On March 7, Helen B. Duffield Elementary School’s teachers, parents and students came together for Family Literacy Night. Approximately 130 students were in attendance to celebrate the night of literacy, technology and books.

Teachers wore black button-down shirts and red bowties for the black-tie event, as parents and students entered the building on a red carpet. There, they received a “ticket”, explaining the many stations students were to visit throughout the evening. Students and their families even had the opportunity to commemorate the evening by posing in front of a red-carpet photo backdrop.

Kindergarten through second graders headed to word bingo, while third through fifth graders tested their luck in a game of Wheel of Fortune.

In the “Reader’s Theater” students put on a short show for parents in the audience. Students also got to experience a “book tasting” in the cafeteria, looking through a variety of books and reading excerpts from each.

Then, students and parents found themselves in the “interactive hallway” for several hands-on reading activities. For example, students had to figure out what the missing story element was from a bank of choices and then read the story to see if it made sense. In the activity “Genre Jam”, students had to match the correct genre to the description given. With the “Scrambled Word Search” activity, Students were invited to search the hallway to find 20 scrambled words and unscramble each one. If they found all 20 words and correctly unscrambled them, their names were entered into a drawing for a chance to win a gold coin for the school’s book vending machine.

Lastly, students could stop in the Scholastic book fair in the library, hosted by the PTA. It was a fun night in Connetquot, nurturing students’ academic success and further instilling a lifelong love of reading.

Click here to view the photo slideshow.

Date Added: 3/12/2024

Singer-songwriter Jared Campbell visited Helen B. Duffield Elementary School to deliver an inspiring message to students as part of the district’s DASA week.

During the week of Feb.12-16, the district celebrated DASA/Dignity for All Students Week, encouraging students to be kind to others and engage in activities centered around acceptance and unity. On Feb. 15, students at Duffield dressed for the theme, “kindness is our superpower,” wearing clothing with their favorite superhero.

Aligned with the day’s theme, Mr. Campbell engaged students in a high-energy singalong about what it takes to be a superhero in school. He stressed that students have to show respect through kindness, play it safe and look out for others. During Mr. Campbell’s memorable performance, mixing comedy and motivational messaging, students learned songs such as “Do the Right Thing” and “No Bullies Allowed.”

Date Added: 2/21/2024