$25,000 Grant Awarded to Bellmore School District

A $25,000 grant, a district-wide response to increased state testing expectations, and a new teacher granted tenure were among the items covered at this month’s meeting of the Bellmore Board of Education.

In the report of Deirdre Gambino, assistant superintendent for business and technology, the highlight was a state award of $25,000 in community revitalization grant funds given to the Bellmore school District.

“The District plans on using these funds to install new playground equipment,” Gambino said.

Superintendent Joseph Famularo recommended general education tenure to Gina Paino, a movement that was unanimously passed by the school Board. Paino,  who teaches at Shore Road school, was present to accept this honor, and stood with pride while the audience showered her with applause.

Assistant to the Superintendent for Instructional Services Joanne Dacek covered several items in her monthly report, chief among them being how the district is evolving its curriculum in light of recently increased standards imposed by state testing.

"We had both an ELA (English and Language Arts) and math curriculum committee meeting this year," she said. "They will examine the new common core state standards, align them to the current curriculum where appropriate, and identify gaps that need to be addressed. These committees will also examine the increased rigor of the assessment, and the capacity of our current curriculum materials to support these increased expectations."

Also covered in Dacek's report was a great deal of positive news out of the Reinhard Early Childhood Center, starting with their recent Rising Stars pep rally, which kicked off the district's Character Education Program. Reinhard has also introduced the Peaceful Bus Program, which involves regular student meetings where the importance of safety and community on the school bus is discussed.

Dacek also covered an annual reading program at Winthrop Avenue Elementary school entitled Parents As Reading Partners (PARP). Students are encouraged to read for an additional 15 minutes per night to meet the challenge of Principal Sally Curto, who last year scaled the climbing net in Winthrop's gymnasium when students met her PARP reading requirements.

"This year's actual challenge will remain a secret," Dacek said. "At least, until the end of the month."

The performance of Bellmore actress Lyle Cogan's "Sticks and Stones: A Musical" for the district's fifth grade students was also reported upon. As a part of the Bellmore District's anti-bullying initiative, the award-winning one-woman play  presented the perspective of the bully, the bullied, and the bystander to children, followed up by a Q&A session.

The next regularly-scheduled meeting of the Bellmore Board of Education is on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m.