Fifth grade C-Quest students from Cherokee Street, Slocum and Duffield elementaries studied financial literacy for several weeks prior to their field trip to Commerce Plaza, “the children’s business center”, in Levittown.

While at Commerce Plaza, each student received a “job” for the day and had a bank account, checks and a debit card. They performed their job within the Commerce Plaza community, and all worked together to “run their businesses”. Places of work included Capital One, Jovia Credit Union, the chamber of commerce, a medical center and a newspaper, for example, with jobs such as bookkeeper, manager, physician, nurse and recycling manager, amongst others. Students held a community meeting at the start and end of their “business day”.

 

Click here to view the C-Quest students practice business skills at Commerce Plaza slideshow.

Date Added: 1/21/2025

Fourth grade students in Ms. Pinelli’s class at Slocum recently embraced the empowering motto, “I can do hard things,” during their weekly yoga session. Through their practice every Wednesday, Ms. Pinelli aims to teach her students the physical and mental benefits of yoga, while fostering resilience.

Each week, Ms. Pinelli leads her class through various yoga poses, such as half-moon and crow, helping students build strength both physically and mentally. Referring to a difficult pose, Ms. Pinelli shared some inspiring words with her students, saying, “You didn’t shy away from it, you kept working towards it even when you toppled over. That mindset on the mat is what helps us in life off the mat. Those moments allow us to get better.”

Through these sessions, students are learning valuable lessons about perseverance and the importance of maintaining a positive attitude even in the face of challenges.

 

Click here to view the Slocum students build resilience with weekly yoga practice slideshow.

Date Added: 1/17/2025

Fifth grade students from across the district in the C-Quest Enrichment Program chose a word that either defined them or chose a word to set a goal for the year.

After choosing their one word, they explored the outdoors, looking for the letters in their word. Using iPads, they photographed the letters then edited, enhanced through filtering, cropped and uploaded them to Google Slides. The slides were then printed, and the letters were cut out and put onto a poster, spelling their word in their environmental print! During their poetry unit, students wrote a free verse poem using their word in their poem.

Click here to view the 5th Grade C-Quest students’ One Word project slideshow.

Date Added: 1/14/2025

To start off a unit about structures, fourth graders across the district in the C-Quest Enrichment Program studied the Fire Island Lighthouse. Students visited the lighthouse on a field trip, climbing the tower of 182 steps up and down. They also went on a nature walk to learn about the area, saw the Fresnel lens and participated in a United States Lifesaving Service presentation.

Afterwards, students created non-fiction, informational posters summarizing what they learned on their visit. They also took part in a culminating activity on electrical energy, building a model of the lighthouse which included a working electrical circuit.

Click here to view the 4th Grade C-Quest students visit Fire Island Lighthouse slideshow.

Date Added: 1/14/2025

Ahead of the winter break, students in Ms. McGuinness’ first grade class at Slocum embarked on an exciting journey, learning about holidays celebrated around the globe. The students explored the customs, traditions and celebrations of Australia, Germany, Ireland, France, Mexico, Italy and America!

To make the project even more engaging, each student created their own passport as they traveled through these diverse holiday traditions. The students’ enthusiasm and curiosity grew as they discovered the unique ways different cultures celebrate the season.

Date Added: 1/6/2025