Lincoln Avenue PTA Looks Ahead

The Lincoln Avenue PTA held their monthly meeting recently, summarizing the happenings of the last few months and taking a look at what lies ahead for the school and the organization.

The last Family Fun Night, held in November, featured Zingo and benefitted the fifth grade class. “The event raised $450 and so many of the fifth graders really participated and had a great time,” said Sharon Rinaldi, PTA president.

PTA fundraising efforts over the past few months have been very successful. They included the Book Fair, which raised $1,800 and allowed to donate $1,200 worth of books to four different charities. The Holiday Boutique did well, as did the Prestige wrapping paper fundraiser, which brought in about $4,200 for the organization. Other ongoing initiatives include Box Tops, which recently sent a check for $751 from collections. Stainless steel water bottles are also still for sale.

Upcoming events include Family Fun Night on Jan. 14 at 6:45 p.m., which will be for grades K-3 and feature a showing of the movie Alvin & The Chipmunks. A carnation sale will be held on Valentine’s Day and a tag sale is being discussed as a possible spring fundraiser.

Lincoln Avenue Principal Dr. Michele LeBlanc addressed attendees about happenings at the school. The ribbon cutting for the took place on Dec. 16. The Board of Education will be holding their meeting in the new center on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m.

Dr. LeBlanc also spoke briefly on the Response to Intervention (RtI) process that is currently taking place throughout the district. The process provides immediate intervention to struggling students instead of waiting for a child to fail and show no progress. “We have really been doing this for a few years but now NYS mandates it so we are in the process of formalizing the program and have been working with a consultant,” she said. The district will be implementing the program in September, a full year ahead of state requirements.

The Science Fair, a requirement for grades 4 and 5, will be taking place on March 29. New this year, according to LeBlanc, is a Science Night, happening on Feb. 8. The night is for both students and parents and does require registration. There will be a space show, a star lab planetarium, workshops and more which will allow parents and children to get a better understanding of what is fitting for a project.

ELA testing begins in late April followed by math testing. The school will be conducting practice tests next week to get the children prepared.

To celebrate the upcoming 10th birthday of , a Lincoln Avenue student who passed away this summer, the children are being asked to color and decorate butterflies, which will be displayed in the school. A statue of Victoria will be displayed in the new media center and likely be presented to Victoria’s parents at next month’s meeting.

SEPTA had a successful fundraising effort with its Sayville spirit wear, which will be used toward scholarships for graduating seniors. SMBA is holding its Semi-Finals on Jan. 13 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Sayville Middle School. SMBA will be hosting its annual dinner dance at Land’s End on Feb. 4.

The next Lincoln Avenue PTA meeting will be held on Feb. 2.