Birch School

On April 11, Birch held its annual Scrabble Tournament for fifth and sixth-grade students.

“This is a preliminary tournament to determine which teams will be moving forward to the annual Kiwanis Club event at the end of May,” explained librarian Vanessa Schroeder, who organized the tournament.

Students from Lakeside, Birch, and Chatterton schools will compete in Scrabble, with the opportunity to earn awards for high scores, points, and the highest words.

Top winners at Birch were: Siena and Lianna – Sportsmanship, Mila and Mitchell - Highest word score, Max and Leo - First place, Jaymes and Mason - Second place, and Siena and Avery (not pictured) - Third place

Click here to view the Birch Word Wizards Compete in Scrabble Tournament slideshow.

Date Added: 4/22/2025

Under the direction of music teacher Robert Normandeau, Birch School's kindergarten students put on their 2025 production of "The Rhythm of the Seasons" on April 4. 

Normandeau thanked the kindergarten teachers and teacher assistants “for their support and assistance throughout the creative process.” 
 

Date Added: 4/7/2025

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Date Added: 3/20/2025

Students at Birch School in the Merrick Union Free School District once again welcomed local middle school/young adult author, Jen Calonita for an engaging literary presentation on March 12.

Calonita shared her latest work, “Isle of Ever” with these Birch Beavers before it has even hit the bookshelves.

“Students were excited to get this sneak peek into the newest book and into Ms. Calonita’s writing process,” explained Vanessa Schroeder, the Birch school librarian who organized the visit.

Date Added: 3/13/2025

We continue to celebrate all of the great lessons and activities taking place in our schools. Here, in the Student Corner, we hear from our students in their own voices.

By Katie E.

On March 21st,the Lakeside Lionspromoted inclusion and showedtheir support for World Down Syndrome Awareness Dayby wearing blue and yellow clothing and brightly colored mismatched socks,whichsymbolizesthe extra chromosome in individuals with Down Syndrome.The student council also fundraised for the Down Syndrome Awareness Foundationby sellingblue and yellow bracelets for $2.00 each. The Down Syndrome Awareness Foundation, specifically theGlobal Down Syndrome Foundation, isa non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education, and advocacy. The Student Council Crew raised $400.00 to donate to the foundation with the sale of 200 bracelets. Thank you to everyone who bought a bracelet to make this fundraiser such a huge success!

By Madison H.

The “Harvest of Love” drive aiding Soup to Nuts has truly brought together our community with such generosity and affection. We are thrilled to announce that we collected 12 boxes filled with greatly needed donations in just 3 days! This incredible achievement reflects the hard work of everyone involved and the kindness of our community members. Each box is a step closer to helping people in need. Soup to Nuts provides families and individuals with not only food, but daily essentials including rolls of toilet paper, gloves for men and women, socks and soap for those faced with hunger and homelessness. The student council is so happy to sharethese donations with the community. Thank you so very much for participating in this amazing initiative. Together we can make a difference! 

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On March 22, the Levy Lakeside Students helped collect items for its annual Harvest of Love Day. The Harvest of Love Day gave the Lakeside family an opportunity to donate to those who are going through a rough time.

We would like to thank everyone who brought in items to donate, they were much appreciated. The items were brought to a local soup kitchen, The Inn.

We collected 26 bags/boxes of fresh apples and oranges, individual packages of snacks and individually wrapped rolls of toilet paper! This collection only took place for one day.

The Lakeside Lions did an incredible job of collecting and we hope that we were able to help those in need!

Written by: Sami G.

Date Added: 4/12/22

By Joey B.

We are so grateful toall Lakeside familieswho donated to Birthday Wishes. We collected 12 BIG boxes of birthday supplies. We send all the boxes to an organization that helps provide a birthday celebration for kids whoare living in the homeless shelters of Nassau County. We collected napkins, cake batter, Barbie Dolls, Lego's, birthday banners, reusable water bottles and so much more. We collected all the things children love to play with. This helps to keep their worries away and just focus on having a good time.We donate to help kids in need. We want them to focus on being a kid! 

Joey B. 

By Oren M.

