FJC Updates 1/10/25

Posted Date: 1/10/25 (10:00 PM)

Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School

"The Place to be is Always FJC!"

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2025! We hope you and your family enjoyed the Holidays. After 2 weeks away, we are back and ready to kick off the new year on the right foot. This month our Kindergarten Registration opens on January 6th as we begin to welcome our next crew of learners. We will celebrate two holidays (Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 20th and Lunar New Year on January 29th), and end the month participating in the Great Kindness Challenge. We are excited for the many fun activities throughout the month as we embark on a new year together.

Kindergarten Registration Sign with Handprints

Kindergarten Registration is Open

Kindergarten Registration for the 2025-2026 School Year

Kindergarten registration for the 2025-2026 school year opened January 6, 2025. Registration forms are now available on the district website. Children turning five years old on or before December 1, 2025 are eligible for kindergarten.

Parents are required to complete registration forms found here:

http://tinyurl.com/RPUFSDRegistration (new registrants)
http://tinyurl.com/RPRegExistingUPK (current district UPK/CPSE students)

Once all forms are completed, please call to schedule your appointment. (Ms. Agresto @ 849-7244)

***Please note, if your child curretnly attends the district UPK program, you will still need to complete the required kindergarten registration forms: http://tinyurl.com/RPRegExistingUPK***

We appreciate your cooperation in preparing for the next school year. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Agresto in the Central Registration Office at 849-7244 between the hours of 7:30AM-3:45PM daily.

Great Kindness Challenge

The week of January 27th, FJC will be participating in The Great Kindness Challenge (GKC), a global campaign that promotes kindness, social-emotional health, and bullying prevention:

What it is: A week-long initiative where students and families perform as many acts of kindness as possible to create a culture of compassion, acceptance, unity, and respect
When it's held: The GKC takes place annually during the last week of January
How it works: Schools receive a checklist of kind acts to complete, which students can do independently, in small groups, or as a whole class
What's the theme: The theme for the 2025 GKC Week is "Kindness Moves"
What it can do: The GKC can improve school climate, increase student engagement, and decrease bullying

To accompany the Great Kindness Challenge, we will have a spirit week:

Monday (1/27)

Wear your favorite superhero shirt!

Tuesday (1/28)

Color Our World with Kindness

Tie-Dye Day

(or bright colors)

Wednesday (1/29)

SCHOOL

CLOSED

Thursday (1/30)

Work Things Out with Kindness

Wear work-out/comfy clothes

Friday (1/31)

Kindness/Spirit Wear

Wear shirts with Kindness messages

or that show school spirit!

Students looking at snow through their classroom window.

Let it Snow

On our first day back from break, we were greeted with the arrival of some snow. If you've never had the pleasure of being in an Elementary School when snow arrives, you need to trust me when I say that it brings with it much excitement.

Students in Ms. Marte's class spent some of their time observing the snowflakes from the classroom, and even stepping outside for a couple of minutes to do some hands-on investigations, much to the joy of her students. Other classrooms participated in snow flake activities as well.

What a great way to use student excitement as an avenue for learning and fun.

Empowering Education: Elementary Teachers Awarded Grants to Enhance Learning

Teachers at Frank J. Carasiti Elementary School are making exciting strides in enhancing their students' learning experiences thanks to recent grants. Ms. Jennifer Meschi was awarded a $500 Mini-Grant from the Long Island Language Arts Council to support her project aimed at promoting orthographic mapping. This hands-on approach aligns with The Science of Reading, helping students map out words while strengthening their phonological awareness. With the funds, Ms. Meschi will provide classrooms with a set of materials—including 20-well paint palettes, magnetic wands, and colored chips—to facilitate this interactive and engaging learning method.

Additionally, Ms. Sarina Sicurella and Ms. Carrie Stueber were awarded a $1,000 Media Literacy Grant from the New York State Educational Media Technology Association (EMTA). This grant will allow them to purchase iPads for use in Library and STEAM activities, where students will explore Stop-Motion animation techniques. The new technology will enhance creativity and digital literacy, offering students a hands-on opportunity to express their ideas and deepen their learning in a fun and innovative way. These grants reflect the dedication of FJC's educators to providing rich, diverse learning opportunities for their students.

Second Grade Chorus

Calling all Second Graders! Practice for our Spring Concert will begin shortly. Practices will be at 8:10 in the morning (schedule to follow), and our Spring Concert is scheduled for May 7th at 6pm. If you are interested in being a member of the Second Grade Chorus, please complete the form that was back-packed home earlier this week by January 15th. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Macedonio on ParentSquare.

Upcoming Events

1/6 Kindergarten Registration opens

1/13 Board of Education Mtg-HS Aud 7pm

1/15 FJC Shared Dec. Mtg.- 3:30pm

1/20 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (School Closed)

1/27-1/31 Great Kindness Challenge

1/29 Lunar New Year (School Closed)