library Summer Reading Challenge encourages students to continue reading throughout the summer months to enhance their independent reading skills, expand their vocabulary, and broaden their ideas and experiences. All NCRMS students that participated in the program, and successfully completed it, had their name submitted into the raffle for this year’s prize.

MPSD Teacher TinaMarie DeFalco Featured in LILT’s Newsletter

Miller Place, New York (October 2020)—The Miller Place Union Free School District is proud to announce that TinaMarie DeFalco, a World Language educator in the District, was recognized by the Long Island Language Teachers, Inc. (LILT) for her outstanding contributions in making a difference in the lives of her students and colleagues. TinaMarie, who teaches French at North Country Road Middle School and Miller Place High School, was selected to be interviewed and featured in LILT’s September newsletter.

With a desire and passion to help others, coupled with her interest in world languages and cultures, TinaMarie always believed she was destined to become a teacher. In college, TinaMarie enrolled in French and Italian courses to study the grammar and cultures of the two languages. It was then she decided to obtain a Bachelor of Art in French as her avenue to pursue a career in education to help others and share her love of languages.

As a third-year world language educator, TinaMarie discussed how presenting yourself as an organized individual and developing an organizational style that matches your instructional style will positively contribute to your professional career. Many of TinaMarie’s successes as an educator can be attributed to the confidence and passion she demonstrates for teaching. Her ability to motivate Miller Place’s students to become excited about learning a second language has been a cornerstone of her success as a teacher and mentor.

Last year, TinaMarie presented at LILT’s Annual Conference and will be returning as co-presenter this November. Her participation in the organization has been key in developing professional relationships with colleagues and friends in her field throughout Long Island. The Long Island Language Teachers, Inc. is composed of Long Island’s most distinguished language educators for K-16 and supervisors of World Languages, ENL (English as a New Language), and ASL (American Sign Language). The organization is committed to providing ample opportunities to develop content knowledge, pedagogical and professional skills for the member and its students.