The Student Council Crew at The Lakeside School is so proud of all the Lions. In January, we sponsored a service project where we collected stuff like: old blankets, sheets, towels, leashes, cat and dog food, kitty litter, wee-wee pads and more. All these supplies were sent to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. They will be used to keep the dogs and cats safe and cozy while they wait for their forever home. This is a service project we do each year. This year was very successful. It took two large vehicles to deliver everything we collected. It makes us feel so good that we were able to make such a difference. If you donated to our service project, thank you very much. 

The Lakeside Levy School Student Council crew tries hard to help other kids ALL year long.

Over this past week, members of the Levy Lakeside student council helped collect many items for the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter and Ruff House Rescue. We collected so much and would like to thank everyone who donated because it is super important to give back to the community. This will help our furry friends out until they can find a family to adopt them. We are so grateful that these wonderful shelters were willing to accept pet food, toys, towels, and so much more! Again, thank you to all who donated. All the Lakeside Lions are proud to live in such a giving community.

By,
Owen K.

By Oren M.

The Student Council Crew at The Lakeside School is so proud of all the Lions. In January, we sponsored a service project where we collected stuff like: old blankets, sheets, towels, leashes, cat and dog food, kitty litter, wee-wee pads and more. All these supplies were sent to the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. They will be used to keep the dogs and cats safe and cozy while they wait for their forever home. This is a service project we do each year. This year was very successful. It took two large vehicles to deliver everything we collected. It makes us feel so good that we were able to make such a difference. If you donated to our service project, thank you very much. 

The Lakeside Levy School Student Council crew tries hard to help other kids ALL year long.

During the holidays we want to make sure that every child in our neighborhood receives something special. This year we tried to help out by collecting brand new toys. We participated in Toys for Tots. The Lakeside Lions were able to collect nine HUGE boxes of brand-new toys for children of all ages.

We want to thank all the grown-ups and students who helped out by donating toys. We are so proud that we were given the chance to help. We wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

Written by: Ben M.

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At Lakeside, we got to be part of an amazing project. We collected toys and board games for kids who need them. This year we worked with the Merrick Kiwanis. We held the drive for two weeks and we collected eight HUGE bags of toys! It was super awesome because it means the students and staff at the Lakeside School were able to help kids who are not as fortunate. We feel so happy and proud to be able to bring joy to these kids. 

We are super grateful for the support and generosity that made this possible. Thank you to everyone who donated toys or board games. Your generosity has truly made an enormous difference. It warms our hearts to know that our teamwork will bring smiles to so many kids during this holiday season. 

We look forward to helping those in need while positively impacting the Lakeside Community. Happy holidays to all! 

J.J. S. 

Recently the Lakeside Student Council invited the student government members from John F. Kennedy High School to attend one of their meetings! The student government shared some of the service projects they do. The student council crew will start incorporating some of these ideas into their own projects. The student council crew and the Kennedy Student Government have planned a joint service project. The recipient of the service will be The Hewlett House. The Hewlett House is a community resource center that assists anyone on Long Island who is suffering with cancer. Our goal is to spend a Sunday morning planting and beautifying the grounds. We plan to plant flowers and shrubs. This special project is slated to happen on May 19th. This is such a great example of what we can accomplish when we work together as a team! Lastly, the student council crew would like to thank the Kennedy Student Government members for coming by to see us. This meeting helped us to realize that service doesn't end with elementary school. It is a life long gesture! What an amazing experience!

Zach K.

Recently the Lakeside Student Council invited the student government members from John F. Kennedy High School to attend one of their meetings! The student government shared some of the service projects they do. The student council crew will start incorporating some of these ideas into their own projects. The student council crew and the Kennedy Student Government have planned a joint service project. The recipient of the service will be The Hewlett House. The Hewlett House is a community resource center that assists anyone on Long Island who is suffering with cancer. Our goal is to spend a Sunday morning planting and beautifying the grounds. We plan to plant flowers and shrubs. This special project is slated to happen on May 19th. This is such a great example of what we can accomplish when we work together as a team! Lastly, the student council crew would like to thank the Kennedy Student Government members for coming by to see us. This meeting helped us to realize that service doesn't end with elementary school. It is a life long gesture! What an amazing experience!

Zach K.

Over at Lakeside, students have been collecting for the Harvest of Love drive. In only two days, students and staff collected 12 boxes of individual snack bags, pieces of fruit, and toilet paper. The items were donated to The Inn.It felt great to know that we were able to help so many of neighbors who are struggling at this time.

