Nassau News

It was a pleasure speaking with so many of you during parent-teacher conferences. Your children have worked hard and shown incredible progress in a short amount of time. Although we only have three weeks until winter break, our schedule is packed with exciting events! Highlights include the Holiday Shop, The Nutcracker, the In-School Winter Concert, and our December P2 Assembly.

In the spirit of gratitude, I want to extend a special thank you to all our School-Related Professionals (SRPs) at Nassau. While SRP Day was celebrated in November, I am thankful for this group every single day. Their hard work, kindness, and dedication make it possible for us to provide the high-quality education that Spackenkill is known for.

On behalf of the faculty and staff at Nassau Elementary School, I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and joyful holiday season!

Warm regards,

Erik Lynch
Principal

On November 6th, the second grade classes were delighted to experience a live performance of the Wizard of Oz. The Rhinebeck Performing Arts Center entertained our students with an interactive show. Students became munchkins, assisted in waking the characters from the sleeping spell cast by the Wicked Witch, and roared to help Lion find his courage. We even had a student transform into the Wizard of Oz! Students had an opportunity to ask questions and learn about what it takes to be an actor and put on such productions. We are very grateful to the Elementary PTA for supporting this experience.

Ms. Grande’s first grade class welcomed Geno Coppola, a Specialist in the New York Army National Guard as Military Police, who spoke to the class about the significance of Veterans Day. He demonstrated some basic training exercises, which the students enjoyed doing themselves.

He also read aloud to the students the book Veterans: Heroes in Our Neighborhood, by Valerie Phundstein and illustrated by Aaron Anderson. The book profiles real veterans and fosters appreciation for the brave service men and women who also serve in our communities.

The students asked Specialist Coppola many questions about Army life and were surprised that he was not one of the people profiled in the book! They were especially intrigued by his dog tags, which he passed around to the group along with other elements of his uniform, such as a challenge coin shaped as a helmet to represent military police.

As a way to thank those who serve, the students drew pictures and wrote messages that will be sent to veterans in the Hudson Valley and service members overseas.