By Olivia W.

The student council crew of Lakesidehas just finished their last service project for the 2023 school year. It was for Birthday Wishes. Birthday Wishes is an agencywhere theyprovidea birthday box for all the children who live in the homeless shelters of Nassau County. The Lakeside Lions collected gel pens, party favors, bubbles, fidget spinners, birthday wrapping paper, andRubik’s Cubes to name a few of the items. We were able to collect five huge boxes of supplies to donate to Birthday Wishes.All ofLakesidehopesthat every child in Nassau County has a wonderful birthday. 

Jackson F. 

The Levy Lakeside Student Council Crew just finished a very successful service project! We decided to collect donations for the Ronald McDonald House of the Metro New York area. The Ronald McDonald House is a place that provides housing for parents of very sick children who are in a hospital far from their home. We collected items like: boxed & canned food, paper goods, baby supplies, and toiletries.  

These items are used to help guests feel more comfortable while they are away from home. We set up bins in the lobby. We collected over 14 boxes/bags of the items that were listed on the flyer we sent home. We were thrilled with the outpouring of love that was received! We want to thank all the Lions who donated! It feels good to know we made a huge difference in the lives of others! 
 
By: Marin K. 

The Student Council would like to thank all of the Lakeside families who contributed over the last few weeks to our collection for the Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter. The Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter has dogs and cats that can be adopted. We are so happy to be able to help many animals at the shelter while they are waiting for a family to adopt them. We collected newspapers, food/treats, toys, leashes, collars, blankets, sheets, wee wee pads and more! We collected ten big bags and eight boxes worth of items! The Lakeside Lions are grateful to all of the generous families for helping our furry friends. 

Rina G. 

Recently the Lakeside Student Council has been buying different things to help the school including the purchase of a new bench for our lobby, buying even more cups and cup dispensers, and buying three new trash cans for the outside fields.

In the front lobby of Lakeside, there is a brown bench and the student council has purchased a brand new red bench. This is so all students or visitors have a comfortable place to sit while waiting to be let in.

Last year the Student Council Crew tried putting cup dispensers in the 5th and 6th grade hallways and it was successful. Because of this success, they installed one next to each water fountain I the building. The cup dispensers are there so if you forget a water bottle you can always get a drink.

Recently, the Student Council Crew has purchased new trash cans for the back playground and fields. If you are at recces or even if you are here for a baseball game it is more convenient to throw out trash. These new cans have a covered lid so no trash can blow out of them.

These are only some of the things that the Student Council happily does to help our school.

By: Zachary K.

In early December, the Lions of the Levy Lakeside Elementary School collected brand-new toys for the Toys for Tots program. Members of the Merrick Kiwanis came to pick up all the bags. In total, we collected enough bags to fill 11 HUGE bags. The toys collected were brand-new and unwrapped. The toys will be distributed to Long Island Children who may otherwise go without a holiday gift. The collection lasted for just 10 days and hundreds of toys were donated. We thank all the Lakeside Lions who brought in a toy for the collection. 

Thomas K. 

Recently, Norman J. Levy Lakeside hosted a Veteran’s Day ceremony to honor all the amazing veterans. This was an incredibly special moment because we have not hosted this event since before Covid. Our music teacher, Mr. Glemboski, played the piano and led us in the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. We also had some of our 5th grade Student Council representatives stand as our color guard. We are so thankful that the veterans made time in their day to come and speak to all the Lakeside Lions. It is truly inspiring to see what others have done and continue to do to protect our country. Thank you to all the veterans for serving our nation. These veterans' honorable acts should be something we all continue to look up to. 

By: Lena M. 

Recently, Norman J. Levy Lakeside hosted a Veteran’s Day ceremony to honor all the amazing veterans. This was an incredibly special moment because we have not hosted this event since before Covid. Our music teacher, Mr. Glemboski, played the piano and led us in the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner. We also had some of our 5th grade Student Council representatives stand as our color guard. We are so thankful that the veterans made time in their day to come and speak to all the Lakeside Lions. It is truly inspiring to see what others have done and continue to do to protect our country. Thank you to all the veterans for serving our nation. These veterans' honorable acts should be something we all continue to look up to. 

By: Lena M.